trim healthy mama life.....

Hello again. I am not very good at keeping up with this blog. I am trying really hard at this but it seems my blog gets put on the back burner a lot! 

A week ago yesterday I started my Trim Healthy Mama journey. I have had the books for a very long time. I have read through all of them and even cooked a good many foods the THM way. I have never been fully committed to this way of life until last Monday when I got some lab results back. Let's just say it's time for a change! So, I started last Monday and haven't looked back. I am really enjoying eating healthy! No sugar! What! It has been over a week that I haven't had any sugar. That's really big for me. I have a hard time cooking really healthy with 7 other people living here also but I knew when I got the results last Monday it was time to change my way of life. I have been using Plexus also for over a year and love it but I never was really consistent with it either. I knew it was fabulous and  I knew when I took it on a daily basis I felt so much better. Well, as of now, Plexus and THM is my way of life. No turning back!

I am trying so many new recipes in my THM books here lately that I thought I would share them with you. They are wonderful. It feels so great to know I am eating the way I should to lose weight and get healthy. I am going to try to post at least two recipes a week. 

Here are two that I have tried recently and totally liked!

Minute Ramen Soup                 p. 125 in the cookbook

Orange Creamsicle Shake              p. 409 in the cookbook

I am loving this new norm and look forward to getting results that I know I will eventually see and feel!

EASY ARTISAN BREAD

I have been wanting to try to make Artisan bread for quite some time now. We make all kinds of bread around here on the homestead but not Artisan.

I found a super easy recipe from here and thought I would give it a try. Well guess what? It turned out great!

Here are a couple of  pictures I took of it before I give the ok to devour it! That is just what happened. I don't think it lasted more than 5 minutes.

Here is the very easy and yummy recipe.

EASY ARTISAN BREAD

3 cups flour (calls for all-purpose, we use freshly ground hard white wheat)

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Add-ins: Cranberry/white chocolate/pecan

Cranberry cinnamon

Rosemary

Cinnamon Raisin

1. Put first 3 ingredients in bowl and stir until incorporated.

2. If you are going to use add-ins, put them in now.

3. Add the lukewarm water.

4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap. Set aside and let rest for 8-20 hours.

5. After dough has rested, flour a surface or a bowl. Wet hands and pat into a ball-try to get as round as you can. Let it rise for an hour.

6. Meanwhile, preheat you oven to 450 degrees F.

7. Place your pot into the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

8. After the bread has risen for an hour, take your pot out of the oven and place bread in the hot pot.

9. Bake for 30 minutes. Take lid off and bake another 10-15 minutes.

10. Let cool before slicing.

This is an awesome artisan bread recipe. Try it, you will not be disappointed.

God Bless!

no bake granola bars

Today we are heading out to the Louisiana Homeschool Convention for a used curriculum sale. We will be leaving around lunch and won't be back home until after 5pm. I knew we needed some things yummy to eat to take with us. These no bake granola bars are one of our families favorites. Easy to make and a healthier option compared to other granola bars. Try them, you won't be disappointed!

No Bake Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups Crisp Rice Cereal

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup sucanat

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

You can omit the chocolate chips and add dried fruit for a healthier bar.

Combine your cereal, oats and dried fruit if using other than chocolate chips. In a saucepan, heat the honey and brown sugar until boiling and then remove from heat and add your peanut butter and vanilla. Stir this mixture into the cereal and oat mixture and mix well. Oil a baking sheet and press this mixture into it. Be careful, it will be hot. If using chocolate chips instead of dried fruit, press your chips into the granola mixture. They will melt a little but it doesn't affect the final outcome. Let cool and them cut into bars.

Enjoy!



God Bless!

our first dewberries!!!

The bugs and I decided to go for a little walk down our driveway today and pick some flowers that are growing along the road. Take a look at what we found along the way.

DEWBERRIES!!!

How fun it is to go for a walk and find something like this growing and ready to be harvested to eat and enjoy. So, of course, we had to come home and make us a smoothie with these beautiful berries. It also gave us the perfect opportunity to try some of our kefir we have been making with our kefir grains. Here is the recipe we use to make smoothies. It comes out of the Nourishing Traditions cookbook.

Cultured Milk Smoothie

1 1/4 cups whole-milk buttermilk, kefir or yogurt

1 ripe banana or 1 cup berries(frozen or fresh)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 egg yolks

3-4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Smoothies made with good quality cultured milk make a wonderful snack, quick breakfast or strengthening meals for invalids. Unfortunately, most commercial smoothies contain soy protein powder and problematic sweeteners. Fortunately, smoothies are easy and quick to make at home.

Place banana or berries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended.

****We also add about 1/2 cup of our raw cream to this. It makes it real creamy.****

Looks like we will have as many dewberries we had last year if not more!!!

God Bless!



meal plan for 3/4/2012 - 3/10/2012

Here is our meal plan for next week. Wish me luck!

Sunday, March 4, 2012
Omelets with Fresh Fruit
Beef Stew
Salmon Fish Cakes

Monday, March 5, 2012
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Duck Tenderloins and Potato Skins
Chicken Rice Soup

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Irish Oatmeal with Kefir
Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Breaded Chicken Breasts and Brown Rice Pilaf

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Lemon Muffins made with Homemade Buttermilk
Sliced Turkey Pitas and Popcorn for a snack
Cream of Vegetable Soup with Subs

Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sweet Potato Cookies
Rollups (meat and cheese in flour tortillas)
Spicy Meatloaf and French Potato Salad

Friday, March 9, 2012
Mexican Eggs
Meatloaf Sandwiches (made with the left overs from night before)
Chicken Patties with Homemade Buns

Saturday, March 10, 2012
Mushroom Quiche
Pizza Toasts
Fajitas with Brown Rice Pudding for dessert

I just found a new book entitled The Healing Food... A Quick Guide to Natural Healing Foods. Its tells you what kinds of Fruits, Vegetables, Seeds, Nuts, Oils, Fish, Grains, Beans, Lentils, Spices and Herbs With Healing Properties! I am going to try to post about all the things I am learning from this book along with the information about each fruit, vegetable, etc. I will also be posting one recipe with each.

God Bless!

trying to eat healthier around here!!!!!!!

A while back I purchased a book entitled "Nourishing Traditions".

 I have been a little lazy in trying to keep us eating healthy. I have tried some of the recipes and they were good although I have to admit, I have not used it like I originally planned. I am planning a menu plan to post tomorrow. On my 7 day menu plan, I will be using the Nourishing Traditions book for everything we eat starting Sunday. We are also going to start a little exercise regimen along with our new way of eating. I am hoping to learn alot from this book and how I can improve my families health. Everything from making and using bone broth to eating and enjoying fermented foods. Wish me luck!