The Mommy Olympics

As I was carrying in groceries tonight, I thought "mommies who shake bottles can carry more groceries at once than mommies who don't." Seriously, I can't make that up. Then I thought "there should be an Olympic Games for all the physical things moms do. (Which by the way, I plan to win cause I'm competitive). And then all these different "events" started coming to mind and I have to write them down or they won't stop floating around in my brain.

1. Who can get 3 young children out of a burning house the fastest, barefoot in pjs of course.
2. Who can read the most stories in a row without losing the "happy character voices."
3. Who can feed their child a nutritionally balanced meal while personally having a stomach bug.
4. Who can do dishes, laundry, and clean the house on the least amount of sleep.
5. Who can carry 2 children (totaling 50 lbs or more) the farthest.
6. Who can go the longest without turning on PBS, Disney Jr., a video, etc on for their child.
7. Who can make the least effort on hair and make up and still look acceptable to shop at the mall (clearly Walmart's standards wouldn't work).
8. Who can keep a sleepy child awake on a 20 minute ride home from above stated mall.
9. Who can stay up the latest without crashing on the couch.

I'm sure there are more events worthy of this Olympic Games. What comes to mind for you?

THM Part 4 - My Favorite Recipes: Chocolates

This blog needs very little introduction.  I think we all need a little chocolate sometimes.  And having some "THM Skinny Chocolate" on hand keeps you on plan and losing weight.  At first I thought I could get away with a piece of Dove Dark Chocolate every afternoon.  I was losing weight but slowly.  When I cut out all sugar sweetened treats and switched to THM chocolates, my weight started falling off again.  As of today, I've lost 23.5 lbs with THM.  15 of those were baby weight.  The rest is extra.  I weigh the same as I did in college, I'm only 3 lbs above my wedding weight, and only 8.5 lbs away from my prom weight!  So yes, you can have your chocolate and eat it too :)

These are our family favorites.  There's no eggs in these recipes, so I highly recommend you dip a pinky in and taste your chocolate before you pour them into muffin liners and freeze them.  Start with a small amount of stevia and add more to fit your taste and the stevia brand you buy.  The flavor still changes just a bit after freezing, but you'll get better and better with these recipes in time.  Enjoy!

Homemade Protein-Packed Peanut Butter Cups

(Makes 24)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Layers:

2 C. Coconut Oil

1/2 C. Hershey’s Dark Cocoa

2 tsp. NuStevia Powder

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Peanut Butter Layer:

3/4 C. Coconut Oil

1 Regular Size Jar of Peanut Butter

1 Scoop (Approx. 1/4 C.) Protein Powder

1 tsp. NuStevia Powder

Line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners.  Melt the Coconut Oil for the Chocolate Layers.  Mix the remaining “Chocolate Ingredients.”  Pour a small amount to cover the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Set aside the remaining chocolate for the top layer.  Put the pans in the freezer for 10-30 minutes until set.

Melt the coconut oil for the Peanut Butter layer.  Add the peanut butter to it.  Put in microwave for 30-60 seconds longer if needed to mix.  Add the protein powder and the stevia to taste.  Pull the pans from the freezer and pour the peanut butter layer into each tin.  Return to freezer until solid.

Pull from freezer and pour the final chocolate layer on top.  Put back in freezer for 20-40 minutes until frozen.  Pull them all out and put into a gallon size Ziploc bag.  You can either store them in the freezer or the refrigerator.  Use the muffin liner to hold the chocolate while you eat.  It gets messy.

Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge (S)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 C. coconut oil
• 1/2 C. peanut butter
• 1/3 C. Hershey’s Dark cocoa powder*
• 1 1/2 tsp. Stevia (to taste)

Directions:

Melt the coconut oil and peanut butter together in a pot or pan over low heat (or in the microwave). Add the Cocoa and Stevia and mix until smooth. Immediately pour into a silicone mold or into mini muffin tins which have been lined with mini muffin liners. Place in the freezer until set. Store in the refrigerator.

Yields: About 30 candies

 (Credit to the Recipe on Pinterest for the Picture... I did NOT make little hearts with mine)

Peppermint Skinny Chocolate (S)

1 C. Coconut Oil

1/3 C. Hershey’s Dark Cocoa

1 tsp. NuStevia

1 1/2 tsp. Peppermint Extract

Melt Coconut Oil.  Mix ingredients together to taste.  Pour into silicone pan or mini muffin pan with liners.  Place in freezer to set.  Put in quart size Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator.

THM Part 4 - My Favorite Recipes: Baked MIM

It comes EVERY morning; breakfast.  And there's no time to prepare for it, because before breakfast... I'm sleeping.  So we wake up and it's go time.  How can I get Erin's bottle started, food on a plate for Audrey, and something started for myself all at once.  And please, can someone get some coffee going!  I need quick solutions.  And preferably foods that we all like.  Well, after months of trying different muffins (MIMs, Basic Baking Mix, and Baked MIMs), I discovered that there is 1 recipe I like best.  It's adapted from another THM on facebook and it's Baked Versions of MIM.

Now the original recipe had about 4-5 different flavor options.  But the Blueberry, Mixed Berry, and Lemon Poppyseed taste the best in my opinion.  I've also tweaked the recipe to my taste buds.  Feel free to adjust them to your own as needed.  AND the original recipe only made 4 muffins at a time.  But you guys know I'm more efficient than that.  So, I did the math, made some adjustments, and now it makes a dozen muffins.  I make 2 dozen at a time, let them cool, then put the muffins in gallon size freezer bags.

Poof, your on plan muffin is now available in 60 seconds.  AND, these babies will keep you full for hours. 

