Waffles That Work!

I have missed posting lately and must be honest, our house had the crud for weeks. Everyone got it. It was miserable. And I cheated a lot. I tried to be good and eat some great THM food, but when you’re sick and haven’t planned ahead, it’s hard. One of the keys to eating healthier is planning, planning, planning. If you don’t, you might stop at a fast food restaurant and make a poor choice. There ARE good choices to be made there, but in a febrile state, I usually make bad decisions. Like french fries, a burger with a bun, or my personal vice…pizza. However, I have been exercising with my kettle bells several times a week or walking 6-7 miles on my work days, so it hasn’t been all doom and gloom.

However, every 3 hours you can make a choice to change what you eat, and since I’m finally feeling like myself again, I’ve been making better choices. In fact, yesterday I got a Raspberry Topped Special Agent Cake (recipe in the THM Cookbook!) made. It’s in the fridge now, all frosted, and waiting on me to eat it at 4pm. It’s an S and I had an E lunch, so I’m giving my body a chance to metabolize my E food before I delve into it.

But today…today has been a big day for me. After trying multiple waffle recipes that did not quite fit the bill, today I discovered one via the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group that I can really live with. It looks like a waffle, it smells like a waffle, it cuts like a waffle. Most importantly, it tastes like a waffle. And if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck, right?

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Note, that they are a lovely golden brown color! (and Olaf and a rock are looking on in the background! lol) They do bake up in just about the same time as the regular Bisquick waffles we are all so accustomed to, so keep an eye on them. I sprayed my iron well with coconut oil spray (I got mine from Trader Joe’s but even normal grocers have it now!). It made 10 of these using 1/4 cup in each section. As you can see, I have placed them in baggies and they are now in my freezer for easy E breakfasts this week on my early days in the hospital. Drop them in the toaster and they’re good to go in minutes.

I topped them with just a bit of that blueberry syrup from Aldi I blogged about a few weeks ago.

The revolutionary thing about these waffles was the suggestion of a THMer to use butter extract. Why I never thought of this before, I do not know, but it is what makes them taste more realistic and keeps them an Energizing meal choice. I used about a teaspoon of it, as well as a few shakes of cinnamon.

Below is the recipe as posted on Facebook. I am not sure who the original credit should go to, as sometimes the posts are hard to follow. If you have not requested to be a part of this wonderful group, please do! There are awesome recipes, stories and testimonials from people (men included) who do THM, and it keeps it at the forefront of your mind that you, too, need to be eating well! It’s a great way to keep yourself accountable even without a partner!

Here’s that wonderful recipe. I omitted the cocoa powder, used vanilla whey protein powder, not chocolate, and used applesauce instead of greek yogurt. I tend to like applesauce better in bread-like recipes! Remember to add in the butter extract and a few shakes of cinnamon!

 

TTFN!

Adapting your existing recipes

One of the challenges to learning a new way of eating is keeping some of your old favorite recipes. Most of mine have to do with dessert, but some are main dishes or breakfast foods. When you try to cook with new flours instead of white flour, the learning curve is huge. Coconut flour, for instance, can tend to taste like coconut so you might want to mask the flavor. One of my favorite ways to do this is with almond extract, or vanilla extract, or both! Another consideration is that coconut is highly absorbent so you need more liquids than in your usual recipe to offset that liquid. Sugar alcohol sweeteners often require less than your usual amount of white sugar. Xylitol, however, is a 1:1 ratio, so that’s what I’ve been “starting” with in  my normal recipe. **Toxic to your dogs, so don’t get them the scraps. I don’t give them to my cats or chickens either, for good measure**

Probably my all time favorite pie recipe is for Chocolate Chess Pie. It was from my grandmother on my dad’s side and very few people have ever heard of it. In my entire childhood/teen years, I only met one young lady who had ever had it and she was from Pennsylvania. Given my Swiss-German roots from over 200 year ago, perhaps that is why… as many Germans settled PA? I’m not sure. Regardless, I love this recipe. I can eat an entire pie in one sitting.

