THM menu plan January 29-February 4

My trim healthy menu plan with variations for my family in (parenthesis).

FP Pizza ~page 280~



Wednesday, 29
Breakfast (E): Trim Healthy Pancakes ~page 223~ with berries
Lunch (E): leftovers of hearty green soup ~page 334~ with sprouted bread (the kids had chick-fil-a with some Christmas gift cards)
Snack (FP): muffin in a bowl ~page 258~ (raisins)
Dinner (S): grilled cheese using cheddar cheese and bread in a mug ~page 265~ with just like campbell's tomato soup ~page 292~ (regular grilled cheese and tomato soup)

Thursday, 30
Breakfast (S): 3 eggs fried in butter with cayenne and sea salt (cereal)
Lunch (S): large S salad with chicken, avocado, sour cream, salsa and romaine (hot dogs and mac&cheese)
Snack (FP): cake batter shake (graham crackers with peanut butter)
Dinner (E): bean burgers ~page 339~ and salad

Friday, 31
Breakfast (S): 2 eggs fried in butter with cayenne and sea salt (granola bars and bananas)
Lunch (FP): fuel pull pizza ~page 280~ (pb&j, pretzels and yogurt)
Snack (S): trimmacchino and skinny chocolate (peanuts)
Dinner (S): fooled ya pizza ~page 277~ and salad (normal pizza on homemade wheat crust and salad)

Saturday, 1
Breakfast (E): oatmeal and fruit
Lunch (S): meeting at church. I'm told there will be red soup there ~page 334~ (leftovers)
Snack (S): muffin in a mug (veggies and ranch)
Dinner (S): eating at someone else's house. I will eat the meat and salad.

Sunday, 2
Breakfast (S): cheesy eggs ~page 219~(cereal)
Lunch (FP): tuna wrap and veggies (pb&j, pretzels and fruit)
Snack : no snack on sundays because we eat lunch so late
Dinner (S): SUPER BOWL! I'm going to attempt to stay on plan. Even though the only use super bowl is to us as a family is the spread of apps we eat from 6pm to 10 (or whenever the game is over). Plan friendly things I'm making: buffalo chicken dip, veggie tray with homemade ranch dip, pepperoni and cheese from the cheese tray, best brownie in a mug and tummy tucking ice cream. I think I'll be fine :)

Monday, 3
Breakfast (FP): egg white and spinach omelette (peanut butter toast and fruit
Lunch (FP): deli meat roll ups ~page 299~ and veggies (tuna noodle casserole)
Snack (FP): greek yogurt and berries (indian pudding)
Dinner (E): spicy pinto beans and rice

Tuesday, 4
Breakfast (E): oatmeal and fruit
Lunch (S): crispy salmon ~page 283~ on romaine (pb&j, pretzels and carrots)
Snack (S): our snack will be after dinner instead of before as we will be celebrating someone's birthday for our community group tonight. cake in a mug ~page 379~ (cake and ice cream)
Dinner (S): fried fish ~page 344~ creamy creamless cabbage ~page 352~ (cheesy rice)

Linked to Trim Healthy Tuesdays

Some of the best laid plans....

So the fuel cycle was a bomb. I did really great all the way up to the morning of my first E day when I felt like death. Couldn't get out of bed until 11 and still had no energy when I did. It probably wasn't a great idea to do the FC while everyone else in my house was sick. I'm guessing that my immune system was already working over time to keep me healthy (because mom can't get sick right?!) and playing around with my fuels just broke me. I have done FC's before and didn't have this happen so I will try it again sometime. Maybe in the summer when everyone is healthy.

That being said, I want to know what I should post about. What specifically you want to read here. I know there are people reading the blog because I can check the stats. So please, speak up and tell me what you're here for.
If it's just menus, it's easy to just post my weekly menus and be done.
Do you want recipes? I don't do my own THM recipes, but I could always link to other people's here in one convenient place.
Is encouragement what you're looking for? Well, you have to interact here for me to encourage you. So leave your comments or questions and I'd be happy to write posts answering those.

