Peanut Butter Oat Cake - Crossover!

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Have you ever visited Chocolate Covered Katies website? She makes some fabulous stuff. Pre-THM I made many lovely things from her blog. Since THM I have found that many of her recipes are so close to being on plan, that with minimal changes, they can work for us! I especially LOVE that she's vegan, that makes the EGG FREE part especially easy!

I wanted a yummy treat for my husband today, he has been recovering from an illness and lost a few pounds and could stand the extra calories. I found this lovely little peanut butter cake recipe on her site and with a few changes, it is now a delicious THM crossover! I also made her frosting that is linked in her post. So easy!! (Sadly I am allergic to peanuts, so this isn't for me, however I think any nut or seed butter would work great in here!)

You can find the original recipe here: Frosted Peanut Butter Snack Cake

These are my changes

* I used oat flour for the flour called for, same measurements
* 1/2 cup of sweet blend was plenty to sub for the 1 cup of sweetener she calls for. If you use any other sweetener, I would recommend using the full cup.
* I used a single serving size cup of apple sauce in place of the yogurt. This keeps this one dairy free as well!

I made it in a 9x13 cake pan and it came out a little thin, but still great. Husband and daughter were VERY happy with it! Their review was that it was delicious and they would definitely want it again!

I might try using a square cake pan next time and see if that results in a little deeper cake. Either way, we are happy and this cake will be made regularly around here.

Thank you Chocolate Covered Katie for your hard work and great recipes!

With Joy ~ Tina

Spaghetti! One of my go to meals....easy S Super allergen friendly!

 Spaghetti Squash - a GREAT Fuel Pull Noodle!

 Brown Rice Noodles - These can be used on THM in side serving portions on occasion, be careful, they will still spike your blood sugar!

Not Naughty Rice! This is a fun little addition to my meals! I will chat more about this below....

Albeit a little loved looking, my crockpot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. She's not pretty, but she sure is useful!

 

Chicken Italian Sausage, these ones are in links from Trader Joes, Isernios is also a great brand, it's an S food.

Mixing it up!

When I first started THM I often thought, "I know why these sisters are so skinny, they are constantly on their feet cooking and cleaning!" :)  There really is a learning curve, and there really are great tricks to minimize that cooking/cleaning time. I am a BIG advocate of cooking in bulk, preparing and using handy tools like my crockpot!

So, this post isn't a ground breaker with some amazing new recipe, this is just an encouragement hat you don't need a lot of time, nor do you HAVE to have fancy ingredients for a great on plan meal. You can do this if you have food allergies. This is a very simple meal, tastes great and can come together with a few minutes of prep time. This is for my drive through Sue sisters!! <3

When I have a very busy day spaghetti is a go to meal for me. I always try to keep the staples for this meal on plan. I always keep my pantry stocked with on plan sauce in a jar, noodles, and spaghetti squash stays good for a very long time. I happened to have "not naughty noodles" here, but they are certainly not needed. I use them to bulk up my portion, I don't feed them to my whole family.

In the morning when I get up, I pull out my crockpot and pour the sauces into the crockpot. If you have a good dry red wine around I would add a splash, it gives the flavor a lovely depth. I then slice up my chicken Italian sausages, this is a favorite since they are precooked and I don't have to cook something. If I don't have them on hand, cooking up a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage will also do, it's just a little more work. I turn the crockpot on low and away I go!

If it's a VERY busy day, I will pull out my second and larger crockpot and put a couple of inches of water in it. I then place my spaghetti squash in and turn to low, OH! Be sure to pierce it a couple of times. It will be ready when you are ready for dinner. If you have time otherwise and don't use a second crockpot, put the oven to 450 and let bake for about 40 minutes. I slice mine in half and clean it out first, placing cut side down on a cookie sheet.

Now truthfully, you could stop here. You now have a veggie and a complete S meal. You could add a salad to round it out nicely and a bagged salad would accompany this quick meal nicely.

If you have very hungry people in your home and need noodles too, I will often set a pot of water on the stove in the morning so all I have to do is turn it on to cook the noodles when I fly in the door.

Brown rice noodles are an on plan option on occasion in side serving portions. If you use a lean meat in your sauce this could be an E. Any other meat would make it a crossover with the noodles. For me, if I want noodles, I serve up my portion and add a lot of spaghetti squash. It makes me feel as if I have a bowl full of food and not missing out. It's a great little trick.

ORRRRRR, if you happen to have not naughty noodles or not naughty rice on hand, you can just rinse and use that! Which is what I did tonight. I would have taken a picture to show you my finished meal, but my family all agreed that it's not as pretty with the rice....so I will leave that to your imagination. It was DELICIOUS!

