Product recommendation - Xylitol

SWEETENER : Xylitol

Perfect for baking, no weird aftertaste, grind it and incorporate in your baking! I don't get the cramps or side effects I get with other sugar alcohols ... It is totally worth it! and THM approved for Sugar free baked goods. Made from real birch and not corn. You will love it.

© Paloma K.

Disclaimer: This product is recommended by my own personal experience, is the one I use and I highly recommend it... This post contains affiliate links.

Quinoa Salad! - E or Crossover

Hello friends! Today is the 5 Day of the 30 Day Challenge  I started on Facebook... Hopefully you'll join us! It is a quick routine of exercises to tone some muscles and I am definitely starting to feel it! It is great to have somebody else to do it with me (Thanks Karen) as it is helping me stay accountable!

Now... of course exercises are great but we need to also watch what we eat ... I am making all the right choices and eating until I am satisfied (or a little more, yeah... that's me) and I am starting to see the scale slowly (oh so slowly) go down again! It's been a while since it did that for ME so I am ecstatic (even if it's an ounce... we're headed in the right direction!)

If you already know the Trim Healthy Mama Plan then you know what I talk about when I mention "E meals or Crossovers"... if you're not on the plan you can also enjoy the recipes I share because they're healthy, yummy and nothing like your "typical Diet Food" ...

So... today I am going to share with you an amazingly delicious (and easy to make) Quinoa Salad, which you can eat in an "E" setting or as a crossover if you're at that point where you incorporate healthy crossovers to your menu.

Here it goes:

You can see it with avocado here, it is a yummy crossover!

 Quinoa Salad (E)
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of cooked red quinoa (1/2 cup uncooked)   I use this one
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 medium zucchini (or yellow squash) - cubed-
- 1 medium red tomato
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- the juice of 1/2 a lime 
- about 1 tbsp. of olive oil (you can add this if you keep it to only 1 serving and do not incorporate any other fat in your meal, it would still be an "E")
- 1 clove of garlic (very finely chopped)
- salt to taste
- 1 avocado -cubed- (ONLY FOR CROSSOVER, omit if you want to keep it an "E")
- Add 1/2 a fresh serrano or jalapeño pepper (chopped) if you can handle the heat, (you can seed it if you want to tame the heat down a bit), this will add a bit of a quick and give it more of a "Mexican flare" to it.
 
Directions:

Mix the quinoa, cilantro, zucchini, tomato, onion (and avocado if using it) in a big bowl, separately whisk together the lime, olive oil and garlic, drizzle over the quinoa mixture, season to taste and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors "mingle". Serve at room temperature (or even cold), this salad is a great accompaniment to any meat (keep your meats lean for the "E" setting).

I soooo can see it served in this salad set... I am going to add it to my Christmas List! 


 Enjoy!

© Paloma K.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. All the recommendations and suggestions are entirely my opinion.

Stuffed Celery - Thanksgiving Side Dish THM Style

Good day everyone! As Thanksgiving approaches I started to get nervous! This year is the first time I will try to create an entire "Thanksgiving Menu" following all THM principles! (Of course I'll still have to make an exception for auntie Sally's sugar cookies and also her cranberry/orange relish for hubby or he'd never forgive me!)  But I am excited to see that following the THM plan it's not hard at all to still put together and enjoy an amazing feast!

First of all... Turkey... Approved! Right? Butter it, baste it, stuff it with herbs, season it right, cook it to perfection (Turkey Roasting Times chart) and you already have your Thanksgiving food foundation, right? I can also enjoy a delicious and oh! So buttery cauliflower mash! yes... I can make gravy too! and I'm already working on my "dessert spread" recipe which will for sure include: Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream(S) and Pumpkin Muffins (S), then I started thinking of the other "sides" I usually serve and I was happy to realize I can make my amazing salads that will include delicious, satisfying, crunchy, healthy nuts and almonds, deviled eggs which are definitely a tradition in hubby's family and one of my favorites! STUFFED CELERY! ... I've already shared this recipe before, I am just making a minor tweak (substituting Worcestershire sauce for Bragg liquid aminos) and voila! You'll have a deceivingly delicious appetizer that is perfect for Thanksgiving (plus it always looks beautiful and it's fun to make)

So... here it is... back on my blog... for all my fellow Trim Healthy Mama's to enjoy!

Stuffed Celery (THM S)

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of celery (about 4-5 long stalks), trimmed, peeled (always peel your celery to remove the overly-fibrous parts) and cut into 3-4 " long pieces.
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. drained red pimientos (from a jar) - chopped
garlic powder to taste
1 tsp. horseradish (horseradish does have sugar, etc. but it's minimal and you're only going to use 1 tsp. for the whole recipe)
1-2 tsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos (this stuff is amazing! And sooo good for you!)
1/3 cup of mayo
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions: 

Blend all the ingredients together (except for the celery, of course) season with salt and pepper to taste if desired, stuff your celery, plate and Enjoy!

Super easy, isn't it? I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as my guests and I do... please let me know! I appreciate all your comments!

Also, if you'd like to join our "30 Day Strength Training Challenge" you're still on time! We're doing quick strength training exercises that are slowly increased day by day. We'd love to have you on board, check out our updates on Facebook, today is day 4th! Here's  Today's challenge by The Coffee Shop.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links but the recommendations are all mine.

© Paloma K.

Chicken and Barley CROCKPOT Soup... and a book recommendation!

Good day everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and you come back re-energized and ready to keep walking through this life in a worshipful attitude....