My point is, the reason I hardly ever blog is because I don't have the time to sit down and figure out what to say. So if you want to see new posts, give me some fodder. =)

Linked up at Trim Healthy Tuesday

My fuel cycle menu

After being on and off plan (mostly off) since Thanksgiving, I've decided to buckle down and join in the community fuel cycle on facebook. There are abut 150 ladies encouraging each other and cheering one another on for the next 2 weeks.

Here's my menu:

WEEK 1 FUEL CYCLE

{snacks for deep s days: skinny chocolate, FSF, whey smoothies, trimmacchinos, pie sips}
DEEP S
Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in butter with sea salt, pepper and nutritional yeast; coffee with cream and stevia.
Lunch: crispy salmon over romaine and chopped celery with plenty of EVOO.
Dinner: spongebob's crabby patties (made with tune, no breadcrumbs for me); broccoli with butter

DEEP S
Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in butter with sea salt, pepper ad nutritional yeast; coffee with cream and stevia.
Lunch: East African Curry
Dinner: Whole baked chicken and roasted vegetable medley

DEEP S
Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs and turkey bacon
Lunch: leftover chicken and broccoli
Dinner: Better than chef salad (S) with lots of EVOO

FP
Breakfast: egg white and red pepper omelette
Lunch: chicken broth anything soup and 1 wasa cracker
Dinner: Succulent citrus fish bake; creamy creamless veggies (cabbage)

{snacks on fp days: frozen greek yogurt, greek yogurt with stevia and berries, melt in your mouth meringues, lemon mousse}
FP
Breakfast: light vanilla greek treat
Lunch: better than ramen (yes, i'm trying konjac noodles again....)
Dinner: fotato soup and 2 wasa crackers

{snacks for e days: baked apples, fruit, ricotta parfait, toast with lc cheese}
E
Breakfast: trim healthy pancakes with berries
Lunch: warm sprouted chicken sandwich
Dinner: zest of southwest soup (e style) and sprouted toast

E
Breakfast: egg white breakfast burrito
Lunch: tuna sandwich and carrots
Dinner: all day lentil stew; 2 wasa crackers

WEEK 2 FUEL CYCLE (all of the snacks will be the same options)

DEEP S
Breakfast: 2 eggs fried in butter with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast; coffee with cream and stevia.
Lunch: crispy salmon on romaine with lots of EVOO
Dinner: Roast with radishes

DEEP S
Breakfast: zucchini fritter (no cheese); coffee with cream and stevia
Lunch: egg salad lettuce roll ups
Dinner: baked chicken thighs and roasted vegetable medley

DEEP S
Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs and turkey bacon
Lunch: crispy salmon and leftover veggies
Dinner: burgers and green fries

FP
Breakfast: cookie bowl oatmeal (yes, another thing i'm revisiting)
Lunch: lettuce wraps
Dinner: easy chicken yogurt bake and cauliflower

FP
Breakfast: egg white and red pepper omelette
Lunch: quick tuna medley
Dinner: Stir fry

E
Breakfast: trim healthy pancakes
Lunch: Mexican cottage cheese salad
Dinner: sprouted French toast and fruit

E
Breakfast: mozzarella tomato turkey toast
Lunch: Cajun cottage cheese salad
Dinner: chili (my "e" style) and wasa crackers

Most of you know, I've never done a complete cycle. After the first week I'm ready to throw in the towel. Hopefully with all the support on the facebook group, I can do it for the first time!

On a completely unrelated note....here's a picture from our first Trim Healthy Mama party!! Held this past Saturday. We had 27 ladies! So much fun and a great chance to get questions answered from other mamas who are more experienced. Can't wait to do it again.

Linked up at Gwen's Trim Healthy Tuesday.

Flops

Sorry it has taken so long for the next in my series of posts. We had 3 deaths in 1 week in our family. Things are just settling down enough for me to sit and organize my thoughts. Thanks to some gentle nudging from a friend, I'm ready to post my list of thm "flops".

