I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I am OVER THE MOON about Denise’s results and couldn’t wait to share them with you! This is another story from one of the members of my weekly group coaching sessions. Denise is an example of what happens when you make changes in your life and see the victory. We talk about those victories our members see on the scale and that’s great because losing excess body fat is so important. But those non-scale victories can be the ones you really want to shout about.
Denise is not someone special who got abnormal results that are not achievable for someone like you. She learned how to fuel her body and it changed her life. Your body is fearfully and wonderfully made and you can learn to treat it as it was designed to be treated.
Feel free to contact me about private coaching or if you are local, join us in person. We meet weekly. It’s a joy for me to think that I had a part in Denise’s journey to success and that I may be able to help you, too!
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
Here’s another story from one of the members of my weekly group coaching sessions. It’s so gratifying to see them learn about health, put their knowledge into practice and experience not only victories on the scale with weight loss, but NSV’s (non-scale victories) as well. This can end up being much more exciting than mere numbers. How you fuel your body affects all aspects of your life. How would you feel if you received a disheartening diagnosis from your doctor and then saw a total reversal in that condition after putting one foot in front of the other as you treat your body the way it was intended to be treated? Elaine didn’t have a whole lot to lose on the scale, but she lost it! She did have much to gain with getting her metabolism operating the way it should and she gained that!
Feel free to contact me about private coaching or if you are local, join us in person. We meet weekly.
Please be sure to share this post on Facebook, X, Instagram or wherever you connect with people on social media. You may get to be the one who connects your friend or loved one to the answers they’ve been waiting for.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I’ve been so exited lately to see the members of my weekly group coaching sessions experience not only victories on the scale with weight loss, but NSV’s as well (non-scale victories), which can mean much more than mere numbers. How you fuel your body affects all aspects of your life. How would you feel if your pain levels were greatly reduced without the help of drugs, but rather by your own wise choices. Check out Shirley’s non-scale victories and you might be wanting to contact me about private coaching or if you are local, join us in person. We meet weekly.
I’ll be sharing more stories like Shirley’s soon. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out in the comments or by emailing me. Share this post on your social media as well. You never know – you might be giving someone the help they’ve been waiting for.
Here we all are with May about to burst on the scene and one thing that is likely overtaking the great majority of us is the desire to grow things. Whether you are the person who goes all out and plants a full garden of veggies or the person who lines their porch and steps with colorful pots, this urge is one of the main symptoms of spring fever.
Today marked our second, and possibly our last, trip to a plant nursery. Smuffy remarked that we are doing well at restraining ourselves this year. He is still in search of a certain tree he wants to plant, so we’ll see if he can manage to come home with just a tree.
I have a soft spot for herbs and like to have a kitchen garden full of pots that boast basil, parsley, cilantro, sage, lemongrass, rosemary, oregano and a special pot of catnip just for Phoebe June’s enjoyment. This year, however, a brand new grandbaby is on the way and the writing aspect of my life is going to take up all the hours that I am not snuggling her. I’ve decided that a few colorful pots in addition to Smuffy’s veggies is all I can deal with.
That means I’ll need to use up the remainder of last year’s herb harvest that I dried and if I need fresh herbs, I’m going to have to purchase them. (Insert groaning noise here.)
I cannot adequately express my aggravation at going into a supermarket and paying a ridiculous sum for a half-handful of limp herbs that will still be too much for the recipe. This scenario is almost always followed by the burial scene as I pull them from the refrigerator, wrapped in whatever shroud happened to be the latest sure thing recommended on a cooking show or blog, and lower their brown, slimy remains into the trash can.
But this story has a happy ending! A little over a year ago, I happened to be watching “America’s Test Kitchen” and they were testing the best ways to keep herbs. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I thought to myself and then I nearly snorted with sarcasm as they recommended the Cole and Mason Herb Keeper and claimed that in their testing, this amazing little box kept the herbs fresh for – are you sitting down? – eight weeks!
Soon after, my family asked if there were any additional items I might want to put on my Christmas wish list. On a whim, I told them I’d like to try one of these miracle gadgets. My wish was their command and after a few months of use I knew I would have to do a favorable review here on the blog (which, by the way, I am not getting paid for).
This herb keeper has gone way beyond my expectations. It truly will keep your fresh herbs fresh for eight weeks! The parsley in the photo you see here has been in the Cole and Mason Herb Keeper for at least a month and just take a look at it! I merely took it out of the refrigerator, sat it on the windowsill and snapped a photo without plucking off any unsightly leaves. As you can see in the photo, there are only a couple of leaves with a little yellowing that need to be removed.
It has a fill line so you know how much water to add. Just tip it over and dump out the old water and add new every week or so. There are removable dividers so that you can separate three types of herbs in one container. Simply wash your fresh herbs, trimming the stems and any leaves that might fall below the water line, and insert them into the keeper. Slide the outer sleeve up to the height of your herbs and flip the lid closed. Keep them in your refrigerator and you’ll be snipping away on fresh herbs for weeks to come.
