5 Quick and Easy THM-approved Lunches

I've been thinking and planning out some quick, easy THM lunches that I can make for myself lately.  I usually make my kids sandwiches, mac n cheese, or pizza rolls for their lunches.  Those are not on plan.  I don't want to have to use a ton of dishes and take 30 minutes to make my lunch on top of theirs, so here are 5 Quick and Easy THM Lunch ideas I came up with.

1.  Turkey Roll-ups ~ (S)

Take an on-plan tortilla (Mission Carb Smart,  1/2 Joseph's Lavish), spread mayonnaise all over it.  Cover with pepperoni.  Cover with cheese.  Cover with lettuce/spinach.  Add sliced deli turkey (or meat of your choice).  Roll up, and slice into 1in. thick rolls. 
It is seriously SO easy, and delicious!!  I split one tortilla into 2 lunches with 2 hard boiled eggs.

2. Honey Mustard Chicken Salad (S)

Rip up a head of lettuce (you can stretch this into 2 lunches by using only a half.).  Chop up an already baked chicken (or turkey) breast, and put it over lettuce.  Add chopped tomatoes (or whatever other veggies you'd like.). You could add hard boiled egg slices, too.  Drizzle Honey Mustard Dressing (from the cookbook) on top.  ENJOY!

3.  Turkey Spinach Sandwich ~ (E)

Take 2 slices on plan sprouted bread.  Spread mayonnaise and mustard on one slice.  Add turkey.  Add spinach.  (I add jalapenos, too.) Add tomato slice if you want. Put together and EAT!!

4. Cinnamon & "Sugar" Toast ~ (XO)

Toast 2 slices on-plan, sprouted bread.  Spread butter while still hot. Sprinkle cinnamon and sweetener on top (I use Truvia).  ENJOY!

5.  Chips & Salsa (E)

If you can find on-plan corn chips, YAY!!  You can eat them with on-plan salsa for a yummy, quick lunch.  I love spicy food, so this is one of my favorites.

Do you have any quick, easy lunch ideas? Please share in the comments below!

How I Make a Little Money on the Side, Being a SAHM

My husband has a great, well-paying job.  I appreciate all that he does to make sure we have enough money for our large family.  Occasionally, I like to get special things, and in order to have extra money for that, I do two things:  I sell my Crochet work, and I sell on eBay.

1.  Selling my Crochet Work

I set up a free website where people can go to look at all the items I have made to get ideas.  I also sell in a local buy, sell, giveaway Facebook group.  I set up a Facebook page where I can interact with my customers, and where people can message me about their order.  Most of my orders are through word-of-mouth from my happy customers.  I would love to sell at a craft fair someday, but right now, it's just not possible.  I use my kids and myself as advertising by making them cool hats and myself nice scarves and hats.  I have been asked for a business card several times just by wearing what I make!  This past Saturday, my friend and I, with my kids, went to a craft fair and I was stopped by a woman asking where my kids got their hats!  I was able to hand her my card, and she was so excited.

2.  Selling on Ebay

My mother-in-law has a successful eBay store for homeschoolers, and she got me started on eBay.  I just sell random things.  Some are brand new that I got at a discount and wish to profit on.  Some are books or other items I have lying around my house that I wish to get rid of.  It is super easy and really fun!  It's great to have a mom who I can run prices by.  She helps me figure out how to sell and what price to set.  You can sell just about anything on eBay!  I just sold a brand new, in the box FitBit Alta for $115, and I paid $65 on Black Friday for it!  After Paypal fees, I made $46 on it!

So, these are the two ways I make a little extra money for myself.  If you're not the crafty sort, eBay is a great way to make some money.  If you are crafty, what a nice thing to make a little money doing something you love! 

Unknown THM Gems in the Cookbook

Since buying the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook last year, I have discovered some hidden gems that my family loves.  These recipes are cheap to buy and easy to prepare;  making them family favorites in this house.  (I've provided the page numbers for each recipe found in the cookbook.)

1.  Slim Sloppy Joes (pg. 63)

This recipe is amazing!  Just beef, veggies, and sauce.  I serve it to my husband and kids on regular hamburger buns, and I eat it between 2 toasted slices of sprouted bread.  My husband raves about it, and often requests it!

