Trim Healthy Mama S

Cooking Through Trim Healthy Mama Week 4

January 29, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

A fun week of cooking through the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook included classic comfort foods like peanut butter, chicken pot pie and more.

Cooking through Trim Healthy Mama Week 4 included four new recipes and one repeat from last week. If you want to see all of the recipes that I’ve cooked so far on this journey, check out the first post here.

This week was a lot about comfort food. I love getting to eat some of my favorite things while eating healthy and losing weight.

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.

Cooking Through Trim Healthy Mama Week 4

Here are the THM cookbook recipes that I made on

Peanut Junkie Butter Pg. 481

Cabb & Saus Skillet Pg. 58

Chicken Pot Pie Pg. 137

Trim Bouillon Mix Pg. 491

And more Deviled Eggs from week 3!

Review of THM Recipes

Peanut Junkie Butter Pg. 481

Overall Impression?

The taste is good. Really I like it better than “real” natural peanut butter because it is sweeter.

The only thing that I didn’t love is that mine came out a little runnier than I would have liked. It was definitely not as thick as normal peanut butter. But lets be real, my 2 year old learned to get out of his crib this week and moved to a big boy bed. So no one is sleeping.

I could have totally measured incorrectly!

I kind of liked the thinner consistency that it was to smear on top of the BAM cake that I made at the end of last week. Peanut Junkie Butter and BAM cake are made for each other.

But the way I made it would not be great for a PB& Polaners on sprouted bread.

Make It Again?

Yes! I can think of a bunch of ways that I could use this. I LOVE peanut butter.

Cost:

$1.85

Tip and Tricks:

Measure correctly! Unless you want Peanut Junkie Drizzle like I made.

Subs:

None

Cabb & Saus Skillet Pg. 58

Overall Impression?

I have made this recipe before and I love it. It is so simple, nutritious, quick and cheap.

As suggested in the book, I served it with another batch of Deviled eggs from last week. So good!

Make It Again?

Yes!

Cost:

$5.06

Tip and Tricks:

Use a bag of slaw in place of coring and slicing a head of cabbage to make this quick dinner even easier.

Subs:

I have made this before without Nutritional Yeast. I bought some nutritional yeast for this cooking through the THM cookbook challenge. However, I’m still getting used to it so I reduced the recipe amount by half.

Chicken Pot Pie Pg. 137

Overall Impression?

I thought it was really good. The filling had a good consistency and tons of flavor.

Unfortunately, my husband was not a fan. He said it would be good if it had a normal topping. He does not follow THM 100% so almond flour/baking blend are not something that he generally enjoys.

The topping is definitely not the same as a traditional pie crust or biscuit topping. However, I enjoyed the meal and the kids ate it too.

It also took me a lot longer than I had planned to actually prepare the dish. I tried to make this after work, with kids running through my kitchen and we ended up eating later than usual. I would probably save this for a weekend meal in the future.

Make It Again?

Probably. Since my husband was not a fan, I will probably make it when he is traveling for work.

Cost:

Approximately $10 depending on ingredients and subs

Tip and Tricks:

If I made this again I would make it in a smaller dish to get a thicker pie and more crust in every bite. That would make it more calorie dense but I think it would be worth it.

And I drizzled with a little hot sauce before serving. I love hot sauce!

Subs:

This recipe had a ton of ingredients. I didn’t use mushrooms or onions because my family members would not have eaten it.

Trim Bouillon Mix Pg. 491

Overall Impression:

I feel like this review is a bit boring because you don’t eat this on it’s own. Or I guess you could but I would not recommend it.

But the chicken pot pie that I used this mix in had amazing flavor and I have to assume that a lot of that flavor came from this mix. I’m excited to continue to use this in other recipes.

Make Again?

Yes. I love having ready made spice mixes made up to make cooking quicker.

Cost:

around $2.75 but you only use a small amount at a time so it should last for a while!

Tips and Tricks:

Label the Trim Bouillon Mix and store it in a storage container or ziplock bag.

Save yourself some time and just throw the ingredients into the container. I didn’t blend it up and it was fine. A good stir vs. the blender worked for me.

Subs:

I didn’t use Turmeric because I didn’t have it.

10 Keto Recipes Using Cauliflower Rice

January 27, 2019 by Stacy Craft 1 Comment

Find 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice that will spice up your dinner table but keep your pants fitting well!

A bag or two of riced cauliflower is always living in the bottom of my freezer. It is kind of a Keto/low carb rite of passage. It is the Kale of 2015.

The trend is to eat cauli rice so of course, I buy it and put it in my freezer. But what do you actually do with it? Because I can promise you I am not just popping it in the microwave and putting it on a plate. No Ma’am, too plain and blah for me. These 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice will show you how to easily doctor that lonely bag of frozen cauliflower into something amazing!

