Plan

Keto Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies

October 6, 2019 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

Keto peanut butter pumpkin spice cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth and make your house smell like fall.

I traditionally don’t bake much when I’m trying to eat right for two reasons. One is that I try to train myself to eat more broccoli and berries and less cake (regardless if it is a low carb cake or not).

And the second reason that I don’t bake a lot when I’m low carb ( or actually Trim Healthy Mama) is because I feel like it costs more to bake because you need special ingredients.

Typically I keep the recipes on this blog free of special items. But as we inch into the fall and holiday season, I’m feeling the urge to bake.

So I am going to post some different recipes that are easy, have minimal special ingredients and will help keep you trim throughout the holidays!

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.

Keto Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies – THM S

For this recipe you will just need some standard items that are probably in your keto/low carb/ THM S pantry.

The only special ingredient for these keto peanut butter pumpkin spice cookies is a low carb sugar substitute. I used Stevia in this recipe.

Ingredients

Egg
Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar added)
Stevia (Note: the Stevia pictured in not on THM plan. You need one with no additives to be on plan.)
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Vanilla

Making The Low Carb Cookies

Since there are just a few ingredients, these cookies are quick and easy to make.

Simply combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together with a spoon. As you mix, the dough will start to thicken up.

Once all of the ingredients are combined, you can start rolling into balls.

Place onto a silicone baking mat or prepared baking sheet.

Once you have rolled out all of the balls, create a criss cross pattern on each cookie with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Want More Pumpkin Spice? Check out these low carb Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Almonds!

Check out the most popular recipe on this blog – 30 Minute Salsa Verde Queso Chicken with Cauliflower Rice – Shared over 165K times on Pinterest!

Keto Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar added)
1/2 cup Stevia
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Egg

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar added)
1/2 cup Stevia
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Mix well with a spoon until combined.
Spoon out approximately a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball.
Using a fork, create a criss cross pattern on each ball of dough.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Place cookies on a rack until fully cooled.

Instant Pot Taco Meat – Keto/THM S

September 17, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

This Instant Pot taco meat is seriously the best that you will ever make! And the best part – it works for your Keto, low carb or Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.

My goal to start using and loving my Instant Pot has slowly been becoming a reality. I’ve made chicken stock, shredded Mexican pork, sous vide eggs, southern style veggies and even some desserts.

And I’m kinda loving it. Finally! I thought it would never happen. But I keep finding myself trying to figure out another recipe to throw in my Instant Pot. I even got rid of my crock pot last week (gasp)! Ok truth be told, I dropped the lid and it broke so it wasn’t really usable anymore but I got rid of it nonetheless.

So when I was scrolling Pinterest and saw a Taco Bell style taco meat in the Instant Pot, I had to try it. I’ve been a Taco Bell fanatic for as long as I can remember and anytime someone claims a copycat recipe I’m in.

(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.)

Instant Pot Taco Meat – Keto/THM S

The pin that I saw was written at the blog The Salty Pot. I followed the directions meticulously (subbing in my own seasoning) and it turned out great! I made some small changes to the original to make it work for our family & our Trim Healthy Family lifestyle.

And I’m telling you, it is good. I don’t know if it is Taco Bell good (because can anyone ever reach that greatness??) but I think you will enjoy it. My husband claimed it to be the best taco meat that I had ever made. The cooking process really infuses the meat with the Mexican seasoning blend giving it much more flavor than letting it simmer 5 or 10 minutes on the stove.

The recipe does have a couple of steps and isn’t exactly a quick recipe. But since it is made in the Instant Pot, you can set it and forget it. It is also a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. More details on how to do that in a minute.

Step 1: Cooking the Ground Beef

You can use frozen or fresh ground beef in this step. Which is great if you are like me and forget to thaw out your meat!

Frozen Instructions: Add 2-3 lbs frozen ground beef and 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Seal and set manual high pressure to 30 minutes. Quick release when complete.

Fresh Instructions: Add 2-3 lbs fresh ground beef and 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Seal and set manual high pressure to 8 minutes for 2 lbs or 10 minutes for 3 lbs. Quick release when complete.