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With Joy ~ Tina

My Trim Healthy Man

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This is my Trim Healthy Man :)
I love him <3

He's a hard working man and eats a lot more than I do. He can also handle crossovers, and to be honest, I don't think he is really aware of what an S, E or Crossover is. He just eats what I make and he loves both the food and how he feels! He works in the trades so his food options are a bit more limited in that he doesn't have access to refrigeration or heating. Everything I make has to be able to go into his lunchbox and be easy to eat on the go. I notice a lot of ladies looking for quick meals or snacks as well as ideas for their THMen.

On my blog I try to have everything allergy friendly, especially egg free, since I feel that is a huge challenge on THM. However, this post I will be listing the foods my husband eats on the go at work. His only allergy is wheat...lucky duck. He also eats more S meals and snacks than anything else, we have learned that too many carbs and he gets achiness in his body. So while he has E's on a regular basis, he feels optimal on more S meals.

Here is a list of things I pack on a regular basis for my husbands lunches:

• hard boiled eggs
• BIM sandwiches (deli meat, tuna, chicken salad, egg salad)
• oat flour pancakes made into PB&J sandwiches
• cucumbers or bell peppers and hummus
• frozen berries with greek yogurt and sweetener in a plastic container
• mixed nuts
• fresh fruit
• applesauce cups
• cheese sticks (string cheese)
• MIM
• Oven MIM recipe for multiple muffins
• scones
• chocolate chip cookies
• chocolate cupcakes
• Salad in a jar (taco salads, chef salads)
• Lettuce wrap sandwiches
• olives
• dill pickles
• chocolate nut slab pieces
• 86% dark chocolate chunks
• peanut butter  or almond butter on celery sticks
• carrot sticks
• zucchini sliced thin with peeler and rolled up with lean deli meat
• Vitamin Water Zero
• Zevia Pop
• Oven Flax Crackers
• Kombucha

As an example, this is what is packed right now for his meals tomorrow, he needs breakfast, snack and lunch while he's gone. He has 2 hard boiled eggs, yogurt with blueberries and sweetener, a bag of mixed nuts, a banana,  a lean chicken breast sandwich on MIM, applesauce cup and a muffin in a mug.

My hubby just recently purchased one of these EBags lunch totes. The insides zip out and can be replaced if needed as well as for making easy cleanup! He really likes the multiple pockets and handy features!




My husband has been on plan for almost a year now. I had been on plan before him, and while he would enjoy some of my foods, he wasn't really interested in committing to the plan for himself. He was having some medical issues, rising cholesterol numbers, thyroid issue, blood sugar numbers increasing and a few other little issues were starting to show up in his blood work. As I mentioned, he also struggled with chronic body pains and tendonitis. He was not very over weight (maybe 10 pounds), but he was showing signs that he needed to do something to regain his best health possible. He decided to give the plan a go, which was an easy transition since I was already on plan and it was working great for me.

I didn't even take the time to explain things to him. He just knew to eat what I made, stay away from sugar when he was away from home and he already cannot have bread so that was easy. He also knows to look for high protein options if he's out and looking for something to eat.

Within 3 months of being on plan his cholesterol returned to a normal range, he lost the 10 pounds, his blood sugar dropped to normal as well. We were thrilled! The doctor was thrilled! Not only was his blood work showing the great improvement, but he physically felt so much better! The achiness reduced greatly, with some help from the doctor and the change in diet, the tendonitis cleared up. He was able to feel great again without the help of ibuprofen! He was fully sold out on this plan and doesn't even want to stray from it. He enjoys the occasional treat off plan, but for the most part, he feels so good, his blood work is so excellent that he works hard to stay on plan at all times. AMAZING! We are praising God for his health today and for this wonderful plan.

What

E meal - Sloppy Joes, in the crockpot (Can also be S or CO)

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Oooooohhhhh...myyyyyy..this was really delicious. Who doesn't like Sloppy Joes? They are always a hit in my home. What a wonderful, warm and filling dinner. Comfort food. This is a wonderful sweet and spicy adaptation of a recipe I received years ago from menu mailer.
I also love getting up in the morning and throwing everything in the crockpot and letting it work all day while I get other things done. Especially on a busy homeschool day spent running errands and visiting friends. Come home to a house that smells heavenly.

For this meal, I decided to put this over white baked sweet potatoes (orange would also work). They make a great compliment to the flavors in the sloppy joes sauce. On the side I made a large side salad and topped it with a quick and easy "honey" mustard dressing. The Trim Hip Honey Mustard in the book would work great for this meal.