As you can clearly see, the need was GREAT to have some of this pie, so I have adapted the original recipe.

This is a pie that needs a crust, so you can use any low carb crust in place of a refrigerator crust – whatever suits your need. I tried it with almond flour crust, but the flavor was a bit stronger than the original. Next time, I will try another. But the filling was spot on. Chess pie is a bit like a cross between a brownie and a cream pie with a little bit of a mealy texture. It’s hard to describe. Texture-phobes will probably not enjoy this recipe. It’s definitely an S, with butter, heavy cream, and almond and coconut flours 🙂

 

Granny’s Chocolate Chess Pie (S)

2 eggs

1 cup xylitol (or other measures like sugar sweetener)

1 TBSP almond flour

1 scan TBSP coconut flour

3 TBSP Hershey’s cocoa powder (regular not dark, no other brand will do!)

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 a stick!)

1 tea vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch pie crust shell. Cook at 375 for 33-35 min. until top is set, but pie jiggles when moved. You may need to cover your exposed crust with foil the last 15 min. or so. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator. This pie is really best if you refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to truly meld.

 

Finding new things!

For any THMer, one of the key elements to being successful in this new way of eating is finding products that you love AND are on plan AND are quick and easy. Most of us are busy people with more on our plate than we can handle. I have become a Drive-Thru Sue…that’s the person that values convenience and rarely makes food that is time consuming.

If you haven’t shopped at Aldi, please go and go often. They have lots of things that will make your THM life easier. I used to coupon and get great deals at some of the local grocery stores; there are still things I will go to Bi-Lo and get, but for the most part, they have just gotten way too expensive and I can get most of the same items without couponing at Aldi that I would have gotten at Bi-Lo. These items are things like my basics – almond milk, heavy cream, eggs and other dairy products, veggies, fruits, baking staples (baking powder, soda, salt, spices), coconut oil, and then breads. Aldi now has sprouted bread that’s on plan, golden flax seed, chia seed, etc! I like to think of Aldi in much the same way that I would as “shopping the perimeter” of a grocery store. If you’ve never heard of this concept, let me introduce you. Think about your normal grocery store. What’s on the perimeter? If I go in my local store, it will be produce on the right side, meat on the back, and dairy on the left side. These are the key elements to a healthy diet. All that stuff on that aisles? Most of it is loaded with white sugar, white flour, and high fructose corn syrup. There are some treasures that you will need to brave those aisles for, but not many. So Aldi is much like shopping the perimeter of a normal store.

Also, the weekly sales there are just amazing. Buy the “produce picks of the week” and you will save a ton of money. Bananas for 29 cents a pound? cha-ching! (yes, we eat few of those on plan, but the kids love them!). 3 packs of bell peppers for $1.99? Sold! Bags of lemons for cheap? Yes, please! In addition to these produce picks, I love the middle sales. The first week this year was dedicated to fitness. I got a 3 pack of kettle bells (a 20, 15, and 10 lb each set, I think) was only $19.99. Kettle bells are NOT cheap in Target. $13 a pop. I’m so glad I waited. They also had fitness mats, water bottles, and such. This week it’s the cleaning products. I decided to get a cleaning basket (you know, the one with the handle in the middle, so you can carry around all your cleaners?) for $3.99 and put all my THM baking ingredients in it. This way I can easily grab them all out of the pantry when it’s time for my muffin in a mug or whatever. AND it’s extremely sturdy. This is not cheapo by any means.

My favorite items were some that I had never seen before and deserve pictures!

Steel cut oats! Sometimes these are just hard to find and they truly are the best for you!