As a certified lifestyle coach, I love to share great finds like this with my one-on-one clients and those who attend my weekly group sessions. Life is simplified when you can avoid extra trips to the store. You and your family are healthier when you can enjoy nutritious, healthy foods. On top of that, you’ll have more money left in the budget to spend on feeding your family well when you stop having to throw food away.
I’ll take back that snort of sarcasm that I gave when I heard the claim that the Cole and Mason Fresh Herb Keeper will keep your herbs fresh for eight weeks. It does and it will!
What great gadgets and helpers have you discovered to help around the house? Leave a comment so we can all discover what is tried and true for you.
Need great healthy recipes? You can sit on your porch with a glass of Lime Sillies here, make a quick skillet dish of Saturday Pasta any day of the week, or try my great copy-cat recipe for No-Carb Easy Bread.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I had some excitement today and I couldn’t wait to share it with you!
For the back story, I had a birthday several days ago and Pookie asked me what kind of cake or other dessert I’d like to have, but stipulated that since the restaurant they were taking me to for my birthday dinner wouldn’t allow us to bring in our own dessert, we would have to have a separate little birthday celebration just for that. Well, I’m all for celebrating twice so that was fine with me. Then, as is the way with things, stuff happened and then more stuff happened and Birthday 2.0 seemed to get bumped and bumped and bumped some more and I finally received my delicious treat today.
What did I request, you ask? As you may know, I don’t eat the SAD (standard American diet) stuff. I know, I know, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I ate something hideously bad for me on my birthday, but I’ve learned that it’s not worth it. It makes me feel rotten (now that I know what it’s like to feel good all the time) and then there are additional portions of it in the house for days. After flipping through various Trim Healthy recipes, I suddenly remembered exactly what I wanted and told Pookie to make me the Cake of Wonders.
This recipe, from page 37 of the Trim Healthy Indulgence cookbook seemed to be the talk of social media, the podcast and all over the Trim Healthy community ever since the cookbook came out but I just hadn’t gotten around to making it.
I’m giving it an absolute 5-Star review. Even though Pookie didn’t give it a topping of chocolate drizzle and an arrangement of fresh berries on top as shown in the photo in the cookbook, I don’t see how the taste and texture could be any better. Esther Allison hit the ball out of the park with this recipe. This is fit to serve at any wedding. It is that good!
Yes, I am a Trim Healthy Certified Coach, but no, I am not a retailer of their products. When I recommend this cookbook and this recipe, I am not gaining anything from it but your smiles and happy tummies.
Also, the pie crust recipe in that book is out of this world. I think I’m going to bake one sometime and just eat it by itself! That’s how good it smells while it’s baking. Right now, Esther’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake is featured as a free recipe on the website, so be sure to print that out.
If you do need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, blood sugar control, hormonal balance, etc., head to the Contact page or my Food Freedom pages on Facebook and Mewe and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person as well as details on private coaching in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and certainly to lose weight safely and sustainably if you need to do that. I know that many people want to steer away from the standard American diet because they know it’s taking a toll on their health, but they just don’t know how to be happy doing it. That’s what I teach.
If you’ve tried Esther’s Cake of Wonders, leave a comment and let me know how you liked it. I’m curious – what is your favorite dessert that you’d miss most if you decided to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle?
And (sigh), as is the way of things, I didn’t get to share my cake with Lil’ Snookie today. More stuff happened. But you know what that means? It means I’ll freeze slabs of it between slips of waxed paper and then we’ll have Birthday 3.0 in a few days. I know how to manage this birthday thing.
I probably should have passed this one on to you at the beginning of summer so you could enjoy it in the summer months, but since we enjoy it year-round I decided to go ahead and share it now that it has a name.
I’m quite a lot like Anne of Green Gables when it comes to names. I like a little romance or beauty in a name rather than something ordinary. I, like Anne, would never have called it Barry’s Pond when I could’ve re-named it The Lake of Shining Waters and what is a better name for a blooming orchard than The White Way of Delight? It’s like she’s in my head.
I gave up soda a long time ago – decades in fact. After a while, I actually grew to detest the stuff and the way it made me feel. However, I do somehow miss the bubbles and had to content myself with the occasional bottle of sparkling water because I’m way too frugal to drink it all the time.
Then I did some bartering one day with a friend who was doing a rummage sale with me. I traded her some tea tree oil I’d over-bought for a Soda-Stream. We had lots of fun with successes and fails as we tried various additives and blends to flavor the sparkling water we could now just fizz up in our own machine. (There is a cartridge that you trade in when it’s empty so after your initial purchase you pay only half price when you make the swap.)
We found it to be economical. We started our first cartridge around July 4th and didn’t run out of bubbles till the middle of September!
Flavorings seemed to be the sticking point. Smuffy is super picky on taste. I am super picky on healthy add-ins. Some of the ones you buy turn your carbonated water right back into soda!