(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.)

Why Eat Cauliflower Rice?

Want to know a secret? When I first started eating low carb, I didn’t like cauliflower rice. Not just didn’t like it, I despised it. The smell of cooked cauliflower does not please me but I wanted to eat it. Remember that 2018/2019 cauliflower bandwagon that I wanted to hop on?

But why should we eat cauliflower? There are lots of reasons and here are a few of my favorites.

High Nutritional Value

Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and high in fiber. It is also very low in calories so it allows you to bulk up your meal without adding lots of excess calories. The cool thing about keto is that you don’t need to count calories but you also don’t want to go crazy with your calories either.

Budget Friendly

Cauliflower is also relatively inexpensive, even when buying it as a convenience item (like riced in the frozen food section). Since it is economical, you can use it to add volume to your meal and have plenty of money in your grocery budget left for more expensive items like meats and cheese.

Great Substitute for High Carb Items

Lets be honest. Many of us want to eat the same way that we did before making the choice to move to a healthier and lower carb lifestyle. Rice and potatoes and bread are all comfort foods that we grew up with. Being able to find a substitute to give you the feeling of a comfort food dish without all the unnecessary carbs and calories is a win.

10 Keto Recipes Using Cauliflower Rice

As I said up top, I didn’t always love cauli rice. You know why? Because it is not good plain. I am sure someone out there will disagree with me but to me it needs to be doctored up a bit (or a lot).

These 10 keto recipes using cauliflower rice will give your dinner rotation a fresh new feel while incorporating a vegetable packed with vitamins and nutrients. I love that each of these recipes gives a completely different flavor profile and cuisine to the cauliflower rice that you haven’t known what to do with.

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice – This is my top recipe on my blog and was pinned more than 100,000 times in 2018. It features a simple 2 ingredient queso to drench your cauli rice and chicken in. And it is ready in 30 minutes!
Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole – An old family favorite, this recipe of my grandmother’s was adapted to be low carb by subbing the white rice for cauliflower rice. It is rich and delicious.
Keto Hawaiian Haystacks – Keen for Keto shows you how to make a completely customizable Hawaiian Haystacks meal using cauliflower rice. She shares that it is great for her large family because everyone can choose exactly what they like. I am definitely adding this to my meal plan the next time we have all the kids over. Trying to please 5 kids (3 teens and 2 toddlers) is next to impossible.
Chicken Divan – Broccoli, chicken, cheese and rice just go together. They are keys to a great casserole and buy simply subbing cauli rice for the white stuff, you can eat it on your low carb / keto diet. Yum!
Cajun Cauliflower Rice – Valerie at Thyme and Joy has created a delicious take on New Orleans dirty rice with this recipe. My husband is from Louisiana so Cajun food hits our table often. And as a busy mama, I love simple one skillet meals like this one.
Bacon Burger Casserole – Burgers are always a family pleaser and a casserole is great for an easy week night meal.
Keto Chicken Korma – One of my step-daughters loves Indian food. This dish has all of the classic Indian flavors and comes together in 30 minutes. It is going on my meal plan for this week!
Tumeric Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup – A quick soup that is loaded with vegetables and turmeric is a great week night remedy to keep you feeling your best.
Cauliflower Fried Rice – One of the first cauli rice recipes that I ever made was a low carb fried rice. Even my cauli rice hating husband ate it and like it. It is a great way to get your Chinese take out fix without cheating.
Louisiana Seafood Gumbo with Cauliflower Rice – This recipe from A Sprinkling of Cayenne is a little more time consuming than the others in this list but I just couldn’t leave it out. I had written off gumbo while eating low carb and boy was I wrong! Check out this yummy recipe when you have a little extra time on your hands and want a big bowl of Cajun love.

Other Keto / Low Carb / THM Recipes

And if this list of 10 Keto Recipes using cauliflower Rice leaves you wanting more, I have many more Keto/low carb/Trim Healthy Mama recipes that you may want to try! Feel free to stay a while and look around! Some of my favorites are Leftover Cheeseburger Soup, Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Faux Sushi, and Parmesan and Pork Rind Crusted Pork Chops.

If you love low carb / keto but you feel like you could use a healthy carb every now and then, read about how I have lost 60 lbs postpartum using the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

November 26, 2018 by Stacy Craft 14 Comments

These low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas will have you feeling anything but deprived! Rich, cheesy and delicious Mexican food without the carbs!

