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THM E Loaded Tuna Salad on Sprouted Bread

July 18, 2018 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

Learn how to create a delicious THM E loaded tuna salad on sprouted bread for a simple brown bag lunch.

THM E Loaded Tuna Salad

Have you ever tried tuna with just yellow mustard? My mom claims she likes it that way but I think it is awful. I remember in my college days trying to choke down that bright yellow tinged fish.

Too afraid to “waste” calories on mayo. Thank goodness I found Trim Healthy Mama and have lost 22 lbs postpartum without counting calories!

This THM E Loaded tuna salad is creamy and full of flavor even without the mayo. And you can whip it up quickly (especially if you prep your eggs ahead of time) making it a great weekday lunch for work.

It is also budget friendly! These are the top criteria in creating lunch right? Especially if you are at work or chasing a kid around.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Let’s Talk Budget First

If you follow THM, you know that you can spend lots of money on special ingredients.

Heck, forget the special ingredients, HELLO bacon. When did bacon get so expensive? And my husband eats bacon like water so I like to find on plan recipes that help my budget as well.

THM E loaded tuna salad is a cheap lunch or even a light summer dinner. Here is a rundown of what I spent:

Knock Your Sprouts off Bread (Aldi), 2 slices – $0.21 (check out other on plan bread options here)

Tuna (packed in water) – .79

Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt –  .80

Boiled Egg – .08

Small Amount of mustard, dill pickles and onion – .20

Total $2.08

I eat the whole can but you could bulk the salad up and split it to make this a $1 per serving lunch! Either way, it is much cheaper than heading to your local deli to pick up a sub.

And I don’t know about you but there isn’t a deli with sprouted bread near me!

Brown Bag Vs. Deli

THM E Loaded Tuna Salad

Prep work involves simply boiling your egg. If you do this before lunch, you can make this THM E loaded tuna salad in no time.

Boil your egg like you typically would and slice in half.

Hard Boiled Egg Cut in Half

With an E meal, we want to cut out the majority of the fat because we are going to indulge in healthy carbs (sprouted bread). The problem is that I love boiled eggs in my tuna salad.

To the point that I don’t think it is real tuna salad without eggs. I found a little trick to have my eggs with less fat. Just remove the yolk!

I know, I know. Duh! I had never really thought of it before but the yolk easily pops out of a boiled egg. Simply slice your egg.

Use a spoon to gently remove the bulk of the yolk. There may be a tiny remnant of yolk but I don’t worry about that. After all, THM E meals are low fat, not completely fat free.

Hard Boiled Egg without Yolk

Don’t throw that yolk away! Save it to add to your boiled eggs S meal or snack. I usually serve it to my 8 month old to go with his breakfast or lunch. Or I give it to my dog! He loves eggs. You could also save it to add into a THM S tuna salad.

Add the drained tuna to a medium bowl. Then add the amount of nonfat greek yogurt that you like to get to the desired creaminess.

I didn’t add measurements because everyone likes their mix a little different. I usually start with a couple of tablespoons and then add more if needed.

Tuna with Greek Yogurt in Bowl

Chop your egg whites and add to the salad mix. Chop up a dill pickle or two and add.

The rest is optional but I like a tiny splash of mustard to give it a little more flavor. The greek yogurt gives you the creaminess of mayo but not quite as much flavor.

The splash of mustard amps up the flavor without giving me nightmares of the yellow bowl of tuna I tried to eat in college. A small amount of diced onion gives the THM E loaded tuna salad a little extra flavor and crunch.

Loaded Tuna Salad in bowl

Mix all of the items that you choose well. You want the ingredients to be well incorporated with the yogurt.

Healthy Tuna Salad Mixed in Bowl

Load up your sprouted bread with the creamy, tuna salad. You won’t even miss the fat that is typically associated with tuna salad.

Serve it up with some fresh veggies or a piece of fruit for a complete meal.

My Sprouted Bread Tip

If you are new to THM, it won’t take you long to realize that sprouted bread doesn’t taste like the bread that  you are probably used to. It is brown, it has some seeds, kind of chewy. I will be honest, I did not love it when I first started my THM journey.

The first tip is to try the Knock Your Sprouts Off bread from Aldi. I tried tons of different brands and it is by far my favorite. My Wonder bread husband can even eat it! Plus, it is so much less expensive than other brands. At just under $3, it doesn’t cost much more than the white, refined variety.

Here is my best sprouted bread tip: Toast your bread. Simple, right? If you toast the bread, it gives it a light crunch and takes away the chewy aspect of sprouted bread that I don’t care for.

