thm e

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.

THM Store Bought On Plan Bread

June 17, 2020 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

A huge list of THM store bought on plan bread options that you can purchase at your local grocery store.

Lots of THM beginners want to know what kind of bread you can have that is on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

And with that I mean what kind of store bought bread can you have. I mean, I’m not a drive thru Sue all the time but I’m also not Betty Crocker either.

You know that saying “the best thing since sliced bread?” It didn’t come about with busy mama’s making bread.

Nobody wants to have to make and slice their own bread. (OK, I actually want to & it is on my THM bucket list to grow one of those creepy sourdough starters in a mason jar on my counter, feed it and make my own beautiful loaf. But I am a working mama of 2 young kids. No time for now!)

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.

More Store Bought THM product guides:

23 Store Bought THM Desserts
On Plan Jelly
On Plan Peanut Butter
On Plan Tortillas & Wraps

Finding THM Store Bought Sprouted Bread At The Grocery

If you are looking at breads, the first ingredient should be a sprouted grain and there should be less than 2 grams of sugar (1 is preferred).

To save you the trouble of reading every bread label, here are some commonly used THM store bought on plan breads.

Need Store Bought On the Go THM snacks? Click Here!

Found at Most Large Grocery Chains (Walmart, Kroger, Target)

You may be able to find these at additional grocery stores but this is where I have found them in my area.

Ezekiel Sprouted Bread – Look for it in the freezer section (Kroger, Walmart, Target)

Silver Hills Sprouted Bread (Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods)

Pepperidge Farms Soft Sprouted Bread (Target, Kroger, Walmart)

Greenwise Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread (Publix Bakery)

Simple Truth Sprouted Grain & Legume Bread (Kroger)

Found Primarily at Specialty Stores (Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Costco)

Knock Your Sprouts Off Bread (Aldi)

Sly Red Ancient Grains (Aldi)

Trader Joe’s Sprouted Sourdough

Alvarado St. Bakery Sprouted Bread (Whole Foods, Natural Grocers)

Angelic Sprouted Bread (Sprouts, Costco, The Fresh Market or order direct from site)

THM On Plan Store Bought Sourdough Bread

Trim Healthy Mama on plan store bought sourdough can be hard to find but it is possible.

Here is the sourdough criteria:

First Ingredient should be Whole Grain
Yeast should NOT be in the ingredients

Trader Joe’s has an on plan sourdough. You may also find an on plan sourdough at some specialty store bakeries like Sprouts or Whole Foods.

Serving Size & Fuel Type

Bread is a carb source so traditionally it is going to be used in “E” Meals.

E Meal Bread Serving Size : 2 Slices

But if you want to get crazy, you can also have some bread with “S” foods. Wait, what?!

You mean to tell me I could have a piece of cheese toast? Or I could sop up a nice runny egg with a piece of toast?

Yes Ma’am! This is called an S Helper. It is when you go over the carb limit for an S meal but don’t add enough carbs to move into XO (crossover) territory.

S Helper Bread Serving Size: 1 Slice

If you have more than 1 piece of bread with other S foods, you would move into XO territory.

The Exception To The Rule – S Bread

Zero Net Carb Bread – Aldi

If you have an Aldi near you, they have a relatively new product Zero Net Carb bread.

Here is a picture of it & a review from the Aldi Reviewer.

I have tried it and I like it. If you get this bread, you can eat it in an S meal and keep it in S territory (no S helper or XO). I like having that option.

*Note: The THM team calls this one a personal choice. It is not for the purists at heart but I’m definitely not that.

Keto White

This is another personal choice bread that can be eaten in an S meal.

I have had the hamburger buns and they taste so much like normal white bread (even my bread loving husband liked them).

Looking for THM Approved Store Bought Wraps and Tortillas? Check out this list of 14 On Plan wrap options.

How to Eat (& Like) Sprouted Bread

If you have not eaten sprouted bread before it does take a little adjusting to. Especially if you are coming from a super soft white bread.

So what is the key to liking sprouted bread?

I have found that toasting the bread is my favorite way to eat it. I honestly don’t care for ANY of the sprouted breads that I have tried fresh out of the bag (and I have tried a lot).

But toast it up in the toaster and it is great with on plan peanut butter, Light Laughing Cow Cheese, Polaner’s jelly or sandwich fixins like this THM E tuna salad.

Need more Trim Healthy Mama Help? Check out this THM A to Z post where all your questions are answered and meal plans and ideas are found!

THM E Loaded Tuna Salad on Sprouted Bread

July 18, 2018 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

Learn how to create a delicious THM E loaded tuna salad on sprouted bread for a simple brown bag lunch.