These low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas are smothered in a 2 ingredient cheesy queso. This recipe was inspired by my most popular Keto recipe on this blog – salsa verde chicken with cauliflower rice. That recipe has been pinned over 100,000 times so I wanted to stuff that recipe into low carb tortilla and call it an enchilada! And since i have already made it into nachos, enchiladas seemed like the right thing to do.

I love Mexican food. I often joke that I could eat it for breakfast. And the couple of times that we have vacationed to Mexico, I have done just that. So when I started my low carb journey, my first worry aside from dessert was my beloved tacos and enchiladas.

It is so nice to be able to eat creamy chicken enchiladas without any guilt. I ate two tonight and just had to share this simple and delicious recipe with you.

(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 Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

I have been doing the Trim Healthy Mama diet on and off for the past 9 months. The hardest thing to me about the lifestyle is convenience foods. Lots of people tend to make eating low carb complicated when it doesn’t have to be.

These 5 ingredient low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas use the grocery store’s best low carb convenience item as it’s star ingredient. A rotisserie chicken. If you eat low carb or are on THM and you need a quick and easy on plan meal, pick up a rotisserie chicken!

^I forgot to put the cream cheese in the picture. That is what cooking with a 4 year old and an 13 month old will do to you.

With just a few minutes of prep work and then 20 minutes in the oven, you will have a delicious plate of comfort food that I promise you would eat if you were not on a “diet.”

Prepare the Queso

The biggest key to a smooth queso is letting your cream cheese soften before heating it. You can tell from looking at my pictures that I was impatient tonight and did not let the cream cheese soften enough.

If you don’t let it soften up long enough, you may have trouble getting it to melt completely. Don’t worry if this happens, it might not be as pretty but it still tastes great!

After your cream cheese is soft, add it to a small saucepan over medium/low to medium heat with the salsa verde. Allow the cream cheese to melt, stirring occasionally. It usually takes about 10 minutes.

Assemble the Green Salsa Enchiladas

When I make these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas, I do not measure the filling. I just toss it in and roll it up. However, I will try and give approximate amounts if you prefer to see a measurement.

Add about 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken, a tablespoon of shredded cheese and a drizzle of the cream cheese and green salsa queso to each low carb tortilla. Roll up and place in your prepared casserole dish seam side down.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Top the enchiladas with sour cream and cilantro when served. We also ate these with a simple avocado side salad.

My husband is not usually thrilled about leftovers but he asked the next day if we had any more enchiladas! I hope you try these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas. They were a great change up for us from all the Turkey and dressing that we at last week during Thanksgiving.

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 cup Shredded Chicken (I use rotisserie)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 block Cream cheese softened
1 15 oz Jar salsa verde
8 low carb tortillas

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 cup Shredded Chicken (I use rotisserie)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 block Cream cheese softened
1 15 oz Jar salsa verde
8 low carb tortillas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.
Place the softened cream cheese and the jar of salsa into a medium saucepan.
Melt on medium low for about ten minutes or until the cream cheese is completely melted.
Spread some of the salsa verde/cream cheese queso into the baking dish and spread to lightly cover the bottom.
Place one tortilla on a plate, add a couple of tablespoons of shredded chicken to the center, add a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese and drizzle some of the salsa verde/cream cheese queso down the middle.
Roll up the enchilada and place seam side down into the baking dish.
Continue making the remaining 7 enchiladas.
Top the enchiladas with the remaining salsa verde/cream cheese mixture. Add any remaining shredded cheese to the top as well.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until heated through.

Hope you enjoy these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas as much as we did! Check out my Low Carb secret ingredient breaded pork chops too!

2 Minute Keto Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave

October 14, 2018 by Stacy Craft 3 Comments

I don’t know about you but mornings at my house are busy. The kids need to get dressed, lunches have to be packed, teeth need brushing. And that is a good day. Often times fights need to be broken up, lost shoes need to be found, and a last minute form needs to be completed. With all that early morning craziness breakfast has to be super quick. Like made in the time that the Keurig can brew my 2nd cup of coffee quick. These 2 minute keto scrambled eggs in the microwave fit that bill.

(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.)

I was at the grocery the other day and saw a relatively new product that provides eggs and toppings that you microwave in a couple of minutes for an easy breakfast. I loved the idea but wanted to find a way to control the ingredients, reduce the cost and keep the convenience. So that is how the 2 minute keto scrambled eggs in the microwave recipe was born.

Saving Money by Eating at Home

Keto and low carb lifestyles can be overwhelming with regards to cost and time when you first start out. As a working mom of 2 little ones, I am always looking for ways to make my life easier in the kitchen without inflating my grocery bill with expensive convenience foods.