After a while, I just threw something together one day as a “lime thing” and ended up loving it. Then I started serving it to guests and they liked it, which is good because when they come to my house I don’t stock “junk” drinks.
I knew this was ready to pass on to you when Lil’ Snookie gave it a name. All on his own, when he was still two years old, he began to say that anything with carbonation in it had “sillies” and would ask Pookie, his mama, if he could have sillies in his drink.
Now he’s grown to love my invention and almost every day asks me if he can have “Lime Sillies”.
And there you have it! It needed the perfect name and now it’s ready to share. No free printable necessary for this recipe because this is all you do –
Lime Sillies
1. Pour 1” to 1 ½” inches of Real-Lime or fresh lime juice into the bottom of your glass. (Everyone has a different preference as to how much lime they prefer.)
2. Add a tiny pinch of mineral salt (not the table salt gunk).
3. Add 1 doonk of THM Pure Stevia or any on-plan natural sweetener.
4. Add a couple of drops of pure vanilla extract.
Swirl the glass well or stir the mixture with a spoon before filling the glass with cold, carbonated water. Add ice if you wish.
NOTE: You cannot add the ingredients to the water. You have to add the water to the other ingredients. For some mysterious reason, dropping the sweetener into the carbonation makes the contents of the glass explode all over the counter. Ask me how I know.
Also, with a SodaStream, you must carbonate only plain water. Adding any ingredients to the water prior to pumping in the carbonation will result in more exploding things. Ask me how I know.
There you have it – Lil’ Snookie’s Lime Sillies! Fix a glass and head for the porch on these beautiful autumn days.
I fully disclose that I am a THM Certified Lifestyle Coach and at times receive financial compensation as such.
If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page or my Food Freedom pages on Facebook and Mewe and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis. Private coaching can be done in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy MamaPlan is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and certainly to lose weight safely and sustainably if you need to do that.
Leave a comment after you sip your Lime Sillies and let me know how you like it. Do you have a carbonation machine of any kind? What are your favorite flavors to add that keep it healthy and make it tasty?
NOTE TO READERS: This recipe is a family favorite that appeared here on my blog prior to myeating according to the Trim Healthy Mama plan or becoming a THM Certified Lifestyle Coach. I am sharing it here again now that I have THM-ified it. While it tastes fabulous, remember that it is a “Crossover” if brown rice pasta is used and that you will need to adhere to serving sizes on the pasta in order not to consume too many carbs in this meal. The best way to eat your fill is to serve this recipe over THM’s Ancient Wisdom Noodles, Zoodles or any “on-plan” konjac noodles found in stores!
It’s time for another great recipe! This one is one of my inventions, and will appeal to everyone who likes things flavorful. While not hot and spicy, it certainly isn’t bland.
Why Saturday, you ask? No particular reason, except that Saturdays around our house seem to turn into project days, with Smuffy working on his and me working on mine. Smuffy likes to sleep in on Saturdays before launching into some DIY project that makes a lot of noise and is likely to stink up the place. I’m just thankful that only a couple of them have landed him in the emergency room.
It has always amazed me that no matter how late Smuffy sleeps, the “rumbly in his tumbly”, as Winnie the Pooh would say, speaks to him at the same time every day. Though he may have slept till ten and lingered over breakfast, he reappears at noon on the dot, looking weak in the knees and asking what’s for lunch.
I’ve wondered if it isn’t triggered by sound. For years, Smuffy has come home for lunch, Monday through Friday at noon on the dot, to the tune of the neighborhood church bells. They chime various lovely hymns a couple of times a day. Perhaps on Saturday, at the sound of the noon bells, he thinks he’s hungry. Have the bells trained him to eat at noon, no matter what? I think that’s how they do it with rats in a maze, although perhaps not with hymns.
Often, I’ve stood there, wondering what on earth I’m going to fix so that I can get on with my own project. Neither of us wants to go out. Meat is frozen. My mind is blank.
Then came this idea. I threw it together so fast I hardly knew how I did it. Smuffy says it’s hearty, healthy and “restaurant good”. It must be, because he likes variety, yet I can pretty much toss this together on any busy weekend and he’ll happily gobble it up. That’s really saying something, considering it has no meat! Smuffy likes meat – a lot!
You can make this a meal by using it as a side dish alongside your chosen meat or fish as your protein, or you can save a little room in your tummy for a chocolate or chai collagen trimmy afterward. Another option would be to incorporate some cooked chicken breast into the recipe.
Also, it has no dairy! I know some of you have been waiting for recipes like that. With no sugar and the only grain being brown rice pasta if you choose to use it, the healthy eaters can’t go wrong. See my note at the top about pasta vs. other noodle options.
A few notes before we start:
Don’t get hung up about it! I make this with what I have. I’m giving you the perfected version. Make it this way the first time, just so you know what you’ve been missing. Then, you can always try some of the things I’ve experimented with along the way, such as zucchini instead of spinach, etc. We would never make it without the sun-dried tomatoes. We think they really make the dish.