Have you ever tried tuna with just yellow mustard? My mom claims she likes it that way but I think it is awful. I remember in my college days trying to choke down that bright yellow tinged fish.

Too afraid to “waste” calories on mayo. Thank goodness I found Trim Healthy Mama and have lost 22 lbs postpartum without counting calories!

This THM E Loaded tuna salad is creamy and full of flavor even without the mayo. And you can whip it up quickly (especially if you prep your eggs ahead of time) making it a great weekday lunch for work.

It is also budget friendly! These are the top criteria in creating lunch right? Especially if you are at work or chasing a kid around.

(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.)

Let’s Talk Budget First

If you follow THM, you know that you can spend lots of money on special ingredients.

Heck, forget the special ingredients, HELLO bacon. When did bacon get so expensive? And my husband eats bacon like water so I like to find on plan recipes that help my budget as well.

THM E loaded tuna salad is a cheap lunch or even a light summer dinner. Here is a rundown of what I spent:

Knock Your Sprouts off Bread (Aldi), 2 slices – $0.21 (check out other on plan bread options here)

Tuna (packed in water) – .79

Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt – .80

Boiled Egg – .08

Small Amount of mustard, dill pickles and onion – .20

Total $2.08

I eat the whole can but you could bulk the salad up and split it to make this a $1 per serving lunch! Either way, it is much cheaper than heading to your local deli to pick up a sub.

And I don’t know about you but there isn’t a deli with sprouted bread near me!

THM E Loaded Tuna Salad

Prep work involves simply boiling your egg. If you do this before lunch, you can make this THM E loaded tuna salad in no time.

Boil your egg like you typically would and slice in half.

With an E meal, we want to cut out the majority of the fat because we are going to indulge in healthy carbs (sprouted bread). The problem is that I love boiled eggs in my tuna salad.

To the point that I don’t think it is real tuna salad without eggs. I found a little trick to have my eggs with less fat. Just remove the yolk!

I know, I know. Duh! I had never really thought of it before but the yolk easily pops out of a boiled egg. Simply slice your egg.

Use a spoon to gently remove the bulk of the yolk. There may be a tiny remnant of yolk but I don’t worry about that. After all, THM E meals are low fat, not completely fat free.

Don’t throw that yolk away! Save it to add to your boiled eggs S meal or snack. I usually serve it to my 8 month old to go with his breakfast or lunch. Or I give it to my dog! He loves eggs. You could also save it to add into a THM S tuna salad.

Add the drained tuna to a medium bowl. Then add the amount of nonfat greek yogurt that you like to get to the desired creaminess.

I didn’t add measurements because everyone likes their mix a little different. I usually start with a couple of tablespoons and then add more if needed.

Chop your egg whites and add to the salad mix. Chop up a dill pickle or two and add.

The rest is optional but I like a tiny splash of mustard to give it a little more flavor. The greek yogurt gives you the creaminess of mayo but not quite as much flavor.

The splash of mustard amps up the flavor without giving me nightmares of the yellow bowl of tuna I tried to eat in college. A small amount of diced onion gives the THM E loaded tuna salad a little extra flavor and crunch.

Mix all of the items that you choose well. You want the ingredients to be well incorporated with the yogurt.

Load up your sprouted bread with the creamy, tuna salad. You won’t even miss the fat that is typically associated with tuna salad.

Serve it up with some fresh veggies or a piece of fruit for a complete meal.

My Sprouted Bread Tip

If you are new to THM, it won’t take you long to realize that sprouted bread doesn’t taste like the bread that you are probably used to. It is brown, it has some seeds, kind of chewy. I will be honest, I did not love it when I first started my THM journey.

The first tip is to try the Knock Your Sprouts Off bread from Aldi. I tried tons of different brands and it is by far my favorite. My Wonder bread husband can even eat it! Plus, it is so much less expensive than other brands. At just under $3, it doesn’t cost much more than the white, refined variety.

Here is my best sprouted bread tip: Toast your bread. Simple, right? If you toast the bread, it gives it a light crunch and takes away the chewy aspect of sprouted bread that I don’t care for.

More THM Recipes

If you want to read about some more of my popular THM recipes or ideas, check these out!

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauli Rice

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup (Using Leftovers!)

6 THM Lunch Ideas

Smoked Salmon Topped Jalapeno Poppers

I hope you try this THM E loaded tuna salad on your next lunch break. Do you add anything unusual to your tuna?

Healthy Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal – THM E

September 24, 2020 by Stacy Craft 2 Comments

If you are looking for delicious way to add some seasonal pumpkin spice to your breakfast plate, you are in the right spot! This healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal has no sugar added and is a Trim Healthy Mama E recipe.