Other ideas you could use in this meal:

S - don't worry about rinsing the beef and pour over spaghetti squash, make bread in a mug and have a true sloppy joe sandwich  or sautee zucchini or cabbage and pour meat on top.

CO - use a fattier ground beef, a nice grass fed with all that healthy fat, use the sweet potato and you have a crossover. You could add a sprinkle of cheese on top if you would like.

Crockpot Sloppy Joes
Serves 6
1.5 pound extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup tomato sauce (be sure it has no added sugar)
1/4 cup on plan ketchup
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons THM sweet blend (2 T truvia or other erythritol stevia blend)
1 teaspoon black strap molasses
2 Tablespoons mustard
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder

Brown ground beef with onions, garlic and celery, add in bell pepper about half way through. Rinse to make as lean as possible for an E meal.

Add the remainder of the ingredients to the crockpot and stir well. When ground beef mixture is finished, add to the crockpot and stir well.

Cook on High for 3-4 hours or on low 6-8.

I cook this dish in my 3 quart crockpot, mines plain white, but isn't this one so cute!!




If you have a second crockpot you can put your sweet potatoes in there all day or about an hour before dinner is ready, pop them in your oven at 375, be sure to prick them with a fork. They should take about an hour. A fork should pierce easily when done.

With joy ~ Tina

Passover is almost here!

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How can I stay on plan for Passover?

Is it your goal to stay on plan for the upcoming holiday? For me personally, I do my very best to stay on plan for holidays, but there are a few foods I will enjoy a bite or two of because they only come around once a year.

My goal is to inspire us all to make healthy and delicious choices as we remember this season of deliverance. My suggestion to you would be choose a fuel type, either go low fat for an E option or low carb for an S option. We will do an S option, although I would guess I will land in crossover territory and I am very OK with that.

My family is involved with a home fellowship. For years now we have hosted a seder in our home for our wonderful group. One tradition we enjoy is having a sleepover with all who wish to stay. We remember the command that the Israelites were not to leave their dwelling place on that fateful night. In the morning, the men of our group assemble breakfast for everyone. This one tradition has made many wonderful memories for our family.

Our menu traditionally consists of these basics:

Lamb - which my husband roasts outside on our freshly cleaned barbecue (YUM!)

Barley side dish - I usually find a new recipe each year, I do this to remember this is the season of the barley harvest

Charoset - my friend makes this, and now she is a THM with me....so I will add a link or two to some recipes that will work on plan

Vegetable side dish - this also varies year to year, I now keep it to FP vegetables so it is light and doesn't add more fuel to an already full meal

Matzah - of course. I am gluten free, I am hoping to make Raye's oat matzah recipe this year and buy boxes for the people who are not on plan - Here is a pin for her recipe: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/130182245455426724/
Make plenty so you will have it all week to snack on!
Here is a link to Raye's Place Blog where she has lots of wonderful recipes.

Matzah brittle. That's just bad news folks. Move along...there is nothing to see here (My kids COUNT on this each year, it is their favorite....there is probably a way to THMify it, maybe something I can work on over the next year, a good goal.)

Of course all the elements of the seder are always included as well. Our guests always arrive with many dishes to add to the meal. The above are my basics.

Charoset: I have found other recipes at Elana's Pantry that I have enjoyed. This is a link to her charoset recipe, to make it THM I would sub liquid stevia and some orange extract for the orange juice and goji berries or unsweetened cranberries would work as well. This would be a crossover with the apples and nuts.
I wonder if you could use that zucchini in place of apples trick here...I bet it would work. Maybe I will try it and let you know!
http://elanaspantry.com/charoset/

Side Dish: I have made this Nutty Barley Bake from Taste of Home in the past and everyone loves it. It is definitely a crossover and I reduced the butter greatly, it is way too much. I used a tablespoon and it was plenty. It will be on my table this year as well.

Dessert: Cheesecake berry crunch would be a wonderful dessert that could be made in larger batches and placed in dessert goblets.
I have made these No Bake Coconut Crack Bars by Chocolate Covered Katie and they are delicious! I did the sub recommended of water and stevia, and it worked perfectly. I think next time I would add a teaspoon or two of gelatin to the liquid to help them hold together even better when cold. In addition, to give these that traditional chocolate covered macaroon flavor, I would put a layer of skinny chocolate on top! This would be a delicious S dessert and easy to make!

Now, after the big night how do we continue to stay on plan without our MIM's and cupcakes? We are going to need some inspiration!

