Trim Healthy Mama Sunday ~Weekly Menu 7/14-7/20

Working on my Menu for the week. Making a menu is a must when you are following a healthy lifestyle or not. Making a menu saves me so much money and time. I go to the grocery store knowing what to buy and the extra my family needs for the week. No more impulse buys! Every day I know what I'm having and when 4 pm comes around I don't have to wonder..."What's For Dinner?" Make "Making a Menu" a habit for this year.
Here is the Menu I started with last week

then this happened...

Here my friends is my next treatment. I do biological medicine you can read about it here.

I have PCOS, Insulin Resistance, Hormonal Imbalance and my pancreas wants to keep shutting down! In the last few weeks I've started having seizures again because of all these issues and my doctor is in another country. He knows me personally and knows my case very well. This means that when I start having issues I can call him, give him my symptoms and he knows how to treat me. I knew this was coming but I didn't expect my doctor to also ask me to go on a low calorie diet! 

I start with a cup of fresh fruit juice first thing in the morning. This is to raise my insulin levels after a long night of sleep. Then I have to have a low calorie breakfast (E meal) and continue with E meals and FP for the rest of the day. He wants me mostly having fruits, vegetables and chicken breast and fish. No red meat, no pork, nothing processed, no caffeine, no alcohol (this last one is not a problem for me but the others are!) Oh yeah, he also wants me eating every 2 hrs. 

Changes I have made to the above diet (because I understand about keeping my insulin levels normal with THM)

I add 1 TBS to my Orange juice in the morning

I add chia seeds and almond milk to my oatmeal breakfast (the doctor wants me using soy)

I love S meals and I miss them so much! I don't feel as good as I normally do and this has to do with the treatment (shots every night for about 1 month in my tummy!) and the way I have to change the way I eat.

This next week I'm getting ready to go away for a few days with my husband for our anniversary. I know I will not eat on plan or on the doctor diet from Sunday lunch - Tuesday night. Wednesday morning of the following week is when I will resume my normal THM eating.

Side note: I plan when I know I will eat off plan. I try to have some meals that are THM but I don't stress about it and enjoy my time. This is a way of life and I know I have a plan for when life gets back to normal. I don't feel guilty about it (guilt was a big one for me) and I know that if I continue to follow THM I will eventually be healthier, leaner and my treatments will be less!

Today I'm giving you a glimpse on a day in the life of a Trim Healthy Mama. A Mama that tries her best to eat on plan but it's not perfect. 

Saturday Breakfast at 7:45 am E Meal

I found this power breakfast bowl on Pinterest. I only add 1 TBS of Chia seeds instead of the 2 TBS the recipe calls for to make sure it is an E breakfast.

I added the strawberries (just 3 large ones sliced) when I mixed all ingredients. I was shocked just how much oatmeal this made. One E Serving for the entire bowl.

Morning Snack at 10am FP Snack

I had the leftovers of my breakfast. Still yummy!

We went to Sam's Club and by two hours I was starving! I had a small sample of deli meat and this

at 12pm S meal

I even had a few sips of Diet coke. I really think this was the worse of it all. I don't drink diet anything anymore and I didn't like it at all!

This is what was left of my lunch

As you can see I only ate the top of my pizza and half of my polish dog.

At first I thought I had messed up my plan for the day because I didn't have 3 hrs in between meals. But later I realized that my morning snack was so small it ended up being a Fuel Pull! 

Is this the best THM meal? No, but it's still a better choice.

I can't do low calorie like my doctor recommended because even though that "diet" is to keep my insulin levels normal, it's  not helping me at all and I just feel like my sugar levels keep dropping! I'm staying with my THM meals and adding more E meals and FP to my menu.

At 3pm I ate an E meal

1/2 cup of FF cottage cheese drizzled with ff cheese mix, over black beans. 1 tsp of peanut butter gave me my fat and 1/2 an orange gave me more carbs.

at 6:30 pm I had the other half of my orange and 1 tsp of peanut butter. FP snack

My last meal of the day should have been...at 9:30 pm

BUT... by 8:30 pm I started to stutter and feeling sick. This meant my insulin levels were dropping fast and I had to eat.

I ate 3 scrambled eggs with two corn tortillas. Tortillas totally off plan but by this point I needed to it fast!

This was a day in the life of a THM.

Trim Healthy Mama Pizza Casserole

Here is another Trim Healthy Mama Recipe for S meals. This has become a family favorite! I found the original recipe in the THM book but made some adjustments according to my family taste buds.

I browned 1 pound of lean ground beef, 1 pound of lean ground turkey. I drained the fat from these two and set aside. 


