[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Here are some visuals from my week eating Trim Healthy Mama foods – specifically those from the book. I love a good cookbook, especially when there are pictures.  Unfortunately, THM does not have pictures, so I figured I’d shoot some as I make the foods from the book.  The recipes aren’t included here, you’ll need the book for that. But the visuals and my thoughts on the recipes are here for your reading and pinning pleasure ;).

 

Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup – S

Page 292 in Trim Healthy Mama.

Wow.  Amazingly delicious.  I didn’t do a side-by side comparison with the name brand, but think this recipe may actually be better.  Like, by a lot. 

I made it with the chicken stock option, and sprinkled some Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning, Premium, 4.5 Ounce on top. Love.

I would serve this to my family without hesitation.  And along with it, maybe a chicken quesadilla on a low carb tortilla and a green salad.

It’s the new “grilled cheese & tomato soup” meal in our home.

 Choco Pudding – S, E, or FP

This was really yummy.  And incredibly filling.  I added a little caramel flavoring to mine.  Mmmm.  So filling I could not finish up what’s in that glass in the picture.  In Trim Healthy Mama, the authors mention that it is good when you make it, but even better after it’s been in the fridge.  Absolutely TRUE!  I made it in the evening and had some.  Then the next day I had more.  It’s almost like a different food after it’s had time to really set up and become a creamy pudding.  Not sure how that happens, but IMO, it’s worth the wait.

Basic Treat Squares – S

These are truly a lifesaver.  If you are not a breakfast person (I’m *SO* not a breakfast person) it’s fantastic to have these on hand so you can get something into your system in the a.m. with pretty much no effort whatsoever. 

They’re also a great grab-and-go kind of food.  You do need to keep them cool if the weather is warm, because that coconut oil in them will melt, but who doesn’t have a cooler and some ice when they really need it, right? 

I’ve made these many times, and will continue to do so.

Mexican Cottage Cheese Salad – FP

This salad is a fantastic light lunch.  It’s a Fuel Pull meal, so it has a little more of a “diety” feel to it, but honestly, there are some times when that’s what I’m in the mood for.  Definitely not all the time, but sometimes.  

It’s also super fast and easy to throw together, and it won’t leave you feeling all bogged down. 

 

Southwestern Chicken – S, E, or FP

If you read the recipe in Trim Healthy Mama, you’ll see that it calls for green salsa, and I used red.  It’s what I had on hand when I felt like making it, and it’s super delicious either way.  I actually prefer it with salmon, but this one was for my husband.  And he enjoyed it, so that’s another THM recipe that got his “thumbs up”.  He’s kind of picky…

I’ve made this probably more than any other recipe in the book  (with salmon).  Right now it’s definitely a favorite.

And like so many of the other recipes, it’s so easy to make.  I mean, seriously easy.

If you’re not familiar with Trim Healthy Mama, here are some links to help you out:

The Trim Healthy Mama Website
Trim Healthy Book Review at Gwen’s Nest that does a fantastic job of explaining THM

My Trim Healthy Week In Pictures is linked up!:
Trim Healthy Tuesdays

What Trim Healthy Mama recipes did you make and love this week?  Leave a comment and let me know![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1477839713499{background-color: #c2cadb !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

 

 Check out these shirts available on Amazon!!

 (These are affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase on Amazon, I receive a small commission. But using my affiliate link will not affect the prices you pay on Amazon.)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

I have never had any complaints when I make Mini Bison Bacon Cheeseburger for my family.  Nope.  Not a one.  In fact, they almost get giddy when they see them coming. 

I first bought bison as an experiment.  Here in Southern California, we are surrounded by popular theme parks, tourist attractions, massive amounts of houses, apartments and businesses with freeways connecting it all together.  Buffalo are one of the farthest things from my mind.  BUT, when I saw the meat in the store, I knew my  family would be game to try it.

I had to do a little research to figure out just what to do.  What I found was to treat it like ground beef.  Making burgers was the obvious choice.   And when I say obvious, I mean the food that would seem the most “normal” to my family. 

