THREE BIG THM CHEERS FOR RED ROBIN!!! A+++

I have tried to eat out at a lot of places and eat the THM way... and with my experience buffets are probably one of the easiest. Other restaurants have menus that say they are gluten free, low fat, or low carb, but are not really and totally THM friendly. If you go to most fast food restaurants, they take away the bun, but it only leaves me hungry and paying more for other things... BUT, I went to Red Robin and found it to be very THM fitting AND filling!  

On their menu there are SOOO many different hamburgers and then their never-ending fries...  BUT, Red Robin will substitute a never ending salad for the fries for no extra charge, and give you lettuce for your 'bun'. Here you can see I got the burger with mushrooms and swiss cheese... (no ketchup for me).  Let me just say... it was total deliciousness right there!!!  I was so full and satisfied when I left that I wanted to tell EVERYONE!!!  Okay, so, maybe I have only a handful of friends on this diet... but this was sooo good, seriously!! 

Looking for a place to eat that everyone in the family will be happy? Here is a great place to go for those on the Trim Healthy diet or not!!  Enjoy!!  AND, let me know what you think! 

Red Robin gets the THM award from me!!!  

Magic Angel Bread 2 for THM

My family absolutely LOVES hamburgers... and it is probably one of the things I miss the most on the Trim and Healthy Mama diet!!  Lean ground beef just does not make a good hamburger for a lean E meal... SO, I finally tried Angel bread!!  I will say that it is definitely good and although I didn't care to eat it by itself, it is actually good as a bun for a hamburger.  It helped the crave and helped me stay true to the diet!!!

Doesn't this picture make your mouth water??? 

So, to start...

3 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp stevia or sweetener of choice

4 laughing cow wedges

2 Tbsp. coconut flour and 1 Tbsp. water (optional) 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Take your egg whites and cream of tartar and beat them to soft peaks.  Set aside

In a separate bowl, beginning by beating wedges, add egg yolks and salt until whipped creamy.

If you decide to use the coconut flour and water, add now to this mixture. 

GENTLY fold in (DO NOT BEAT) half the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites.

Continue adding in all the egg yolk mixture, being sure not to mix too much. 

You want this mixture light and fluffy!! 

Put them on a pan (hopefully a little more even than I did here! 

Bake at 300 for 20 - 30 minutes depending on size.

They should get lightly brown, do not over cook!

And, don't look at the bottom of my oven... my daughter made some pies for Easter (need I say more).. 

These are not bread by any means... but have a nice texture and flavor.

Put in sealed container...

 Lightly toast before eating them, since they get kinda sticky when sealed up for any length of time!

Magic Angel Bread Hamburger for THM

Yep...  turned out good... need I say more? 

Cordon Bleu Revised for Trim and Healthy Mama and Weekly Report

Joy was making one of my favorite meals, Cordon Bleu Fettachini, this past week and I knew I would cheat if I didn't have a Plan B!!  This is a luscious white sauce with chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, chicken bouillion over pasta.  This would be a crossover meal indeed, and I had already eaten too many crossovers!!  I also didn't really want to make it low-fat with no flavor and little noodles, so I opted it as an S meal with very little carbs!  

Take a medium to large chicken breast and slice it in half so you have two thin flat chicken pieces.  I also pounded it with our kitchen mallet to get it thinner.  Then layer some ham and Swiss cheese slices on each flattened chicken piece. Roll each one up to have two 'logs' ready to go in the pan!  

Now grab that frying pan and put 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk), 1 bouillon cube, 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese and 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (this last ingredient is more important than it sounds) and stir well!!  Turn heat on low and bring to a simmer while stirring. Add chicken, close lid and allow to simmer til sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through - it took mine about 15 - 20 minutes, but depending on the thickness of your chicken wrapped cordon bleu, it may be different.  Just before serving add a slice of Swiss cheese to the sauce til melted, this is to add more cordon bleu flavor.  

This may not, at first glance, look like the most appetizing meal... but this is so rich FLAVOR!!

After you cut into it, THIS is where you see the beauty of these wonderful chicken 'wraps'...

Cordon Bleu S Meal

Thin and Healthy Mama S Meal - Yummm!

Looking at these pictures, makes me ready to make it all over again!!!  yummm

Make a delicious low carb salad to complement this, or a cooked green vegetable would be great too! 

Anyway, for the weekly report - I have lost one pound for the past week! YAY!!  