I chopped about 1/2 an onion real fine, 2-3 zucchinis cut into small squares and sliced red, green and yellow peppers (I used the trader joes frozen bag of bell peppers). 

I had a bag of shredded mazzarella and a medium container of ricotta cheese along with a marinara sauce large can from trader joes. I also had a bag of pepperoni. 
This is the TJ marinara sauce I used:

Here is the Nutritional info:

I used a lasagna dish and started to layer the meat mixture first, followed by a layer of some onion, bell peppers, zucchini and ricotta cheese. Than I layered the sauce followed by the mozzarella. On top of mozzarella I topped it with the pepperoni and started another layer till I ran out of everything.
I had a total of 3 layers.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.
Wait about 30 minutes before you eat and slice.

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

Trim Healthy Mama Cream of Chicken Soup - S

I can't take credit for this recipe and I don't know where it came from. The person that posted the recipe on the THM Recipe swap group also said she didn't know where it came from! It is so good I had to share to make sure I don't loose the recipe! It is addicting! Makes a good 1 cup serving for about 4-5 people.

Cream of Chicken Soup S 

3 TBS Butter

3 TBS Almond flour

¼ teas salt

¼ tsp nutritional yeast

Dash pepper

1 can chicken stock

Light sprinkling of poultry seasoning

½ to ¾ tea glucommanan powder

1/4 cup heavy cream 

Combine all ingredients into small pot and cook, stirring constantly until thickened like the consistency of cream of chicken soup

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

Trim Healthy Mama Sundays ~My Menu process and grocery shopping

I've been following the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating since January of 2014. I have gone through my ups and downs but I am now able to say that it has become my way of eating. I no longer have to think what I'm suppose to eat or not eat...it's a way of life and I can't believe this has finally happened! I have done so many diets and my goal was always for it to become my way of life but it never happened and I would switch diets. Not anymore, THM is here to stay! 
Side Note: At times I eat off plan, but I know when I am eating off plan and I also know that my next meal is just 3 hours away.  I always make sure I have a deep S after an off plan meal to start the healing process. It's so liberating not to feel guilty because I "cheated". I simply eat on plan for my next meal and move on! Love it!

Today I am going to share with you how I work on my weekly THM menu. It's not a pretty process but it get things done.

I always begin with a blank page on my notebook, my THM book and I check out my Pinterest THM board for ideas.

I have tabs on my THM book and I always start with dinners. That is always the hardest and it's also my lunches...I better like them since I'm stuck with them for two meals!

Here I have all my dinner listed but I don't assign them to a day in particular. It's just a list of meals to choose from on a day to day basis.

 Next I write down my side dishes and my grocery list according to my meals and family wants and needs.

When I am at the grocery store I start to mark off the items as I put them in my cart.

Any items I couldn't find or buy are re-written on my list to buy for later.

 This is my clean Weekly menu. I start with dinner followed by side dishes. Next I do lunches and as you can see, it's always left overs. I made this decision after finding myself in the kitchen constantly! I couldn't continue THM making a different lunch every day, no matter how simple it was.

Last I work on snacks and some desserts. 

This menu is from Sunday to Sunday. I always have 1-2 meals left without making but this is done on purpose. I go grocery shopping on Mondays and if I don't feel good or just something unexpected happens I still have a meal to prepare that Monday night.

This next week I am doing a 3 week Fuel Cycle...yikes! I will try and share my menu with you once I have it all figured out!

There you have it...My THM Menu process. I hope it helps you in your journey!

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

Linked to this site:

  http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/2014/07/flaunt-it-friday-215.html

I'm 43... Now what? My List for this year

As I shared on my Birthday post, I just turned #forever21andimnottalkingaboutthestore and I want to accomplish a number of things during this next year.
I have never made a "bucket list" but I have always worked on lists for different projects and goals. I love lists! Specially when it comes to check off that item I have been working on...Oh, I love this, don't you?

I've been going through Pinterest looking for ideas and inspiration. Here are some I've found and some I've come up with.

I want to focus on different areas of my life and here they are:
1. DIY projects
2. Home projects
3. Service projects
4. Places to visit
5. Habits I want to break
6. Personal: Me, Myself and I

Have you ever found yourself pinning something on Pinterest and than you think, "I'll never make this!" I have a personal rule when it comes to Pinterest, I don't ever, ever, pin something I feel I can't make. It's frustrating and Pinterest is not for that, at least that's what I think. Now, it doesn't mean I've made everything I've pinned, it just means that when I choose to make it, I am able :)

Here is the first few items for my Bucket List
1. DIY Projects
Make a quilt for my Queen size Bed ~This will probably take me all year and that's ok. Slowly is my word!
My daughter made a quilt a few years ago with her Keepers at Home group and as much as she uses and abuses it, it still looks great!
Here is the proof

 As you can see, one side is rag stitches (is that a word?) the other flat stitches.