And talking about worship, tomorrow is the last day of Ladies Bible Study this fall! I can't believe it... that was so fast! We studied the Bible focusing on worship with the help of Lorraine Hill and her book: "Deepening Your Worship" I hope you take a look at it... it's been convicting, edifying and really a good read! It does take you all over Scripture... so get ready to get to the "cleanest pages in your Bible"

And now... to the soup...

If you are a "Trim Healthy Mama" you've probably realized that there's a lot of freedom when it comes to food... but I've found that for some reason it seems that we get a little stuck eating "S" meals and we can't seem to be able to make the healthy switch between S and E meals... I get it... don't think I don't... S meals are soooo delicious, creamy or cheesy, full of yummy/healthy fats, etc... but... if we remember, the healthiest approach to this method is to keep things moving and changing... we do have to incorporate good healthy carbs, meals with a higher carb count that will boost our energy and will keep our system on its toes.... if you didn't know this, mixing healthy carbs into your diet tell your system "it's ok", carbs help our metabolism "calm down" and the cortisol levels decrease (which helps our adrenal glands and of course helps the "fat go away")... a higher carb meal is like a "massage"... of course we shouldn't overdo them... but we should definitely include them... carbs keep things moving and provide the very necessary dietary fiber so we can be heathy and happy....

So... please remember to welcome "E" meals in your Trim Healthy Mama Menu.... Fall is here and its beautiful colors as well! We start craving soups and of course we start seeing all the amazingly delicious creamy soups appear and fill our Pinterest Boards but what about "E" soups? I do love a great turkey chili as well... but... there's more than that! The possibilities are endless... Today I am sharing one of my very favorites, this one I ended up making one day when I actually ended up ruining a whole meal when my crockpot lid chipped on one end and I ended up with tiny pieces of glass in my food, I thought it was a tragedy (it really was though!) but blessings can come out of bad things and this soup was created when I put together the only ingredients I had left for a soup.... The result was a successful, yummy "E" soup that hubby and my girls love and enjoy so much they actually get excited when they know I am making it... so here it goes:

Chicken and Barley Soup with vegetables
Yield: 4 very generous servings

Ingredients:

• 2-4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts (Depending on the size)
• 3/4 - 1 cup of raw pearl barley (I love Bob's Red Mill - Pearl Barley)
• 3 stalks of celery (chopped)
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion
• 2 medium carrots (chopped)
• 32 oz. chicken broth (fat free and preferably organic)
• about 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp. crushed dry bay leaves
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. crushed dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• sea salt to taste (be generous, about 2 teaspoons, add more if needed before serving)

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your crock pot (preferably thawed but it's ok if they're frozen),  add the rest of the ingredients on top, cover and cook in low for about 4-6 hours, remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks, gently stir to incorporate and if you need more liquid add a bit more hot chicken broth, taste and more of salt if needed. Serve immediately. Enjoy!!!

Preparing my soup in my new very much needed crockpot

If you try it... please let me know how you liked it! ;)


Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, the product recommendations are entirely my personal opinion, I have not been paid or compensated in any way to recommend them.


© Paloma K.

Zucchini/Poblano Frittata - Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Good day everybody! It is not very common for me to write a post on Saturdays but I couldn't wait any longer to share this recipe with you... If you celebrate Halloween (or if your children came home with bags of candy from school) then you probably gave in to a piece (or more) of candy... Do not let guilt keep you down because that doesn't help at all... Instead... Have a delicious and very satisfying meal that will not only will leave your stomach satisfied but will also give you the boost you need to know YOU CAN DO THIS! And on top of it all... you'll lose weight with the healthy fats that your body craves so much!

 So... I present to you my very favorite thing to have for breakfast! But it's so delicious that you can even have it for lunch or dinner:

This is the more "plain" version without the cheddar cheese....

Zucchini/PoblanoFrittata - S

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. of grass fed butter or extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 small/firm zucchini (grated) (or use 1/2 of a medium one) - for more Mexican flavors you can roast 1-2 poblano peppers (peeled and seeded) and finely chop it, use it instead or along with the zucchini -if you don't like "heat" just use zucchini... it's still amazingly delicious!
• 2-3 whole eggs (don't be afraid of eggs, they're super healthy for you, if you're still doubtful I highly recommend one of my favorite books: The Good Fat Cookbook )
• 1 oz. of 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
• 2-3 tbsp. of just shredded Cheddar (or mozzarella) cheese, grate it (about 2-3 tbsp.) -optional-
• Sea salt to taste
• Seasonings like some garlic or onion powder (optional, I don't use those often)

Note: To learn how to roast peppers in the oven... I shared step by step on my FB Page: here

Directions:
In a bowl place all of the ingredients together -except butter- (make sure you add the cream cheese in small pieces). Whisk or mix with a fork (the cream cheese shouldn't completely incorporate, you should have small clumps of cream cheese floating around, that's part of the deliciousness!!-

Melt butter (or coconut oil) in a small-medium skillet on medium/low heat, put all the ingredients in the pan and cover, for a "crispier/more golden version" increase the heat to medium and flip your frittata half-way through so it cooks well on both sides, for a creamier version (my favorite) just cover with a lid (on medium-low heat) and let it cook all the way through without flipping it (about 4 min). Serve immediately and to make it even more Mexican make sure you accompany it with a couple of slices of avocado, top with a bit more shredded cheddar cheese if desired (remember to not overdo cheese but... I guess once in a while it's not too bad)

Enjoy with a delicious cup of coffee (or a trimmaccino!) and let me know how you liked it.

Here is a picture of the "crispier" version topped with cheddar cheese

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

© Paloma K.