I love chili on a cold winter day. I have a small family. So I make this to serve 4-6. You can double for your larger families if needed! I love this recipe for all “Drive Thru Sues” a nickname coined by Trim Healthy Mama authors for those of us who love the quick and easy meals! It’s a crock pot meal, so I make it in the morning and it’s perfect for dinner. And I LOVE it as leftovers!

Recipe- All cans are 15 oz

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can tomato sauce

3 Tbsp live. love. sisters taco seasoning Make Your Own Taco Seasoning! THM-FP

2 tsp chili powder

1 chopped onion

1 pound lean ground turkey, browned

4-6 cups water

Salt to taste

Dump this all in your crock pot on low, and come back to dinner 6-8 hours later! If you haven’t tried our recipe for taco seasoning, you can use whatever you use for taco seasoning. Even a packet of chili seasoning from the grocery store works too!

THM E friendly toppings –

Non fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

Garnish amounts of cheddar cheese

Chopped onions

THM friendly salsa

Modifications-

*You could use beef if you are in the mood! That modification would make this recipe XO*

*if you like chunky tomatoes you can use an 6-8oz can of tomato sauce AND a full 15 oz can of chunky tomatoes with their juices. You can also use a can of rotel in place of the chunky tomatoes for extra ZIP!*

*You can make this on the stove top if you forgot to get it ready in the morning. Brown and drain the meat in a large stock pot, sauté the onions in the same pan- then dump the meat and everything into the same pot! Cook 30 minutes or so until fully heated.*

I love a protein shake. I love how easy they are. But these days I need my E fuels (healthy carbs and low in fat!) and have been wanting a protein packed shake to carry me through my afternoon. I came up with this little beauty!

Recipe

4 oz unsweetened almond milk

4 oz left over coffee

1/2 a banana (I keep bananas in my freezer!)

1 scoop chocolate whey protein

1/4 cup oats

2-3 handfuls of ice

Blend it all up! Add extra ice if your banana isn’t frozen!

The addition of some healthy carbs to a protein shake helps me stay fuller longer! I love the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Chocolate Whey. You can find it here using our affiliate link: THM Chocolate Whey Protein Powder

Thanks for checking us out!

If you travel a lot, like I do, it can become easy to get lax in your healthy eating. My family lives in a teeny tiny town (pop 150) and the nearest Super Walmart is about 30-40 minutes away. So if I don’t plan ahead,  and take snacks, its easy to make excuses that can throw me off plan.  Thankfully, more and more gas stations are offering healthier choices, so just for fun, my girls and I went and found as many healthy options  at a local gas station as we could. Here’s what we found:

 

S (Satifying Fats, Keto, Low Carb) are the  easiest  snacks to find.  The roller usually has a nice variety of hot dogs and sausages. We found a nice little carousel with pre-made salads,  nuts, cheese,  hard boiled eggs,  meat sticks, pickles, and pickled peppers (not sure who picked them ).  We also found a stand of pork rinds in the chip section.

E  Snacks(healthy carbs snacks were a little more difficult to find, most gas stations now are carrying fresh apples, bananas and sometimes grapes or cut up melons. This gas station did not have them, although they had grapes and cheese in a little cup for a Cross Over snack. If the roller has a turkey dog, you could pair them together for a nice E, but we weren’t very successful.

Cross Over (XO, a mix of healthy carbs and healthy fats)  snacks were a little easier to find. Although not perfect ,  Skinny Pop is a good option for a crunchy snack.  It has 10 grams of fat, 15, grams of carbs and 3 grams of  fiber,

.

Lets talk Quest Products: They are become vastly popular, and my husband, a fire fighter, loves to keep them in his locker as a healthy, protien packed  snack for after they get back from a call. They are shelf stable which is nice, and they are helpful for when you are in a pinch. I did a little research for the official THM stance on these products:
Quest Bars:  The official THM stance on quest bars is that they are a “Personal choice” item and best used on rare occasions, as they do contain some sugar and other off plan ingredients that may spike some peoples  blood sugar.  My personal opinion, some flavors are pretty delicious, they are helpful to have in your purse during pregnancy.    I would eat a quarter of a bar at a time to ward of  upset stomach, but a whole bar was too much for me. 