Into my ground bison, I add the following:  Chopped onions, chopped garlic (I use one clove, but I’m a garlic whimp.  Use more if you like it), a dash of Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper.  Mush it all together. 

I then divide the meat mixture into 8 mini burgers.  I do this by making a ball of meat in the bowl, and breaking that in half.  Then I break that in half, and then break those halves in half to form the mini burgers.  One pound of bison makes us exactly 8 mini burgers – that’s two per person in our home. And they must all be the same size or someone will surely notice.  Once they’re all formed into perfectly sized patties, I take them out and grill ’em up.

Top them off with some cheese and bacon, and add the condiments that you like.  I added a little mayo and ketchup.  I chose to have mine open faced on a mug-bread.  If you want that recipe, it’s linked in another post here.   Add a side salad and you’ve got a complete meal!

Are you familiar with Bison?  If you’re not, here are a few facts for you on the Great Range Bison webpage. 

And here’s the nutritional label from the package.

 

Bison is a permanent fixture in our home. 

Mini Bison Bacon Cheeseburgers are linked up at:
Trim Healthy Tuesdays at Stacy Makes Cents and Gwen’s Nest.
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Wellness Wednesdays at Intoxicated on Life, Raising the Barrs, Back to the Source & Nourishing Treasures.
Monday Meal Plan & Recipe Share

What is your family’s favorite less- than- ordinary food?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Here’s the low-down on how to make enough for two servings:

In your blender, pour 1 cup of unsweetened, plain almond milk. Add in 4 tbsp. of heavy cream and 1/3 cup of 1% cottage cheese. Blend it all up until the cottage cheese lumps are completely gone.

 

Next, while the blender is running, drizzle in 2 tbsp of coconut oil, blending enough to emulsify the oil into the mixture.

Next, add 1/3 cup of unsweetened, frozen blueberries. Blend well, and add sweetener to taste. I used Kal Pure Stevia Extract Powder.

Finally, with the blender still running, slowly add in 1/4 tsp. of glucomannan powder. Blend thoroughly. If you’re not familiar with it, I describe it in my post “Strawberry Lemonade Slushy.” Head over there and read up on it.

You’re done! Now pour it into two glasses, find someone to share with, and enjoy. 

   

Smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and sliced onions on an onion flavored low-carb bread was a wonderful way to start my day. 

 

It all starts with the bread.  I used this recipe: 2 minute coconut flour bread.  But Before you go over to the recipe and make it, take note – I highly recommend adding 1 tsp. of dried onions to the mix before cooking it. Other than that I followed her recipe exactly, and it was fantastic.

For your cream cheese, put some in a bowl – however much you want, and add some dill.  Fresh dill would be ideal, but I didn’t have any on hand when inspiration struck me, so I went with dried.  Next time – fresh for sure.  Mix it all up and spread it on your bread (which has been cooked and sliced in two).

Slice up your smoked salmon.  Slice up some red onions.  Layer them on top.

Eat it.  It’s that easy.  And tasty.

If you’re a Trim Healthy Mama, this is an S recipe. 

 

(Affiliate Link)

 

It’s been a crazy week. It’s the kids’ first week of summer vacation and we are already waist deep in summer activities. And I am determined to NOT skip breakfast. It’s hard for me. I’ve never, ever been a breakfast person, but the way I’ve been eating lately has caused me to feel so amazing, I don’t want to change it just because my schedule changes. Seriously, this non-morning loving person has been waking up between 5:00-6:00 a.m. just about every day – waaaaay before my alarm is set to go off. And I haven’t been going to bed any earlier. It’s just the elimination of junk from my diet, and in it’s place, healthy foods. Crazy. Who knew that eating right makes you feel better? What? Lots of people? I guess I’ve just been stubborn.

Anyway, this has been my go-to breakfast for the past week. I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to do much, other than make sure I don’t burn the quinoa.