Step 2: Break up the Cooked Beef

Using a meat masher, break the cooked beef up into small pieces. The first key in my opinion to Taco Bell style beef is that the meat is broken up into very small pieces.

Now drain the water & grease from the beef.

Step 3: Taco Seasoning

Now it is time to season the Instant Pot taco meat. Add 1 cup of beef broth and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning for every pound of ground beef. If you want to use a store bought packet of seasoning, that is 1 packet per pound.

If you are a Keto or Trim Healthy Mama, try this healthy homemade taco seasoning. You can make a big batch in just a couple of minutes.

Seal the pot & place on manual high pressure for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Saute if Needed

I found that if you use 3 lbs of beef, you don’t really need to do this step. There will be a small amount of liquid left but I left it so that when I warm it back from frozen, there will be a bit of liquid.

If you use only 2 pounds or want to eat right away vs. freezing, you need to get some of that liquid to evaporate. Turn the pot off & then turn it back on by pushing the saute feature. Allow the liquid to cook off for approximately 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 5: Freezing

If you want to freeze the Instant Pot taco meat for an easy meal later on just let it cool after step 4. Divide it into gallon size ziplock bags in portions that meat your family’s needs.

Label your bag and lay it flat to freeze.

To reheat, thaw in fridge and warm it in a skillet or in the instant pot on the saute setting. If you got rid of most of the liquid in the original cooking process, you may want to add 1/4 a cup of beef broth when warming.

Serve the meat with your favorite taco toppings.

More Healthy Low Carb / THM S Mexican Recipes:

30 Min Salsa Verde Chicken with Queso Cauli Rice

Keto Cheese Enchiladas (No Tortilla)

Instant Pot Shredded Mexican Pork

Low Carb Pork Belly Tacos with Siracha Mayo

Instant Pot Taco Meat - Keto/THM S

Servings

Ingredients

2-3 lbs ground beef
1 cup Water
1 cup beef broth
2-3 Packets Taco Seasoning (1 pack per lb) (If using homemade, use 2 tablespoons of seasoning for each lb of beef)

Servings

Ingredients

2-3 lbs ground beef
1 cup Water
1 cup beef broth
2-3 Packets Taco Seasoning (1 pack per lb) (If using homemade, use 2 tablespoons of seasoning for each lb of beef)

Instructions

Place the fresh or frozen ground beef in the instant pot with 1 cup of water.
Set Manual pressure to high, seal and cook 30 minutes if beef is frozen. Follow the same process but set the time to 8-10 minutes if the beef is fresh. (8 mins for 2 lbs, 10 mins for 3 lbs)
Quick release the pressure & break up the ground beef into small pieces.
Drain off the water and grease from the Instant Pot.
Add 1 cup of beef broth and taco seasonings to the pot.
Set manual pressure to high, seal and cook for another 30 minutes.
If you used 3 lbs of beef, most of the liquid should be absorbed after a quick release of pressure. If you used 2 lbs or have excessive liquid with 3 lbs turn on the saute feature. Saute for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.
To Freeze: allow the meat to cool. Separate the taco meat into portions that will feed your family and place into freezer bags. When ready to use, thaw the meat in the fridge. To warm, simply use the saute feature on the Instant Pot or add to a skillet on the stove. You may need to add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water or beef broth while heating.

THM Store Bought On Plan Bread

June 17, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

A huge list of THM store bought on plan bread options that you can purchase at your local grocery store.

Lots of THM beginners want to know what kind of bread you can have that is on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

And with that I mean what kind of store bought bread can you have. I mean, I’m not a drive thru Sue all the time but I’m also not Betty Crocker either.

You know that saying “the best thing since sliced bread?” It didn’t come about with busy mama’s making bread.

Nobody wants to have to make and slice their own bread. (OK, I actually want to & it is on my THM bucket list to grow one of those creepy sourdough starters in a mason jar on my counter, feed it and make my own beautiful loaf. But I am a working mama of 2 young kids. No time for now!)

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.

Finding THM Store Bought Sprouted Bread At The Grocery

If you are looking at breads, the first ingredient should be a sprouted grain and there should be less than 2 grams of sugar (1 is preferred).