Quest Protien Chips: They have less than ideal ingredients such as Potato and corn starch. However,  if you are really craving those Doritos, and  needing something salty and crunchy, they are only two g of carbs and  they are “ok” when you are in a pinch and are nice for occasional use.  My favorite flavor is the cheese flavor, but don’t eat them every day.

Quest Cookies:  I couldn’t find an official Trim Healthy Mama comment on these, however, if we look solely at the numbers the chocolate chip flavor has 3g of carbs (19 minus the  6 g. erythritol and 9 g fiber) and 17 grams of fat.  I would say to play it safe, count them as a personal choice and only for occasional use ( the obvious better choice if you are craving a donut or a cookie) . Personally, I just stay away, as I don’t really like the taste.

Hot Beverages: Hot tea, coffee with cream – no sugar added, ( some gas stations are starting to carry stevia), other times . I should add that I try to always keep some packets of erythritol and stevia in my purse to sweeten my drinks.

Cold drinks: Sobe Life Water ( made with stevia and Erythritol),   Vitamin Water Zero ( these are harder to find, make sure they say “zero” because the bottles look exactly the same as  the regular , I have made this mistake before.
Pure Leaf, Honest or  Gold Leaf – unsweetened tea,
Bai Drinks.

If you are in the mood for something fizzy:

Kombucha is  growing in popularity. Kombucha is  similar to kefir, except that  it is fermented tea. They do add sugar to help the fermentation process. however, there is  minimal sugar in it. Serene and Pearl recommend enjoying kombucha  as part meal, rather than an all day sipper. 

Sparkling water like LaCroix, if you could find it.

 

What are some Gas station find that you have found? Let us know!

 

These two easy recipes are staples in my home. I like to use body butter at night time. And on super dry areas, but the lotion on my hands and arms when I don’t want to feel greasy! I store them both in mason jars.

Now you have all natural solutions for lotion and body butter in your home! Just look at the ingredients in a normal tub of body butter or bottle of lotion and see what you have eliminated from your life!

Lotion-

• 2 Tablespoons of Beeswax*
• 1/2 Cup of Sweet Almond Oil or Jojoba oil*
• 2 Tablespoons of Vitamin E oil
• 4 Tablespoons of Cocoa Butter
• 2 Tablespoons shea butter
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 4 drops of essential oil

Melt all ingredients except the water in a sauce pan. When melted, pour the water into your blender and turn it on low (so it doesn’t make a big splash!) once its whirring, slowly pour in your melted liquid. It will magically form a lotion! Now scoop it into a jar!

*I like to buy beeswax in little pellets! If you buy it in a bar you will need to grate it for the recipe.

*These oils are great for your skin, if you wanted you could try olive oil here!

You can melt directly in a sauce pan. But I like to put my jar or a measuring cup in a saucepan of water. It’s easier clean up! If you make it directly in the jar, you have even less clean up than using a glass measuring cup. The measuring cup just gives more room to stir!

Body Butter-

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup shea butter
• 2 Tablespoons beeswax-optional
• 4 drops of essential oil

Melt all ingredients in a sauce pan and pour into a jar! Allow to cool

The shea butter absorbs quickly, the coconut oil absorbs slowly. Adding some beeswax allows for moisture locking for longer moisture but it’s completely optional!

This stuff is rich! Makes great post shave lotion in the winter for dry legs!

If you are wondering where to buy these products, the ingredients are links to my favorites. Enjoy!

All kinds of vinegar can be helpful in your home. some special types of vinegar are great for cooking like red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and rice vinegar. But others are meant for everyday use! We both buy a huge stock of both distilled white vinegar and Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and this post is how we use those in our homes!

First. Raw ACV is an incredible super food that we use in our GGMS (Good Girl Moonshine coined by Trim Healthy Mama) find our concentrate recipe here. It’s also healthy for your hair! Find our recipes for natural conditioner here!

Second. Distilled white vinegar is a powerful household cleaner. Here are my favorite ways to use it!