It’s really simple.  Cooked quinoa (I cook about 1/4 cup of dry quinoa to get this much), with a little unsweetened almond milk, some blueberries, strawberries, and some Truvia sprinkled on top of it all.  Along with this,  I drink a cup of low-fat Kefir.  Kefir is fairly new to me.  I had to read up on it to convince myself to try it.  It’s full of the healthy bacteria that our bodies need.  Ok, sounds like a keeper to me!  (Get it?  Keeper?  Kefir?) To my plain, unsweetened, low-fat Kefir I add a squirt of Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme Flavored Liquid Stevia, 2-Ounce Bottle.  Stir it up and drink it down.

This is my kind of cooking.  Tasty and healthy!

Are you a THMer?  I’d love to hear about your healthy breakfasts, particularly your E breakfasts!  Leave a comment with a link to your favorites below! 

Want to read more about Kefir?  Here’s a great article for you!

Super Easy, Super Healthy Summer Breakfast [E] is linked up on Trim Healthy Tuesdays hosted by Stacy Makes Cents & Gwen’s Nest, plus Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

 

Here’s a great snack, or a great THM Breakfast Idea.  

Raspberry cheesecake rollups with cinnamon sugarer a great THM breakfast idea. 
This is really simple. I mean, so simple your kids can do it. (supervise the stove time for little ones, of course) And it’s really tasty.  This most definitely fills the need for something sweet without the guilt.  Now, before I get started with the recipe, I have to tell you about these: Bakto flavors.  These flavors (and all other Bakto flavors) are Kosher, GMO-free, Gluten-Free, contain NO color, sugar or Corn Syrup.  They also happen to be produced in the USA, which I am always happy to see.

I ordered this set of 6 Bakto Natural Flavors last week from Amazon.  It was actually cheaper to buy through Amazon than through the company’s website.  Go figure.  They are so good.  Life changing.  Well, maybe not that good, but they’ve opened up a whole new world of flavors and experimenting for me.  I’ll definitely be sharing more recipes with Bakto flavors in the future. (By the way, this is not a paid endorsement for Bakto – it’s just my opinion on a product I purchased. And loved.)

So back to the Raspberry Cheesecake Rollups –

I began by getting all the “parts” ready to go.  In a small bowl I mixed a little cinnamon with some Truvia.  You could also use raw sugar – which is what I would use if I made this for my kids.  But I didn’t – it was for me.

I set the cinnamon-sugar mixture aside and used another small bowl to add in about 1/4 of a block of  Neufchatel Cheese (Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cheese that looks like cream cheese), 1/2 tsp. of Truvia, and a tiny bit of my Bakto Natural Raspberry flavoring.  A teensy weensy bit of raspberry flavoring.  Maybe 1/16 tsp.  I don’t have a measuring spoon that small. 

Did you notice my cheese is upside-down?  Yeah, I just noticed that too :).

Stir the cheese, Truvia and flavor until it’s all mixed together nicely.

Once the filling and cinnamon-sugar were ready to go and waiting, I heated up one low-carb, whole wheat tortilla in some butter in a skillet.  If you eat gluten-free, use a gulten free tortilla.  I didn’t want it crispy, like I would for a quesadilla, but just short of that point.  Flip it so both sides get some heat.  It should be nice and warm, and coated with a light layer of butter (I wanted something for the cinnamon & sugar to stick to)

Next, you’ll plop, spread, roll and slice, just like you see below… Get it?  Make those slices bite sized.  It’s easier to eat it this way.

Roll each piece around in the cinnamon-sugar bowl.  Get a nice coating on them.  Then find one lucky person to share them with, because this makes enough for two people.

Want to get some Bakto flavors for yourself?  Here’s where you can find them. (These are affiliate links, and I do profit a small amount if you purchase through them.) The first picture is the set I bought.  The second is tropical flavors, and it sounds perfect for summer.  When the weather cools down, I may need to get the third set – sweet brown flavors.

 

If you’re wondering what the [S] in the title is for, it indicates what type of food this is for those following the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating.

If you try these out, please come back and share how it went for you!  And if you get the Bakto flavors, let me know what you think!

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’4′] This recipe is a part of the Slightly Indulgent Linkup at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, and the Trim Healthy Tuesday link up hosted by Stacy Make Sense & Gwen’s Nest & Gluten Free Fridays.