Plan

Trim Healthy Mama Fast Food Guide For S Meals

January 12, 2019 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Eating out does not have to be detrimental to your waistline. You can eat according to THM principles using this Trim Healthy Mama fast food guide for S meals!

You have the plan down while you are at home but you know that eventually you will have to venture out into the real world. At some point you will probably find yourself sitting in the drive thru line needing to grab something quick.

Will you just have to start again in 3 hours after eating something fatty and loaded with carbs? Nope! Use this Trim Healthy Mama fast food guide to give you easy “S” meals that you can eat on the run.

(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.)

Trim Healthy Mama Planning For Success On the Go

Ok, ok. I know that the reason you are sitting in that fast food drive thru lane is because you didn’t have time to plan. The kids have practice or your meeting ran late at work and you need quick and easy.

What I mean is to plan for this emergency to happen. The biggest complaint that I have with eating fast food out on plan is that sometimes the meal seems kind of dinky.

You know what I mean? A cheeseburger without a bun, while ok sometimes, doesn’t always seem as satisfying as it would with that big huge bun.

To combat those dinky meals, you can literally stock your car, purse or top drawer at your office for success. Here are the things that I like to have to help make my meal out more substantial.

Stock Your Car

If the conditions are extreme outside, you may be better keeping these things in your purse so that it moves in and out of the element with you.

But you can be the judge of that! Here are the things that I think make this Trim Healthy Mama fast food guide more substantial.

Joseph’s Lavash or Pita Bread – These make great vehicles to wrap up your low carb burger or grilled chicken to make it more filling. You could even dump part or all of a side salad in with your meat to bulk it up.

Mission Low Carb Tortilla – If you want something amazing, stuff a Taco Bell protein bowl into one of these tortillas for a delicious S taco on the run.

Lily’s Chocolate Bar – I like Lily’s but I also eat other brands of on plan chocolate. By keeping a piece of chocolate with you, you can finish off your fast food meal without being tempted by a milkshake or cookie.

True Lemon – I broke my addiction to diet soda but I am still sometimes tempted by a big Coke when I am in line. A packet or two of the true lemon takes up no room in your purse and will give your water a little flavor.

Pork Rinds or Whisps – Ok, we might be getting outside of what can comfortably fit in your purse unless you are Mary Poppins. But unlike the chocolate, I think both of these would be safe to just keep in your car. These will help you have a good “side” to go with your bunless burger.

Protein Bars – While these might not really go with a fast food meal, they are a great last minute option to keep in your bag. Here are 11 on plan or personal choice protein bars for THM.

Want a guide to a variety of sit down restaurants and take out options? Pin it Here.

Trim Healthy Mama Fast Food Guide for S Meals

Arby’s

Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad

Any meat with no bun (they will put it in a bowl for you) and a side salad (dump the meat on top of salad or put it in a wrap you brought from home home), French dip meat on a side salad, Beef N Cheddar in a wrap (that you bring from home) would be amazing but the cheese will be your choice – it has additives that won’t be on plan. But still way better than eating that big onion bun, in my opinion!

Burger King

Whopper (burger only with toppings – no ketchup) and side salad

Captain D’s

Wild Caught Salmon or other grilled fish with either broccoli or green beans.

Chick-fil-a

Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap with the Avocado or Ranch Dressing

Cobb Salad with Grilled nuggets

Five Guys

You can ask for any burger without a bun. They will put it in a bowl or a lettuce wrap – your choice.

In-N-Out

Burger “Protein Style” – They will wrap your burger in lettuce if ordered like this.

Jimmy Johns

Unwhich – Sub ingredients wrapped in lettuce.

McDonald’s

Bacon Cheeseburger (no Bun) & Side Salad

Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

Grilled Ranch Snack Wrap (The ranch sauce has some less than desirable ingredients. You could use a little of their ranch dressing which is also not perfect but ok for Drive Thru Sue’s; Also throw out the tortilla it comes in and replace with a low carb tortillas). This is less than $2.