Don’t be a snob. Use fresh mushrooms if you can, but if you’re out, by all means use canned mushrooms.
I did not grow up in a kitchen where everything was the finest and best (although most of it was homegrown), but I’ve learned something. Though I’m frugal, I’ve learned that it’s better to pay for good ingredients and have good food I enjoy. It’s so much easier to say no to junk food when I’ve just created something healthy and delicious. That’s why I’m recommending brands on three ingredients. Jovial Brown Rice Pastas are fabulous! They came highly recommended by America’s Test Kitchen. Through the years, I’ve tried innumerable substitutes for white flour pasta. This one is the hands-down winner. Jovial Pasta People– I love you! Smuffy says he can’t tell the difference between it and “regular” pasta. I’ve bought the spaghetti and the lasagna noodles and they’re both great. Once you try this, you may want to check around for a bulk price. Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one of the top two olive oils recommended by America’s Test Kitchen, has become a staple item in my kitchen. Ah – the flavor! In case you haven’t heard, there’s a whole big deal out there concerning olive oils and which companies you can trust. You may not be getting what you think in those beautiful bottles. Colavita is the real deal, and it makes this recipe delicious. I get it at my local supermarket in bottles and also in bulk, where I can get a deal on large tins. The Select olive oil found at Aldi is also nice. Trim Healthy Mama’s Ancient Wisdom Noodles are wonderful in this recipe, although since a lot of folks are also wild about them, they are out of stock at times. I did find another brand of konjac noodles once in Sprouts that also have that bit of oat fiber that makes all the difference in the texture so check there if you can’t get any THM. Other brands of konjac noodles will be “on plan” as well as spiralized zucchini. Somehow, I tend to think the zucchini version of this recipe would be a bit lacking.
Speaking of oils (and we’ll cover this in more detail in a future post), there are three oils in this recipe for a reason. Butter adds flavor, but tends to burn. Coconut oil resists burning and keeps the butter from browning without changing the flavor. I keep both kinds of coconut oil on hand – refined and unrefined (or extra virgin). You’ll want refined for this. Olive oil, though not a trans fat, does (just as most of the other oils do) turn to a trans fat when heated. It should be used to “dress” the dish when finished.
Don’t be lily-livered and leave out the “heat”! There are not enough red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper in this to make it spicy, but we find it necessary to give the recipe that certain what-cha-ma-call-it that has you making yummy-nummy noises while you eat it.
Let’s get cooking. This goes together in the time it takes your water to come to a boil and your pasta to cook. Don’t forget your FREE printable below.
Saturday Pasta
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon refined coconut oil
½ large onion, (slice thin, then quarter the slices)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, snipped into small pieces with scissors) I use the ones in the bag and reconstitute them in warm water for a bit while I work on the rest of the recipe.
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms or, preferably, fresh mushrooms
In a large skillet, heat butter and coconut oil over medium heat. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil if you are using the brown rice pasta. If using Ancient Wisdom Noodles, rinse and drain them into a colander and they’ll be ready to toss in when you need them.
Add onions to the skillet and stir.
In a small custard cup, pour a little water (approximately 3 Tablespoons)over the sun-dried tomatoes. Microwave them on on high for one minute or heat them in a small pan on the stove to reconstitute them. Set aside.
Add mushrooms and olives to the skillet. Stir. Lower heat so that onions do not begin to caramelize.
When water reaches a full boil, add pasta and ½ teaspoon mineral salt. Cook according to package instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, pour one to two tablespoons olive oil into a large pasta bowl. Add red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Stir. Set aside.
Add spinach to the skillet. (This will fill the skillet.) Cook and stir until spinach wilts and mixes with the other ingredients. Add sun-dried tomatoes (with liquid) to the mixture.
If you used pasta, drain it and add it to the pasta bowl. Toss to coat with the flavored oil. Add the skillet mixture, scraping the skillet clean with a spatula.
If you use Ancient Wisdom noodles, stir them in to the skillet mixture and heat, allowing them too cook a little and take on all the flavors.
Toss all the ingredients together, then dress with olive oil. Season to taste with additional sea salt and more olive oil, if desired.
Serves – well, that depends! If preparing a Crossover, the six ounces of pasta would be three servings in order to keep within reasonable carb limits. If using the Ancient Wisdom Noodles, you’ll have an “S” meal and you can eat your fill and decide if you want to count a package as a single serving or share. If you’re making this to share with others who are trimming down, use two packages of noodles and go a little heavy on the other ingredients for a bigger batch.
Don’t forget your FREE printable recipes! Just click on the arrow below.
SUBSCRIBE in the right side bar if your on your computer or on the CONTACT ME page if you’re on a phone or tablet so you won’t miss more delicious recipes.
Now, didn’t that “Help”? Let’s push on with better grammar…
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle CoachI do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I first shared these thoughts a few years ago, but I’ve decided it’s time to revisit this bit of common sense and encouragement.
