Recipes

Name: Low Carb Mac and Cheese Zoodles
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

Sour Patch Grapes – THM E – Weight Watchers Blue Zero Points

August 22, 2021 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

Sour Patch grapes are a cleaner version of the two ingredient sugar free Jello grapes that are widely used on Weight Watchers.

Combining Trim Healthy Mama and Weight Watchers is something that I’ve done recently. I’m trying to combine the things that I like from THM and apply it to the principles of WW. So because of that, I’ve been following a lot of TikTok accounts that focus on Weight Watchers.

And I’ve seen a lot of WW people making Jello grapes. It is an incredibly easy, 2 ingredient concept that makes yummy candy like grapes and they cost you 0 points on WW Blue. And I loved the idea.

However, I can’t have aspartame. Like literally can’t. It makes me very ill and regardless, it isn’t a THM approved sweetener anyway. But you can make a THM approved version of these sour patch grapes just as easy as the “Jello” version.

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.

Sour Patch Grapes – THM E – WW Blue 0 Points

Making these sour patch grapes is about a 3 minute chore plus the freeze time. Ya’ll know I love a good easy THM dessert and this fits the bill!

More Easy THM Desserts:

Sour Patch “Jello” Grapes Ingredients:

Simply Delish Jello
Grapes
Gallon Ziplock bag

@protectingyourpennies

#jellogrape #wwblueplan💙 #trimhealthymama

♬ original sound – Protecting Your Pennies

The key to aspartame free Jello grapes is using the Simply Delish jel. There are several different flavor options and it uses on plan sweeteners.

Some purists don’t like some of the ingredients but they don’t bother me.

Where to Buy Simply Delish?

I have always purchased this on Amazon but recently I’ve seen it online at my grocery store. However, it isn’t on the shelf at my grocery store, you have to order for shipping.

Making Sugar Free Candy Grapes

These sour patch grapes hardly even require a recipe!

Wash your grapes, pull them off the stem and place them in a gallon zip lock bag.

Dump into the bag one package of Simply Delish jello. You can use any flavor that you like!

Seal the bag and Shake! Shake! Shake!

Place the bag of grapes in the freezer for at least an hour.

Enjoy your sour patch grapes with zero guilt! I like to let them soften up just a bit (maybe 5-10 minutes) before I eat them. They are a little sticky so bring a napkin if you are enjoying in your car!

I also love that they keep for a long time in the freezer so it is a fun thing to do if you have some grapes that are close to going bad.

5 Minute Sugar Free Bananas Foster (THM E/WW)

April 11, 2021 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Craving a sweet treat but want to make healthy choices? This sugar free bananas foster takes 5 minutes to make, is packed with protein and it fits on the Trim Healthy Mama or Weight Watchers plan!

The first time I ever had bananas fosters was at a restaurant where they would flambe the dessert right at your table. And I was hooked from that point forward.

But now that I live a mostly sugar free lifestyle, a big bowl of ice cream with sugary caramelized bananas didn’t sound like a great choice. Living life without such a yummy dish also sounded like sadness in a bowl so I revamped the traditional bananas foster to be low in calories, fat and without added sugar!

This sugar free bananas foster is sweet enough for dessert but healthy enough that you can eat it for breakfast. And that is just what I do!

(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.)

5 Minute Sugar Free Bananas Foster

Before we get into how to make this yummy bowl of caramelized bananas, you want to know if you can eat on your diet plan, right?

For my Trim Healthy Mama’s, this works for an E meal. The fat is 3.3 grams (less than the 5 max for an E meal) and the carbs are within the limit. In fact, it is a little low on the carbs side so you could even have this as a dessert with a paired down E meal (say 1/2 a sandwich on sprouted bread).

For the Weight Watchers crew, I used Watcher’s Point to calculate this recipe at 5 Smart Points. I haven’t done WW in a long time, so you may want to plug the recipe in to your calculator to ensure accuracy.

What Makes This Sugar Free Bananas Foster The Best

Quick & Easy – Not having to bake or pull at 20 ingredients and 2 bowls is a win in my book. The cooking time is literally two minutes and the prep time should be less than three. 5 minutes until you are savoring a big bowl of sugar free bananas foster.
Bananas Foster Taste without Guilt – This recipe gives you protein from the Greek yogurt, is free of added sugar and has a little healthy fat from the coconut oil. It tastes like a delicious dessert without derailing your goals.
Dessert for Any Time of Day – Since this sugar free bananas foster is packed with good for you ingredients, you can eat this healthy treat any time of day!