Let me preface this by saying these are not flops in the sense that the recipes are no good. They are due to my own limits or tastes. So something I may have disliked or ruined, you may love and make wonderfully. So give it a try if you haven't already and then decide for yourself. Maybe you'll come up with a helpful tip for me!! This post is just me "keeping it real" so to speak.
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Chewy Sprouted Mini Loaves (page422): I felt so proud of myself to be sprouting something on my counter! It is quite an accomplished feeling to be so invested in something you're cooking. Imagine my disappointment when these turned out to be little rectangular door stops. They were hard as a rock and completely inedible. I'm sure I did something wrong. I can't put my finger on it. I'm scared to try again. Have you had success with these? Any tips or tricks you can share?

Cookie Bowl Oatmeal (page232): In all honesty, I don't like oatmeal in any form. So this could be the best recipe and I still probably wouldn't like it.

Crunchy Cheese Crackers (page 395): I tried making these in the microwave. I ended up with cheese burnt onto wax paper. Yuck. Again, this was something I tried early on in my THM days. I should try it again. I just love cheese so much I would rather eat it right off the block than waste it :)

Exotic Green Curry (page 287): I didn't like the texture of this. It's not that it tasted bad. It was just kind of gritty. I blended it really good in my ninja. I guess my kale was too hearty? Maybe I didn't take enough of the tough stems off?

Icing for cake (page 386): This tasted like butter. I don't like butter on my cake. The end.

Ketchup (page 411): My kids wouldn't even try it because it wasn't red. My hubby (who usually will eat just about anything that is vegetarian because he doesn't like wasting stuff) wouldn't eat it. I think this is one of those things you have to tweak for your own tastes. More or less vinegar, more or less sweetener, etc.

Light Baked Custard (page 218): I didn't like the way this turned out. Could've been me. I didn't make it in ramekins (I don't have any!). I made it in an 8x8 casserole. That could've been a contributing factor as well.

Oven Flax Crackers (page 393): This was (again) a failure on my part. The dough wasn't evenly rolled out. So the edges ended up blackening and the middle wasn't crispy at all. That being said, my kids LOVED it! The middle part, that is. My middle child asked if she could "have more of that bread that you call crackers" LOL!!!

Trim Healthy Pan Bread (page 266): Please tell me that I'm not the only one who thinks this is pretty much trim healthy pancakes without the sweetness? I'd rather just eat the pancakes!!

That's it! The list of "loves" was much longer and harder to trim down than this one. I love, love, love most of the recipes in the book (and the many more on the facebook page!) and I am so very thankful for all of the work that went into developing them. It's nice to have so many options right at my fingertips. In my opinion, it's more than worth the occasional flop.

Linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesday and Menu Plan Monday

Hits

This is my "off" week from shopping. I only grocery shop every 3 weeks. I intentionally plan the first 2, then the last week is a "use it up" sort of week.

So this week's posts will all be about the recipes. I often have people ask me which recipes in the book my family enjoys best. Here I will list some of our favorites. (Stay tuned for our least favorites, followed by some we haven't tried yet....you can give me the lowdown on if you've made them and like them!)
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Zucchini fritter (page 217): I've only made this once because I only get up the nerve to try it last week! I love eggs for breakfast and I really don't like messing with them because: A- I don't like wasting food and 2- It's too early in the morning to be creative. Wish I would've tried this sooner. It's simple, tasty and a great way to get extra veggies in.

Trim Healthy Pancakes (page 223): Oh my golly! This is the tastiest e meal. Period. I don't know anyone who doesn't like them. My kids are super picky and all five of them devour these when I make them! My friend who hardly likes anything on plan (you know who you are....) loves these with a little cinnamon sprinkled in. Nuke some frozen berries with stevia and throw them on top. Yummilicious!

Muffin in a mug (page 256):I know there are mixed reviews about this, but I love it. I have since the second time I made it. Not sure what happened the first time..... I have 3 versions I like~ chocolate, mocha and pumpkin. Always with a squirt of ff reddi whip. Sometimes with a few frozen berries on top.