Popeye’s

Blackened Chicken Tenders with Green Beans

Starbucks

Egg Bites

Subway

Chopped Salad with lots of veggies, cold cuts or grilled chicken, cheese.

Sandwich Filling into your own low carb tortilla (feed the sub roll to the birds)

New Protein Bowls – Avoid the Sweet onion and the meatball bowls because those have too many carbs/off plan ingredients. All the rest would be fine.

Taco Bell

Grilled Chicken Protein bowl (no rice or beans). Bring 2 low carb tortillas and you can make 2 huge tacos.
*Note* The official THM recommendation is one tortilla in a serving. However, I often eat 2 when I have Taco Bell because I love TB and it works for me.

Taco Salad (No Beans, Rice or Shell)

Wendy’s

Baconator and side salad

Parmesan Caesar Chicken Salad (They even have Parm Crisps instead of Croutons that come with the salad – it is like it is made for THM)

Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad

Whataburger

Grilled Chicken Melt (no Bun) & Side Salad

I hope this Trim Healthy Mama fast food guide helps you make easy and good choices at your favorite drive thru. Don’t forget to stock your car or purse up so that you can round out your meal in the most cost efficient method possible.

My Favorite THM Drive Thru Option

Here is an example of how I used the Trim Healthy Mama fast food guide and a stocked car to have an amazing Drive Thru Sue lunch the other day.

I ordered the Taco Bell chicken protein bowl with no beans or rice. I was kind of worried that the remaining food was going to be small (you know these restaurants love to bulk up meals with the cheap fillers). But I was pleasantly surprised. Excuse the lap picture but here is what it looked like in the bowl.

Updated to Note: According to Pearl and Admin’s on FB site, you can eat the beans that come with the power bowl. It is likely <1/4 cup of beans and stays an S. At the worst, it might move to an S helper. So have your beans if you want to get a little more for your money.

I took the lovely spork that they gave me & divided it out into 2 Low Carb Tortillas. It was so good!

Pin this Trim Healthy Mama Fast Food Guide to your THM board so that you have some good S Meal ideas to choose when you are out. It is so nice to know that you can stay on plan while still living your busy life.

Additional Resources:

Eating Out on THM – A guide by cuisine to help you eat at ANY restaurant

Free 7 Day Drive Thru Sue No Cook Menu Plan

Follow my THM Instagram daily Food Diary – Connect, ask questions and get inspiration!

If you would like to read more about my journey on THM postpartum, how I make the plan work for me and a free 2 week meal plan, read this post.

11 THM On Plan Protein Bars

March 27, 2021 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Need some THM on plan protein bars that you can buy at the grocery store? You are in luck, there are quite a few options!

It happens to us all. We end up working late, get stuck at the ball field all day long or simply decide to go grocery shop on an empty stomach.

You end up hangry and ready to inhale anything you can find. On plan what? You don’t even care. But you know you will regret an off plan choice later once those hunger pains wear off.

Or if you have you life together (unlike me!), you might be looking for a THM on plan protein bar that you can stash in your car, purse and desk drawer to always be ready for a protein emergency!

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.

11 THM On Plan Protein Bars

Protein bars are tricky because most store bought protein bars have a lot of off plan ingredients, fillers and sweeteners.

But that doesn’t meen you are doomed to a life of making homemade protein bars! There are still lots of options that are either fully on plan or approved as a THM personal choice.

Here are your choices!

THM S Protein Bars

Kiss My Keto Bars (S)- You can find these on Amazon, Kroger, Walmart, Sams, Sprouts or Vitacost.

THM Protein Pleasure Cookie (S)- From Official THM Store

THM Protein Chocolate Bar (FP) or Strawberry Baobab Bar (S)- From Official THM Store

Epic Bars (S)- While these are not your traditional protein bar, they are indeed packed with protein, portable and ready to eat!

