THM Recipe Roundup: Make-Ahead Breakfasts

 

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And I have to agree with that. A good, healthy breakfast just lays the groundwork for how you eat for the rest of the day. When I'm not prepared in this area, I definitely feel it!

Breakfast is that meal I either rock, or fail miserably at. There really is no in-between for me. I am blessed and thankful that Hubby has joined me in eating the Trim Healthy Mama way. But, since he wakes up early in the morning for work, that means early mornings for me as well. Most mornings, we have little time before he has to be out the door. If I'm not on my breakfast game, he either goes without, or he grabs something not-so-optimal. Then, I end up just having coffee, starting my day, and not eating until lunch. So in order for us to be off to a good start, I have to be able to make something quick, or have things already prepared.

Be Prepared!

When I have a couple of breakfasts all ready to eat made ahead of time, that's when my week seems to go the smoothest. However, this doesn't always happen. Lately, I've been struggling. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with breakfast, so I asked for help from some Trim Healthy Mama recipe bloggers for this roundup. They were very generous and shared many of their favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes to have prepared for those busy mornings. In this post, I am excited to share with you what they came up with. Some I have made before and enjoyed, many are new to me and I'm excited to try!

As I said in my one and only recipe post, I am not by nature a recipe creator. So, I am so thankful for all of these creative bloggers who share their yummy, healthy recipes with the rest of us! Make sure to check out their blogs for all of the other recipes they have created as well.

Let's dive right in to what they came up with for make-ahead breakfasts!

S Breakfasts

5-Ingredient Waffles & Pancakes-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Briana shares, "I love to put waffles in the freezer to pull out and reheat!"
Coconut Mocha Breakfast Cookies-Unconformed Kitchen
Meat Crust Quiche-Yellow Glass Dish
Josi of Yellow Glass Dish shares that this quiche holds up well in the fridge, but she wouldn't suggest freezing it.
Freezer Breakfast Burritos-The Well Planned Kitchen
Sticky Bun Cake-My Healthy Journey For Life
Strawberry Bread Two Ways-My Healthy Journey For Life
This Strawberry Bread can be made as either S or E!
Orange (or Orange Cranberry) Scones-My Healthy Journey For Life
Carrot Cheesecake Muffins-My Healthy Journey For Life
Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake-Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved

E Breakfasts

No Sugar Added Baked Georgia Peach Oatmeal-Protecting Your Pennies
Overnight Oatmeal Survival Packets-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Pineapple Rightside-Up Baked Oatmeal-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Pumpkin Chip Baked Oatmeal-Briana Thomas Burkholder
Briana shares, "Baked oatmeal is basically my favorite make-ahead breakfast." And I have to admit, I love that it is so easy to put together, and that there are so many different ways to make it so that it's never boring!
Authentic English Muffins-Unconformed Kitchen
Pumpkin Bam Cake-Unconformed Kitchen
Homemade Breakfast Museli-Unconformed Kitchen
Air Fryer Apple Fritters-My Healthy Journey For Life
These fritters can be made either E or FP!
Strawberry Bread Two Ways-My Healthy Journey For Life
This Strawberry Bread can be made as either S or E, so I included it in both categories.
Cereal Recipes to Find Your Healthy Trim-Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved
This is a roundup Judy at Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved put together of cereals that can be made and eaten on plan!
Overnight Stuffed French Toast-Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Easy, Delicious Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal-Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Cinnamon Apple Overnight Oats-Nana's Little Kitchen
Cinnamon Apple Cheesecakes-Nana's Little Kitchen

FP and XO Breakfasts

Sometimes, we need to throw in an occasional Fuel Pull or Crossover for breakfasts. Here's a couple of recipes to help you out!

Four Vanilla Waffles-Briana Thomas Burkholder THM FP
Easy Dragon Fruit Chia Breakfast Pudding Cups-Graceful Abandon THM XO

Get Prepping!

