Trim Healthy Mama

What I Ate Wednesday – 1/20/21

January 21, 2021 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Get ideas for your next Trim Healthy Mama meal plan by looking at What I ate Wednesday on THM – 1/20/21.

“What I Ate Wednesday on THM” is a series of posts that are a daily meal plan meets food diary. You can see exactly the portions I ate for the day, the fuel type and meal ideas for your Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.

Here are my Trim Healthy plates for 1/20/21.

Need help understanding what S, E, FP & XO mean? Check out this post that explains it all.

(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.)

What I Ate Wednesday on THM – 1/20/21

In this post you will find meal ideas, see foods separated by fuel and find budget tips to keep your food budget low & your life in the kitchen simplified.

Breakfast: Peanut Butter & Jelly Wrap Hack (S)

I hopped on the TikTok bandwagon and tried the tortilla wrap hack that has been floating around. I made mine THM of course with on plan peanut butter, on plan jelly, low carb tortilla and peanuts.

Lunch: Taco Salad with Leftover taco meat from our Walking Tacos. (S)

I made the taco meat in the Instant Pot with homemade THM taco seasoning – amazing!

Snack: Homemade P3 Snack Pack (S)

Dinner: Steak, Sauteed Broccolini and Parm Smashed Roasted Gold Potatoes (XO)

According to my meal plan, we were supposed to have breakfast for dinner. But at 5:15 my husband declared he was headed to our favorite meat market for a steak because “I seemed stressed” and he wanted to make dinner.

He was right, I was stressed. And I’ll never turn down dinner made for me or a steak! It is nice for someone else to take on the dinner burden once in a while!

*The fats from the steak, olive oil on broccolini and parm combine with the carbs from the on plan potatoes making this meal a crossover. I don’t mind a XO once or twice a week & I can still lose weight. Just watch your body & if you stop losing, cut back on XO’s.

I also did not eat this entire monster sized steak so it will make at least two meals which helps to make an expensive cut of meat a bit more reasonable.

Thanks for reading What I Ate Wednesday – 1/20/21! Check back next Wednesday for another edition & pictures of my meals.

Love seeing photographed meal plans and food diaries? Let’s be Instagram friends! @Protecting_your_THM_Pennies is where I show my THM food as I eat it.

Low Carb Peanut Butter & Jelly Wrap Hack (THM S)

January 20, 2021 by Stacy Craft 3 Comments

If you love PB&J, you need to make this low carb peanut butter & jelly wrap hack quesadilla right now!

I finally downloaded TikTok a couple of months ago after resisting the app for a few reasons. #1. I didn’t need yet another social media time suck in my life & #2. I felt too old!

I’m only in my mid-thirties but it seemed like every tween and teen that I know was spending their time on TikTok so I just decided it wasn’t for me. But peer pressure took over and I wanted to see what it was all about.

And while I’m honestly still not 100% in love, they do have some cool food videos. The latest one is the TikTok tortilla wrap hack. It is basically a tortilla that is cut and wrapped into the cutest little quesadilla that you have ever seen.

But don’t make the mistake that these quesadilla wraps are just for Mexican food. You can put anything into your tortilla. Wrap it, press it & done. A fun meal for the entire family.

(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.)

Low Carb Peanut Butter & Jelly Wrap Hack (THM S)

Peanut butter and jelly roll ups are something that I make pretty often when I am craving comfort food but want to stay on plan.

By making that classic childhood favorite into a pressed wrap, you transform the sandwich into a gooey, melty delicious mix of peanut butter, jelly and a little bit of crunch!

What You Need for a TikTok Inspired PB&J Wrap Hack

Sugar Free Peanut Butter – this is by far the best option out there
Simply Fruit Jelly
Peanuts
Frozen mixed berries
Low Carb Tortilla

Steps to Wrapping the Quesadilla

There are 5 steps to properly prepare a low carb peanut butter and jelly wrap hack quesadilla.

Find the center of the tortilla with the tip of a knife. From the center, cut down to the end of the tortilla.
Fill each quarter of the tortilla with a different filling. For this pb&j wrap, these are the steps.
1. Start in the lower left quarter and apply a generous spread of peanut butter.
2. In the top left quarter, apply a thin spread of peanut butter (this helps the toppings stick ) and a handful of peanuts.
3. In the top right quarter, add a thin spread of peanut butter and a tsp of Simply Fruit jelly. Spread the peanut butter to the edge but keep the jelly in the middle to eliminate spilling when cooking.
4. For the bottom right quarter, add a small handful of frozen blueberries or mixed berries. You can smear a light peanut butter layer on this section prior to the berries to help seal the wrap.
Starting with the bottom left quarter, fold up over the top quarter. So your peanut butter will lay on top of the peanuts. Next, fold the two triangles on the left over onto the jelly quarter. Finally, fold the three quarters over the frozen berries which will result into one triangle.
Place the wrap into a skillet or a panini press and cook until warm and the outer tortilla has browned slightly.
Enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Wrapped Quesadilla

This PB&J wrap is best made in a skillet. I love using my panini maker but it makes a pretty big mess pressing out the jelly and fruit.
Consider using these tortillas. They are a little more pliable and easier to fold.
Don’t add too much of any topping. If you overfill, it will spill out and make a big mess!
Considering skipping the peanuts? Don’t! I don’t even like crunchy peanut butter but these add a crunch that makes this wrap amazing.