More THM Recipes

If you want to read about some more of my popular THM recipes or ideas, check these out!

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauli Rice

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup (Using Leftovers!)

6 THM Lunch Ideas

Smoked Salmon Topped Jalapeno Poppers

I hope you try this THM E loaded tuna salad on your next lunch break. Do you add anything unusual to your tuna?

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Featured Tagged With: healthy carbs, low fat, lunch, sprouted bread, thm e, Trim Healthy mama, tuna salad

Christmas Gifts for 0-3 Month Old

November 8, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find a list of ideas for Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old babies.

Christmas Ideas for Your Newborn Baby

You always hear “give them a box” when new parents ask seasoned parents about what to buy their toddler as a gift. It’s all they will play with any way is the advice. And while it is pretty much true, I always had a problem with it. 

Of course I know that they don’t really need anything at that age. But lots of times the parent wants to start a tradition. To experience the fun and some of the holiday magic with young kids at home. 

So when both of my babies were born near the end of the year, I found myself with a 3 week old one Christmas and a 2 month old at Christmas a few years later. 

And of course I fell into the category of I wanted to give them something for Christmas. So we did a couple of small gifts and then Santa even brought them a few presents. 

Here I will share with you ideas for Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old infants. 

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Christmas Gifts for 0-3 Month Old

Baby in FLoor Seat for Christmas gift - 0-3 months old

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when shopping for a brand new baby for Christmas. 

  • Keep it Practical – They don’t have wants for “things” yet so feel free to grab something practical that they really need. 
  • Minimize the Gifts – I get that it is so fun for your toddler or young child to have a pile of presents to open (even if they are small because it is all about the box at that age, right?). But for a 1 month old, they will have zero interest or ability to engage with a wrapped present. So keep it to just a few items. 

Practical Baby Gifts for a Newborn Infant

If someone is asking what to get your new baby for Christmas, these are some things that are fairly practical but also make good gifts for infants. 

  • Clothing – anything that you might need that you didn’t get prior to them being born. 
  • Books – start building their Christmas book collection now so that you can do this Christmas Advent calendar when they are around 2! It is so fun. 
  • Splurge Items for Baby that Also Help Mama – a Baby Brezza if you are bottle feeding, luxury jogging stroller etc.
  • Essential Items for when they are older – Think about things you didn’t get at your baby showers that you will need in a few months. Spoons, divided plates, sippy cups, extra blankets. 
  • Start them a College fund – It is not too early!

Toys That Santa Brought for Our 1 Month old 

Both of those years that we had tiny babies at home, Santa visited! He brought a few toys that were perfect for an infant to enjoys.

Activity Gym – These are great to entertain young babies. Not only do they keep the infant engaged, it helps to encourage their motor skills and provides a nice spot for tummy time. 

Fisher Price Rattle & Teether Gift Set – The sweet treats set is discontinued but any set that you like would be great for this age. 

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Camera

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy (We actually had the monkey but that had been discontinued too)

Toys That Santa Brought for our 2 Month old

Floor Seat

Smooth Moves Sloth – I think we had a different animal but it was similar to this. My baby loved watching it move at this age. 

Whatever you decide, remember that there is no right or wrong when it comes to Christmas gifts for 0-3 month old babies. 

You do what makes you happy. Does a 1 month old need a Christmas gift or toy? No not really. Is it totally fine to want to buy that sweet baby something? Of course! 

Have fun & and enjoy your first Christmas with your new precious baby.

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Discounts, Featured Tagged With: 0-3 month, Christmas gifts, infant, newborn, presents, Santa

Free Thanksgiving Dinner From Ibotta

November 7, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Do you want a free Thanksgiving dinner from Ibotta this year? It is easy to do. Find out how below. 

Free Thanksgiving Dinner from Ibotta

I love the Ibotta app. If you have never used it, essentially it is a rebate app that rewards you for purchasing certain products. 

Think the new face of coupons. You simply add offers, buy the product, scan your receipt and your rebate will be added within a few hours to days. 

Once you get $20 in your account, you can cash out with Paypal or a variety of gift cards. It is easy, trustworthy & really works. 

And for a limited time, you can get a free Thanksgiving dinner from Ibotta at Walmart. 

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Free Thanksgiving Dinner From Ibotta

Getting your free Thanksgiving dinner from Ibotta is really easy. 