THM Personal Choice Bars

Think Thin (S)

Quest (watch for those sweetened with Sucralose. Those are not even allowed as a personal choice). Here are the ones sweetened with only on plan sweeteners (S): Chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Sprinkled Doughnut, Cinnamon Roll, Double Chocolate Chunk, Lemon Cake, Mocha Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Brownie Smash.

Kirklands Protein Bars (from Costco – S)

B-Up Bars (S)

Built Bars (FP)

Love Good Fats Bars (S) – Not highly endorsed due to the syrups.

No Cow Protein Bars (S)

Kind Bars (S) the dark chocolate and sea salt variety is your best option with this one.

Are Larabars THM Approved?

Larabars are not on plan. Although the THM app does say that they could be used as a rare personal choice if you are pregnant, nursing or at goal weight (and it would be a XO). The reason that Larabars are NOP is because it is dried fruit combined with fats.

The dates & dried fruit are likely to spike blood sugar.

What about the other fruit bars that are on the market? Most of these will still be a personal choice because of the concentrated fruit which is higher in natural sugar but there are some decent choices.

And I’m always going to say that any of these are better than a candy bar or a drive thru burger! So if it is between eating this or making a really bad choice, eat the fruit bar.

Pressed by Kind (E) – These are low in fat and fit in the carbs for an E meal. They are also date free which I like and contain only on plan ingredients. But at only 1 gm of protein, you will have to add in a protein source.
That’s It (E) – These contain only 2 on plan ingredients and are date free. Same as above, they are low in fat and fit the carbs but you will need protein.

Again, these have fruit in a concentrated amount so I wouldn’t make a daily thing out of these. But to keep in your purse in case of emergency? I feel good about it.

Need More Easy & Store Bought THM Options? Check out these Trim Healthy Mama buying guides:

Mac and Cheese Zoodles

May 11, 2019 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

Cheesy zuchinni spiralized into zoodles and covered in a rich and creamy cheese sauce for the perfect low carb/keto/THM S side dish.

Craving comfort foods can be enough to derail your low carb diet efforts. And I decided to do something about that! By the end of this you are probably going to have a new favorite side dish!

One of the benefits of eating low carb is that you can have a delicious steak. But I can’t live on beef alone (my hubby thinks I’m weird). I want a tasty side or two to go along with my big steak.

This low carb and keto friendly Mac and Cheese Zoodles recipe will complete your meal without any of those added carbs you would get from tradiational macaroni!

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 Mac and Cheese Zoodles

I seriously think we ate this low carb vegetable side every week for several months.

It makes the perfect side dish for two (which is great for us because the kids happily eat regular pasta). You can also easily double it up if you are feeding a bigger crowd.

These Mac and Cheese Zoodles are so quick and easy to put together and require just a couple of simple ingredients.

Ingredients

If you have been living a low carb or Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle very long at all, you will probably have what you need to make this delicious side dish recipe on hand.

You just need these keto staples:

1 Zucchini

2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

2/3 Cup Shredded Cheese

1 Tbsp Butter

1/2 Cup Water

1 tsp salt

Preparing the Mac and Cheese Zoodles

First spiralize your zucchini. I use this inexpensive spiralizer. You could also chop or grate the zucchini. I have tried grating it before and prefer the zoodles just from a consistency standpoint.

Salt the noodles and cover with the water. You can also sub chicken broth here for some additional flavor.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until almost all of the water/broth reduces and is gone.

Note: this method will result in soft Zoodles. If you prefer a “bite” to your veggie, sauté the Zoodles for 1-2 minutes in about a tablespoon of olive oil and omit the water completely. This is now how I usually prepare this dish.

Reduce heat to medium/low. Add butter, cream and cheese.

Stir gently until the butter and cheese are melted.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes add a shake of Cavendar’s seasoning. If you are following Trim Healthy Mama, this seasoning blend is not on plan but I’m not a purist and I love it so… sometimes I add it. It is just as good with just simple salt and pepper though!

I hope you love this Mac and Cheese Zoodles recipe as much as we do! This side dish goes great with a steak or my secret ingredient keto baked pork chops.