There you have it! With 26 recipes here, there is no excuse to not be prepared for breakfast! As for me, I am definitely working my way through this list starting today! If you're new to food prep, pick just one or two of these recipes to make. Then see how much easier the next few mornings go when you have your first meal of the day all ready to grab or heat up quickly. If you're a prepping veteran, you know what to do, and I hope you found some new recipe inspiration here!

Talk to me in the comments! If you've tried any of these recipes, I would love to hear what you thought. Also, if there are any other recipes you use, or even super-quick things you do for breakfast in the morning, I would love to hear from you. And those of you who are already doing it, let me know how prepping has changed your mornings!

Have a great week, everyone!

Beef & Zucchini Hash-THM S

 

Okay, you guys. I am not a recipe creator. Seriously. I like to follow recipes, then tweak as needed for my family's tastes. But today, I had an extra pound of ground beef in the refrigerator that I needed to use for something. I also knew I had some zucchini that I had to do something with soon. So, I decided to wing it for once and see what I come up with. I even measured and wrote down what I put in, just it case it actually came out good. And it did! This Beef & Zucchini Hash is what I came up with.

Beef & Zucchini Hash

If you're following the THM plan, this would be an S. This makes about 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry your people are.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes

Instructions

First, brown the ground beef in a large skillet or dutch oven. Drain, if necessary, and return to the pan. Next, add the diced zucchini and seasonings and stir all together. Then, add in the can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Finally, stir it all up, cover, and simmer until it's heated through, and the zucchini is cooked to your liking.

You can serve this as is with a side salad, or put it over your choice of noodles. This time, I used Trim Healthy Noodles. Similar to those, you can buy Miracle Noodles (or any other konjac noodles). You could also serve over spaghetti squash or zoodles. Sprinkle on some Parmesan if you like.

Both myself and Hubby thought this turned out really well! Hubby liked it better without the noodles, though, as he said they made it taste more bland. I'm thinking next time I make this for noodles, I will add some tomato sauce and up the seasonings a bit.

If you try this, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I would also love to know your tweaks, if you had any, so I can try them out!

Food Prep With Me: THM Edition

 

Happy Monday, everyone! It is the first Monday of February, and I just spent most of my weekend getting serious with food prep to keep me on track with Trim Healthy Mama. In this post, I will share with you what I did.

First, a side story. I realized that I have lost my appetite lately. At first, I thought I was just being lazy. Then, I started "forgetting" to eat breakfast. A couple of weeks after that, I noticed I was having to force myself to eat anything for lunch even. I was skipping snacks, and by dinner time I was finally hungry, just not ravished. Being on THM plus being a Type 2 Diabetic, I knew I had to do something before my blood sugar numbers started the roller coaster.

Every 3 Hours

Timing is everything! Part of the THM plan is making sure you eat every 3 hours. Going any longer than 4 hours can tank your metabolism, and going less than 2.5 hours can lead to fuel stacking. This means you are taking in more fuel before your body has had time to fully process the fuel from the last time you ate. During the last month, my timing has really fallen apart. Skipping meals and snacks will do that! And I know that at least part of my loss of appetite has to do with the fact that I've messed up my metabolism a little. 

Food Prep is Key

And of course, when my appetite is gone, I have no desire to spend time preparing food that's just for me! For breakfast, lunch, and snacks in our home, you're pretty much on your own as far as figuring out what to eat. Which explains why those were the meals I either chose to skip, or grab some not-so-optimal food. I didn't go off plan, but I grabbed what was quick and easy. Usually sandwich meats, cheese, nuts, etc. Doing that too often without lots of veggies...it's just no good.

Then I saw that someone had posted a video from Lindsey Murphy about how No One is Going to Do This For You. That's when I realized, I had just completely fallen off of all food prepping! I needed to get back to that. If I had healthier, more optimal foods available to just grab when I needed to eat, even if I wasn't hungry, I would eat it!

