Spicy Pork Zuppa (THM - S)

This soup is an excellent way to get some kale into your body.  Kale is one of the rare things that grows in my shady yard, but not a lot of people in my family like it very much unless I put it in soup.  This is one of the ways that everyone in my family will eat kale.  The best part about it is that I make it in the slow cooker, so most everything is done in the morning and then I just have to do a little bit about an hour before supper.  It's a great meal for a busy day.

If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama style of eating, this is considered a Satisfying meal.  For my children that are still growing, they eat this with a nice piece of whole grain bread and butter slathered on it.

Spicy Pork Zuppa 

(Serves 7)

2 lbs. ground pork or ground turkey or a combination of the two
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp. fresh oregano diced
1 tsp. kosher sea salt
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if you don't like things spicy - use less)
8 cups homemade chicken stock
2 lbs. fresh cauliflower chopped
2 cans full fat coconut milk
2 tsp. THM glucomannan powder (also known as Gluccie)
4 cups fresh kale (washed and chopped)

In a large skillet, cook meat, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned and onion is tender;  drain off fat.  Return meat mixture to the skillet and add oregano, salt and red pepper flakes.  Cook for one more minute.  Transfer to a slow cooker and add the homemade chicken stock.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  In a blender combine the coconut milk and glucomannan powder until smooth.  Add to slow cooker.  Stir in the kale and cauliflower.  Cover and cook for 30-60 more minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Crepes (S)

This past week, I started using Build A Menu along with my Trim Healthy Mama way of eating.  This is one of their recipes.  It's an amazing breakfast filled with cinnamon and butter flavor.  So delicious.  For those of you who have access to Build a Menu - try this one.  You won't be sorry.  It's a Satisfying meal.  https://www.buildamenu.com/recipe/snickerdoodle-crepes-s-friendly

Better Than Chef Salad - S

One of my very favorite lunches on the Trim Healthy Mama diet.  This was my lunch today.  Yum!

Giant Salted Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Satisfying (THM)

 

 

Giant Salted Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick/8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup erythritol
• 1/4 tsp. stevia
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup 85% chocolate bar cut up
• A few pinches Fleur de sel salt or sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with non stick spray.
2. Place butter, erythritol and stevia into stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses, pumpkin, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein powder, salt and baking soda, mixing to combine then add in chocolate chunks. Using a large scoop (I used my ice cream scoop, holds about 1/4 cup) scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten cookies with hands then sprinkle lightly with salt if desired.
3. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until baked through. Please keep in mind if you bake smaller cookies cooking time will be much less. Bake accordingly to size. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

Makes 10 - 12 Large cookies

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup (S)

 

 

For supper tonight, I converted an old favorite to make it "Trim Healthy Mama" acceptable.  The original recipe has potatoes, carrots, milk and all purpose flour in it.  All of those things would cause a carb/fat collision and make you gain weight.  So, I made a few substitutions and came up with this delicious comfort soup.  This would be considered a Deep S meal.  Meaning Deeply Satisfying.

 

Here are the cast of characters.  As always I forget to include some things in the picture.  This time I forgot to include the salt, pepper, glucomannan and nutritional yeast.  Otherwise, everything else is there.

 

 

Chop your onions,

 

 

 

and your orange peppers 

Cut up that bacon and fry it in a pan.  Mmmm... can't you just smell the wonderful aroma?  This is when everyone comes in the kitchen saying, "Oh mom, what are you making?  That smells good."

 

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

 

Brown the ground beef.  I browned it in the bacon grease.  I'm telling you, it turns out so good.  Don't worry, I drain it and rinse it before adding it to the soup.  It does flavor things nicely though. 

 

Chop the celery.  I always chop the leaves of the celery and add it to my dishes. 

 

Stir fry the onions, peppers and celery with the basil and parsley in some of the butter.

 

Drain and rinse that meat really good.

 

Chop up the cauliflower into bite size pieces.

 

Cook those vegies until tender.

 

Add the ground beef and cauliflower to pan with chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook until cauliflower is tender.

 

In another pan, melt more butter and add almond flour with gluccmannan.  Cook for 3 minutes then add to soup.

 

Grate your cheese.

 

Turn that soup down to low.

 

 

Once that cauliflower is tender and you've added the almond flour mixture,

Then it's time to add that lovely cheese.

 

It's so fun to watch it melt.

 

Then add that wonderful heavy whipping cream.

 

Add your nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

 

Then add your bacon.

 

Lastly, the sour cream.

 

Stir it all up and heat on low until heated throughout.

 

Serve up the delicious yumminess into bowls.

Indulge!

 

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

serves 6 (in my pictures, I doubled it to feed my family)

 

1 pound ground beef

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled*

¾ cup chopped onion

¾ cup diced orange pepper

¾ cup diced celery

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons butter, divided

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced cauliflower

¼ cup almond flour

 1 tsp. glucomannan

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 ½ cup heavy cream

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper

 1 T. nutritional yeast

¼ cup sour cream

Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, chopped orange pepper, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, cauliflower and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the almond flour and glucomannan. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, heavy cream, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Stir in the cooked and crumbled bacon.Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Spicy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pimiento Cheese (S)

Are you looking for a new kind of appetizer to serve when you have company?  I found this one in a Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook.  I always love when I find THM acceptable recipes that are new.  I made these for my Mother-in-love's birthday party and they were really good.

 

 

I didn't have to change anything from the way the recipe was listed.  That's always an added bonus!

 

Here's the cast of ingredients.

 

Put 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise into a medium bowl.

Chop 1/2 of a 12 oz. jar of roasted red bell peppers.

 

Add them to the bowl.

 

 

Here's the really fun part.  You need 2 tsp. of grated onion.  If you think you cry when you chop an onion, you should experience the true weeping that happens when you grate an onion.  You could always take the easy way and substitute some onion powder.  But to be a real cook, you should experience this at least once.  Maybe it won't be so bad if you get a sweet onion.  I just used a regular yellow onion.

 

 

Add that to your bowl.

 

Next you need 2 tsp. of course grained Dijon Mustard.

 

Add that to your bowl.

 

Then you need to shred two 10 oz. blocks of sharp Cheddar cheese.  Well, you could buy it already shredded, but what's the fun in that?  Shredding cheese is one of my favorite things to do, and I think it tastes better.

 

Add 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper to your bowl.

 

Mix it all up really good.

 

Add your shredded cheese.

 

Add some black pepper to taste.

 

Mix it all up.  Store in an airtight container up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

 

We served this on celery sticks.  We had a good amount left over that was eaten with crackers and my daughter put some on a pita and made a grilled cheese with it.  Delicious whatever way you choose to eat it.

Spicy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pimiento Cheese

Makes 4 cups

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 (12 oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
2 tsp. finely grated onion
2 tsp. coarse grained Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 (10 oz) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stir together first 5 ingredients until well blended; stir in cheese and black pepper to taste.  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 4 days.