To save you the trouble of reading every bread label, here are some commonly used THM store bought on plan breads.

Need Store Bought On the Go THM snacks? Click Here!

Found at Most Large Grocery Chains (Walmart, Kroger, Target)

You may be able to find these at additional grocery stores but this is where I have found them in my area.

Ezekiel Sprouted Bread – Look for it in the freezer section (Kroger, Walmart, Target)

Silver Hills Sprouted Bread (Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods)

Pepperidge Farms Soft Sprouted Bread (Target, Kroger, Walmart)

Greenwise Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread (Publix Bakery)

Simple Truth Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread (Kroger)

Found Primarily at Specialty Stores (Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Costco)

Knock Your Sprouts Off Bread (Aldi)

Sly Red Ancient Grains (Aldi)

Trader Joe’s Sprouted Sourdough

Alvarado St. Bakery Sprouted Bread (Whole Foods, Natural Grocers)

Angelic Sprouted Bread (Sprouts, Costco, The Fresh Market)

THM On Plan Store Bought Sourdough Bread

Trim Healthy Mama on plan store bought sourdough can be hard to find but it is possible.

Here is the sourdough criteria:

First Ingredient should be Whole Grain
Yeast should NOT be in the ingredients

Trader Joe’s has an on plan sourdough. You may also find an on plan sourdough at some specialty store bakeries like Sprouts or Whole Foods.

Serving Size & Fuel Type

Bread is a carb source so traditionally it is going to be used in “E” Meals.

E Meal Bread Serving Size : 2 Slices

But if you want to get crazy, you can also have some bread with “S” foods. Wait, what?!

You mean to tell me I could have a piece of cheese toast? Or I could sop up a nice runny egg with a piece of toast?

Yes Ma’am! This is called an S Helper. It is when you go over the carb limit for an S meal but don’t add enough carbs to move into XO (crossover) territory.

S Helper Bread Serving Size: 1 Slice

If you have more than 1 piece of bread with other S foods, you would move into XO territory.

The Exception To The Rule

If you have an Aldi near you, they have a relatively new product Zero Net Carb bread.

Here is a picture of it & a review from the Aldi Reviewer.

I have tried it and I like it. If you get this bread, you can eat it in an S meal and keep it in S territory (no S helper or XO). I like having that option.

*Note: The THM team calls this one a personal choice. It is not for the purists at heart but I’m definitely not that.

Looking for THM Approved Store Bought Wraps and Tortillas? Check out this list of 14 On Plan wrap options.

How to Eat (& Like) Sprouted Bread

If you have not eaten sprouted bread before it does take a little adjusting to. Especially if you are coming from a super soft white bread.

So what is the key to liking sprouted bread?

I have found that toasting the bread is my favorite way to eat it. I honestly don’t care for ANY of the sprouted breads that I have tried fresh out of the bag (and I have tried a lot).

But toast it up in the toaster and it is great with on plan peanut butter, Light Laughing Cow Cheese, Polaner’s jelly or sandwich fixins like this THM E tuna salad.

Need more Trim Healthy Mama Help? Check out this THM A to Z post where all your questions are answered and meal plans and ideas are found!

Cheesy Taco Sprouted Pretzels – THM E

August 31, 2020 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

These cheesy taco sprouted pretzels are a healthy snack for Trim Healthy Mama’s in an E setting.

I have been following the Trim Healthy Mama plan on and off since 2016. All that time, I had always wanted to try the on plan sprouted pretzels but never gotten around to it in the last 4 years.

A few weeks ago I put the pretzel twists and the shells in my Amazon cart and pulled the trigger right before we went on our beach trip. I was hoping to include them in my THM beach vacation meal plan.

But I got them, tried them and didn’t love them. Not bad but nothing amazing (full disclosure, I’m not a big pretzel lover anyway so that could be the problem). Pretzels just always seem a bit plain to me, sprouted or not.

But I do love them seasoned up with a bunch of flavor! In this Trim Healthy Mama E recipe, taco seasonings and nutritional yeast are combined to create a batch of cheesy taco sprouted pretzels.

(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.)