1. Weed and Grass killer. Instead of spending a bunch of money in weed killer, I fill a sprayer bottle with undiluted white vinegar and kill unwanted weeds and grass around my home. Be careful, it kills wanted grass too, so spray with caution!

2. Glass cleaner. Mix 50/50 with water in a spray bottle. It’s easier and healthier for your home than windex! Cheaper too!

3. Chemical free rinse aid! Instead of filling your dishwasher with chemical filled and expensive rinse aid, try placing 1/4 c of white vinegar in a small container in the top shelf of your dishwasher. It will act as a rinse aid!

4. Daily shower cleaner! Fill a spray bottle with 50/50 white vinegar and water and spray down your shower doors after a shower. No need to rinse daily. When you go to wash your shower you will notice the absence of soap scum and filmy build up!

5. Clogged shower head? No more! Put 50/50 white vinegar and water in a ziplock bag. Emerge your shower head in this bag and tie it shut with a string to keep in place around the shower head over night. In the morning, remove the bag and shower as normal! Viola! Unclogged!

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a superfood for your body, inside and out! There really are so many uses. We drink ACV in Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS) coined in the Trim Healthy Mama books on the regular! Check out our recipe for easy GGMS concentrate here! But here we will discuss how we use ACV to nourish our hair!

 

1. Mix 2 tablespoons ACV with 2 cups of water and store in a squeeze bottle. (An old water bottle or ketchup bottle works!) and pop that baby in your shower. After shampooing. Use this as a final rinse or conditioner to your hair. The acidity of the ACV actually helps to balance the PH of your hair. You can add a couple drops of essential oil for scent. After leaving it sit for a few minutes, rinse. Now for the hard part, I find it best to wait for my hair to dry before brushing it. Try and resist. The drying process seems to make my hair softer and easier to brush. Trust me this works as a conditioner that will not fill your body with chemicals or weigh down your volume!

2. Need something even more nourishing? Replace the 2 cups water in that recipe for 2 cups of aloe vera gel. Dispense like regular conditioner. Let sit. Rinse. Again. Wait to brush it until it’s dry! It works! You can also mix some essential oil here, I like citrus because I feel it balances the ACV out. Aloe is so nourishing. And really adds some shine to your hair with this recipe.

Want some natural shampoo? Check out our post Removing Chemicals from Your Home- 10 Ways to use Castile Soap!

Castile soap is a vegetable oil based soap made from oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oils and FREE from chemicals! It’s so versatile and just buying one bottle of it can eliminate multiple sources of chemicals in your home. It’s quite concentrated, so you won’t use much for each of these uses! Let’s get started on 10 Ways to use Castile Soap!

1. Shampoo. So many shampoos are filled with junk you just don’t want to rub into your scalp. This soap is ultra-cleaning, yet provides some moisture by being based in an oil. I promise it won’t make you oily. Scented versions available! Or add a few drops of essential oil of your liking. Use a very small amount, about the size of a dime. Finish your shampoo with a natural conditioner. Some recipes for a natural conditioner coming soon!

2. Body Wash. I love that I can replace two bottles of junk in my shower with one bottle of pure Castile soap. This soap makes a great body wash. A little really goes a long way! Use just a small amount, the size of a dime should work! Scented versions available! Or add a few drops of essential oil of your liking. Finish your shower with a natural lotion- some recipes coming soon!

3. Dish Soap. Pure Castile soap makes a great all natural dish soap. Soaking your hands in this soap while washing dishes will not cost you in the many chemicals in big-brand dish soaps! It goes farther too! Just use a couple drops instead of the generous squirt of big-brand soaps. Plus you can get it in nice citrus scents for the kitchen or add a few drops of a citrus essential oil. You can also make a detergent for dishwashers by mixing 50/50 Castile soap and water. Then fill your detergent cavity in your washer.

4. Face Wash. Just a single drop can wash your entire face. Again, I’m moving another bottle of chemicals out of my shower space! Yay for that!

5. Hand Soap. Spruce up your pure Castile soap with a few drops of essential oil and park it next to all your sinks! I just love that it’s safe to smear all over my body and strong enough to be up to the task!