Fooled ya pizza (page 276): I love this. It is the first cauliflower recipe I tried when I started THM. I used to think I hated cauliflower. Pearl and Serene have taught me that I love it as long as it's prepared right. I usually top my fooled ya pizza crust with a can of tomato sauce, italian seasoning, garlic powder, mozzarella cheese and diced green or red peppers. Occasionally I'll throw some pepperoni on top. Delicious!

Crispy salmon (page 283): Something else I thought I wouldn't like. I was 30 years old when I started THM and had never had salmon. Not real salmon anyway. Just the stuff in a pouch. Now my very favorite lunch is crispy salmon on a bed of romaine with lots of EVOO.

Succulent Citrus Fish Bake (page 286): We use tilapa and my kids call it chicken. They dip it in ketchup and love it. Whatever gets them to eat. I like it beside steamed broccoli for a FP or buttered cheesy broccoli for an S.

Meat loaf~ both of them! (pages 316-317): We gobble up both Serene and Pearl's versions. There is no clear winner. We love them both!

Balsamic chicken (page 324): Another favorite for all. Even my pickiest boy happily eats this chicken when I make it. Note: he does pick off the tomatoes.


Peanut crusted chicken (page 325): One of those recipes I put off trying because it just didn't sound like I'd like the taste of it. Big mistake! This was a huge hit among all. My children have been asking lately when I'm making it again. It even tastes good cold out of the fridge. Not that I eat cold chicken out of the fridge or anything.........

Hearty green soup (page 334): This soup is filling and extremely cheap! My husband and I LOVE it! My kids wouldn't touch it at first (it really doesn't look very appetizing) but it's growing on them.

Spaghetti Bolognese (page 350): The 2 older boys (my carnivores) and I really enjoyed this. I made a plain sauce on the side for the rest of the family. I ate just the sauce warmed up for lunch the next day. Very good--no noodles needed!

White bean mashies (page 361): No matter how many cans I open, it never seems to be enough. My oldest daughter could eat it all if she was allowed. My husband told me that first time I made them "You've finally found a way to get me to eat white beans." He hates all white beans. These, he likes.

Cheesecake berry crunch (page 373): Tried this for the first time 3 days ago. OH.MY.WOW! I could do it without the cream cheese. Berry almond crunch? Squirt on the reddi whip and KAPOW! heavenly...

Chunky cream pops (page 374): The first time I tried these, my friend Shelly had made them. I fell in love with them. In fact, I am eating one now! Mine never taste like hers though. They are both good. Just different. We can't figure out why.

Strawberry Ricotta Crème (page 378): It amazes me that this tasty little treat is a FP. Of course, most of the THM recipes amaze me. I didn't even use almond extract in this. Tastes as good as it looks!


Baked apples (page 379): These baked apples + a scoop of vanilla carb smart ice cream = deliciousness! Perfect guilt-free autumn treat!

Hip Trim Honey Mustard (page 412): Amazing over a salad or as a dip for veggies. I never would've thought 2 tsp of Dijon mustard could make such a flavorful dressing.


Of course, these aren't all of the recipes we enjoy. I tried to make the list short-ish. Also, I only included recipes found in the book but there are so many wonderful recipes on the facebook page as well as in the facebook group. Not to mention all of the ideas, tweaks and tips from ladies like Gwen and Stacy!

Next post: Flops. Either because of my inability or my taste buds.

