My Journey, Pt. 2: Cooking for Health

On my journey to try to regain my health, I tried many different diets, & while different ones helped me figure out my food sensitivities, they left out whole food groups, were expensive, didn't fit the whole family, and as a result, caused new problems & were hard to stick to.

If you deal with food sensitivities in your family, you know the struggle of trying to cook for a family and making sure it's something everyone can eat. Adding the difficulty of also making sure it is healthy and beneficial, and not empty calories may make it seem completely overwhelming. I was told by a family member once that he felt sorry for my kids, because they will never have the junk that everyone else can have. I responded with "but they are healthier because of it." That was before learning about Trim Healthy Mama. At the time, I was trying to make my own recipes for treats through experimentation. A friend introduced me to Trim Healthy Mama to make it easier on me to deal with food sensitivities. That allowed me to stop experimenting and enjoy tried and tested recipes that  my whole family could enjoy. So, I started following the Trim Healthy Mama plan for my kids, and ended up with the added benefit of getting healthier myself! I was so excited, I jumped in with both feet & started learning how to make our favorite recipes healthier. 

My Health Journey (Pt. 1)

I have had health issues since I was a child. My dad considered me fairly healthy, but I dealt with the "little things." For one, migraine headaches started when I was ten or eleven years old and quickly got to a point I was on prescriptions for them. In high school, I learned that many of my headaches were hormone-related, and that a good portion of them were triggered by foods. I started cutting out a few things, but my hormones still weren't balanced, so I was still getting headaches and having other problems. I needed something that was more sustainable. If you're like me, you need something you can stick to in order to make lasting changes. 

Meal Prep

Yesterday was baking day... I baked a quadruple batch of Wonderful White Blender Bread (Trim Healthy Table p. 242) to make two large loaves.

I am so thankful for this recipe, as it allowed me to fix a family comfort food today: grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

While there are other on-plan breads, this one is a Fuel Pull, which means it didn't cause a crossover that would slow down my weight loss. It is also gluten-free, which means I don't have to worry about my kids eating it. We are dealing with a lot right now, and it was nice to have one of my childhood staples as a comfort food. 

The Effects of Inflammation (And My Solution)

The past year and a half has been crazy. After 8 surgeries in 2020, my system has been up and down, and I have finally made the connection 8 months after my last surgery that gluten and dairy were causing inflammation, which in turn, was making my body hold onto the weight. In addition, we have had to temporarily cut all grains from the children's diet. The result if cutting grains and dairy out is that I have started dropping the weight rapidly. I don't know if this pace will keep up very long, but it is a good start.

So what does grain-free look like in a Trim Healthy Lifestyle? Grains are an E fuel, so E fuels are what I had to focus on changing.

E Breakfasts have been Creamy Grains (THC p.252-253) using quinoa

For sides with lunch & dinner, we have quinoa or sweet potatoes for E meals.

It has been an adjustment, but the options are delicious, and the benefits rewarding. 

The Craziest Year Ever

I am sure everyone would agree that the year 2020 has been pretty crazy. Most people are just trying to find a sense of normalcy. For me, it was a year of multiple health emergencies, and several months of trying to figure out why I stopped losing weight. I have been doing the Trim Healthy Mama Lifestyle for a few years and have learned that many times, when there is a significant weight stall (3+ months of absolutely no weight loss), the body is usually trying to heal a different issue. 

This year, those issues were compounded for me, leading to several surgeries. This is where meal prepping and freezer stocking came in handy. Because of my freezer stock, I have been able to stay on plan and even LOSE weight in the middle of this holiday season (once the health issues were resolved). My Trim Healthy Lifestyle also helped me recover  from each surgery more quickly than surgeries I had before learning about THM.

As we enter into the New Year, I am looking forward to helping others achieve their health goals.

Baby Bullet Pancakes, GF Style

1 1/2 c quinoa flour
6 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c goat's milk or nut milk
3 egg yolks (optional)
1/4 c pureed fruit (I used peaches, but apple or pear would work)
1 t cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in the baby bullet mixing bowl. Blend until thoroughly combined. Let sit 10 minutes, then cook in skillet

Happy Thanksgiving

 This year has been a strange year for all of us. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful to be able to feed my family healthy options. I am thankful for my journey with Trim Healthy Mama making it easier to heal from seven surgeries in 2 years.

My family will be celebrating Thanksgiving a day late this year because of schedules, but that gave me time to whip up some of my family favorite Thanksgiving dishes, the Trim Healthy Mama way.. This entire meal is THM S, except for the cranberry sauce, which is THM FP. I made Cream of Celery soup to use in a Green Bean Casserole, because of a family member who cannot have mushrooms. You can use this basic recipe to make just about any cream soup:

1 large onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil

2 c chopped celery

4-6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sage

1 tsp mineral salt

1 tsp thyme

1 c water

5 c chicken stock

coconut cream from 2-3 cans full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp gluconannan (optional: makes it thicker)

In a large pot, add butter, onion, celery, garlic cloves, seasonings, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until onions and garlic have almost carmellized.  (If using mushrooms, wait until the end to ad them, with the coconut cream.) Add 2 c of chicken stock and return to a boil. Add coconut cream and remainder of chicken stock. Add gluconannan, if using. Cook, stirring, until coconut cream and gluconnan are fully incorporated. If using for a green bean casserole, this recipe is best done the day before you need it. Use the cooled cream soup to make your green bean casserole: about 3 cups per 2 cans of green beans. Bake long enough to warm through to desired temperature.

After I got the cream soup going, I decided to make a large batch of cranberry sauce. Whole berry cranberry sauce has been a favorite in my family for years. We definitely don't need the sugar in the store bought versions, and making my own was so easy. I buy extra cranberries this time of year and freeze them so I can enjoy them all year long.

2 bags fresh or frozen cranberries

1/3 c stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon (opt.)

1 c water

Place ingredients in 2-qt sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and let cook for about an hour. If you forget about it and it cooks longer, it won't hurt either 😉 After simmering, whisk together until sauce is desired consistency. The natural pectin in the cranberries will cause gelling, and the more it is stirred, the more the cranberries break up to release more pectin.

If you are the pumpkin pie type, you will love this next recipe. My husband and I cannot do Thanksgiving without it. I have never mastered the perfect pie crust, so I go crustless, or purchase a ready-to-use nut crust. For the filling, I have discovered that I LOVE fresh pumpkin. I peeled a large pumpkin a couple of days ago with a vegetable peeler (yes, before cooking), but you could peel yours after cooking it. After scooping out the seeds, I cut the pumpkin into sections that would fit into my Instant Pot, added 1 cup of water, and cooked it on manual for 5 minutes. That made it soft enough to puree using my immersion blender. If you cook yours with the skin on, you will need to let it cool and removed the skin before blending.

Pumpkin Pie:

1 crust (optional)

2 Tbsp THM Just Gelatin

2 Tbsp Just off the boil water

1 c cool water

1 tsp gluconannan 

2 c pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2/3 c stevia

2 c almond milk or 1/2 c full fat coconut cream (from can of full fat coconut milk)

Mix the gelatin with the hot water, until completely dissolved. Add the cool water and gluconannan and blend with immersion blender until the gluconannan is fully dissolved. Add remaining ingredients, blending after each ingredient is added. Pour or scoop filling into your pie crust or pan and chill until ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.  If you are looking for help with eating better, I am a certified THM Lifestyle Coach and would be happy to help you build your own health plan. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!