I am thinking my menu will look something like this:

Breakfast:
*Overnight oats, I use goat yogurt in mine, it makes a yummy and quick FP breakfast
*Jennifer Griffins Warm Chia Porridge S - in the time it takes to make my tea, my breakfast is also ready!
*Goat Yogurt and berries is my quick and easy on the go breakfast.

Lunch:
*Just like campbells tomato soup with grilled cheese...WAIT! No bread! Here's my trick, I plan to make the oven flax crackers which contain no leaven, but make it thicker and use as bread! YUM!
*Rice and beans with chicken breast - burrito bowls! Quick, easy and inexpensive. This is also something my kids love. I make up a batch of pico de gallo, a large batch of dried beans and a quadruple batch of sprouted brown rice at the beginning of the week and we have an instant meal on hand!
*Salad - I love tossing together a wonderful S salad, with avocado, olives, loads of veggies and a protein source. I often pick up a pound or two of lean deli meat to chop up and toss on top. So quick and so easy. My current favorite dressing is homemade "honey" mustard.

Dinner:
*Lamb Meat loaf with mashed fauxtatoes and gravy. A nice salad on the side
*Spaghetti and italian chicken sausage sauce over spaghetti squash. If you can do dairy, its delicious to add mozzarella to the top and place under the broiler to melt and brown a little.
*Sloppy joes over sweet potatoes, a large side salad or broccoli on the side.
Here is my recipe adaptation: http://anointedwithoilofjoy.blogspot.com/2015/04/e-meal-sloppy-joes-in-crockpot.html
With ground beef if I rinse and watch portions of very lean its an E, or ground chicken breast. I may make this a crossover, or use shredded chicken. All great options.
*Chicken cashew lettuce wraps (sub on plan sweetener) - I will make brown rice for the family, I will do a lovely veggie stir fry with ginger and sesame oil
*Unstuffed Cabbage Recipe - this ones a hit in our home. I think I will add in some not naughty rice to round it out.
*Amish Cabbage Patch Soup - sub in on plan sweetener. I will make this for erev Shabbat so I have plenty of leftovers for Shabbat. http://www.food.com/recipe/amish-cabbage-patch-stew-390884
*Big Mac Salad
(I got a deal on ground beef, so we are using it up this week!)

Dessert:
*Cheesecake Berry Crunch - I make this with goat cheese that comes in a log from Costco, it works great and I can tolerate it!
*Tummy Tucking Ice cream with skinny chocolate drizzled on top
*Skinny Chocolate! Here is my favorite recipes: http://thenewlighterlife.com/trim-healthy-mama-skinny-chocolate-3-different-ways/ Remember, 1/3 of the recipe can be had per day!
*Coconut crack bars I have linked above
*Big Boy Smoothie - a favorite always!
*Fudgy No Bakes - I cant have peanuts, so I sub in some cashew butter and they come out rich and decadent! http://sherigraham.com/trim-healthy-mama-fudgy-no-bake-cookies-s

If you've made it all the way down here, I would like to share a little of my heart with you. This season of deliverance is so meaningful for me. Each year as I clean my home of leaven I prayerfully also search my heart for the spiritual leaven that has taken root and needs removal. God has shown us numerous times how what is in the natural exists also in the spiritual, so our daily tasks are not mundane, but can be elevated to holy acts before the Lord. Searching my home, reading ingredients and washing to remove that which is forbidden is a blessing. It is a time of drawing near and asking God to show me His will and ways in my life. It is a time of removal and surrender of things not of Him in my heart and soul. In addition, this season reminds me of His strong arm of deliverance. He has carried me through many trials in life, He is truly my deliverer. He has parted the waters of chaos and death in my life and brought life forth when there was nowhere else to turn. I love Passover, I love coming together with our fellowship family and remembering what God has done for Israel in the past. I love seeing the pattern of His redemptive and protective arm recurring season after season, year after year. I love having hope for whatever the future may hold, I know I can trust Him because He is faithful, He is consistent and He has shown Himself to be a good Abba to His people.

                                                                       
I hope you have a most blessed Passover season. The Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you and give you His Shalom.

With Joy ~ Tina

Chocolate Cupcakes....drool..... (S)

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Oh!! So exciting!! I did it! I came up with a wonderfully delicious, holds together, tastes moist and chocolatey CUPCAKE! Who doesn't get all jazzed about a cupcake?

