February – The month where diets die
February is the month that we tend to fall back into our old eating patterns. Does that sound familiar? The fresh start of the new year is over, winter drags on, and you become bored with your “new diet”. Today, I want to share 3 lessons I learned in February’s Trim Healthy Mama Journey. It will help you stay motivated to keep going!
Do you want to start at the beginning of my journey? You can read my January Trim Healthy Mama journey here.
3 Trim Healthy Mama Lessons from February
- If you are a sugar addict and you probably cannot eat sugar in moderation
- Plan all your dinners for the week on Saturday Night
- Eat leftovers for lunch
BE SURE TO PIN FOR LATER
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These are not earth-shattering lessons, but helpful none the less. As a busy, homesteading, homeschooling mom, I need to plan, organize and streamline our meals. I hope these tips will help you save time too. Are you looking for more ways to save time in the kitchen? Check out 4 Tools to Save Time in your Farm Kitchen.
Sugar Addiction
I am just going to come right out and say it. I am a sugar addict. However, listen, as bad as that is, I am thankful I am not addicted to some of my past vices. But I tend to have an addictive personality. Since coming to know the Lord, He has released me from several addictions. Unfortunately, when I am feeling stressed, I tend to fall back on bad habits. Such as eating sugar or mindlessly scrolling through Facebook rather than deal with my issues. Neither one is good for me. So I continue to seek the Lord and ask Him to help me in these areas.
I do pretty well during the week staying away from sugar. However, Sundays are always a struggle for me. My mother-in-law usually makes us wonderful homemade bread and a delicious dessert for Sunday dinner. Some weeks, I allow myself to indulge in a sugar dessert. However, I know it will be difficult to get back on track. It is better for me to stay away from sugar all together. Instead, I make myself a THM dessert. There are plenty of great desserts in both, Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and Trim Healthy Table.
What about you? Are you addicted to sugar? Would giving up sugar help you stick to Trim Healthy Mama?
Meal Planning
Take 5 or 10 minutes on Saturday night to plan the dinners for the upcoming week. It will really help you avoid the 5:00 p.m. panic. Write the meals down in a planner or whiteboard. Then take all the meat out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator for the week.
Here are the meals I was loving in February
- Cowboy Grub – This recipe is great because it is cheap. Especially if you can use ground beef from the farm if you have it! This recipe was featured on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook Group. My children love it and it is very filling.
- Chicken Bacon Bake – This recipe is on page 140 of the Trim Healthy Table Cookbook. The recipe calls for 5 cups of cooked chicken. I throw a homegrown whole chicken in the crockpot before morning chores. By the time I prepare dinner after evening chores, the chicken is finished and I use it in the recipe. The recipe also calls for chicken broth and I just scoop some out of the bottom of the crockpot. I also use homemade mayo and yogurt. It really cuts the cost of this recipe.
- Chicken Veggie Rice Soup – I used the Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup recipe in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook as inspiration for my own recipe. This is my oldest son’s new favorite soup. It uses homegrown chicken and homemade chicken broth.
- Zoodles with Meatballs – There is a Marvelous Make-ahead Meatballs recipe on page 208 of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook. It makes 140 meatballs. It does require 8 pounds of ground beef, but that is no problem if you are a beef farmer or find a great sale on ground beef!
Freeze the meatballs in appropriate portions (35 meatballs)for a meal. Then take them out of the freezer in the morning. Serve them with low sugar pasta sauce over spaghetti for your family and zoodles for you.
Leftovers for Lunch
From the recipes above, double the Cowboy Grub, Chicken Bacon Bake, and the Zoodles (spaghetti noodles for the children) with Meatballs. You can eat them for lunch during the week. We usually have leftover Chicken and Rice Soup, so I do not double that recipe, but you could.
Final Numbers for February
I lost 2 pounds during the month of February. Of course, I was hoping to lose 4 or 5 pounds. However, I am really happy that I lost a couple of pounds and I didn’t gain any weight. I know that I was not very active this month. Winter is dragging on in the Upper Midwest. My older boys have all but taken over the farm chores. Oh, Glorious Day! Therefore, I really would like to commit to walking a couple of days a week.
Is Trim Healthy Mama for you?
Would you like to give Trim Healthy Mama a try? They have a wonderful new kit for beginners called Trim Healthy Starter Book & Membership Combo.
Trim Healthy Starter contains the eating plan in one easy to learn chapter, tips, and tricks to help you along your way. There are also cheat sheets for easy reference and 50 of the best and easiest recipes to get you going and loving your food! In beautiful, spiral-bound, full-color form, this book will be your guide as you begin your journey to Trim and Healthy.
Also included… a 1-year membership to TrimHealthyMembership.com. As a member, you’ll have all the resources, support and encouragement to equip you for your most successful Trim Healthy journey. You will have access to our ever-growing Recipe Database, our exclusive Menu Builder, community forums, exclusive video, audio and so much more!
*PLEASE NOTE: 1-year memberships are for new members only and can NOT be added onto existing memberships.
*Bonus gift: Learn from us in our special VIP “Starting Line” video tutorial series as we take you meal by meal and teach you how to make simple and delicious Trim Healthy meals using ingredients you are likely to have on hand in your own kitchens purchased from any grocery store.
Chicken and Rice Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- High-powered blender
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken
- 2 quarts water
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 3-4 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 4 cups frozen cauliflower (or 1 whole, fresh cauliflower) cut into pieces
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 oz cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
Instructions
- Place chicken, water, and spices into slow cooker
- Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours
- Remove chicken from slow cooker, remove meat from bones (resserve carcass to make bone broth)
- Place broth into a large stock pot, add cauliflower and bring to quick boil until cauliflower is tender
- place cauliflower and approximately 2 cups of broth in the blender and blend until smooth. Set aside
- Add onions, carrots, and celery to stockpot. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until veggies are tender.
- Add the cream cheese to blender and puree until blended
- Add the chicken and rice to the stockpot. Simmer 5 minutes or until hot.
- Add the contents of the blender to the stockpot. Stir until blended. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until hot.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking and serve.
What about you? Are you ready to give Trim Healthy Mama a try? Are you a soup person? You can read more about the Chicken and Rice Soup recipe and the farm-fresh ingredients that I used.
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