Linked up at Menu Plan Monday and Trim Healthy Tuesday

THM menu 9/30-10/5

Monday:Breakfast~ preworkout-L-water and spoon of coconut oil; postworkout-cheesy omelet (page 219); kids-peanut butter and honey roll ups
Lunch~ salad with chicken; kids- leftovers
Snack~ greek yogurt with berries
Dinner~ hamburgers, roasted veggie medley (page 354) (smashed potatoes for the family)
Desert~ having friends over, making pumpkin spice cupcakes
Tuesday:Breakfast~ muffin in a mug (page 256); kids-cereal
Lunch~ salad with tuna; kids-pb&j
Snack~ cottage cheese and pepper strips; kids-trail mix
Dinner~ spaghetti bolognese (page 350) and cheesy garlic bread (with a cauliflower base)
Wednesday:Breakfast~ preworkout-L-water, 1/2 piece sprouted toast; postworkout- hardboiled eggs; kids-hardboiled eggs and fruit
Lunch~ THM luncheon! Taking: brownies for kids; exotic green curry (page 287), golden flat bread (page 270), pumpkin secret agent brownie cake
Snack~ kids-freeze pops (I'm sure after the luncheon I won't need a snack!)
Dinner~ coconut crusted chicken (page 322)(salmon for chris) and zucchini fries (page 357)
Thursday:Breakfast~ preworkout-L-water, 1/2 piece sprouted toast; postworkout-fried eggs; kids-oatmeal
Lunch~ salad with salmon; kids- hot dogs and mac n cheese
Snack~ skinny chocolate (page 371); kids-graham crackers with peanut butter
Dinner~ sweet and spicy Asian stir fry (page 341), brown rice, pineapple
Friday:Breakfast~ sprouted French toast (page 239)
Lunch~ tomato soup and grilled cheese (mine will be made with bread in a mug (page 265), just like campbells soup (page 292)
Snack~ roasted garbanzos (page 397)(fruit for the kids)
Dinner~ broiled tilapia, twice baked zucchini (page 362), butternut squash puree
Saturday:Breakfast~ preworkout-L-water, spoon of coconut oil; postworkout-cheesy omelet (page 219); kids-cereal
Lunch~ baked eggplant round pizza (page 353) (fruit for kids)
Snack~ peanut butter celery
Dinner~ Fall Fest at a friend's house. We're taking pumpkin treat (page 388)

Linking up at Menu Plan Monday, Trim Healthy Tuesdays, Teach Me Tuesday and Totally Tasty Tuesdays

THM menu for 9/23-9/29

I am currently in search of L-Glutamine powder so I can take a dose in sparkling water pre-workout, as suggested in the book. So when you see L-G water, that's what it means.


Monday: breakfast: sprouted toast with a sprinkle of mozzarella and a slice of tomato ~toast with honey and peanut butter for the kids
lunch: luv my sweet potato lunch page 306~ peanut butter and jelly for the kids
dinner: light coconut curry chicken in the crockpot over quinoa page 313
snack: apple cinnamon greek yogurt swirl page 250

Tuesday: breakfast: pre-workout: L-G water and a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil. Post-workout: easy peasy pumpkin muffins page 262
lunch: grilled salmon and salad with EVOO
dinner: Quesadillas page 307~ rice and refried beans
snack: crepes page 220 with cream cheese and fruit; community group snack: lemon coconut sheet cake with lemon cream cheese frosting (recipe)

Wednesday: breakfast: pre-workout: L-W water and sprouted toast; post-workout: BBS page 242 and a fried egg
lunch: golden flat bread page 270 as a pizza crust with s toppings; veggies
dinner: alfredo crock pot chicken page 315 over noodles (dreamfields for me)
snack: vanilla sip smoothies page 249

Thursday: breakfast: pre-workout: L-G water and an apple; Post-workout: FSF page 240 and cheesy omelet page 219
lunch: exotic green curry page 287 ~PB&J for the kids
dinner: speedy Chinese broccoli and beef page 343 (shrimp for Chris) and caulirice page 358
snack: muffin in a mug page 256

Friday: breakfast: pre-workout: L-G water and a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil; post-workout: zucchini fritter page 217
lunch: BLT salad page 306~ BLT sandwiches and chips for the kids
dinner: creamy broccoli and cheese soup page 335 with oven flax crackers page 393
snack: hemp delight page 253 ~gogurt

Saturday: breakfast: savory skillet quinoa page 231
lunch: summers cup page 289 and sprouted bread
dinner: birthday party
snack: muffin in a mug page 256

Sunday: breakfast: THpancakes page 223 with berries
lunch: warm chicken sprouted sandwich page 298~PB&J for the kids
dinner: lighter side of chili page 330 and baked blue corn chips
snack: cottage cheese and peppers

Linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesdays, Hip Homeschool Hop, Works For Me Wednesday, Menu Plan Monday , Domestically Divine Tuesdays.