I couldn’t believe my eyes on this one. Blackberry (turned backwards so you can see the label), raspberry, and blueberry syrups. $3.99. All three made it into my cart. These are sweetened with maltitol which is a sugar alcohol. While not “technically” on plan, they are doable. Hershey’s sugar free baking chips are sweetened with the same thing and they are amazingly tasty. Just don’t overdo this one as it will give you quite the tummy ache if you do! I can envision myself using these on waffles, pancakes, and the raspberry would be incredible on anything chocolate! You can certainly make your own syrups, but out of season berries are expensive and this is the cheaper and more convenient.

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Now to share one of my favorite new recipes of the week, using those green peppers I told you about. Philly stuffed green peppers. Instead of using a carby bread, you stuff the peppers. They were absolutely amazing. I shook some dried oregano on top to give it a little kick. Yum! And you can reheat these in the microwave for a quick lunch.

My favorite dessert of all time is the chocolate  chip cookie. If I were stranded on an island and could only have one dessert, it would be the chocolate chip cookie. This THM version is made in a ramekin and I did use those //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tentimestasti-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0040IYGQ2&asins=B0040IYGQ2&linkId=HS45QBT53SVE6M5Z&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>Hershey’s Sugar Free Baking Chips I just spoke of. You can often find them at Walmart, but Amazon also carries them. Some people make skinny chocolate, but I was in desperate need of this dessert and didn’t have time for all that jazz. I have made this many times and it is my go to dessert!

Here’s the pin for this recipe. Chocolate Chip Cookie In a Ramekin

My THM pinterest board is FULL of chocolate recipes, so if you are a chocolate fan, be sure to look at my other pins!

Beginning this journey again

To all of you who want to be healthier, but don’t know where to start, this is for you. I entitled this first post “Beginning this journey again” because I have started this journey before. After 3 kids it’s time to lose the extra weight. But I LOVE FOOD. And I LOVE SWEET FOOD. TASTY FOOD. SOUTHERN FOOD. And I dislike doing much exercise. THM ( //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tentimestasti-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1101902639&asins=1101902639&linkId=5P6NU4SBE74UERZR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>Trim Healthy Mama) has been a Godsend. I started doing THM a couple of years ago and lost 2 sizes in 2 weeks. Then I got busy, quit planning ahead, and got lazy. I still had the knowledge, but not the will to stick with it.

After my last baby, I resolved not to buy any more of “my size clothes,” but to get back down to a healthy weight. My 15 extra pounds is hurting my knees and my feet and my heart. 15 pounds? Yes, 15 pounds. And in another year if I don’t change it will be 16 or 17 and then 18 or 19 and then 30….just like that! Into middle adulthood, it isn’t at all uncommon for Americans to gain 1-5 pounds per year depending upon their diet, stress levels, and lack of exercise. I have been a nurse for almost 14 years and I have seen what consuming sugar will do to a person. Diabetes is one of the top killers in the South and insulin resistance is on the rise. At least 2 of my 6 patients every day is a diabetic. The folks lose their eyesight, their kidney function, their heart health, their toes, feet, and legs. It isn’t pretty.

But it’s preventable.

The diet programs that have been around forever DO NOT work. If they did, our population would not be obese. So as an example to my patients, my family, and to improve my own health, I begin this THM journey again and you are welcome to come along for the ride. THM works. I’ve seen it firsthand in myself and in my friends. It’s not some crazy gimmick – you just learn to pair your foods differently. It is good food. Real food.

BUTTER

CHOCOLATE

CHEESE

BEEF

No holds barred, I will give you the truth and nothing but the truth.

To give you some statistics, I am 34 years old. 5 ft. 4 1/2 in. tall, and I weighed in Saturday at 136.5 lbs. I called Saturday my official “start day.”

Here’s what I ate! And by the way, we have Supper, not Dinner. It’s ten times tastier when you call it Supper.

Breakfast: E: Plain Greek yogurt sweetened with a doonk of stevia extract and flavored with lemon juice and lemon zest, Twinings Christmas tea (amazing!)

Lunch: (off plan) Two slices of Sam’s pizza. We were running errands. It’s okay to eat off plan, just jump back on.