I'm going to be using This Blog for instructions along with asking lots of questions to my friends that know how to quilt. 

Next on my list...

Make an Apron
Make vintage style pillow cases
Make head bands

This year I want to go back to doing projects that require sewing. I have very little sewing skills and I want to get better at it!

What's On Your Bucket List?

I'm linked to this site:

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

What I Wore~Fashion for Women over 40...ME!

This past weekend was my cousin Celeste and Allen's wedding.

Being over 40, overweight and on top of that petite, makes it hard to find something to wear!

My daughter Lilly pictured here helped me pick my outfit.

It helps to have someone that wants to help you and tell you the truth when you are trying out an outfit you are not sure of. I have noticed that we 40ish ladies have a hard time finding that fine line between being trendy and sometimes dressing too young for our age. Lilly is my voice of reason. She is all about fashion yet modesty. 

Here is what a wore to The Auman's wedding!

Sunglasses from Target

Necklace from Forever21

Dress from Old Navy

Blazer from Papaya

I get no type of compensation or privileges from any of these stores.

Just sharing with you we're I bought them.

Congratulations to the new family! The Aumans

I have wild hair!

Linked to this site:

 

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

It's My Birthday, it's my birthday!

Every year on my birthday I celebrate my 21st. birthday, because I'm forever 21... and I'm not talking about the store, as my person told me.

This year I've had the best birthday month ever because "My Person" as I call her has made it extra special. Every day she has sent me a special text just to wish me a "Happy Birthday month". She is amazing, that is why she is My Person! I am blessed by wonderful special friends and I am a so thankful to The Lord for them.

If you don't know what "My Person" is here is a small explanation:

Here is My Person

a funny fact about us: We are both married to guys with the same last name and they are not related! How perfect is this? She's my dutch friend and I decided I am dutch by association!

Because of this awesome birthday month I decided that this year I am going to make a Birthday bucket list! Yes. I am going to make a list of things I want to accomplish this next year.  I am going to cover areas such as:

Crafts

Small house projects

Service projects

Personal goals

Places I want to visit (I'm not talking about flying places or expensive places. I'm talking about going to the beach, to a baseball game, etc).

Learn a new skill

Breaking a bad habit...

You get the idea?

I'm going to start working on my list starting tomorrow and as I work on it I will share with you!

Do you want to join me? Do you have a list of things you would like to do but never do because you don't or can't commit to?

The Bible tells us:

All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Proverbs 16:2-3 NIV

Name Change

I love blogging but don't blog as much because there are so many tabs open on my head that I just don't know how to close them up and pick the best ones to blog about! I have been blogging for a few years now and I'm starting to get more of a feel for what I like and what I don't!

One of the things I don't like is the name of my blog. I chose the name "I'm a Mom...what's Your excuse?" because I was in the middle of a crazy homeschooling life, ministry, etc. and it felt it fit perfectly. I was going crazy and I wanted to know what "your excuse" was for going crazy as well!

2014 both of my children are in college and I have more time for me. My life is not as crazy as it used to be (or at least not for the same reasons) and I'm changing the name and the direction of this blog.

I've chosen the new name because I think it fits me. I am a Mrs. and I am also a Mom. Most of my daughter's friends call me Mom or Mrs. Herrera Mom. I slowly have started to rename everything in social media as Mrs. Herrera Mom, my blog was the last of the change.

The Theme of my blog is still about life and everything I love with an extra dose of my diet Trim Healthy Mama. This is my life I hope you choose to share it with me!

Weight loss Challenge and Update!

Last time I posted I shared that I was having a hard time continuing with Trim Healthy Mama because I was tired of so much prepping for all the meals I was to have. It has taken me the last two months to decide what I am to do.

I must first say that I completely love THM but I needed a break before I quit all together. I just couldn't see myself eating another high protein meal! It literally made me nauseous! No, THM is not all of low carb meals and I did incorporate many E and FP meals but because I was getting so tired of constantly having to prepare all of my meals it became easier to stick to S meals which are basically Low Carb meals.

I have also been having some health issues that are related to my hormones and this affects my energy levels. There are days that getting out of bed is virtually impossible because of the body aches I have (I have fibromyalgia). Other days I am able to get things done in the house and that is all. I need to continue with my health goals and changing things up helped me stay motivated.