Here is a quick breakdown of what it will cost you to make these 2 minute Keto scrambled eggs in the microwave at home:

2 Eggs -.14

2 oz sausage – .31

2 oz cheese – .34

Tiny amount of cream – .03 (by the way if you want some useless knowledge, there are 96 teaspoons in a pint. Thank you google)

Total – $0.82

Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles 3.29

I don’t want to turn you completely off to the premade product. I have purchased it and it is good. If you are in a pinch, this is certainly much better than grabbing a bagel or a donut!

I simply want to show you that you can make a similar meal for a fraction of the price with just a small amount of prep. Plus you can make whatever variety you or your family prefer! 3 for 1 is where it’s at if you are trying to save money.

2 Minute Keto Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave

I like to do an easy meal prep on these to save some additional money and keep my weekday breakfast in that 2 minute range. If you are not a meal prep guy or gal, you can buy prepackaged items to help you out and speed this up even more.

What Do I Need:

Eggs

Cheese

Ham, Bacon or Sausage Crumbles

Heavy Cream

Veggies (optional)

Cute Keto Coffee Mug or small but deep tupperware dish

Meal Prep

If you prep your meats ahead of time, it will make your breakfast come together during the work week in less than 2 minutes. I usually just brown up a roll of breakfast sausage or some bacon and separate the cooked crumbles into 2 oz portions.

If you are rolling your eyes at the 2 oz portion, I don’t blame you. We are talking about a quick breakfast and here I am telling you to measure out 2 ounces of sausage. Don’t worry, you don’t need a measuring cup. I use these 4 oz containers and fill them half way. If you want to go with a full 4 oz, go ahead!

After I fill my containers and let them cool, I put some in the freezer for later and a few in the fridge for the week. For the ones that you plan to eat this week, go ahead and throw in 2 oz of cheese (just fill the rest of your container) and any diced veggies that you might want. I usually keep mine simple and do just the meat, cheese and eggs but I have done a little diced onion and tomato. Now you have your containers ready to dump in the morning!

If you want ultra simple prep, buy the already crumbled sausage, real bacon bits or diced ham.

Making Your 2 Minute Keto Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave

These are your steps for the morning that you are ready to eat! Crack 2 eggs in your coffee mug or tupperware dish. Take a fork and scramble them. Add a teaspoon of heavy whipping cream and scramble a bit more.

Microwave for 1 minute. Carefully remove from the microwave and add your 4 oz cup of meat, veggies and cheese. My 4 year old caught me at this step the other day. She was completely disgusted that I was making “bacon coffee.” I just love her little perspective!

So here is what your eggs will look like at this point, mostly cooked on top but if you stir them, there will still be some liquid throughout.

Stir to incorporate the toppings with the eggs. In this picture I used some diced ham, diced tomato and a slice of cheddar cheese. Feel free to sub in veggies and other toppings of your choice! It is very versatile.

Return to the microwave and cook for 20-30 seconds until the egg is fully cooked. That usually does it for me but if needed, heat in additional 10 second intervals until egg is done.

When I make 2 minute keto scrambled eggs in the microwave, I like to top with a little hot sauce before serving. You could give it a southwestern twist with a little sour cream and avocado too! I added a few chives to this one as well because I had them in the fridge and they made my 2 minute eggs feel fancy.

Trim Healthy Mamas

If you are not fully keto and following THM (like I do), this is a “S” meal because of the whole egg and fats from the meats and cheese. To round out this meal, you could add in some leafy green spinach or some delicious berries. I love these because you don’t have to mess up a skillet everyday and 2 minutes for breakfast is right up my alley.

You could make this an E meal by omitting the heavy cream, using egg whites instead of whole eggs, omitting cheese and using a lean meat plus veggies. That just sounds no fun, so I will keep it an S!

I hope you love making simple 2 minute keto scrambled eggs in the microwave before starting your busy day. Stay on plan and have a great day! Be proud of the choices you are making for a healthier you.

2 Minute Keto Scrambled Eggs

Course

Breakfast

Keyword

breakfast

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 oz breakfast meat (sausage, bacon, ham)
2 oz shredded cheese
1 tsp Heavy Cream
1 oz diced veggies (optional)

Course

Breakfast

Keyword

breakfast

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 oz breakfast meat (sausage, bacon, ham)
2 oz shredded cheese
1 tsp Heavy Cream
1 oz diced veggies (optional)

Instructions

Crack both eggs into a microwave safe bowl or mug.
Add the teaspoon of cream and salt/pepper to taste.
Use a fork to scramble the eggs.
Microwave for 60 seconds.
Add cheese, meat, and veggies to the eggs. Stir to incorporate and return to the microwave.
Microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm the toppings and finish the eggs. If the eggs are still runny, microwave in additional 10 second intervals until done.