So, I made a list and dedicated my weekend to food prep. It was work and it took time. But you know what? I'm not stressing about not wanting to eat anymore and what that's doing to my blood sugar. My appetite's not fully back yet, but I had breakfast this morning! I grabbed a couple of THM muffins out of the fridge to have with my coffee. Didn't even heat them up. Easy peasy! With the food in my fridge and freezer now, I have ZERO EXCUSE to not eat something healthy when I need to eat.

What I Made

Veggies:
-Salad greens: I buy the tubs of Spring Mix from either Aldi or Costco. In order to make them last longer, I divide them into gallon-size zippy bags and stick a paper towel in each one to absorb the moisture.
-Carrots: I peeled the carrots in my fridge and cut them into sticks. These can be eaten as a snack with a THM-friendly ranch dressing.
-Celery: I trimmed them up and cut them into sticks. These can be eaten as a snack with all-natural peanut or almond butter, or cream cheese. I also can cut them down further to be used in Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad (THM Cookbook page 190).
English cucumbers: I had a couple of these in my fridge that I sliced into half-moons. These can be used in salad, or eaten as a snack with a THM-friendly ranch dressing.
-Broccoli: I found some broccoli in the freezer and steamed it up, adding butter, salt, and pepper. Now I have some in the fridge when I need a cooked veggie to go with lunch.

Protein:
-Boiled eggs: I made 14 boiled eggs in my Instant Pot, peeled them and put them in a container in the fridge. These can be breakfast on a busy morning, a snack, or cut up into a lunch salad.
-Chicken breasts: Next, I threw some frozen chicken breasts into my Instant Pot with a little seasoning and chicken broth. When they were done, I shredded them and put them in the fridge. This can be used in lunch salads or any recipe that needs pre-cooked chicken. I'm planning on using some of this for Lazy Chicken Lasagna tonight (THT Cookbook page 124). This can also be used as a quick protein for a snack.
-Meatballs: I made up a big batch of Marvelous Make-Ahead Meatballs from the THT Cookbook page 208. This made 3 dinners worth of meatballs, plus a few extras for quick protein snacks in the fridge.

Breakfast:
-Glosted Raspberry Muffins from the THM Cookbook page 285. I have a batch of these in my fridge that I can alternate with eggs for breakfasts for the week.

Snacks & Desserts:
-Skinny Chocolate from the THM Cookbook page 377.
-Gluccie Pudding from the Original THM Book. This is pudding made with glucomannan. I made 2 chocolate and 2 lemon. This is really good for me to eat as a snack at night to help with my morning blood sugar numbers.
-Double Peanut Fudge Swirl Brownies from the THM Cookbook page 315. This will ensure I have a chocolatey treat for a few nights after dinner.

All Ready!

That's it! It was a lot of time and a lot of work. But, it saves stress for the rest of the week. I plan on making food prep a regular thing in this house again. I know once I get into the swing of it, I will be able to streamline it more. Four days in a row now, I ate 3 meals + 1 snack per day, keeping up with good timing. I am feeling better already!

I hope this post was helpful and has encouraged you to take a look into food prep for whatever eating plan you follow! Let me know in the comments if you already have a regular food prep schedule and how you work it. Have a great week, everyone!

Workout With Me: My Favorites

 

She girds herself with strength,

And strengthens her arms.

~Proverbs 31:17

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, I thought I would share with you and review my favorite workout videos to get into shape. The first two I currently use, alternating days. The third I've done a couple of times before, and hope to incorporate again soon.

Walk At Home

First, is Leslie Sansone's Walk At Home. I have been doing Leslie's videos for quite a few years now. I really like that I get a good aerobic and muscle workout, and that I've always been able to do at least a mile without a break. Once I start getting into shape, I can do more. 