During my break I tried to go back to start following some of the guidelines that Weight Watchers recommends. I have done WW before and I'm sure that doesn't surprise any of you since I have shared that I have tried every diet out there! I love WW and I love their approach to food. My goal was to not gain back the little bit that I had lost and to continue to balance my hormone and insulin levels.

I did not join WW I just stated following the program on my own. I found and excellent app that helped me figure out my points and food choices. I think I paid $3.99 for it. It is called ULTIMATE FOOD DIARY PLUS. This app basically does what WW mobile app does but you don't have to pay a monthly membership. I loved it and I think you would love it too!

I have also noticed that since I don't have much energy I haven't been exercising at all! I notice that every time I go back to my exercise routine I loose consistently. This tells me I need to work on this area more.

I have had more severe health issues and my seizures are coming back. They had been under control since November of last year but not it seems nothing is working. I gained the little bit I had lost on THM and that makes me sad. I know that THM is the best way of eating and that it was God sent. I am back on THM full time and trusting that as I continue to do what I'm suppose to my body (slowly-turtle) will catch up. This is a life change and I'm not going anywhere!

I normally share a recipe with you and today I'm going to give you the testimony of the Good Girl Moonshine.

On Tuesday I was having what we THM call an S meal. I was so happy because I had all my meals planned for the week and I was sticking to them. About half way through my meal I started to get the warning my body gives me that I was about to have a seizure. 4yrs. ago I developed a food sensitivity to gluten and anything processed that had MSG, GMO's. Well I haven't had any issues in quite some time because of a natural treatment my doctor gave me, but this Tuesday it came back with a vengeance! I didn't know that the seasoning in the meat I was having had these ingredients. I had the strongest seizure I've had in a very, very long time. To say I was beaten is an understatement!

The following day I noticed that I was pretty weak on the right side of my body and I was not surprised since I normally get the majority of my seizures affecting my right side. As the day went by I couldn't really use my arm and when I did my whole body would start to shake out of control. I was so blessed to know I had a menu for all my meals and this kept me eating healthy and not depending on fast food that my adult children would pick up for me or my husband.

By Thursday I noticed I had a hard time walking and all of my right side was in a lot of pain! In the afternoon I remembered I had watched Pearl and Serene on youtube sharing their recipe for Good Girl Moonshine. One of the things they shared was that ginger is a great anti-inflammatory. I decided to make myself one and guess what happened? Not two hours had passed when I noticed I had full function of my arm and my leg! All the pain was gone and I was back to normal! Yes, it really happened! THM is so much more than a diet to loose weight. It is the best thing that has happened to me and an answer to prayer!

If you still haven't watched that Good Girl Moonshine video from Pearl and Serene here it is!

My 2014 Weight loss Challenge Week 14

Photo credit to http://jackkunkel.com/2014-weight-loss-challenge/

This week started the same, no weight loss. I have noticed that doing the Fuel Cycle with THM really helped me get off the plateau I was on but now that I'm back to "free styling" I'm stuck again. 

I'm not going to pretend that it doesn't frustrate me but I have to keep reminding myself that I am healthier than I've been in years and food is fuel!

This week also was my 3 month mark on Trim Healthy Mama. This was a milestone for me because the most I am able to last on any given diet is 1 month. This week was specially hard because I came to the point that I was so tired of having to only be able to eat "certain" foods! I don't blame Trim Healthy Mama I blame my insulin resistance, the reason why I decided to try THM.

On Thursday I decided I wanted to take a full day off and I did! That's right, I said it, I did it! Yes, I felt horrible by the end of the day because of my insulin levels, body aches and of course the guilt, but I really needed to just not think of what I was going to eat or not eat in 3 hrs! 

By Friday I was back to "normal" with THM. I did not weigh in to see if I had gained weight because of my day off and I'm fine with this decision. I am normally obsessed with the scale but the last few months I've learned that the scale shouldn't control how I feel.  I'm a work in progress it's best to not check after days like Thursday.

Since I have noticed that I am getting tired of so much cooking and prepping for my diet, I am considering taking a week or two off and do something else in the meantime. I can't just not take care of myself but I do have to take a break. I have done Weight Watchers for years...this might me an option.

Do you ever feel this way? I hope I'm not alone on this! 

I'm not giving up on my goals for this year and this is why I need to change things up. I don't know if the changes will happen this week or the next but I thought I'd share with you were I am at. 

Have a blessed week!

Beautify My Home...One Day at a Time

My friends and family think I am an organized person. I say I am organized(when I choose to be) and I love lists! I have a list for things to get done on a daily basis, weekly, monthly, even yearly! At this time in my life those "lists" are not being used as much as I would like to. 