Want More Easy Low Carb/THM S Ideas?

What To Eat When Sick On THM

July 7, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find a list of what to eat when sick on THM to keep you on plan while you recover from an illness.

There are lots of Trim Healthy Mama store bought and homemade options to help you feel better quickly when under the weather.

With everything going on lately, sickness has been top of mind for a lot of people.

As COVID-19 continues to rise, making a plan for yourself if you have flu like symptoms seems like a prudent decision. And preparing for what to eat when sick on THM is probably easier than you might think.

(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.)

Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional. If you are ill, seek the advice of your doctor.

What To Eat When Sick On THM

When you are not feeling well, cooking up a meal in the kitchen is probably the last thing on your mind. But you have to eat and stay hydrated!

Here is a big list of store bought on plan approved items and recipes to make homemade soups and more to get though through a couple of sick days.

Store Bought THM Sick Kit Options

These store bought options will help to keep you hydrated.

Progresso Light Soups
Kettle & Fire Bone Broth
Sprouted Toast (Check out the list of THM Approved breads here)
Mary’s Gone Crackers or Wasa Crackers
Zevia Ginger Ale – Ginger Ale is a great way to soothe a bad tummy & this Zevia option is sugar free.
THM Hydrates – get your extra water in when you need it!
Coconut Water – Normally you limit this to small amounts according to THM app but if your sick and you can tolerate it, I would drink it.

If you have been suffering from a stomach virus, you may want to follow a BRAT diet. And lucky for you the BRAT diet has all the THM staples on it.

So what does BRAT stand for? Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast.

B – Bananas (E fuel)
R – Brown Rice (E fuel)
A – Unsweetened Applesauce (E Fuel)
T – Sprouted Toast (E Fuel)

THM Cookbook or THM Blogger Recipes

Of course, if you have some energy, plan ahead or are taking care of a sick family member, you can make some recipes from the THM cookbook or from your favorite Trim Healthy Mama bloggers for your “sick day.”

Singing Canary Drink – Immune boosting beverage that will drown you in Vitamin C!
Elderberry Good Girl Moonshine by Joy Filled Eats
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Bone Broth – This is great to make ahead and keep in your freezer for when illness strikes.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup by My Table of Three
15 Minute White Chicken Chili – A Pantry Meal by Protecting Your Pennies

Trim Healthy Mama and OTC Medications

Over the counter meds and the THM plan cause questions for a lot of beginners.

Because guess what? There is sugar in a lot of these meds. You know, they put sugar in everything!

Here are a couple of options that can be used on plan:

Manuka Honey – Natural remedy that may help a sore throat. Manuka is the recommended choice of honey for medicinal purposes by the sisters.
XLEAR Cough Drops – Sweetened with Xylitol and Stevia

Keep reading for my personal thoughts on OTC meds and staying on plan.

Illness and Staying On Plan

Whether you are sick with a stomach bug, an upper respiratory infection or maybe suffering through the early stages of pregnancy with a bad case of morning sickness, being sick and staying on plan is definitely doable but it can be tough.

If you have read the 5 THM things I don’t do, you know that I am somewhat of a THM rebel at times. I do what works for me and thanks to following the plan *most* of the time, I lost the 60 lbs that I gained while pregnant with my second child.

And for that weight loss I am so thankful for this plan. However, I believe that when you are sick, you can get a hall pass of sorts.

So if you can stay on plan doing the things mentioned above, you go girl!

But if you are struggling to keep things down and the thought of a piece of sprouted bread makes you want to vomit, by all means don’t eat it. If a big piece of white bread is literally the only thing that your 9 weeks pregnant body can tolerate, feed that baby.

Don’t get dehydrated or further your misery just to stay on plan.

If you can stay on plan while ill, great. If you need to drink a Gatorade or eat a saltine to get better, do it. Then get back on plan as soon as you are feeling up to it.

Need a XO? Eat one. Again, don’t beat yourself up while you are sick. Give yourself grace, nourish your body the best you can and heal.

Remember to always check with your physician if you are concerned about symptoms, an illness or your diet.