All of the moves are fairly simple, but very effective. She uses music to set the speed. In this Walk At Home video, each mile averages out to a 12-minute mile. The first half of a mile is the slowest speed, most of the second half is a more brisk pace. Then, the last 2 minutes of each mile is what she calls a "boosted walk," where you "walk like a runner." This includes the option to kick it up to high-impact for those last 2 minutes, or you can keep it low-impact while keeping the pace. 

The workout I have is a five-mile walk (you can choose how many miles you do in a setting). You can purchase this on Amazon, but I don't believe she is currently actively selling this one anymore. However, you can go to her website to see her current DVD's for purchase.

Workins

Next up are the Trim Healthy Mama Workins. I purchased these shortly after they came out a year or two ago. You can buy the kit, which comes with 9 DVD's, a short information booklet, a poster, and the equipment you need to do the Workins. Or you can just purchase the DVD's separately (as well as each individual piece of equipment) if you already have the necessary equipment. In addition, you do need an exercise ball and a toy ball. 

Trim Healthy Mama calls these Workins instead of workouts, because it focuses on strengthening from the inside out. They really focus on the core, and these are also really good if you are healing from diastasis recti as well. There is also a focus on feminine fit, working out our feminine bodies which are different from men's bodies. This is all explained in the booklet and on the introduction DVD.

These Workins are short, fun, and very effective!

30 Day Core

Third, is Lindsay Brin's 30 Day Core. Again, this focuses on your core. Once I am feeling more in shape, I will bring this back into my routine. These videos are a little longer at about 30 minutes each, and they are definitely the most intense of my videos.

********************************************************************

Those are my favorite workouts, especially in the winter. In the warmer months, I will get outside more for my exercise, but will still use these occasionally. I have heard of T-Tapp and would like to look into that, as well. If anyone has used T-Tapp, I would love your input! Also, let me know in the comments if you have used the above three that I mentioned and what you think. Or, if you have a different favorite workout that you do, I would love some new ideas!

Thank you so much for reading today! If you like what you're reading here on my home on the web, go up to the right sidebar and subscribe. Enter your email, then click subscribe. Go into your email to confirm the subscription and you're all set! You will receive a notification in your email whenever a new post goes up. Have a great weekend, everyone!

MamaWit's Weekend Links: THM Edition

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! As you may (or not!) have noticed, I decided to slow down my posting a bit. I wanted the launch of this blog to be aggressive, but being a stay-at-home homeschooling mama, it wasn't very realistic to keep up with a post or more per day. I plan on coming up with a weekly posting schedule for myself.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some links that I have found helpful from fellow bloggers. Today, I'm sharing some links that I hope will be helpful to you in your Trim Healthy Mama journey!

First, if you're just getting started on THM, check out my post with resources that will help you get started.

THM Tips, Helps, and Menu Plans

Breakfast Menu for 15 Days of Trim Healthy Mama by Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen
Healthy THM Freezer Meals by The Well Planned Kitchen
THM Crockpot Cooking Menu Session by Mixing with Michelle
Trim Healthy Mama Testimony by Northern Nester
54 Trim Healthy Mama Snacks (Kid Approved) by Northern Nester
The Ultimate List of Kid-Approved THM Snacks by Grace-Filled Homemaking
Trim Healthy Mama Aldi Menu Plan and Shopping List by Grace-Filled Homemaking
Eating Out with a Trim Healthy Mama by A Home with Purpose
Trim Happy Hubbie from the Coers Family
Tips for THMing His Lunch by Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen
7 Ways to Get Your Family On Board with Trim Healthy Mama by Grace-Filled Homemaking

That's it for today! I have lots more share, but I plan on making Saturday a day to share links to what I'm finding helpful. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Trim Healthy Mama Roundup: Getting Started on THM

 

Are you thinking about starting up Trim Healthy Mama this year? Or perhaps you started, fell off the wagon, and are struggling to get back on plan? Either way, there is a good possibility that you're wondering exactly how to get started. Or re-started. Especially this time of the year. Who doesn't like a fresh start?