If you provided me with your email address previously, then you have this and other recipes in your inbox right now.  If you WANT me to send you this and my other 4 staple recipes, please leave your email address in a comment and I'll get it to you.

Baked "Muffin in a Mug" (S)

Because I discovered that I really, REALLY like the MIM better baked, I took some time to bake ahead so I could freeze a variety and pull them out when needed (especially those times I am headed out the door and need a quick take-a-long snack/meal). Here's my basic recipe - tweaked the way I like it.  I tried multiple versions, but found that Blueberry and Lemon Poppyseed always tasted the best.  So now that’s all I make.

Basic Recipe – Makes 12 Muffins

3/4 C. Almond flour
1/3 C. Coconut flour
1/3 C. Oat fiber
1/3 C. Golden flax

Heaping 1/4 C. Truvia

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

3/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 C. Coconut oil (melted)
3 eggs
1 C. Almond Milk

Blueberry or Mixed Berry – Add Frozen Berries and 3 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Lemon Poppyseed – Add 3 tsp Lemon Extract and 2 tsp Poppyseeds

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl, stirring in enough of the almond milk to make a thick batter. Adjust the Almond Milk as needed to make a thick but moist batter.  Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins or muffin liners (with a light spray of pam) and bake at 400* for about 18-25 minutes until lightly brown on top.  There is very minor rise to the muffins, so fill the pan generously.  I like to sprinkle Truvia on top of the muffins for a sweet muffin top.

Other flavors recommended by THM women.
Italian cream - add in shredded coconut and chopped pecans
pumpkin maple - cut down on the almond milk and add in apx 1/3c pumpkin puree and 2 tsp. of maple flavoring
mocha - substitute strong coffee for the almond milk and add cocoa powder

Sometimes we eat the muffins with Cream Cheese.  But plain is also delicious.
I make 1 dozen of each flavor at a time.  It’s easy since most of your ingredients are identical.

THM Part 3 - Specialty Items

If you've read the book... all 607 pages of it, you can easily be overwhelmed by the number of specialty items they mention, new (complicated at times) recipes they provide, and supplements they mention.  And I haven't made ANY of those healthy drinks they tell you to sip on through the day.  Not the Singing Canary, the Good Girl Moon Shine, or the Fat Stripping Frappa.  Nor MANY of the other amazing creations.  They might be wonderful, and delicious, and perfect.  But I don't have time!  I drink water, from my refrigerator door.

However, there are a few "new to me" items that I had to start buying in order to make THM possible for us.  Most of these items are included in the recipes I'm going to share with you.  After 9 months on the diet, I can comfortably say that these are my staples and I can get by with only these extras.

I order the following items from Amazon for price and free shipping (I'm an Amazon Mom Subscriber).
1. Almond Flour - I bought Anthony's Almond Flour.  Bob's Red Mill is also a great brand.  I've used both.
2. Coconut Flour - I like Anthony's Coconut Flour too.  But again, Bob's Red Mill is another great option.
3. Stevia Extract - This is a personal taste.  I use NOW Stevia Extract in my coffee cause the Almond Milk and Creamer cover the bitter flavor.  I use NuNaturals NuStevia in my Chocolates.  My mom loves Sweetleaf Stevia Extract and Liquid Sweeteners.  And now there's even a THM Brand of Stevia Extract.  The important thing is to buy an "Extract" and then realize IT IS STRONG.  So you will have to get used to all new ideas about measuring your sweeteners.

4. Erythritol - I buy the NOW Erythritol.  I have tried Xylitol (which is a perfectly acceptable alternative), but I seem to like the Erythritol better.  And I use this to make my own "Truvia."  There is also a new THM Erythritol on their website and their own "MYO Truvia" called "Sweet Blend," but I haven't tried it.
5. Oat Fiber - I don't even remember what brand it is.  And it seems to last me forever because there is very little in each recipe... for good reason kids.  You could probably skip this item if you were trying to be minimal.
6. Glucomannan - I buy the NOW Glucomannan 100% Pure Powder.

**On a side note, my daughter Erin was diagnosed with Swallow Dysfunction at 2 months old and it required us to thicken ALL of her liquids.  It took us 4 LONG months of trial and error with 6 different thickening agents before we found a good solution.  Thanks to THM, my baby was able to drink breastmilk bottles thickened with Glucomannan.  Neither her pediatrician nor the feeding specialist had ever heard of it.  But it was our saving grace and the only thing that worked for her.  I LOVE THM for what it did for my baby.  Glucomannan thickens ANY liquid with very little powder and was only 2 calories per bottle.  Just Amazing.**

7. Coconut Oil - I tried a few expensive brands from Amazon.  But ended up preferring the "cheaper" stuff from Publix. So I use LouAna in everything. And I don't feel guilty that it's not the "higher quality oil."  It's better than vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.  So leave me alone.

8. Protein Powder - Since I am dairy free, it was difficult to find a protein powder that fit our needs.  But the SunWarrior brand came highly recommended from other THM moms and I really like it.  We buy the Warrior Blend - Vanilla Flavor.  This works great in smoothies or the Protein Packed Peanut Butter Cups.

9. Golden Flax - I quickly learned that I MUCH prefer Golden Flax to Flax Seed, etc.  I substitute Golden Flax any time I see "Flax" in a recipe.  My mom found this bag at Sams and it has lasted me a LONG time.  I really like it.  And I'm hoping she'll buy me another when I run out ;)  No pressure mom, this is only a public blog.  And I don't have a Sams Membership :/

That's it for my speciality items.  However, I recommend that you stock up on Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Extract (I use Immitation), Lots of Eggs, and TONS of Peanut Butter.  I use these items ALL THE TIME.

Alright, go find your ingredients and I'll start posting recipes!