How to Make Cheese Crisps

Grate some cheese. I used cheddar. How much you grate will depend on how many cheese crisps you want. :)

I was experimenting and decided to add some ranch dressing mix, and also a few shakes of onion power. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (nothing else seems to work) put little cheese piles on the paper. Use your judgement for how much cheese, depending on the size of your baking pan.  

Bake at 350 for around five minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and edges are browned.

There you are! Yummy cheese crisps. I could barely keep up with making them this afternoon, the kids (well okay, I ate a few too) were eating them as soon as they came out of the oven. :) These are a great alternative to chips if you want a crispy snack. :) 

Quick Explanation of the Trim Healthy Mama Diet

I wanted to do a real quick post on what the Trim Healthy Mama diet is for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about when I post things like (S) and (E) (smile)

First of all the book! It's called "Trim Healthy Mama" (obviously)  written by Serene Allison & Pearl. Barrett 

Here is a photo of my slightly worn copy. :) this big book (619 pages) covers a lot of topics from eating healthy, loosing weight, understanding hormones, recipes and more. 

Alrighty, the real basic way they promote eating can be summed up in this paragraph:

"Never include large amounts of both fats and carbs in the same meal unless you are trying to gain or maintain weight. In other words don't tandem fuel. " -page 64

"To make this rule work.....we have split this eating plan into two different types of meals. These two meal types ensure that glucose [carbs] and fats, the two primary sources of fuel for your body, both get their time in the spotlight without having to play tandem to each other. Tandem fuel burning inhibits weight loss. One type of meal is called S (for Satisfying). The other is E (for Energizing)" -page 64

This is what S and E meals should look like:

S- Protein-centered meals that are always low-carb, [should below 15 grams] but are liberal with fats. They utilize fat as their chief fuel. (Weight loss.)

E- Protein-centered meals that are medium- carb, but have less fat. [6 grams or less] They utilize glucose as their chief fuel. (Weight loss.) 

There is more, (such as "fuel pull meals"- fast weight loss, and "crossovers"- for maintaining weight) but for now this is just a real quick summary of what the THM way of eating means. :) 

Sandwiches: Trim Healthy Mama Style!

One thing I can't deny missing after starting THM is my bread!  I know that some breads are allowed with (E) meals, (and even with (S) meals Joseph's bread is okay), my problem? I haven't been able to see if our Walmart carries them yet (next shopping trip I will be checking for sure!) I'll also be on the lookout for low carb tortillas to have with some of my (S) meals. I'm a bit confused if the low carb tortillas are allowed with (E) because they are only listed under (S) in the book, which doesn't make a lot of sense. 

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few of the sandwiches we've had on the plan so far:

This a basic roast beef sandwich made with the "bread in a mug" recipe, (page 265) with lettuce, mayo, cheese, tomato, pickle, and mustard. This was an (S)

Who wants a (S) hamburger? :) For the bun, I made the "cheesy garlic rolls" (listed as "Marcy's Cheese Rolls, page 271) that I mentioned in my last THM post. I was not overly wowed by the way they turned out, but over all, I think both my husband and myself thought they tasted better then "bread in a mug".

  Having said that, because bread in a mug is super fast to whip up, I will be using it more often for our lunch time sandwiches then this recipe since these buns took a lot of time to prepare. 

For this (S) sandwich we once again we have "bread in a mug" bread, with mayo, pickles, lettuce and leftover baked chicken, yummy! :) 

2 Boys & 2 Girls

The boys. :) Will & Matt

The girls :) Abby & Liddy 

My Moments

"May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God's presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love".  -Andrew Murray

View from our living room window.

Trim Healthy Mama Ingredients :)

My order from "Low Carb Canada" arrived today!  I'm excited, especially because I can order right in Canada, and not have to pay the crazy shipping prices if it's from the U.S. 

 Anyway, I got a variety of Dream fields pasta, (I've been missing pasta since starting THM and am more than a little excited about getting Dreamfields! :) Nutritional yeast, Golden flax meal, ( also excited about this; it is used in many recipes from the book. Looking forward to trying the : "Just like wheat Thins"!- I want some crackers!!) :) and then, the famous: glucomannan powder! I'm going to try making "Cheesy Garlic Rolls" tonight and use them for hamburger buns, hope it works!  I have to admit I am still skeptical, none of the " bread" I've made from the book so far has tasted like bread, (with the exception of "Trim Healthy Pancakes"). 

I'll try and post an update on how the rolls turn out later; right now it's nap time for all my little ones so I must go! 

First Trim Healthy Mama Meal

After reading through parts (It's a big book and I still haven't gotten through the whole thing.) of the book: Trim Healthy Mama, and also reading glowing reports of success on various blogs and websites, I decited give the THM way of eating a try.

Wanting to keep it simple as possible until I get the hang of it, I thought I'd stick mainly to the "Satisfiying" or "S" meals, with just a few "Energizing"  meals mixed in.  The above picture is the first (S) THM supper I made.  Please excuse the plain serving dishes, and the messy looking chicken, I'm a busy mama, and don't have time to make it fancy. :) The chicken tasted a lot better than it looks here.  Okay, the menu was:

Melt in your mouth Chicken

Green beans with butter

Stuffed Eggs

Mashed Cauliflower with Cheese and bacon bits

Note: These recipes can easily be found by googling. 

Here is a closer look at the mashed cauliflower. I added cheese chucks, real bacon bits, and onion flakes to the top. My comments on this recipe is that it looks better than it tasted, :) I actually did like it okay, but next time I would be careful not to blend it as much since I thought it was to " smooth" Others in the household would just as well do without it at all ;). 

Overall I felt that the meal really was satisfying and filling.  I had leftovers for a easy S lunch the next day as well. I will try and post more meals as I continue eating the THM way. :)

DIY: Make Your Own Wooden Sign!

I finished making a wooden sign a few weeks back and thought I'd share how to do it! It turned out a lot easier then I was thought it would be, plus it was fun! :)

 

Start off with a board. I found mine out in a pile of old boards here on our farm. :) Because I wanted it to look "country/farm" like, I didn't bother to fill in the nail holes or try to fix the cracks.

Paint the board with the color of your choice; or of course you could leave it as is and proceed from there. 

Print out the word(s) you want to use and tape the paper to your boad so it doesn't move. 

With a pen, trace around each letter. You need to make an indent in the wood below so press firmly. 

It was hard to get a good picture with my iPad, but this is what it should look like after you are done tracing the letters and remove the paper. 

Alright! Now trace around the indents with a pencil; and you go! You can now paint the letters. I've also seen some people use a permanat marker to fill in the letters, but since I wanted to pick my color, I chose to paint mine. 

Finished! I attached two hooks to the back and hung it on two nails so it was more secure ( nothing like being knocked out with a wooden board falling on your head in the middle of the night). I am happy to have finally finished this project and got it hung on the wall!  It is something I've been wanting to do for awhile. Now I need to start on my other ideas and projects to fill up the wall space and tie it all together!