Must Have Ingredients for Sugar Free Bananas Foster

Firmly Ripened Bananas – The ideal banana for this recipe will be bright yellow with no brown spots. The cooking process will soften the banana slices and if the bananas are overripe, they will be a bit too mushy.

Brown Sugar Substitute – The brown sugar sub keeps this recipe free of added sugar but it also creates that thick, caramelized sauce that you want. Here is my favorite brown sugar substitute.

Thick & Creamy Greek Yogurt – The Greek yogurt has two benefits in this recipe. 1. The thick and creamy consistency helps to make it taste rich and indulgent. 2. It adds protein to your bowl so you can even eat this as a breakfast or a snack.

Tips & Tricks To Make This Recipe Successful At Home

Turn Up the Decadence – I love to eat this as a breakfast bowl when using Greek Yogurt but you can swap out the yogurt for a sugar free ice cream to elevate this to a really yummy dessert.
Rum & Butter Extract – The extracts really help to give this dish similar flavors to the traditional recipe. But if you don’t have these, add a little vanilla extract instead. I’ve made it many times like that & it is still good.

More Sugar Free Desserts You Will Love

No Added Sugar – Easy Dippin Dots

No Sugar Added Blender Mango Sorbet

Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Free Oatmeal Muffins

Keto Blueberry Cobbler with Carbquik

April 4, 2021 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

This Keto blueberry cobbler with Carbquik is going to be your go to, simple summer dessert this year.

I don’t cook a lot of the same things at my house. In fact, I often say that my tradition is never cooking the same thing twice.

Because I love to try new things, I don’t make the same cake over and over. Switching up the recipe and tweaking something here or there is just my jam.

So when I tell you that I’ve made this Keto blueberry cobbler twice in as many weeks, that should tell you something! The simple list of ingredients and shortcut help with the Carbquik makes this dessert doable on a busy weeknight!

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 Blueberry Cobbler with Carbquik (THM S)

If you are craving a sweet cobbler dish on your low carb lifestyle, I’ve got you! This recipe is bursting with sweet blueberries that are covered in a buttery crust. Top it with a big scoop of whipped cream and your Keto dessert is served!

What You Need for the Low Carb Blueberry Dessert:

Wild Blueberries (regular will work too but I love the wild berries)
Butter
Carbquik
Unsweetened Almond Milk
Monk Fruit
Juice of half a lemon (optional)

Preparing the Cobbler

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.

Add the Carbquik, almond milk and monk fruit to the melted butter and mix with a spoon until combined.

Spread the mixture into a pie plate or a 9×9 pyrex dish.

Pour the wild blueberries over the top of the mixture and spread until evenly distributed. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top if desired.

Bake for about 40 minutes. You want the cobbler crust to be a golden brown and some of the blueberries will burst creating a gorgeous color.

Serving the Blueberry Treat

I call this Keto blueberry cobbler with Carbquik a dessert because that is the way that I first prepared it.

To serve as a dessert, top with some FF Reddiwhip (for a THM S treat), homemade whipped cream for Keto or with a low carb vanilla ice cream like Rebel or Halo Top.

But here is where I’m going to throw you a curve ball. Can you eat blueberry cobbler for breakfast? I think you can! Serve it with a big scoop of vanilla Two Good yogurt for some protein and call it a meal.

Is Carbquik Keto & Can I use it on THM?

According to this source, you can use Carbquik on the Keto diet. You just want to watch your serving and don’t eat this whole blueberry cobbler in one sitting!

Ok, great. But is Carbquik on plan for THM? Trim Healthy Mama admins have said that Carbquik can be used as a personal choice S on Trim Healthy Mama.

The Carbquik does not have the purist ideal ingredients that THM strives for. However, you can use it on occasion if you so choose. And it is really good so I choose to do it! (but I’m a self proclaimed THM Rebel)

Want More Keto/THM S Desserts?

Keto Peanut Butter Pie

23 Store Bought THM Desserts

Low Carb Super Simple Dippin’ Dots

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 2 Comments

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.