I woke up a couple of days ago before the rest of my household and two cups of my favorite fall coffee later, I was up searching my pantry for something to make for breakfast. And I was craving warm fall spices and something pumpkin.

Baked oatmeal is a favorite of mine for a number of reasons! When oatmeal is baked it doesn’t get that mush effect that you have had before with the microwave kind.

It is also a nice make ahead breakfast that warms up quickly throughout the week and you can even freeze it for later. So you cook once and eat for days.

(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.)

Healthy Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal – THM E

This healthy and sugar free baked pumpkin oatmeal is packed with pumpkin pie spice, maple extract and of course real pumpkin. It is a nice warm breakfast that will give you those healthy carbs you need to get through the morning.

It is a great breakfast to make on Saturday or Sunday and then warm up throughout the week for quick and easy workday meals.

What You Need For Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal

Almond Milk
Egg Whites
Maple Extract (Can sub vanilla)
Canned Pumpkin (Just pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling)
Very Ripe Banana
Swerve Brown Sugar
Salt
Oats
Baking Powder
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Bake Believe or Lily’s Chocolate Chips (The picture shows how many I wanted to use – but follow the recipe to keep it an E meal)

How to Make the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bake

In a medium bowl, mash the overripe banana really well with a fork. You don’t want to have a bunch of banana chunks.

Next, add the almond milk, egg whites, maple extract, pumpkin and brown sugar. Mix well.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

Slowly add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

Add in the chocolate chips and combine with the oatmeal mixture.

Baking the Pumpkin Oatmeal

Place the pumpkin spice oatmeal into a greased 8×8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes or until the middle is set.

Toppings for the Baked Oatmeal

This afternoon, I ate this healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal plain. It is good just as it is but toppings always make meals a little more fun and extravagant without a lot of effort.

Here are some ideas to top your baked oatmeal with that are on plan for a Trim Healthy Mama E meal:

Two Good Vanilla Yogurt
On Plan Maple Syrup (TJ’s Taste has one that looks pretty easy)
Fat Free Reddi Whip
Warm Almond Milk

Try this THM E Sugar Free Peach Baked Oatmeal

Healthy Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal - THM E

This healthy pumpkin spice baked oatmeal with sugar free chocolate chips brings tons of seasonal flavors like pumpkin and maple to your breakfast table. A Trim Healthy Mama E meal.

Servings

people

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 egg whites
1 tsp maple extract (can sub Vanilla Extract)
1/2 can pumpkin
1 very ripe banana
1/2 cup Swerve Brown Sugar

Dry Ingredients

3 cups oats
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tbsp Bake Believe or Lily's Chocolate Chips

Servings

people

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 egg whites
1 tsp maple extract (can sub Vanilla Extract)
1/2 can pumpkin
1 very ripe banana
1/2 cup Swerve Brown Sugar

Dry Ingredients

3 cups oats
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tbsp Bake Believe or Lily's Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the peeled banana in a medium bowl and mash it well with a fork.
Add the remaining wet ingredients (milk, egg whites, extract, pumpkin) and the brown sugar. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and mix together.
Slowly add the wet ingredient bowl's contents into the dry ingredient bowl. Mix until completely incorporated.
Add the chocolate chips and gently fold in.
Spread into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
Bake for 23-25 minutes or until set.
Serve with Two Good Brand Vanilla Greek Yogurt, No Sugar maple syrup or fat free Reddi Whip.

THM White Chicken Chili – A Pantry Meal

September 20, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

This THM white chicken chili is a quick and shelf stable meal that you can keep on hand in your pantry for a busy night.

A couple of months ago, my husband and I both recommitted to staying on plan with Trim Healthy Mama and it has been going great. He of course lost a ridiculous amount of weight in a tiny amount of time – I’m not bitter! I swear. But I’ve also lost the Quarantine 15 that I gained during the craziness of COVID-19!

(No we didn’t have the virus but my day job has been crazy busy plus just the added stress of learning to live through the changes that the pandemic forced on us like virtual school and being stuck at home caused me to make bad choices for many weeks – lots of wine and takeout)

So now that we are 100% back on plan, I have been cooking a lot. And one of the things that I love to preach about THM is that it doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive. But what have I been doing lately? Making it super time consuming and expensive. It’s like I have lost my THM morals!

In an effort to cut back spending and even more importantly make life easier, I’ve been trying to find recipes that meet my “I forgot about dinner” criteria. To meet that the recipe needs to be:

One that I typically have all items needed on hand (Pantry/Freezer preferably)
Quick to make (Less than 30 minutes all in)
Inexpensive
Family Friendly

This THM white chicken chili recipe fits all of these criteria and it is a tasty way to get in an E meal that seems to be a struggle for many fellow Trim Mama’s.