I first thought to name this page of my blog “Stayin’ Alive!” Love those Bee Gees! Besides, if one doesn’t accomplish at least this much in regards to one’s health, all other attempts are pretty much useless, if you get my drift.
I soon ditched that idea. There’s more to life than stayin’ alive! What’s the point of being here if your quality of life stinks? I decided on “Thrive!”
I got serious about my health during pregnancy. Up until that point, I’d stuck strictly to the See Food Diet. If I saw it, I ate it. Tall and slim, it never seemed to affect me. My dad once told me, as he watched me eat, that someday I’d stop growing up and start growing out and then be sorry about my appetite! I ate three square meals a day – big ones! No one had better leave a box of doughnuts anywhere near me.
But now, I knew that whatever I fed myself, I also fed the baby. Yikes! I spent a lot of time at the library. The baby came (all eight pounds and three ounces of her) along with an epiphany. I needed to keep her healthy till adulthood. And, (DUH!) why feed my child one way and myself another? The adult population seemed to be made up of a bunch of sick people, anyway.
I recently read of an umbilical cord study which showed that a couple of hundred toxins were detected in the cords and the samples were not taken from moms who were addicted to drugs or alcohol or had experienced anything most people would consider hazardous. They were only moms who used foods, shampoos and body products that most in our society walk into stores and buy without batting an eyelash.
Take a look at this photo. Note your first impression.
That’s the image that came to me. We can’t run on bad fuel! Yet, we live in a country where no one seems to grasp the concept. Or, if they do, they don’t care!
Can you imagine? Your friend Gwendolyn tells you that she hates the smell of gasoline, dislikes waiting in line at the service station and once even dribbled gasoline into her brand new shoes. She’s switching. From now on, she’ll run her car on lemonade. She likes lemonade. Tastes better, smells better and isn’t quite so icky between the toes.
You stifle a snort of laughter and get down to business. Somebody’s gotta talk Gwennie out of this madness. Doesn’t she know she’ll ruin a valuable machine with a crazy notion like that?
Gwendolyn won’t listen. Her plan is good for her, she insists. She leaves. You call several friends. After howling with laughter over Gwendolyn’s stupidity, some compassionate soul in the group says, “Listen! Don’t you think we ought to call her mother or somebody? I mean, somebody’s gotta stop her!”
I gave myself a “talkin’ to”. It went something like this: “You are kind to yourself. You are smart enough to learn. You are important to your family and you need to be the best you can be.”
Poor Smuffy went kicking and screaming all the way, suffering through strange herbs drying on the kitchen counter, whole wheat everything and tinctures galore. He told me once that the thing that kept him healthy was positive confession. Each time he’d cough or sniffle, I’d come running with some form of what he termed “stump water” and he’d call out, “I’m okay. I’m OKAY!”
Despite my efforts, I got that call from the doctor nobody wants – a cancer diagnosis. I’d studied various aspects of health, but hadn’t paid much attention to what may open the doors to cancer. I had no family history and besides, I ate good stuff! With my terrific appetite, I ate the good stuff and had room left over for some of the bad stuff.
People told me I was too young for cancer. I asked myself, “How old is old enough?” The answer, I concluded, was NEVER! After surgery, I endured chemo and radiation as “insurance”, more or less, according to the doctors. I’m sure there will be a future blog post on that nasty little interlude.
People like me are called “survivors”. I rejected that term from the beginning. It left me with an image of someone emerging from a jungle – burned, bitten, half-naked and hunted – running for a lifeboat that may or may not spring a leak. By the grace of God, I’m a WINNER! I am kind to myself. I am smart enough to learn. I am important to God and my family! I’m going to thrive!
I’ve learned much over the years, and it has turned my health around. In blog posts here on my Food Freedom page, you’ll be receiving a lot of great health information to chew on so that you can make your own decisions and take charge of your health. I am not your doctor and don’t pretend to be, but only hope to share helpful information. You’re smart enough to do your own research. You may see a few posts with some foods that contain ingredients that I’ve eliminated from my diet as I’ve grown wiser and learned what the real “frankenfoods” are. I’ll be editing those to help you out as much as I can.
So…about your reaction to the photo. Did you want to scream, “Stop, you idiot!”? Yet, we, almost never stop friends when it comes to food. Cars can be replaced. You only get one body. Why treat the finest, most intricately-designed, valuable piece of machinery ever invented – the human body – as though it were disposable?
Since the purpose of Midwest Storyteller is to take you to a better place, I want to share what I did as a first step. I gave up soda. Why pollute my body with a non-food item? A sugary soda has as many calories as a full meal. (Sorry, but I’d rather have food.) Artificially sweetened, it’s dangerous stuff, and I want to thrive! It’s been decades since I’ve had a soda. I don’t miss it. I do enjoy, however, Stayin’ Alive!
Americans have a big problem. Take a look at this aisle in my local grocery store.
That’s an entire aisle! All soda! They don’t devote this much space to bread, meat, cheese, etc. Yes, America has a problem, but you don’t have to. We can’t fuel up on junk because we feel like it or because, like Mount Everest, it’s there. We are as capable of making the right choices with our bodies as we are with our cars.