I still ate quite a few crossover meals this past week and several desserts... which definitely slows the weightloss down considerably... but, Selena and Pearl did say NOT to lose it too fast, right?

Well, that is my excuse anyway and I am sticking to it!! lol

I did make my fitbit goals this past week and am receiving points for it on my 

Walgreens card, so I am a happy camper!! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Italian Burgers to DIE FOR!!! Trim and Healthy Mama S Meal

Trim and Healthy Mama's 'diet' has been a good find for me!  When I am on a normal low fat diet and watching calories, I crave fats, cheeses, etc...  When I am on the Atkins type diets, I crave bread, cereal, etc...  So, to be able to enjoy both on this diet has been a great fit for me.  I always gain weight on trips away from home, but have already lost all the weight I gained a few weeks ago and .2 more (okay, so that may not be much to brag about, but I am doing good, feeling good, and happy about where I am.) 

Anyway... here are Italian burgers to DIE FOR...  (okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration... but they really are good!!)  This is a S (satisfying) meal for all Trim and Healthy Mamas!!  

Italian Burgers

I absolutely LOVE lasagna, spaghetti, and anything pasta with italian seasonings!!!  Unfortunately these are crossover meals that I cannot have very often while I am trying to lose weight... so, here is a great meal to enjoy as an S meal that is absolutely DELICIOUS!!  

Burgers

1/2  pound of hamburger (can be lean or fatty - I used 85%)

1/2  teaspoon of italian seasonings (more or less to your taste) 

1/4  teaspoon of salt (more or less to your taste) 

2     teaspoons parmesan cheese

Sauce

1     cup spaghetti sauce of your choice

1/4  cup ricotta

2     tablespoons parmesan

1/4  teaspoon garlic salt (optional - I love things salty and with garlic too!)

Topping

1/2  cup (or more) mozzarella cheese

This is such an easy meal!!!  Mix together the burger ingredients, Form two patties and put in frying pan. Cook on each side for 1 - 2 minutes on medium heat until browned on each side.   Add sauce and cheeses, turn down heat, cover and simmer until burgers are cooked through - usually about 15 - 20 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top, cover and cook another 2 minutes.  Serve with a side salad, pea pod stir fry (like I have pictured above), broccoli or healthy veggie with little to no carbs.  

This is such a satisfying meal and helps me when I am craving a nice double serving of lasagna!!  

BUSY Three Weeks and back to Trim and Healthy Mama's Diet...

Well, it has been a BUSY three weeks!  My son, David's wedding was absolutely beautiful!!  All the hard work and crazy weeks, days, and hours of work paid off from everyone involved!!  AND, we have now all made it home safely!!  We picked up Joy from the airport yesterday, since she drove home with Joseph and Sarah and visited with her grandparents for a week.

We also had a missionary family visit this week/weekend - the Henderson family with 10 children... WOW!!!  We had a great time of fellowship... they were  such a blessing to us!  We will be praying for them, their travels, and for them to get support to go to Guam!!

The stress before and during our trip was a tough one for losing weight, especially since I am not a good traveler and have a traveling syndrome that always makes me gain weight when away from home.  But, I only gained 4 pounds (due to eating something that made me sick one day) and I have already lost 2 of those pounds!!  YAY!

After a break for a few weeks, today I am back on Trim and Healthy Mama's diet and ready to LOSE more!!    Sometimes a break gives me a more positive focus and I am very excited about losing right now!

Today for breakfast I had two delicious egg cups for breakfast - with eggs, mushrooms, cheese, onions and bacon!  yummm... (I did not eat the toast pictured here although some mornings when I need an S helper I will eat a half piece of Sarah Lee bread that has only 45 calories per slice - so when I eat a half, it only has 22 1/2 calories - with a little fruit-only preserve - no sugar added)...

 For lunch I had an amazing taco salad (with no chips)...  So filling and satisfying!!

 Trim and Healthy Mama is a way I that can eat and enjoy eating - every day and almost every  meal!!  It is satisfying and energizing...  Read one of my previous posts to see a very small summary of this book!  

Thanks for stopping by!

WEEK 4 REPORT

This is the 4th week since jumping back to this blog.  I only lost one pound this week... many things happening the past 7 days including a bridal shower and a birthday for my son.  Next week won't be much better with a potluck on Sunday and being busy with wedding plans. Somehow, when life gets busy I tend to just stuff food in my mouth on the go and feel more food helps me have more energy.
And although food is energy, too much food is NOT!