(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.)

Other Simple & Quick THM Pantry/Freezer Staple Meals

Turkey Ham & White Beans – THM E

Black Bean Tacos – THM E

BBQ Kielbasa and Cauli Rice Skillet – THM S

Rotisserie Chicken & Quinoa Southwest Freezer Bowls – THM E

Rotisserie Chicken Lunch Ideas – THM E & S options

THM White Chicken Chili – A Pantry Meal

The THM white chicken chili is filled with healthy carbs, it’s low in fat and full of flavor. Best of all? You just dump everything in! No chopping vegetables or cooking really? Just dump and warm. BAM! Dinner is ready!

What is a THM Pantry Meal?

A pantry meal is something that all or most of the ingredients are shelf stable items that you can keep in your pantry for emergency meals when you are out of options. It is a lot easier to resist grabbing fast food or ordering pizza if you know that you have some incredibly easy meal options at your fingertips.

Organizing Your THM Pantry Meals

To make THM pantry meals work even better, I like to organize a few meals separate from my other pantry items.

Grab a few clear bins (I like these), some chalkboard labels (I wish I could find the ones I just bought ugh!) & create an area in your pantry for pantry meals.

The next step is to create a THM Pantry Meal Pinterest board. You can check mine out here.

Add all the canned/pantry items that you need for a meal and write the recipe name on your reusable chalkboard label. When you get into a dinnertime pinch, grab a pantry meal box, pull up your Pinterest board for the recipe and whip up a quick and easy meal.

Then pat yourself on the back for eating on plan & saving some money in the process by avoiding takeout.

Pantry Meals – What Are They Good For?

Pantry meals can be a great way to add convenience to your Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. Here are a few times that they might come in handy!

When you forgot to thaw anything for dinner
Hurricane/Natural Disaster/COVID – Quarantine Disaster Preparedness
Sick Days (prepping easy things to have on hand when you or a family member are sick is key to success)
Busy Days when you get home late & need dinner quickly

What You Need for Easy Low Fat Chicken Chili

You only need a few ingredients to make this THM white chicken chili pantry meal recipe.

Canned Chicken (You can sub fresh chicken breast if you want but I like to have the canned to make this completely pantry ready)
Jar of Salsa
2 Cans White Beans
1 Can Corn
Cumin

Take all of these ingredients and put them in your clear bin, label it THM White Chicken Chili and save this recipe to your Pinterest THM Pantry board here.

*I don’t usually put Cumin in my box and just grab it from my spice rack when I make the chili. You could put the amount needed in a small ziplock bag if you wanted it all in your bin but didn’t want your cumin jar held hostage until you decide to make this Trim Healthy Mama chicken chili recipe.

Cooking The THM Chicken Chili

Remember that comment about no chopping and no real cooking from above? I wasn’t kidding. Anyone can make this recipe. Drive Thru Sue’s, I’m talking to you! You can do it.

Here are your super simple, incredibly easy instructions.

Grab your colander & stick it in your clean sink. Open both the cans of beans and dump them in the colander. Rinse the beans and let drain.

Open your can of chicken. Dump it right on top of the beans and let that water drain off. Do the same with the can of corn.

Dump the beans/chicken/corn into your pot. Add the jar of salsa and sprinkle in the cumin.

Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 15 minutes. Stir once or twice.

Toppings for your Trim Healthy Mama White Chicken Chili

I have been thinking about adding a couple of Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges to the soup in order to make it a little creamier. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it went!

As far as toppings, just remember that since this is a Trim Healthy Mama E recipe, your toppings need to stay low in fat so that you don’t go into a XO zone. (Confused by S, E & XO? Check out this post that explains it all)f

Topping Ideas:

Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (Sour cream Sub)
A Small Amount of Reduced Fat Cheddar
Sliced Green Onions
Crushed Baked Tortilla Chips

Want to save on THM favorites and store bought treats? Join the Protecting Your THM Pennies FB group & never miss a deal!

THM E White Chicken Chili

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz jar salsa
2 cans white beans
1 can whole kernel corn
10 oz Canned Chicken
2 Tbsp Cumin

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz jar salsa
2 cans white beans
1 can whole kernel corn
10 oz Canned Chicken
2 Tbsp Cumin

Instructions

Dump the 2 cans of white Northern beans into a colander and rinse.
Add the canned chicken and corn to the beans and let liquid drain.
Place the beans, corn and chicken in a medium pot.
Add the jar of salsa and cumin.
Bring to a boil.
Cover, lower temp to medium-low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes stirring 1-2 times.
*This chili doesn't have a lot of liquid. If you run low or need additional liquid, you can always add a little chicken broth or water as needed.