  1. Go to Ibotta.com and sign up for a free account if you don’t already have one from your computer.
  2. A pop up for the Free Thanksgiving Dinner will pop up. 
  3. Follow the directions to link your Walmart account with Ibotta. 
  4. Once Linked, you can add the free Thanksgiving items online or on your Ibotta Mobile App. 
  5. Add them to your Walmart grocery pickup cart. 
  6. Once you checkout and have your groceries delivered or picked up, your rebate will automatically deposit within 24 hours.

What Free Thanksgiving Food Items Do You Get? 

It really is a complete free Thanksgiving dinner from Ibotta. Here are the items that you will receive to feed a crowd of 5 people. 

  • Free 2 Liter Coca-Cola 
  • Free Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom 
  • Free Great Value Stuffing Mix
  • Free Great Value Fine Green Beans*
  • Free Great Value Cranberry Sauce
  • Free French’s Original Crispy Fried Onions
  • Free McCormick Gravy Packet
  • Free Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
  • Free Butterball Turkey Roast (3 lbs)*

*Items with a * are approved and on plan for Trim Healthy Mama. 

The total value of this free meal is $20.91! What a great freebie that I think will help a lot of people during this busy and expensive holiday season. 

Make sure you sign up soon because it says that supplies are limited. Always check the app before you purchase to make sure the deal is still available.

Foods that I don’t Eat

Since I am a follower of the Trim Healthy Mama diet, there are several things that I don’t eat that are included in this free meal. 

If you are in the same boat, you can always grab them anyway and donate them. Food pantries have been seeing record usage thanks to COVID so I’m sure they would appreciate the donation. 

It is an easy way to give to those in need. 

Join my Facebook group for more money saving deals – Protecting Your THM Pennies.

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Discounts, Featured, Holidays Tagged With: free meal, free Thanksgiving dinner, ibotta, rebate

Gifts for the Goldendoodle Lover

December 2, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

If you need gifts for the Goldendoodle lover in your life, look no further. We have scoured the internet for the cutest doodle merchandise out there.

ultimate gift guide for the Goldendoodle mom

Meet Murphy. He loves to steal things that don’t belong to him, act scared of inanimate options, and bark when a leaf blows by. He was a gift that I gave to my mom a couple of years ago.

It is safe to say that she would love any of these gifts for the Goldendoodle lover. She is officially obsessed with this big ball of fur.

Murphy is probably what most would consider spoiled.

He has every dog toy available. A deluxe dog bed is waiting for him in the corner of the room (although he opts for the bed or couch typically).

Murphy loves to go to doggy day care while my mom works so that he stays occupied and can see his friends. Yes, he has his own friends. He is the product of an empty nest mother and he is proud of it.

Since he doesn’t want for much so as the upcoming holiday season approaches, I thought I would look for some Goldendoodle gifts that my mom might like that would portray her favorite doodle.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Gifts for the Goldendoodle Lover

These gifts for the goldendoodle lover are unique, fun and economical. The Goldendoodle Mom or Dad in your life will love that you thought of their fur baby when selecting a gift for them.

Shop Small – Etsy Doodle Finds

Remember when shopping Etsy to allow a little extra time for production and delivery. Many of these small shops run with just one or two people and many items are made to order. 

I love shopping small at Christmas time! 

Doodle Mom Distressed Hat – A cute and casual hat for the Doodle mom. 

Doods Before Dudes Tee – Know a single dood mom? This T-shirt is the perfect gift. 

Custom Doodle Address Stamp – Great for those Christmas cards you need to send. 

Custom Doodle Earrings – I haven’t purchased dog earrings, but I did buy some Nick Saban earrings for a University of Alabama gift basket that I made from this same shop. They were good quality and hilarious. I highly recommend!

Under $20

All You Need is Love & a Goldendoodle Box Decor Sign for the Dog Mom

All You Need Is Love & A Goldendoodle – This cute box sign decor is perfect to set on a tabletop of the Goldendoodle Mom or Dad.

Goldendoodle Christmas Ornament with Dangling Legs - Easy to Personalize

Goldendoodle Christmas Ornament – The dangling legs make this so adorable to me. You can also easily personalize this with a Sharpie to feature the name of the puppy.

Doodle Mom Pop Socket

Doodle Mom Pop Socket – These pop sockets are super popular and this one is adorable for the doodle mom.

 

Doodle Mother Wine Lover Long Sleeve Shirt for the Goldendoodle Mom

Doodle Mother Wine Lover Shirt – Goldendoodle clothing is one of those must have gifts for the Goldendoodle lover. Does she love to drink a glass of wine and cuddle her doodle? This cute long sleeve shirt comes in a few color options so that you can choose her Dog Mom style.