Okay, enough tough love. I believe in you. You are kind to yourself. You are smart enough to listen to the “real you”. You are important to God and your family.
You are also strong! Here’s the challenge: Choose one thing – just one – and take that step. Stick with it for thirty days. Whether it is to give up soda, lay off the sugar, exercise for 20-30 minutes three times a week or get more sleep, you can do it! (That last one is a personal struggle of mine if you came here for true confessions.)
Since I first shared this idea with you, I’ve been introduced to the common sense, sustainable world of Trim Healthy Mama. After a couple of years reveling in not having to exclude any food groups (except for “frankenfood”), enjoying hearty fat-based meals, satisfying my muscles and hormones with carb-based meals and learning how to make yummy desserts while kicking sugar to the curb, I became a Certified Lifestyle Coach. Ooh, did I mention that I lost that last annoying ten pounds I thought I’d never lose without constantly listening to my tummy growl? The Trim Healthy lifestyle is something you can definitely do all on your own and I’d recommend that you start with the book, The Trim Healthy Mama Plan and begin your journey. It’s written so anyone can understand the science of “why” and without that, we all lose motivation.
If you do decide you’re better off not going it alone, contact me. I’m happy to coach you privately in person or by phone and if you’re within driving distance at our local weekly group sessions.
Comment, letting me know you’ve chosen one way to live a better life. Or, share something you’ve already done that might encourage others. In thirty days, comment again, letting me know that you’re not only Stayin’ Alive, but determined to Thrive!
SUBSCRIBE, because it won’t be long before I throw myself a little online party, celebrating the twenty-four years that stretch between me and that cancer diagnosis.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle Coach I do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
There are studies out there for everything. I believe it was Mark Twain who said there are three kinds of lies – lies, d*#n lies and statistics. Sorry about that – he said it – not me and that’s as close to coarse as I’m gonna get.
I hear people all the time say that they don’t go by anecdotal evidence. They claim, in a superior sort of way, that they only abide by clinical studies. To that, I say, “Poppycock, balderdash, fiddle-faddle!” And I might be so bold as to add, “Piffle!”
Suppose you went to a specialist and described your health concern. After extensive tests, he diagnoses you with spotsarashitchitosis. He hands you a prescription for toximoxadislow and gives a full explanation of this drug as the latest, greatest and safest and cites multiple studies in which the victims of your condition are transformed from depressed and mere shells of their former selves into lively specimens who dance in the streets while strewing roses from their hats.
Elated, you head home, planning to make the pharmacy the last on your list of errands. At the gas station, you meet your friend, Flow, and tell her about your doctor’s visit. With alarm in her eyes, Flow tells you that she took the same drug and had a reaction that nearly killed her. You listen, but pass this off as a rare case. And besides, Flow gets worked up about things.
Next, you run into Cousin Rudy at the grocery store and again you share your experience. “Dunno,” says Rudy, rubbing his chin, “Larry took that stuff and tells me things haven’t been the same between him and the missus ever since.” You give him a “Wow!” accompanied by raised eyebrows and head for the bank.
Inside the bank, you find Mary Ann and do some catching up while you wait in line. As soon as you mention the drug, she clutches your forearm and says, “Oh my, before you take that stuff, call Peggy. Of course, you’ll have to wait till she gets out of the hospital first.”
Guess what? By the time you’ve driven home, you’ve just thrown all clinical studies out the window along with the prescription because of the anecdotal experiences of people you know whom you don’t consider to be nut jobs.
All that to say, I love a good study! I do research all the time and sometimes base health decisions on that research. I’ve had some health issues that demanded that I take charge and learn a lot.
I also listen to the Trim Healthy Podcast, which is full of valuable rock-solid science and personal stories. Sometime last fall, Pearl Barrett shared her own story about her eyes on “The Poddy”. She said that she’d been needing reading glasses for a while and now had reached the point where she felt like she needed to increase their strength. After some research on goji berries and their benefits to eye health she decided to include two tablespoons of them into her diet every day, most often in her morning oatmeal. In two months time, she had begun to notice that there were times when she didn’t need her readers. Before this, the only times she could go without them were if she happened to be out on her porch which is flooded with natural light. Now she found herself going without readers in other situations as well!
Goji berries seemed like a simple thing to try. I looked at my calendar and realized that I had just a little over two months till my next checkup with the optometrist, so I bought a bag of dried goji berries and got started with my two tablespoons a day just to see what might happen.
Well, what happened was life and my appointment ended up getting postponed so that I’d been consuming goji berries daily for around three and one half months before I got checked. I actually started with a small bag from Natural Grocers first, just to be sure that they weren’t so disgusting that I couldn’t get them down every day. I found them to have a completely neutral flavor so I ordered the big two pound bag you see in the photo from Amazon in order to get a better price. Considering I was only experimenting with two tablespoons a day, this is affordable.
