Trim Healthy Mama in a Large Family #2

I posted about doing THM in a large family here: THM in a Lrg. Fam. #1

So, this is another post related to having a large family while doing THM.  We have 8 people in our family.

The THM Cookbook is perfectly made for our family.  Most recipes are made for 6-8 people, and we almost always have leftovers for my hubby's lunch the next day.

My husband does THM only because I make THM suppers.  And once in a great while, I'll do a non-THM supper.

I sometimes add a non-THM element to my suppers for my hubby and kids.  Like, when we do enchiladas.  I make it an S or a E.  I take as much as I need for 4, on plan enchiladas.  I use my on plan tortillas.  Then, I add in other ingredients like beans, (I add those to mine if I'm making an E.) and other things.  I use regular tortillas for theirs.  Bake them together, and ta-da!  We all get to enjoy a delicious meal, and I stay on plan!

Pizza night is a weekly occurrence in this house.  I would normally just make the pizzas as usual, using regular flour for the crust.  But I discovered something from a mama in the main THM group on Facebook!!!  Use the Butterfly Wings Cake recipe in the cookbook, omitting the sweetener.  It fluffs up, and crisps just like real dough!!  It is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!   It's a revelation!  I can now enjoy thick crust pizza with the rest of the family while sticking to the plan!

Another recipe I split is Slim Sloppy Joes.  I use sprouted buns for myself, and off plan buns for the rest of the family.  Here is a list of some meals I split:

Chicken Florentine

Salsa Chicken

Balsamic Chicken

Coconut Thai Chicken

Rich N Tender Stew

 I split these by making them as they are in the cookbook, then adding some off plan carbs for my growing kids, and off plan hubs.  Carbs such as noodles, white rice, sometimes brown rice to make it a crossover for them.  I have no qualms about eating a crossover occasionally if I'm really hungry and wanting some carbs. 

Ok, so that was just a small post on doing THM in a Large Family.  Do you have any tips/tricks?  Please share them in the comments below! 

What to do with a THM Recipe Fail

Yes, even in the Trim Healthy Mama kitchen magic things go wrong.  Sometimes it's the recipe itself, which was printed wrong.  Most of the time, it's just a recipe that looks or tastes disgusting.  What do you do when you have yourself a THM Fail? 

So, you decided that something in the cookbook looks really good and you want to make it!  Great!  But 45 minutes later, you have a flop.  This happened to me recently.  Let me share...

It was a lovely, summer day, and Laura decided she really wanted to make a vanilla, yellow squash Trimtastic Cake.  She shredded the squash, blended the rest of the ingredients, and put it in the oven to bake.  It smelled wonderful.  It looked fantastic!  She waited anxiously as it cooled.  Later that day, she tried getting it out of the sprayed pan, but it just fell apart.  Then, she noticed that it was super moist almost uncooked.  She took a teeny bite off the edge, and it was sort of ok.   *sigh*

Ok, so honestly, I was let down by the cake flop.  But I just turned around and made a delicious Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cake!!  (The whole family loved it, too!)  And that is my point...


JUST FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO MAKE!!

It really is that easy.  There are SO many recipes in the books, on Facebook, and on Pinterest.  You can find anything you want. 

I understand, that some of the ingredients are expensive, and that not everyone can afford to replace them easily.  For those mamas, I suggest polling the THM community for tried and true recipes that are guaranteed to not fail.  I use a DIY baking blend that is more cost effective than the THM brand.  I purchase most THM plan-friendly foods on Amazon where I can get free, 2-day shipping.  (I am an Amazon Prime member.)

The most important thing to remember is that it does not defeat your on-plan journey.  It does not mean you should quit.  So many mamas complain and rant in the Facebook group about recipes that were terrible, and how they are just going to quit because they can't find anything good to make.  I hope that all of you lovely mamas will give the cookbook recipes or Pinterest recipes at least one try!  I have discovered so many lovely, on-plan alternatives to my favorites...(can you say Coconut Cream Pie??? Bless you, Mrs. Criddle!!)