Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Five Scrumptious "S" Meals!



I started Trim Healthy Mama in September 2013 and my husband and I have lost a combined 45+ pounds pretty evenly between us.  It is good to be eating well (as in, "Wow, that's yummy and healthy!"), feeling energetic and getting back in the jeans you thought were destined for the thrift donation.

The Facebook group for THM has been fantastic and we've been able to encourage each other with great stories and AMAZING recipes.  I'd like to share five favorite "S" dinner meals with you that you and your entire family can enjoy.  You do not need to be a short order cook trying to make THM approved meals for you and something else for the rest of the family.  Share the love, peeps!

Remember, you will not have to stare blankly into the fridge wondering what to make twenty minutes before dinner if you have it planned out for your week or month.  It doesn't have to be a Martha Stewart approved spreadsheet or graph, but rather something simple so you will have a guide for your day.

Mix up those "S" & "E" meals throughout your day, girls!  Our family does an "S" every evening because it is a fun way to share a yummy meal and always have enough leftovers for hubby to take to work in the morning. I am not a calorie counter and will not be giving specific recipes below based on caloric values per person per serving per day, yada yada yada.  Just eat a good & filling portion without being a glutton and enjoy it.  Remember, "S" meals are full of fats and shouldn't be paired with carbs.  So, if you are really wanting a bowl of oatmeal after dinner, give it three hours!

Food freedom!  Okay, here we go... drum roll please...


1.  Chicken Cordon Bleu, Salad with sliced almonds, cheddar, veggies & ranch dressing.  {Bake boneless, skinless chicken breast with a lean & no sugar added slice of ham & slice of thick mozz cheese.  Serve with salad & dressing.}

2.  Bacon Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers & Cilantro Tomato Salad.  {Using your favorite ground turkey burger recipe, grill some of these bad boys and top with crisp turkey-bacon that you can make in your microwave (yeah, not a purist here) and blue cheese crumbles warmed on top.  On the side, chop up one full bunch of fresh cilantro, 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese into small cubes and 1 cup of cherry tomatoes.  Sprinkle a dash of salt on your salad.  Note:  We obviously opt not to use buns, but the kids still love their burgers with a bun.}

3.  Grilled Chicken & Steamed Broccoli with Shredded Cheddar.  {Bake boneless, skinless chicken with on-plan seasoning of choice.  Serve with a side of broccoli that has been coated with shredded cheddar and a tablespoon of butter with a pinch of salt and heated until cooked and bubbly.}

4.  Chicken Enchiladas & Mexican Salad. (You can you ground beef, steak, turkey, etc if you are chickened out for that day/week.).  {Get a package of Lavash bread, take out three pieces and cut these into thirds.  You will have nine pieces now.  Taking a casserole dish, lay these out side by side and ladle in cooked chicken that has been thinly sliced.  In a sauce pan, combine one small can diced green chilies, 8 ounces sour cream and 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese.  Mix until creamy and pour half this mixture over each chicken/lavash bread in the dish.  Take the other half of the cream mixture and add a dash of cumin and chili pepper.  Close each of the lavash bread/chicken mixture by folding over and pour the remaining sauce with the seasoning added on top.  Finish by covering with shredded cheese and baking 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so.  You just want everything to heat through and cheese to be bubbly.   Garnish on the side with a Mexican Salad: bed of lettuce, dollop of sour cream, slice of avocado, slice of tomato and slice of onion.}

5.  Homemade Mac n' Cheese & Italian Sausage with Green Beans with onion.  {Grill up Italian links (enough to feed your family) and dice into coin sizes.  Lay these on top of your whole, freshly steamed green beans with sliced onion on top.  Put in microwave or oven for a few minutes- enough for the flavors to combine.  Boil one box Dreamfields pasta (elbow mac, rotini or penne).  While that is boiling, combine one stick of butter, one 16 ounce container sour cream and one 8 ounce shredded block of sharp cheddar with salt to taste into a saucepan.  Mix with a whisk on medium heat until blended and creamy.  You can also add 1/2 cup of heavy cream if you really want to get crazy.  Drain pasta and add cream sauce.}


Next time I'll share five of my favorite dessert recipes and they are SO good!

Blessings,

Angelena