First, I encourage you to read the Plan book! That is the first thing you need to do if you want to learn the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. Now, while the plan is very well laid out in the book, there is a bit of a learning curve when you're getting started. For some of us, just knowing how to start can be overwhelming. That's why I've put together this list for you. When I first started, some of these articles were so helpful!

So, yes, you definitely need to get the plan book. Buy it, borrow it from a friend, or even check it out of the library. Set aside some time and start reading. And while you're doing that, visit some of these THM bloggers. They have worked hard to put together these guides to get you started.

Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start Guide by Gwen's Nest
RunAmok Mama's THM Made Easy by RunAmok Mama
Starting THM and Dos and Don'ts From a THM Veteran by Briana Thomas Burkholder
Getting Started with Trim Healthy Mama and Starting Trim Healthy Mama for Only $8 by The Well Planned Kitchen (The Well Planned Kitchen also has many wonderful resources for menu planning, so check out her site!)
Dear Trim Healthy Mama Newbie: Tips for the New and Overwhelmed by Grace-Filled Homemaking

There you have it! So, read the THM Plan book and follow the guides and tips of these wonderful ladies. If you stick to it, you will find your groove and be a Trim Healthy Mama, too!

Recipe Roundup: Healthy NYE Food

Spicy Chicken Wings p164 Trim Healthy Mama cookbook

 

With New Year's Eve coming up tomorrow, I thought I'd put together a list of appetizers and snacks that would be good to have on hand for those of us who don't want to put on more weight! Don't worry, I have not made all these in one day, but these are various foods that I have tried throughout my years as a Trim Healthy Mama that myself and my family have enjoyed. There will definitely be some in our family NYE spread tomorrow evening!

For some of these, you will have to have the Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks that I reference, as I am not able to share those. But, I also have links to recipes that have been created by THM bloggers, or recipes that are THM-friendly.

From the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

Nacho Stuffed Peppers p142
Sausage Balls p159
Bangin' Ranch Drums p162
Peanut Popper Chicken p164
Spicy Chicken Wings p164 (I like these with either Rhonda's Ranch dressing on p471, or for store-bought, Ken's Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing is a good choice)
Super Salmon Patties p177 (also good with Rhonda's Ranch dressing)
Cry-No-More Brownies p314

From the Trim Healthy Table Cookbook

Queso Chicken Bake p123
Fifteen-Minute Focaccia Bread p247
Green Fries p262
Magic Salted Caramel Cupcakes p379
Soft Double Chocolate Chip Cookies p400
Brownie Batter in a Mug p405 (single recipe)
Two-Minute Truffles p422 (single recipe)

Links to recipes by other bloggers

Fried Cream Cheese and Berry Taco by Briana Thomas Burkholder (single recipe)
Sausage Cream Cheese Pinwheels by My Table of Three
Avocado Deviled Eggs by Caveman Gourmet
Bacon Wrapped Buffalo Cauliflower Bites by Nana's Little Kitchen
Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie by All Day I Dream About Food
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars also by All Day I Dream About Food
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough by My Montana Kitchen
3 Ingredient Stovetop Glazed Pecans by Joy Filled Eats
Healthy Peanut Butter Balls also by Joy Filled Eats

Bonus!

There's not a whole lot of pre-made, store-bought meals out there that I can eat on plan, but I make an exception with this one. There's really not a lot of off-plan ingredients in this that has made any impact on me, so I eat it occasionally as a personal choice. If you have a Costco near you and you love shrimp, give it a try!
Costco's Cilantro Lime Shrimp

So there you go. I hope you try some of these and find something you enjoy. And definitely peruse other recipes on the sites of the bloggers I listed! There are so many wonderful recipes out there to choose from if you're a Trim Healthy Mama! Are there any foods that are a tradition for you on New Year's Eve? If you're a Trim Healthy Mama, a low-carber, or on Keto, what are some favorite NYE foods you have discovered? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you.

Have a safe New Year's Eve everyone!