THM Oatmeal Hack (Explode The Health Benefits)

October 22, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

If you like to eat oats for breakfast, you need this THM oatmeal hack in your life.

So if you have followed Trim Healthy Mama for very long, you know that Pearl and Serene are always coming up with cool hacks to make foods more nutritious.

They put okra in brownies and cottage cheese in ice cream. You will find perfectly sunned mushrooms in their ground beef. And you can bet any smoothie that crosses their table has something green in it.

If you have read a few of my posts, you might think I’m a rogue Trim Healthy Mama because I am typically a little resistant to veggies on my breakfast table or okra in my brownies.

The sisters put veggies in everything! And while I am usually intrigued by the newest trend, I don’t often jump on the train for a while.

So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered a hack for oatmeal that I don’t *think* they have ever posted about. I know Pearl has made sweatpants oatmeal and PPP oatmeal but has she ever done this hack to her oatmeal? I don’t know but maybe she will tell us!

(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.)

THM Oatmeal Hack (Boost the Nutritional Value)

As I was scrolling through Instagram the other day, I saw an oatmeal phenomenon. It rocked my world. People put what in their oatmeal?!

Cauliflower.

My first thought (because I’m not a good THM rule follower) was nope, no way, not happening. I’m not Pearl. I can’t put some weird vegetable in my oatmeal. That sounds like a miserable way to enjoy your morning breakfast.

Sounds dramatic but those were really my thoughts. But for some reason this week, I lost my mind and said what the heck and dumped some cauliflower rice in my oatmeal.

And I didn’t die – even kinda liked it.

I kind of liked cauliflower in my morning oatmeal. Who am I? The further I get on my THM journey, the less I know. I’m certainly not the breakfast veggie hater that I was just a few months ago.

Then today, I did it again. Cauliflower in my breakfast bowl. I tweaked the amount of oats and cauliflower and this time I loved it. And the THM oatmeal hack was born.

Can You Taste The Cauliflower in the Oatmeal?

No! It takes on the flavors of your oatmeal. And really unless you are picking through each spoonful, you can’t even really see it.

The cauliflower does a great job of blending in with the bowl of oats making it virtually undetectable.

Why Add Cauli Rice to Oatmeal?

Adding cauli rice to your oatmeal is a great way to add in a vegetable to your morning meal. It seems to be easier to saute some mushrooms in an omelette or throw some spinach into scrambled eggs when you are eating an S meal.

But getting veggies in with your E oatmeal has always been tougher. Not many people want to eat a bite of kale with their oats. So using this THM oatmeal hack is a great way to get a few bites of veggies in with your E breakfast.

How Do I Make Cauliflower Oatmeal – THM Veggie Hack

The great thing about this THM oatmeal hack is that you can adapt it to work for any of your favorite stove top oatmeal recipes.

Here is the recipe that I used:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup frozen cauliflower rice
1 cup almond milk
1.5 tbsp Swerve Brown Sugar

Heat the oats, cauliflower rice, almond milk and sweetener until boiling. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and dump in 1/3 cup of frozen wild blueberries and serve. This makes one serving.

And if you have never tried wild blueberries do it. I learned about them from the sisters and they are so tasty plus they have enhanced nutritional value when compared to cultivated blueberries.

Since oatmeal is a healthy carb, this is an E recipe.

Protein Source for This Recipe

There is a small amount of protein in oatmeal and cauliflower. However, you will probably want to bump up the protein a bit to make sure you make it to the 3 hour mark for your next meal.

You can add some egg whites to your oatmeal to bump up the protein or eat them on the side. You could also add a protein powder to a shake or collagen to your coffee if you like.

20 Approved Beverages with Alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama

January 13, 2021 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Wondering about on plan alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama? Get the scoop on your best options to drink here.

Please always drink responsibly.

If you are wondering if and when you can have a glass of wine or an ice cold beer while following the Trim Healthy Mama plan – don’t worry. Lots of us have wanted to know! Here you will find all the rules and guidelines for enjoying alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama.

(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.)

The Rules for Alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama

From time to time I see someone say “well alcohol is not allowed on Trim Healthy Mama.” And while drinking large amounts of alcohol is not condoned by the plan, a drink (or even two) can be enjoyed on occasion.

This post will answer all of your THM alcohol questions like how much alcohol can I drink? What kind of cocktail can I have and which fuel do I drink it in? At the end of this you will basically be a THM bartender. Well, you will at least be able to pour a glass of wine and feel good about it!

THM Alcohol Serving Size

One serving of alcohol (regardless of the type) is the general rule for Trim Healthy Mama. You will need to see what works for you and also judge your situation as to what you are willing to tolerate and give grace based on the activity.