6. Shaving Cream. This stuff really lathers. By the sink, my husband can take a pump out of our hand soap container and lather it up to shave and wash his face at the same time! I like to lather it up in the shower to shave my legs. Removing another product of chemicals from my shower!

7. Household Cleaner. Add a couple tablespoons to a spray bottle filled with water. This stuff is now a multi purpose cleaner! You may add essential oils like thieves to increase germ killing power! I don’t use it on glass, vinegar based homemade products are better for that! But I do love this for countertops, and mopping! Stay tuned for vinegar based recipes.

8. Mopping. For mopping, add 1/2 cup Castile soap to a gallon of warm water. Then mop as usual!

9. Fruit and vegetable wash. You can make a spray bottle by adding a couple drops to a bottle of water and spraying your fruit and vegetables. OR! Make a bowl of wash by adding a couple drops to a bowl of water, and wash vegetables and fruit by soaking in the bowl and rinsing off. Either method works great!

10. Toilet Cleaner. This is a toilet cleaner you can feel good about flushing into the water system. Is not filled with so many chemicals you are washing into the water. Put a few drops into the toilet. Then shake a little baking soda into the toilet. Scrub. Flush! Easy-peasy!

If you are buying Castile soap for the first time, I suggest buying a plain Castile soap and spreading it throughout your home in various containers. I chose Dr Bronners “unscented baby” because its their plain version, a popular brand you can find all over amazon, even in target and natural groceries stores. You can spruce up individual containers with essential oils of your liking. Here’s a link to plain Dr Bronners on amazon.com

It comes as a liquid for most of these recipes! You can also purchase it in a bar for body wash, face wash, hand soap uses.

Stay tuned for some recipes to spruce up Castile soap for various uses around your home!

3:2:1 soup

I love this soup because it’s all easy measurements. No fuss. I make the chicken breasts in my instant pot, shred them and throw them in! If you make this with turkey it’s THM FP! You could use Italian spiced pork sausage and it’s THM S! Either are completely delicious and flavorful. It’s a healthy and hearty soup filled with kale, a real super food! I found that my husband would eat kale only in soup when he started ordering the Zuppa Tuscona from Olive Garden (my husbands favorite!). I used that to my advantage when making this soup! Ultimately, eliminating the white potatoes and the cream, and making it more like an Italian wedding soup. These ingredients in the FP version are cholesterol lowering super foods!

3 quarts chicken stock

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 pound Italian spiced ground turkey

1 bag fresh, chopped kale

1 package celery, chopped

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Salt to taste

Put chicken stock, and celery and spices in a huge stock pot and bring to boil- after 10 minutes, add the kale.

Meanwhile, (or ahead of time) Cook chicken separately and shred it. Set aside. Brown turkey separately, drain. Set aside.

Once the kale is wilted, turn off the heat, add the meats and season to taste.

This is a low carb/low fat soup.

Picture coming soon! We ate it up and forgot to take a photo 🙂

This year for thanksgiving I didn’t want to miss it on any of my favorites. I’ve always loved stuffing, even just the stuff from a box that you make on the stove top! But I was sure I could make it healthier. This recipe can be made with sprouted bread, or with sourdough if you are a fan of that sourdough flavor! It’s easy and delicious!

Recipe-

1 loaf of sprouted wheat bread or sourdough bread

1 small onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp garlic salt

Dash of pepper

1 Tbsp butter

Instructions- cut the bread into cubes and let it sit out of your counter for at least an hour but a few hours works too. Just to let it dry a little so it can soak up more goodness.

Then melt butter in a large sauce pan, add the onion and celery until soft. Then add broth and seasonings. When well mixed, add the bread cubes and gently cover them in the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes on 350.

Enjoy! I love this as a simple side for any THM E meal, or with my thanksgiving turkey. I plan to make it at Christmas too!

A bonus, this recipe is great for if you make bread that sticks, and doesn’t come out pretty! I used it to save a sourdough loaf I made the other week. I didn’t grease the pan adequately and it had a tough time coming out of the pan. The loaf wasn’t wasted! It made a tasty side for our dinner!!