This recipe was adapted from Simply Delish Eats Cheesy Zucchini and made to fit the Keto, Low Carb and Trim Healthy Mama S diets.

Low Carb Mac and Cheese Zoodles

Servings

Ingredients

1 Zucchini Spiralized
1/2 Cup Water or Chicken Broth
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
2/3 Cup shredded cheese

Servings

Ingredients

1 Zucchini Spiralized
1/2 Cup Water or Chicken Broth
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
2/3 Cup shredded cheese

Instructions

Spiralize, dice or grate the Zucchini.
Place the zucchini and the water or chicken broth into a medium saucepan. *Note: if you prefer your noodles to have more of a bite and less soft, omit the water and saute with about a tablespoon of olive oil for approximately 1 minute and then add the butter, cream and cheese.
Sprinkle the zucchini with salt.
Bring the water/broth to a boil and continue cooking until almost all of the liquid is reduced.
Reduce heat to low or medium-low.
Add the butter, cream and cheese.
Gently stir until combined and the butter and cheese are melted.
Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

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.

Make your Taco Meat Even Better!

Add Chorizo – Add a package of chorizo during step 3 to the already cooked ground beef. It really helps with flavor and consistency.
Pack it with Veggies – Also in Step 3, you can add 1/2 a bag of frozen cauliflower rice to your ground beef/chorizo mixture. The cauliflower takes on the flavor and color of the meat. Give it a good stir after the second round of pressure cooking is done to mix it all together. My 7 year old and my husband never knew it was there. And that is saying something!

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.

Keto Bai Mock Pina Colada

August 6, 2019 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Miss your favorite cocktail on keto? You don’t have to! This Bai mock Pina Colada recipe will have you dreaming of a beach vacation from your living room couch!

Coconut flavor just tastes like the beach to me. We just got back from a great family vacation on the beautiful Florida beaches and I am missing it already.

I have been trying to stick to my food goals more closely since getting back from vacation (since I stuck to nothing while I was there).

A frozen pina colada sounded like just the cocktail to take me back down to the coast but since I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment this is a mocktail.

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 Bai Mock Pina Colada

After the popular Keto orange creamsicle drink, I had the Bai drinks on my mind again.

This time I decided to whip out the blender and make a frozen treat to sip in this hot weather that we are having in Tennessee.

The keto Bai mock Pina Colada May not be quite as simple as the creamsicle beverage, but it isn’t complicated by any means. Only 3 ingredients and you could keep it to two if you want.

What Do I Need

For the Bai frozen beverage you need a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Coconut Bai
Heavy Whipping Cream
Unsweetened Almond Milk (regular or vanilla)

If you follow Trim Healthy Mama, Bai beverages are considered on plan. For keto, the Bai is allowed in moderation according to this source.

Directions

Making the Keto Bai Mock Pina Colada is quick and easy.

In your blender, combine about a cup of ice, 1/2 of the coconut Bai (about 9 oz), 1 tablespoon of the Heavy Whipping Cream and 1 tablespoon Almond milk.

Blend, blend, blend!

Pour into a tall glass and enjoy. A shot or two of Rum would make this even better. Although liquor isn’t highly encouraged on THM, it is better to have something like this if you do choose to partake than drinking it with a sugary soda or juice.

You can find more THM Acceptable alcoholic beverages here.

Variations to the Keto Bai Mock Pina Colada

Want a Creamier Drink? Omit the almond milk & double the heavy whipping cream.
Increase the Tropical Flavor – add 4.5 oz of the Bai Coconut and 4.5 oz of a Bai Bubbles Pineapple.
Make it a THM FP – To make this a Trim Healthy Mama FP recipe, simply omit the HWC and double the almond milk.
Where’s the Rum? Feel free to add a shot to this if you prefer an alcoholic version. Obviously adding alcohol makes this less waist line friendly but it sure beats a regular, sugar filled beverage.

Want more daily inspiration? Let’s connect on Instagram! My daily Low Carb/Trim Healthy Mama Food Diary on Insta can be found here.