2.  Cabb & Saus Skillet (pg. 58)

This one is a semi-favorite.  A few of my kids don't like it...but they do eat it.  It is just cabbage, sausage, and spices.  Now, I used whole cabbage, which requires cutting and shredding...so it's very labor intensive for me.  But you can always buy pre-shredded cabbage to make it easier.

3.  Chicken Parmy (pg. 161)

Everyone LOVES this recipe!  And it is so simple!  Chicken, breading, sauce, and cheese.  So easy to prepare, and gobbled up in a second!

4.  Singing Canary Shot (pg. 399)

I highly dislike the fact that the regular Singing Canary takes FOREVER to make because you have to do special things to the lemons...UGH! But the Singing Canary Shot is amazing!  I use Lemon Juice because I rarely buy lemons. Tastes great, and has the same benefits...just a smaller dose.

5.  Let 'Er Rip Side Salad (pg. 229)

This little gem is great!  You just tear up a head of lettuce, and add veggies, (I also add Rohnda's Ranch Dressing) and you have a side dish! 

6.  Creamy Herbed Chicken (pg. 165)

I found this recipe one evening when I was in a quandary about what to make for dinner.  I had all of the ingredients, so I made it, and the Hubs LOVED it! 

7.  Coconut Thai Chicken (pg. 45)

This is one of my favorite recipes!  And it is SO easy!  Chicken, veggies, and sauce simmering in the slow cooker all day.  I serve it over brown rice, which I cook in my rice cooker.  It has such a delicious flavor!

8.  Watcha Want Mexican Chicken (pg. 47)

This has got to be the easiest recipe!  Just 2 ingredients slow cooked all day, served over brown rice.  I add black beans to stretch it out a bit.  Delicious!

9.  Sweet Potato Bar (pg. 166)

We love this recipe!  I like that the chicken and the potatoes are baked together.  Just add veggies and sour cream.  I add a pat of butter and some shredded cheese on top for the rest of the family for a good crossover. 

10.  Waffleized Breakky Sandwich (pg. 241)

I tweak this to make it a delicious, on-plan crossover.  I toast 2 slices of sprouted bread, then add fried eggs, bacon, and a slice of cheese.  So good, and so filling!

What are some recipes you've discovered and loved while doing THM?  Please, share them in the comments! 

Starting Over with our Homeschool

We started out our second year of homeschool using Bob Jones University Press (BJU Press) curriculum.  I loved it.  I was excited and wooed by the bright colors and manipulatives.  Well, not 6 weeks into it, we are getting rid of it and starting over with something new.

Here is why:

1.  BJU Press is extremely time consuming.

I know, homeschooling itself is extremely time consuming.  But having a curriculum that is easy to manage and not extra-time consuming is important...especially as a busy mom of 6.  BJUP takes a lot of time to set up.  I first realized this when I had my mom and mother-in-law over to help prep and there were WAY more manipulatives than I had originally thought.  Every night,and sometimes the morning of, I would spend at least an hour, maybe more, getting things ready for the next day.  Math and Phonics had the most manipulatives, and every day added more and more onto what we already needed.  There were HUNDREDS of small, vocabulary cards;  sight word cards, family cards, word cards, and parts of a word cards to be prepared...and sometimes story characteres needing to be copied, cut out, colored, and glued to a stick.  And that is just one subject!!  It was just all too much for me.  

2.  BJUP is geared more towards an actual schoolroom.

The curriculum is made to be used in a classroom setting.  It assumes you have bulletin boards or space to store everything you need.  It has homework-type assignments.  It has activities or games that you need more than 2 students to do.  I was constantly having to come up with ways to adapt lessons for just my 2 first graders.  Again...wasting time.

3. They are a Baptist doctrine-based curriculum.

We are a Reformed Presbyterian family, so when doctrinal discussions came up (specifically salvation)  I was having to correct the text and the kids' work texts to fit into our doctrinal beliefs.  Not necessarily bad, but annoying to have to do.

Something Good about BJUP...

I loved their Math!

Their Math 1 curriculum is amazing.  Despite all of the manipulatives, the math program is great.  I especially love their use of Unifix Cubes.  When I started using them to help F and T review addition and more-or-less concepts...they picked up on it almost instantly.  They (the cubes) were a great visual to help them understand more and less...greater and lesser. I love that! 

  

So, what are we going to do?