I decided to make these ones simple, frosting free, I did add a few chocolate chips, which are totally optional, to this batch. These are the real deal in mine AND my families opinions. Everyone here loves them, even my teen son who can and does eat everything! He's my scale, if he says its delicious and asks to eat my THM treats, I know I have hit it with a recipe. This ones a big hit!

I am so excited to share this with you! This recipe is EGG free, dairy free, almond free, gluten free, sugar free....it's just amazing. It could use a little protein if you're having it as a snack, but for dessert after a good protein rich dinner, it can stand on it's own. Or it can stand with another cupcake, because I definitely have two. Yum.

Chocolate Cupcakes - S
Makes 12 regular size cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Cashew Flour (Almond would work)
1/2 Cup Flax Meal
1/2 Cup Oat Fiber (THM brand is certified GF)
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour, make it a slightly rounded cup
1/2 Cup THM Sweet Blend (any other sweetener I suggest doubling)
2/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
4 Doonks THM Stevia
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups on plan milk of choice
1 Single Serve Container UNSWEETENED apple sauce (4oz)
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, mix well with a whisk. Combine liquid ingredients. Add liquid into dry and combine well.

If you would like to add chocolate chips, Lily's are on plan, I add about 2/3-1 cup to the batter at this time and fold in.

Prep pans with liners, grease or if you are using a silicone style, no prep is necessary. Distribute the batter evenly between the 12 cupcakes. Bake for 35 minutes.
Allow to cool at least 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. These need a little time to set up. I have topped with a dollop of whip cream, coconut cream, slim belly jelly. They would make a fabulous trifle, or even cut in half and fill with cream and eat like a fabulous sandwich!

I have found a wonderful frosting glaze recipe, it would go FABULOUSLY on these cupcakes and is dairy free! Dairy Free Chocolate Sauce
When it sits in the fridge for a few hours it turns into a thick frosting! YUM!
Cool and enjoy!!

With Joy ~ Tina

Cut out cookies! Thumbprints! Snickerdoodles! S- HAMANTASCHEN!

*I originally wrote this post up for Purim, however, I realized that so many are missing out on this awesome and versatile egg free recipe. It makes a variety of great cookies that work all year round!*

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We are SO CLOSE to Purim, which means Passover is coming right behind, which means, I am pushing thoughts of deep cleaning out of my head as I type.

For now, I will enjoy the celebration from the book of Esther, remembering the great deliverance God has done for His people in the past so many times and promises to continue doing into the future. Right up until that great day when Messiah COMES! May it be in our lifetimes.!!

On to the recipe! This is an adaptation of the Trim Healthy Mama Holiday Cookies from the December E-Zine. I made these allergy friendly for my families needs. These are egg free bites of lovely deliciousness! They don't crumble, can travel to a fabulous party and be shared with everyone!

You can sign up for the E-zine right here: http://trimhealthymama.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=cd8c5e8ceb3d298b702027eeb&id=e2d5d2a313


THM S Hamantaschen

1 stick of butter softenend
2 flat Tablespoons sweet blend (if you using any other sweetener you will need to double)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Gelatin Egg = 1 Heaping teaspoon gelatin mixed well with 3 Tabelspoons cool water
pinch of sea salt
3/4 Cup cashew meal (or any nut/seed meal should work)
1/2 Cup oat fiber (THM brand is certified gluten free)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream the butter and sweetener. Add in the gelatin egg and vanilla, mix to combine.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix well.

Add dry to wet, mixing until the dough comes together. Form into a ball, place in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about an hour.

Roll out, to somewhere between an 1/8-1/4" thick. A little thicker holds its shape better while baking. Too thin and they tend to wilt.

Cut circles, I used a 2.5" diameter cookie cutter.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and add about 1/2 teaspoon of filling of choice. I used a no sugar added jelly, you could do a thick slim belly jelly, make a sugar free poppy seed or even toss in a few chocolate chips!

These cookies also work great as thumbprints, traditional cutout, and I even rolled them and made them into snickerdoodles! This is a very versatile recipe!

For Thumbprints, I just rolled the dough into small balls, pushed my thumb in and added about a 1/2 tsp or so of on plan jelly. Bake!

For cutouts, I just rolled this dough out, you could add almond or other extracts for a flavor change as well during the mixing portion. Just cut with cookie cutters. We have done this for hanukkah! Bake!

For snickerdoodles, my husbands favorite, I rolled into balls, made a mixture of sweet blend and cinnamon, rolled into the mixture and placed on a baking sheet. Took the bottom of a glass and smashed them flat. Bake!

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

My cookies did take 15 minutes. They are delicious! I hope you enjoy them too!

Happy Purim!


With joy ~ Tina