For example, if I am just having a glass of red wine with my husband at home while watching a tv show, I might try and keep it to the recommended one serving. However, if I was at a best friend’s wedding or on vacation I might indulge a little more (just like I might with a piece of off plan wedding cake etc).

The serving size is important but so is moderation in the frequency that you indulge in a cocktail. In the early part of COVID my day job became incredibly stressful and I found myself having a couple of beers after work frequently. And not a shocker, I gained some weight during that time period because I was not watching my servings as closely as I should (and I was going off plan and giving myself a bit too much grace).

Under normal circumstances, I try and limit my alcohol consumption to once or twice a week depending on what is going on, activities that we have planned etc.

What THM Fuel Is Alcohol?

You can enjoy an alcoholic beverage listed below with any fuel type. I used to stress about if an S or an E meal would be the best choice but it really just doesn’t matter.

Most of these selections for alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama are low in sugar and carbs. They still have calories so you have to be mindful of that & the other side effects of over indulging. But pair it with whatever fuel you want.

Thinking of the Lingering Effects of Alcohol & THM

This is not going to be new information but I think it is worth mentioning.

Drinking too much can result in eating more than you might have otherwise. Sometimes it results in an extra meal that you might not have eaten – hello midnight Taco Bell run (was I supposed to outgrow that in college?). It might also mean that you decide to go off plan after a couple of drinks & have a slice of sugary dessert.

And then the next day comes. Hangover & regret fill your body. If you are sick from a hangover, you are probably less likely to get up and make that Deep S breakfast that you crave after an off plan event (assuming you ate that burrito and slice of cake I was mentioning above). You probably won’t work out and may just feel crummy most of the day.

I don’t say all of this to criticize, certainly been there & Grace is our middle name on THM. It is just worth thinking about all of the consequences if you are choosing to exceed the recommended serving of alcohol.

Now that we have that covered, on to the alcohol choices for the THM plan.

The THM Alcohol Menu

These are some popular alcoholic beverage choices to enjoy while following the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

Hard Seltzer

There are several companies that have come out with hard seltzers that are a great option for drinking alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama. My favorite is the Truly Lemonade by far! It is sweet like real lemonade but only has one gram of sugar & is sweetened with Stevia.

Here are a few of the Hard Seltzers that you can enjoy:

Truly Lemonade (original, black cherry, strawberry lemonade & mango)
Truly Flavors (these are not nearly as sweet as the lemonade if you prefer just a hint of flavor – think a spiked seltzer water)
Truly Iced Tea
White Claw (2g per serving of sugar)
Light Beer Seltzers (Bud Light Seltzer / Corona Light
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer (gets a category of it’s own because it has 0 sugar & 0 carbs)

Wine

The key thing to remember with wine is dry, dry, dry.

Good THM dry wine choices:

Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah
Merlot

Wine types to avoid on Trim Healthy Mama:

Riesling
Moscato
Ice Wine
Port Wine

Beer

Beer is probably the worst choice of alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama out of these personal choices. That being said, I love having an ice cold beer in the summer!

Your best bet is to go with a light beer and have one (as in one bottle, not a 6 pack). I know, I know, one beer is not fun but beer racks up calories and carbs pretty fast. If one isn’t enough, try to max it out at 2.

Also, if you are a fan of the dark craft beers, those are not going to be very friendly to your Trim Healthy Mama efforts. I never say never so if this is what you really love, just get back on plan in 3 hours.

Liquor

Liquor is my least favorite option for alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama. I’m not sure if it is because I just don’t normally drink much liquor or if it is because drinking liquor adds one extra step for me in the way of a cocktail mixer that I don’t have to deal with when choosing a hard seltzer or wine.

But I know some of you probably love your liquor, so I’ve come up with a few options.

Ketel One Botanical or Smirnoff Zero Sugar + A Sparkling Water (unsweetened)

Absolut Mandarin + THM Orange Hydrates or a Virgil’s Orange Soda. A splash of cream would be great too.

Ketel One Botanical and a Bai beverage

THM S Blender Pina Colada

Whiskey & Zevia Cola

Things to watch for when buying liquor for THM:

Flavored liquors may have added sugar. I added some links to “safe” options that don’t add sugar but lots of the “whipped” and heavily flavored liquors will have added sugar.

What is your favorite way to enjoy alcohol on Trim Healthy Mama?

More THM Beginner Guides

Trim Healthy Mama A to Z

On Plan Store Bought THM Bread

On Plan Store Bought THM Peanut Butter

On Plan THM Jelly

23 On Plan Store Bough Desserts

THM Fuel Rotation – How many S’s, E’s & Fp’s to eat per week

7 Day No Cook Drive Thru Sue Menu (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)