When my eye appointment rolled around, I got the news that my eyes were just that partial step better than they’d been on previous visits! I thought I’d been noticing that recipes seemed a little easier to read and now I realized I wasn’t just wishing and hoping. Needless to say, I bought another bag and am still doing my two tablespoons a day.
Thanks much, Pearl Barrett and theTrim Healthy Podcast for always having good info and great ideas that are natural and safe!
Note: Goji berries do not dry soft like raisins. They dry hard. When I plan for oatmeal in the mornings, I soak my half cup of old-fashioned oats overnight in the bowl and in the morning I place my hand over this and pour most of the water off. Then, the oats go into a small saucepan with all the other flavorings and protein I like, including the goji berries. By the time the oats are hot and bubbly and I’ve gotten all the other things stirred in, the goji berries are softened and ready to eat. However, if I am planning on something that does not get heated, like 0% fat Greek yogurt with raspberries and sprouted grain toast for breakfast, I will put the goji berries in the bowl on the counter the night before with just enough water on them to soften them overnight.
That’s my goji berry story (so far) and I hope it helps you or perhaps you can pass it along to someone who needs to hear it.
Here’s another thing to shout about – It’s spring, folks! Yes, it’s warm one day and rainy and chilly the next, but I’ll take it any way I can get it. How about you?
If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page or my Food Freedom page on Facebook and Mewe and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis. Private coaching can be done in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and certainly to lose weight if you need to do that.
Leave a comment and let me know if you plan to experiment with how goji berries might help or tell me about other ways you’ve taken steps to change your health for the better through clean eating. Thessalonians 5:11 reminds us to encourage one another and build one another up.
I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle Coach I do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.
I am super thrilled to be writing this post – and just a tad riddled with guilt. I love it when I hit a home run in the kitchen! I’ve invented many a recipe in my time and, believe me, they were not all worthy of winning three “golden ladles” such as my soup here, or of getting a 5-star review from those gathered at the table, if you know what I mean.
There’s a story behind everything here on the blog and this is where the guilt comes in. It was a dark and stormy night…just kidding.
One of the more recent additions to the Trim Healthy Mama line of products has been “No-Carb Easy Bread”, a packet bread mix that when blended with a couple of simple ingredients, is poured right into the pan to bake. When they say “easy”, they mean easy, as in whisk three things in a bowl and bake! BONUS: It’s Fuel Pull, so it can be enjoyed with FP or any other “S” and “E” meals on plan. It can be baked in a loaf or as buns.
As with everything in THM world, it will not spike blood sugar, so that makes it great for people watching that who may not even be aware of what the THM plan is all about.
I ordered a couple of packets to try and I was not only thrilled with the simplicity, but also the flavor. I knew this could easily become my “go-to” substitute for the morning English muffin, the hamburger bun, whenever I needed an on-plan bread. I could butter it up for an “S”, fill it up with lean meat and greens for sandwich and keep it FP or toast it to have alongside a delicious “E” soup like this one.
I spotted my dilemma. I’d only ordered two bags. I could see myself constantly running out of this and wishing for more. We’re budget conscious around here. Shipping costs add up and I usually make my THM orders when I have several things I need.
I set my mind to coming up with a mix of my own that would come as close to Serene and Pearl’s as possible (without having to making as many attempts in my kitchen to get it right as Pearl says she did).
I make up about six recipes of the dry mix at a time and put them into quart freezer bags upon which I’ve written the additions, oven temperature and baking time. This way, I don’t even have to pull out a recipe. I just grab, mix, pour and bake. Then, I made a discovery. After doing some number crunching with fats and carbs and realizing that I mis-read something, I found all those bags of mix were actually “E” and not “FP”!
Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t throw away perfectly good food, so I began enjoying it as an “E”, especially in bun form. Hey, we all need more “E” meals, right? I shared it with my clients and a even made up “E” sandwiches on buns and took them to a soup ‘n sandwich dinner party and they were a hit. The hostess’ hubby took a leftover sandwich to work the next day and bragged on it, saying he could eat that bread anytime!
Now I needed to work on a “FP” version because I am determined to help my clients keep their THM life simple and I never wanted them to feel “stuck” if they run out of pre-packaged items. After a few attempts that weren’t quite what I had in mind and some further crunching on the calculator, I came up with a mix that works. You may think it can’t compare to THM’s No-Carb Easy Bread, but if, by chance, you even prefer it, then I’m sorry, Serene and Pearl – I love you and I didn’t mean to show you up.
DISCLAIMER: I totally guessed at this. I haven’t been down in Tennessee rooting through dumpsters at the THM facilities. I don’t know how this happened other than to say it was a shot in the dark. I’ve no intentions of selling it, so I don’t see any reason to end up standing in front of a judge. It can’t be the same recipe, because I’ve never seen the real recipe.