Cheesy Taco Sprouted Pretzels – THM E

The taco seasoning is combined with nutritional yeast to give the pretzels their cheesy flavor. Plus you get all the nutritional benefits of the nutritional yeast added in to your pretzel snack.

To make these cheesy taco sprouted pretzels you need just a few staples from your THM pantry and 30 minutes.

What You Need for Seasoned Sprouted Pretzels

Unique Sprouted Pretzel Twists
Chili Powder
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt
Nutritional Yeast
Olive Oil Spray (My Misto is one of my fave kitchen tools)

Seasoning the Spouted Pretzels

Mix all the seasoning in a gallon zip bag. Place the pretzels in the bag, spray with olive oil spray and zip the bag. Shake, shake, shake!

Open the bag and spray the pretzels again and shake until all or most of the seasoning has coated the pretzels.

Baking the Taco Pretzels

Spread the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip each pretzel and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Carefully remove the pretzels from the sheet and allow them to cool completely.

Serving Size

The serving size on the pretzel bag is 3 pretzels so that is what I would stick to with this Trim Healthy Mama recipe.

You would still have a few “leftover” carbs before you hit the max carbs for an E meal if you wanted to add something to it (or even an extra pretzel).

Now, if you have never bought these before you are probably losing it over the serving size being three measly pretzels. But these pretzels are big! Like the size of the palm of my hand. So it won’t be a tiny serving.

Pair your cheesy taco sprouted pretzels with a lean protein like some turkey deli meat for an extra boost of protein to round out the meal/snack.

Try these easy Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Almonds – THM S.

Cheesy Taco Sprouted Pretzels - THM E

Servings

People

Ingredients

12 Unique Sprouted Pretzel Twists (Splits)
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Nutritional Yeast
Olive Oil Spray

Servings

People

Ingredients

12 Unique Sprouted Pretzel Twists (Splits)
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Nutritional Yeast
Olive Oil Spray

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
Combine the seasonings in a gallon zip bag & add in the pretzels.
Spray the pretzels with the olive oil spray and seal the bag.
Shake until all of the seasoning has coated the pretzels. You may need to open the bag & spray with olive oil once more.
Spread the sprouted pretzels onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overlap.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Flip the pretzels and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Allow the pretzels to fully cool. Store in an airtight container.

Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork – THM FP

August 27, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

This Instant Pot green chili Mexican pork is a quick and easy way to get seasoned pulled pork to use in tacos, enchiladas, stuffed peppers and more. It can even be made into a freezer meal for those super busy weeknights.

A Trim Healthy Mama FP recipe is always welcome in our house! A fuel pull is kind of a blank canvas that can be shaped into whatever type of Trim Healthy Mama meal that you want. And this Instant Pot green chili shredded pork will give you a great start to your favorite Mexican meal.

Stuff a bell pepper with black beans, brown rice and green chili shredded pork for a yummy “E” meal with healthy carbs. Or load up a low carb tortilla with sour cream and cheese for a pulled pork taco that is a perfect “S” or low carb meal. We also love it in enchiladas or even as a salad protein.

And since this recipe is low fat and low carb, it works for many different healthy lifestyles. Whether you follow a low fat diet like Weight Watchers or a low carb lifestyle like Keto, this recipe will work for you!

(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.)

Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork – THM FP

I have been making this seasoned pulled pork in the crock pot for years. It is really versatile and with only 3 ingredients it is a simple weeknight meal that the whole family will love.

But since it takes around 8 hours in the crock pot, I wanted to see how it would fair in the Instant Pot for those evenings that I forgot to worry about dinner! Does anyone else meal plan like a crazy woman and still end up at least one night a week staring in the pantry at 5:30 with zero ideas? I don’t get it but it happens to me often.

So I pulled out that big pressure cooker that I’m determined to love (even though it wasn’t love at first sight) and dumped in the pork and sauce. And in just over half an hour we had a successful shredded pork dish.

THM Enchilada Sauce

Let’s talk enchilada sauce before we go any further.

Many of the store bought varieties include things like food starch, flour, caramel color and sugar. All of which we don’t want in our pork. Why do they do that?! We just want something easy that we can buy for busy weeknights.