I am in a different season in my life. Last year was my last year of homeschooling and both our children are attending a University. I started to work part time (no longer working) and I've realized I have all this time to do house projects! Do you know how long I've waited to "have time" for house projects? 15yrs!!! Yes, you read that right...15yrs! 

My husband and I decided to homeschool our son when he was diagnosed with high functioning Autism and he was about to start Kindergarden. We didn't know how long we would home school, we just knew God was calling us to do it. As the years passed and my daughter was of age to start school we knew this was what we were to do with her too. She didn't have any of the challenges our son did and our family thought she would be going to public school. By this time we knew the Lord had called us to home school and we took it a day at a time, a week at a time, a month at a time and a year at at time (this was our response every time someone would ask us the question, "how long are you guys going to home school?")

During the last 2 yrs. of home schooling I became very ill and spent the last two years trying to get better. The "lists" went out the window. My couponing days were over and My once a month cooking became a thing of the past. I now had to get used to being in bed for most of my days, my daughter would do the grocery shopping and most of the cooking. She followed my lists as close as she could but she still had two years left in high school and was very involved at our church. I learned to be flexible and thankful for any help I could get! It was as though The Lord came and took a dry erase board and erased all my lists and plans and I had to learn to be content with just being able to sweep my kitchen floor (on a good day!)

Today I am almost 100% better (to our new standards) but I will never be the same person I was before I got sick. I have to adjust to my new way of life where stress is not allowed, over worked is out of the question and a new diet has to be top of my list.  It's all about taking it...One Day at a Time.

Here it is...My new house schedule

Every Day: My plan that doesn't always happen...but I have a plan!

Make Bed

Shower/Get ready for my day

Unload dishwasher

Check my menu for the day and prep for dinner.

De-clutter

Mondays: Grocery Shopping day

I didn't realized this was happening until I was driving home one day from a shopping trip and realized that since I've started making a Weekly Menu on Sundays it's only natural I go shopping the day after!

Tuesdays: Laundry Day!

My Moto for the Laundry is... The Laundry is not done until you fold, hang and put away! I do have to confess that many times it ends up in the living room sofa for days! I am so ashamed! I found this sign at Ross and I am trying for this to change!

Wednesdays: My Laundry Day continues until all the laundry is done!

I also work on finishing my Bible Study for the week.

Thursdays: I go to Morning Bible study at church and once this is done in May it will be My Ironing Day.

I know how blessed my husband will be that I am taking on this chore once again :)

Fridays: This is my "Company is coming over day and we need to clean the whole house!" No, company is not coming over, but this is how I can best describe it.

We clean our restrooms, dust furniture, vacuum, mop floors, throw away all junk mail, etc.

Fridays is also Date Night!

Saturdays: Family/Husband day! I don't do any chores on Saturday and if my husband is not working we go to Costco, Sam's club, Home Depot, whatever place he wants to go to. This is his day to relax and going  to these places relaxes him. If we wake up at a good time we go out to breakfast. Our children normally have activities or just vegetate at home.

Sundays: Church Day!

We are up early and go to church, get home and decide if we are staying in and barbecuing or going out to eat. We than get home and I take a nice long nap. Late in the afternoon I start to tidy up my kitchen and cleaning out my refrigerator. I take out my recipe book and I start working on a full menu for the week, breakfast, lunch and dinner including a snack. This is the only way I can stay on track and it's worth the time.

This is what my menu usually looks like

and there you have it...One day at at time to Beautify My Home!

 

My Weight Loss Challenge Weeks 12 and 13

The last two weeks have been interesting. It all started with my husband finding out that our scale was not working! I had just finished my two weeks of Fuel Cycle with Trim Healthy Mama and now I had no idea if the losses were correct or not.

It continued with my hormones being totally waked and I had ZERO energy! I started to get depressed and moody and the list goes on and on. It has taken me about two weeks for me to start feeling "normal" whatever that means and on Sunday I worked on my menu. I have started doing this and it is becoming a nice habit. I have realized that if I don't plan my week I don't follow the plan as I should. Here is sample of my THM menu from February.

According to the new scale I haven't gained or lost anything in the last two weeks and I can't say I'm surprised. One of the many things I have learned by doing THM is that when there are hormonal problems you will have a hard time loosing. I have also read from other ladies doing THM that have also done the Fuel Cycle is that many of them stall for a few weeks after the FC. I guess you can say I no longer worry about being a THM TURTLE, it is what it is and I continue on my quest to good health!

The last two weeks I shared with you the Low Carb Pizza Recipe and it has been a hit! Make sure you check it out!

I also shared my Favorites of the Week

How is your Weight loss challenge going? Have you changed your goals from what they were back on January 1st? What is still the same or what are you doing different? Let me know!