Home is Where the Doodle IS Tea Towel

Home is Where the Doodle is Tea Towel – This would be a cute little stocking stuffer or even hostess gifts for the Goldendoodle lover.

Magnetic Goldendoodle list pad

Goldendoodle Memo Pad – A great stocking stuffer  for the Goldendoodle mom’s desk at work or the fridge to make quick lists.

2019 Goldendoodle Wall Calendar

Goldendoodle Wall Calendar – Keep track of the year while seeing 12 cute Goldendoodles.

Goldendoodle Socks

Goldendoodle Socks – Fun socks are always cute stocking stuffer gifts for the Goldendoodle lover.

Under $50

Dog Baby Monitor

Pet Monitor – The pet monitor allows you to see what your Goldendoodle is doing during the day while you are away. You can even talk to your pet through the monitor!

Merry Christmas Doods Ugly Christmas Sweater

Merry Christmas Doods – This would be great for an ugly Christmas sweater party!

And don’t forget to get the Dood the best gift of all: exercise, freedom and entertainment all in one. 

I hope you find some fun gifts for the Goldendoodle lover in your life!

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Featured, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas, dog, Gift guide, gifts, Goldendoodle, mom, pet

Echelon Bike: A Solution for Moms

May 17, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

The Echelon bike is a solution for moms to get a gym style spin class at home with a smart exercise bike. 

Spin Class At Home for Moms - Echelon Smart Bike Review

Do You Need An Echelon Bike

Right before the COVID-19 quarantine started, we decided to purchase a smart bike for me. We did quite a bit of research and talked to some friends that owned smart bikes before making our purchase. 

I will give you the low down on the bike, the good and the bad from a mom’s perspective! And answer that all important question – Is Echelon the smart bike solution for moms to work out at home? 

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Echelon Connect Bike Review: A Solution for Moms

If you have been looking for a way to get exercise at home while your kids are around, the Echelon Bike my be the solution for all the moms out there!

I go over all the key factors of the bike, my personal experience with each & of course the ever relevant question: Is it as good as the Peloton?

The Echelon EX5S is the specific model that I purchased and will describe below. 

Assembly 

Telling ya’ll about the Echelon is my main goal with this review. But I have to admit that I am most excited to tell you about the assembly. 

Why? 

Because I put it together myself! All by myself. 

My husband was out of town and I had been anxiously awaiting the delivery. I packed both my kids up at dinnertime, drove to FedEx, me and a FedEx employee loaded it in my car (girl power). When I got home, I fed the kids some dinner and stared at this huge box in my trunk. 

It is heavy! And I was the only adult home. 

I literally cut the box open inside my SUV and pulled items out piece by piece to make the weight more manageable. 

Then I put it together. It took me about two beers and an hour and a half to complete the project. I felt so accomplished! Putting together things typically really frustrates me but this had great instructions and everything fit together as it should. 

Verdict: It is definitely easier if you have 2 people but it can be done with one if you are determined! 

Stability

Putting the bike together myself had me a smidge worried about stability. 

I have put together kid’s toys before and had to go back and tighten things up because I didn’t get it right the first time. 

There have been no issues with stability at all (proud to say)! My husband that is 6’4 & 250 lbs has also ridden the bike with no problems.

Verdict: Works well even when you start to get closer to the max weight.

Bike Size / Screen 

Echelon EX5S Smart Bike with Attached Tablet

I bought the Echelon EX5S. This version comes with a tablet screen that you permanently attach to the bike. This was key for me because I didn’t want to have to be searching the house for the iPad every time I wanted to ride. 

I was surprised at the size of the screen on this bike. I was expecting the size of an iPad (I don’t always read dimensions) and the screen was really big. Which is great! 

It really makes it easy to see the leader board, your ride metrics and the instructor. 

The size of the bike itself is very streamlined and will fit in a fairly small area. While it is heavy, it does have two front casters that make it easy to roll if you need to move the smart bike. 

When riding the bike, it is very quiet. I often ride it in the room next to my son’s bedroom early in the morning and never wake him. 

Verdict: Streamlined design, quiet and the EX5S includes a nice large screen. The bike is heavy buy has wheels to make movement easier. 

Convenience

So this is the real deal! Moms never have time right? 

Making it to the gym with 2 young kids just isn’t in the cards most days. With school drop off, extra curricular activities for the kids and my work – there just isn’t a lot of time for me to make it for an hour at the gym. 