So no one that manufacturers enchilada sauce asked me and it is what it is at the store. But I really wanted this to be drive thru Sue friendly like those instant pot dump meals that we loved pre-THM.

So while there is not a perfect THM on plan store bought enchilada sauce, the one that I used is the best that I could find and I’m ok with it. If you have read the 5 things I don’t do, you will know that A. I’m not a purist & B. an off plan oil doesn’t make me cringe so long as everything else is on plan and that it is not the first ingredient.

That is the case with this sauce. It uses cottonseed oil which is a vegetable oil and not on plan. The oil is the 4th ingredient and the numbers work so I use it. However, I don’t want to mislead you. An off plan oil makes it off plan regardless of the numbers because ingredients trump numbers on THM.

If you want something that is totally on plan, try Darcie’s enchilada sauce with this recipe. It is simple and could be frozen ahead of time to make life easier later.

Update: I did find this store bought & on plan sauce at Target. It is 100% on plan & I’m going to try it out the next time that I make this Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork recipe. You would need to use 2 cans of sauce if using this variety.

So exciting to have a completely on plan, store bought enchilada sauce!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mexican Pork

Like all my favorite dump and pressure cook meals, you only need 3 ingredients for this shredded green chili pork.

Pork Tenderloin (2 pack)
Green Chilis
Enchilada Sauce

Pressure Cooking Green Chili Pork Tenderloin

The instructions for this recipe couldn’t be easier! Dump in 15 oz of Enchilada sauce, 1 can of chopped green chilis and two pork tenderloins into the Instant Pot. I use the pork tenderloin that comes 2 to a package.

Select the manual pressure cook option and set it for 35 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release after that.

Shred the pork and allow it to soak up some of the leftover enchilada sauce. You can add additional sauce if needed. I usually get the big can and then save the extra for these no tortilla enchiladas.

You can serve it with shredded cheese to make it Keto/Low Carb or a THM S meal. Or you can eat it as written as a THM FP or low fat meal.

Here we made it into enchiladas by just adding the shredded green chili pork and shredded cheese into a low carb tortilla. Then topped the pan of enchiladas with more enchilada sauce and additional cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Another option is to stuff this shredded green chili pork into a bell pepper for an E meal. Add in a 1/4 black beans and corn. Place the stuffed pepper into the instant pot with trivet and 1 cup of water at the bottom of pot.

Cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes. Add a small sprinkling of cheese on top and let it melt so that you don’t go into XO.

Does It Freeze Well?

Instant pot green chili Mexican pork freezes beautifully!

I use the package that has two tenderloins per package. One of those tenderloins feeds my family of 4 so I use this recipe as an easy meal prep and freezer prep opportunity.

Shred the first tenderloin and feed your family dinner. We love to take this pork and use it to make enchiladas or stuffed bell peppers!

Shred the second tenderloin and let it cool in the leftover sauce in the Instant Pot. Once cool place the pork and about 1/3-1/2 a cup of the enchilada sauce that it cooked in, into a gallon freezer bag.

When you are ready to use it, place the shredded pork in the fridge while you are at work. Once you get home it should be thawed and ready to use.

I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot green chili Mexican pork low carb recipe! Let me know your favorite way to use the shredded pork.

Zevia Cola Memphis Style Pulled Pork, Crockpot Recipe – THM FP

Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Instant Pot Bone Broth

Instant Pot Green Chili Mexican Pork - THM FP

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 cup Enchilada Sauce (more to toss in after cooking if desired)
4 oz Green Chilis
2 pork tenderloins

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 cup Enchilada Sauce (more to toss in after cooking if desired)
4 oz Green Chilis
2 pork tenderloins

Instructions

Place the pork tenderloins into the Instant Pot.
Dump in the enchilada sauce and green chilis.
Set the pressure cooker to high pressure and 35 minutes using the manual setting.
Allow the pressure to naturally release for ten minutes and then fast release after that.
Shred the pork and toss it in the remaining enchilada sauce (adding extra if needed).
Freeze any leftovers in a gallon zip bag for future meals that will be very easy to prep.