Supper: S: Hot Dogs (Oscar Meyer All Beef) without a bun, mustard, ketchup, sliced cheddar cheese. (If you’re new to THM, S is Satifsying and if you eat off plan, one of the best ways to help your metabolism is to have an S for the next meal.)

Sunday (Day 2)

Breakfast: Chocolate overnight oatmeal (Briana Thomas has the most tasty recipes!)

http://www.briana-thomas.com/my-fave-overnight-oatmeal/  

Lunch: S: Hamburger patty (Ballpark frozen ones – fried on the stove!) with melted provolone cheese, tomatoes, hamburger dill chips, and water with lemon

Supper: E: Broiled tilapia (again frozen ones from Walmart) with salt, pepper, and Zesty Lemon seasoning (Weber) and just a spray of coconut oil to prevent pan sticking and keep the seasonings stuck on top, mixed greens salad loaded with fresh veggies: mushrooms, cukes, peppers, carrots, and homemade Italian dressing (I was out of good oil, so I had to use a little vegetable oil which is off plan. Sniff sniff)

All in all, this was a very good on plan day. Sundays are tough, but all of these meals were quick and easy. Less than 15 minutes of prep.

Monday (Day 3)

This is where the headache from sugar detoxing started to hit. This is normal. Normal, I say. Did I tell you what sugar does to the brain? It makes it light up on a scan like cocaine, igniting pleasure centers in our brain. Why does this matter? Because sugar is addictive – just as addictive as cocaine. Let that sink in…

 

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Back to Day 3.

Breakfast: E: Brownie Batter Pancakes from eatyourselfskinny

Lunch: E-ish, but off plan: 2 Grilled Chicken Wraps (Wendy’s drive thru). I didn’t eat all of the wrap and was disappointed that it was dripping in some sweet Russian-imposter dressing.  I should have gotten a grilled chicken salad.

Supper: S Crossover: Baked Pork Loin with Salt, Pepper, and Garlic and Peppercorn seasonings. Leftover side of a rice/orzo mix. Sweet Pumpkin Casserole from mrscriddleskitchen.com. Blackberries.

Mrs. Criddle is wonderful! All of her recipes are great! I would add a few more spices next time, just because I love the fall spices.

Tuesday (Day 4)

Breakfast: E: More of those Brownie Batter Pancakes and some tea. Yes. My name is Melissa and I am a Chocoholic.

Brunch: (off plan) I had a friend over working on the new upcoming semester and we had Downton Abbey Organic Scones with Lemon Curd and fresh Whipped Cream, Blackberries, and Russian tea along with other assorted teas.

Lunch: E: Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup, 2 Wasa Crackers, 2 BabyBell Light Cheese circles. Water with lemon. You can find this recipe in Serene and Pearl’s *NEW* THM Cookbook. It is amazing.

Supper: (S) Chicken Fajitas. Frozen chicken with freshly sliced peppers and onions in a tortilla boat (just one – off plan), sour cream, cheddar cheese, with 4 Flax Tortilla chips and salsa!

Wednesday (Day 5)

Breakfast: S: Leftover Sweet Pumpkin  Casserole, Fried Bacon, Hot Tea.

Lunch: E: Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup, 2 Wasa Crackers, 2 BabyBell Light Cheese circles. Water with lemon. My friend gave me a container of nutritional yeast and I used it as the recipe said and it made it ten times tastier than yesterday!
//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tentimestasti-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B002863BIW&asins=B002863BIW&linkId=SFVR7XMFH6FZZVVM&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast

Supper: E: We’re having Venison Meatloaf with steamed asparagus.

 

For some of these THM recipes, you’ll need a good quality sweetener. I have tried and used Truvia and some of the other options, but I do love the THM branded sweeters better. The flavor and texture is just superb. //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=tentimestasti-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00Q4OL47O&asins=B00Q4OL47O&linkId=B5UND6OI2UZZUWIR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>THM Sweet Blend is one of my favorites.

This is my story and I’m sticking to it.