Then when you add in at least 20 minutes to drive to and from, we are looking at close to an hour and a half in time. I just don’t have it most days. 

And not to mention, have you ever gotten the kids bundled up, strapped in car seats, driven to the gym only to have some kind of hiccup? A forgotten diaper bag. A melt down or a diaper blow out? It has happened to me on multiple occasion

My husband typically travels somewhat often for work so getting into an early morning habit at the gym before the kids rise is often disrupted by travel. And I’m certainly not waking my kids up at 5 so I can go to the gym (not that the childcare would be open anyway!). 

We even have a little mini obstacle course that we set up sometimes if the kids are going to be in the room with me when I’m riding. We have a mini trampoline, a tent with a tunnel and a kid slide.

Lots of times I will also have a cosmic kids on the tv. So they just go from station to station doing their activities and it means less interruptions for me. 

Trampoline

Verdict: Having the Echelon in my house for me to use at any time is a huge benefit. I can use the bike whenever the mood strikes and not worry about having to take the kids to a gym or have childcare at home for them. 

Live Content / Classes 

My favorite part of the bike has been the live classes. These start at specific times all throughout the day 

I just did a class the other day and it was hard. There was another girl that was performing similar and we kept trading spots on the leaderboard. I was pushing it because, well I like to win. 

Anyway, I pushed it so hard and was right at the point that I heard “I can’t” in my head. Right when I was about to slow down, I heard the Echelon instructor say “Come on Stacy, let’s go!” 

And I kept going. Hearing your name (or your screen name) in the middle of a class can be really encouraging and keep you going. 

Recorded Classes & Scenic Routes

The recorded classes are my next favorite. You pick the length of class, the style (strength, speed etc) and even your instructor. They are ready on demand any time that you are. 

The best part is that the leader board is also available during the on demand classes. So you can compete for the top of the leader board just like in the live classes. 

The scenic rides happen to be my least favorite but they are still a nice option to have. You choose different scenic routes (beach, ocean, country roads) to ride. 

So far I have not seen a scenic ride with an instructor or a leader board. It is more of a go at your own pace type of thing. 

Echelon Bike Vs. Peloton

Echelon EX5S Smart Bike with Attached Tablet - An At home bike for moms

So which is better Echelon vs Peloton?

We searched a bunch of reviews looking for the answer to this question. 

The biggest factor for us came down to cost. The Echelon is substantially less expensive than the Peloton. But if I was going to spend more than $1,000 on a piece of exercise equipment, I wanted it to be good. 

If I was just going to be wanting or needing a Peloton in a year, I felt like I should just buy one to start. 

While I have never ridden a Peloton, I have ridden other stationary bikes during spin classes at several different gyms. 

Here are the things I was worried about:

  • Will the content be as good?
  • What about the music?
  • Will the bike be as good of quality?

I have been really happy with the Echelon content. I definitely have instructors that I like more than others but that happens at the gym (or I would assume on the Peloton) too. 

You also get to rate your ride in “stars” after each ride which I feel like helps the team to continue to improve. 

The music. I read somewhere that the music wasn’t as good on the Peloton. Again, some instructors may choose different music but I have had no issue with this. Most are playing current and up to date music that you would hear on Amazon Music/Spotify/XM radio. 

Finally, bike quality. Again, I haven’t actually ridden a Peloton but made the decision to purchase the Echelon. The quality is similar in construction to all other bikes that I have ridden at major gyms in the past. 

The technology with the Smart portion is where it shines. The digital aspect of adding resistance and seeing where you are on the screen makes it very easy to know that you are exactly where the instructor wants you. 

In gym based spin classes, the instructor would say to add on resistance & I never quite knew if I did too much, too little, or just enough. With the Echelon, the instructor will give you a number or a number range and you can see that you are in that range. Perfect! This mama has enough to think about, I like my workouts brainless.  

Echelon Smart Bike Cons

Although I love my Echelon Smart Bike, I want to be 100% transparent about all of my thoughts with regards to the bike. 

The Seat

The seat hurts your butt. The first few rides were the worst but even a couple of months in, it still isn’t super comfortable. 

To be fair, I think that most bike seats are somewhat uncomfortable!

They make inexpensive padded bike shorts that do the trick to keep you comfy. 

That seat is really the only thing that I don’t 100% love. I think the Echelon bike is definitely a smart solution for moms that need a way to let off some steam and get a great work out at home. 

Learn How I lost 60 lbs postpartum on Trim Healthy Mama. 

Filed Under: Buy Smart, Featured

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