Well, we decided to use Christian Liberty Press.  They are a Reformed doctrine-based curriculum, which is great for Bible class.  Their schedule is much more conducive to our needing-to-be-flexible family life.  Their work texts are simple and easy to follow.  Our books are being shipped to us soon, and I cannot wait to start!  

As my mother-in-law pointed out to me,  it is better to start all over with a new curriculum, than to struggle and force your way through one that doesn't fit.  

Trim Healthy Mama for "PrePackaged Pams"

There's a new girl in THM Town!!  Her name is PrePackaged Pam, and she loves all things super easy, or straight out of the package.  I can relate, as I love being able to open something, heat it for mere minutes, and have a great meal.  I've compiled a list of my favorite prepackaged foods that all PPPs will love along with where they are typically found in a grocery store.

1.  Frozen, Steamable Veggie Blends (Freezer Section)

I seriously LOVE these!!  All I have to do is throw the package into the microwave (Purists, look away!!), take it out, dump it into a bowl, and add salt, pepper, and lots of BUTTAH...and Ta-Da!  A great snack, or side dish!  Or, I can eat them straight out of the bag. 

2.  Umpqua Oats (Blueberry Apple flavor, it's unsweetened.) {Natural/Organic cereal aisle}

This is how I mostly get my E foods in.  I just open the container, pour water in, microwave it for 1 minute, let it cool slightly, add in my sweetener and I am eating a delicious meal! (Ingredients:  Whole rolled oat groats, Brown flax seeds, Organic chia seeds, Freeze dried apples, and Freeze dried blueberries.)

3.  Minute Brown Rice (Asian aisle, usually)

This little box is amazing!  Brown rice takes FOREVER to cook, even in my rice cooker!!  But with Minute Rice, it's a snap!  (Uncle Ben's has "Ready Rice" packs which cook in 90 seconds;  but they may contain canola or sunflower oils, which are not on plan.)

4.  Oscar Meyer P3 Protein Packs (Lunch meat section

This one is great for when you are on the go.  It is just meat, cheese, and nuts.  My personal favorite is the Almond, Colby, Chicken one.  Such a great, prepackaged snack!

5.  Precooked Chicken Strips (Frozen section)

I love the convenience of these!  If I want a quick salad, I can just tear up some lettuce (or open a mixed bag) add chicken and veggies and dressing and eat away.

6.  Bagged Coleslaw Mix (Produce section, bagged salads)

This product is fantastic.  I can make Eggroll in a Bowl in about 15 minutes with this beauty!  It is also my go-to product for coleslaw for church fellowship time.

7. Riced Cauliflower bags (Produce section, bagged veggies)

I haven't had the pleasure of finding this product yet.  But all of the Mamas who have, rave profusely about it.  It saves so much time and energy.

8.  Braggs All Natural Apple Cider Vinegar Drink (Natural/Organic vinegar section)

It's GGMS without having to mix it yourself, and it comes in a few flavors that are on plan. (there are a few that are NOT on plan, so be wary.)

9.  Frozen Meatballs (Frozen meat section)

One of my personal favorites is the premade, precooked frozen meatballs!  Make sure the ingredients are all on plan, of course.  (i.e., no fillers, sugar, etc.)

10.  Atkins Bacon Scramble (Frozen meals section)

This one I happened upon by accident just recently.  Ingredients are bacon and eggs.  If your in a hurry in the morning, it would be a great way to get a healthy S meal in.

11.  Breyer's Carb Smart Ice Cream (Frozen Dairy section)

This is my favorite of all pre-made things!  I liked the sister's Tummy Tucking Ice Cream recipe, but just don't want to have to make my ice cream all of the time, you know?  This product is fabulous for a once in a while treat.  It comes in Vanilla or Chocolate.

12.  Rotisserie Chicken (Deli section/pre-made meals section)

When your strapped for time, and need a meal as soon as you get home, grab a rotisserie chicken!  It's so convenient, and if there is leftovers, you can easily use them for other meals.  And you can use the bones for broth or stock!

13.  Bagged Salads (Produce department)

With this product, all you have to do is add a few more veggies (if you want), drizzle some dressing on, and enjoy.

14.  Pre-cut fruits and veggies (Produce section)

I love these for picnics or when I'm doing the weekly park dates with the church moms.  Super easy and convenient! 

So, there it is!  Some Prepackaged product ideas for the PrePackaged Pams living in the THM community.  If you have any more suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.