Even though I did lose a little, I felt like I took a setback this week on the diet, although I probably ate right 75% of the time... it's that 25% that is hurting me!!

I love this quote from Spark People and thought I would share it with anyone else struggling a little out there!  Hope you are having a great week... if you have had a setback, jump back on with me!!

Week 3 Report / Summary of Trim Healthy Mama

Today marks 3 weeks since I started back at blogging on here and I am happy to report a 3 pound loss for the week!  I have implemented some of the things from Trim and Healthy Mama and am finding I have to be careful not to lose too much too fast (as they warned in the book!)  

So, a simple run-down of the diet (a book of over 600 pages with tips, recipes, etc.) - There are 4 kinds of meals: S meals (satisfying), E meals (energizing), FP meals (fuel pull), and Crossover Meals.  

In short: 

S Meals are kinda like Atkins - high fat meats, salads with creamy dressings, non-carb veggies with butter or cheese sauces, etc) and no carbs. Although you can have an S helper (one small carb, like a half an apple, half a toast, etc.) for those who can't cut out carbs or to keep you from losing too fast... yes, even at the age of 48, I am finding I have to be careful not to lose it too fast!!  These meals make you feel very satisfied (and like you are cheating on the diet).

E Meals are kinda like a low-fat meal - low fat meat, veggies without the butters, sauces, cheeses, etc. and a carb or two.. although very low fat cheeses are also allowed for this meal.  It does not mean you scarf down on carbs either!  The carbs in this meal make it very energizing!!

Crossover Meals can have both fat and carbs in the same meal - beware, it is not like throwing the diet to the wind, and it is only used once a week while losing weight, or several times a week when maintaining. Things like a taco, piece of lasagna, etc...   Since some of these meals neither fit in an S meal or an E meal.  I eat mine on Sundays for lunch.  Joy and I also do eat a dessert for that meal!  yummmmy...  I thought this meal would ruin my diet and make me gain a pound or two each week, but I have been pleasantly surprised with the fact I have not gained!!  

FP Meals are meals with low fat and no carbs - like grilled salmon and a salad with vinegar, or a shrimp stir fry made with veggies and very little olive oil.  These meals can still be very filling if planned well. Joy and I have found several combinations that work great!!!

Tips: 

* When changing meal plans always keep them 3 hours apart!!  Otherwise the fat from one meal and the carbs in the other may combine for weight gain...  

* Sugar and honey are given up... Yep, the mama of Cakes by the SugarCains just said that!!  (If you don't know us, you can look us up online on Facebook, Blogger, Cake Central, Pinterest.)  I LOVE LOVE LOVE sugar, candy, honey... and anything made with these wonderful ingredients!!  Once a week I still enjoy one of our amazing desserts, but the rest of the week, I have actually found I feel better without the sweet stuff (did I just say that?  WOW!!)  

* There are several ingredients that can really add weight... bananas (high in sugar and carbs), milk (the hormones given to cows to make their appetites increase, also make our appetites increase - wow), corn (regularly fed to animals getting fattened up for the slaughter), juices (full of natural sugar without the needed fiber that goes into our systems so fast that it is not good for our blood sugar) and many others...  does this mean I never eat these things... NO!!  I am aware of their affects and monitor their intake carefully.  

* Eating in this way, keeps your blood sugars balanced and steady... In the book Pearl and Serene explain how our normal diets (even what some call 'healthy' are making us fat)...  which I can't really explain, you will have to read the book on that one....

** It is switching things up that makes the metabolism fire up and burn more...  just like switching up your exercise routine can rev up your metabolism, your food intake can also!

The Authors:

Pearl and Serene are sisters and are very transparent as they explain their own past diets and failures in a very down-to-earth way. I like how they each have different views and argue between themselves in the book (just like sisters!! but it also gives you different ideas of it.)  

My Summary:

It is not a book of dos and don'ts exactly... they give their ideas and thoughts, but everyone figures out what works best for them.  I almost always add an S helper to an S meal, because I have learned  through reading other books, that combinations of foods give you the best possible absorption of vitamins in your foods. I like the drink ideas - The Shrimker and Good Girl Moonshine are flavorful and healthy ideas. Trim and Healthy Mama has LOTS of recipes, and probably half do not sound good to me... but, through Pinterest, there are numerous ideas and help online!!  This diet is growing quite popular, but the best thing is... it is a diet I could live with for the rest of my life.  Even a woman who is pregnant could live on this diet if she is careful to switch up her meals often to keep a good balance of carbs, proteins, and produce!