Try both recipes and see if you like them. I’ve grown to love making it up into buns as pictured because it seems more versatile for our needs. There is a slight tweak to make if you do these the way I do, so be sure to read the notes and see the weird bun pan in the photo. If this bread saves you money, makes your life simpler and keeps you away from “frankenfood” breads, that’s great. You could literally whip up a batch every day and never strain a wrist. If it’s not quite your thing, then by all means go for the real thing and order up some “No Carb Easy Bread” from Trim Healthy Mama.
I’m offering you a free printable with both recipes on one sheet so that you can jump right in and make both breads.
TIP: When I made the “E” sandwiches, I used a Laughing Cow light cheese wedge to spread over the two halves of the fun. Half of the sandwiches I then drizzled balsamic glaze onto the Laughing Cow for a sweeter flavor and on the other half, I generously added the Kickin’ Dippin’ Sauce, Dip or Dressing (page 518, Trim Healthy Table) for those who like a more spicy flavor. (I added a little gluccie to the blender when making this to make it a bit thicker.) I had the deli slice my provolone cheese on the #1 thickness so that I could keep the fat on the sandwich to a minimum by using one slice. Lettuce leaves and mesquite deli turkey breast completed the tasty “E” sandwich.
Here are both recipes. Don’t forget your free printable below.
Coach Barb’s Copy-cat No-Carb Easy Bread “FP”
1 1/3 cup egg whites (I use carton type for this)
1 package of dry mix (see the mixture below)
¾ cup water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites vigorously for 60 seconds until very frothy.
Add dry mix and water; whisk until well combined.
Pour into a parchment lined 9”X5” loaf pan.. Carve a large “X” across the top. Or, pour into 6 or 7 holes of a silicone mesh 4” bun pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 50-60 minutes for bread or for 20-25 minutes for buns. Use convection setting if you have it and reduce the cooking time accordingly. (I do bread for 50 minutes and buns for 20 minutes on convection.)
Grasp the edges of the parchment paper, lift the loaf from the pan and place on a cooling rack as soon as it is finished baking. Peel away the parchment and cool completely. If using a mesh-style bun pan, allow to cool ten minutes in the pan and they should “peel” from the mesh cleanly.
Dry Mix 1/2 cup oat fiber
1/2 cup golden flax meal
1/2 cup whole husk psyllium flakes
1/2 cup unblanched almond flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon erythritol
½ teaspoon mineral salt
2 doonks Pure Stevia extract
Now for the version that gives you all those good carbs!
Coach Barb’s Slow-Carb Easy Bread “E”
1 1/3 cup egg whites (I use carton type for this)
1 package of dry mix (see the mixture below)
¾ cup water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites vigorously for 60 seconds until very frothy.
Add dry mix and water; whisk until well combined.
Pour into 9”X5” loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Carve a large “X” across the top. Or, pour into 6 or 7 parchment lined holes of a 4” bun pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour for bread or for 20-25 minutes for buns. Use convection setting if you have it and reduce the cooking time accordingly. (I do my loaf for 50 minutes and my buns for 20 minutes on convection.)
Take hold of the edges of the parchment paper and lift the loaf from the pan and place on a cooling rack as soon as it is finished baking. Peel away the parchment and allow to cool completely. If using the mesh-style bun pan, allow the buns to cool ten minutes in the pan and then they will peel away from the mesh without pulling apart.
Dry Mix
4 ounces oat flour (or 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons)
¼ cup golden flax meal
¼ cup psyllium husk flakes (add two more tablespoons if making buns in the mesh style pan – See notes)
1 tablespoon unblanched almond flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon erythritol
½ teaspoon mineral salt
2 doonks Pure Stevia extract
NOTES: I had trouble finding a bun pan with holes large enough for what I considered a hamburger sized bun. I ended up with the one in the photo which I found on Amazon. Even though the description said “mesh”, I was not prepared for the rolled up thing that arrived – the limp and floppy thing you see here. I had my serious doubts as to whether it could even be used for such a loose dough as this. I did end up stirring in 2 additional tablespoons of the psyllium husk flakes to make the dough thicken a little before spooning into the holes. I also thought the buns might not want to come out of the pan, but let them cool 10 minutes and you’ll be able to “peel” them right off the mesh! Strangest item of cookware I’ve ever bought! If you like a taller bun, then be sure to fill only 6 holes rather than 7. Look for something which has holes in the 4” range if you want more of a bun rather than a muffin size. Here’s the link to the one I ordered.
YIELD: 6 or 7 buns or 1 loaf of bread.
Grab that FREE PRINTABLE RECIPE!
I give full credit and honors to Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison for the inspiration for these recipes and for their great products at TrimHealthyMama.com such as No-Carb Easy Bread mix. Thank you for all you do to help others live a healthy life!
If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page or my Food Freedom pages on Facebook and Mewe and let me know. I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis. Private coaching can be done in person or by phone. Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!
The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and certainly to lose weight if you need to do that.
Leave a comment and let me know how you like the bread and what is your favorite way to enjoy it.
It’s fun to try something new, especially when it’s this easy!
