Silas and I made two new Trim Healthy Mama recipes tonight (I subbed half and half for the almond milk because I was all out of almond or coconut milk).
First up was this Raw Cookie Dough recipe. It was incredible easy to make and made just the perfect amount.
We all thought this was pretty good. It wasn’t quite like normal cookie dough, but still fairly yummy. I couldn’t get past the almond flour taste in it enough to declare it really good, though.
We put the extras in the freezer and will enjoy them for a delicious snack tomorrow. I think it might taste even yummier frozen! 🙂
Next up, Silas and I made these Peanut Butter Pancakes.
This recipe was really easy to whip up, too.
I subbed half and half for the almond milk in this recipe, too.
The batter was really thick so I ended up making one pancake with the batter according to the recipe and the second pancake with a little extra liquid added to see what the difference would be.
The thicker pancake ended up turning out better. However, neither pancake ended up looking that great — but it was mostly because I used this pan on the stove top instead of our griddle. I didn’t feel like lugging out the big griddle to just make two pancakes!
They aren’t really peanut butter pancakes as they don’t have any peanut butter in them, but the peanut flour mixed with all the other ingredients sure makes them taste a lot like they do truly have peanut butter in them.
They weren’t too bad, but we much prefer the Trim Healthy Mama pancakes. I think it’s mostly because I’m learning that I just don’t like things make with coconut flour or almond flour when compared to recipes made with oat flour or oat fiber. Live and learn, eh?
After we were finished, Silas also helped me clean up the kitchen. He rinsed all the dishes and Kathrynne loaded the dishwasher while I put everything away and wiped down the countertops. It literally took just a few minutes and the kitchen looked spic and span again.
As the kids get older and we’re training them to be able to help with more and more chores, I just can’t believe how much of a difference it makes in our workload and how much cleaner our house stays — without me having to do much work at all!
Moms of littles: keep on and know that one day soon, your hard work is going to pay off and you’ll be working yourself out of job… Don’t give up!
Links to the recipes we made tonight:
- Peanut Butter Pancakes — makes two
- Raw Cookie Dough — makes enough for 4-6 people, well, depending upon how much you eat. 😉
Amanda says
Hi. Do you have suggestions on how to motivate you children to help with chores and how to minimize whining? I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks.
BUSY MOM IN AL says
I also wanted to comment about chores. We created “zones” in our home. Kitchen, Floors, and Outside. Each child gets chores related to that area for 1 week. After 1 week, they rotate. It took a few weeks of training everyone, but they enjoy the change and learn all the chores at once. I made charts for each area and posted it on the refrigerator. It is a huge help to me. My oldest (15) is my laundry helper and also helps me with things like deep cleaning the bathroom and a good sweep on the main floor before nighttime. It has been many years training and inspecting, but they all know how to keep a house clean. 🙂 It truly is a blessing to train your children to help. I had a huge learning curve when I got married on how to run a home!
My sister-in-law also showed me how to implement a 5-minute tidy and we do that a few times a day. Set the timer and all hands on deck to straighten the house. It is fun! Sometimes when it looks overwhelming, we all remember it only takes 5-10 minutes and it will be clean again! 🙂
Crystal is right, it is a huge help!
BUSY MOM IN AL says
A friend shared this THM recipe with me and it is really good!
http://www.ahomewithpurpose.com/warm-chia-porridge-s/
I add cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of toasted pecans. I really like it cold with yogurt. It makes a great and quick THM breakfast or snack.
Leah says
WHY would you make a recipe for only two pancakes?? That would be considered treason in our house. 🙂
Everyone wants to enjoy!
Mary says
My favorite easy and cheap way to make grain free pancakes is a couple of overly ripe bananas, 3 or 4 eggs, a huge scoop of peanut butter about 3/4 cup, tablespoon of coconut flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. I never make it with exact proportions but they always come out great. My daughter once put in 6 eggs when I had my back turned and they still came out great and with extra protein. And of course don’t forget the chocolate chips!
Lauren @ Funky Monkey Children says
How did you get started on THM? I’ve seen the website, but just wondering what your personal draw to it was. I’m checking out more info about it but I’ve definitely seen lots of people have a lot of success with it!
Crystal Paine says
It was an experiment that turned into a lifestyle. 🙂 I’d had a few pounds creep on the past year that didn’t want to come off. As someone who has always been the same weight since I was 17 (except for pregnancy weight), this was quite strange and frustrating. I finally decided to just try THM to see if it really was as wonderful as my sister and a friend had said. I was sure I would hate it and feel miserable.
Well, not only did I NOT hate it; I actually have loved eating this way and have felt so much better. And the few pounds fell off within the first week and now I have to be careful to eat plenty lest I lose *more weight* than would be a healthy weight for me.
I wrote more about some of the results I’ve seen here: https://moneysavingmom.com/2014/09/100-days-real-food.html
Crystal Paine says
I should also mention that I eat THM about 80-90% of the time. I give myself a little breathing room to enjoy the occasional treat or for instances when I’m being hosted by someone else (like when I was in South Africa.)
Cheryl Burtrum says
My kids are now 12 and 10 and they having been helping in the kitchen for years. It is so nice and they enjoy it too. I can ask my daughter to make homemade waffles while I’m getting ready and then my son helps too. Moms of little ones, keep having them help, it pays off! They have quite a few recipes they now can make.
Vickie @ Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
This week I tried the coconut muffins from the book -they were pretty good. I added blueberry. The peanut butter cookies from the book were good too (I left out the chocolate) . My daughter’s blog is still up with lots of recipes for THM if you interested.
Whole Food Mom on a Budget (http://www.wholefoodmomonabudget.com).
Alexis says
Thank you for the encouragement about teaching littles to help! It’s also just nice to be reminded that one day I won’t have as much to clean because I’ll have help! Mine are 20 months and 3 weeks old right now so I feel like there’s always more to clean! 🙂
Jenetta Penner says
You recipes are really great… though I also love the part about how you train your little boy Silas on how to be responsible by teaching him to do simple chores. I have 2 daughters and I’m hoping I’m also training them well like you do. 🙂
The Jewish Lady says
I tried a bunch of new recipes during a bulk cooking day.
http://thejewishlady.com/bulk-cooking-day-results/
Melissa Kaiserman says
I love how you encouraged moms of littles that it won’t be quite so overwhelming in a few years if they start training when their kids are young. I had someone ask me the other day how I do what I do, and I had to remind her that 1) my husband works from home as well and shares the load and 2) my kids are older (6-14) and have responsibilities that used to be 100% up to me. There’s no way I could have run a full-time business from home when they were all completely dependent on me and my husband was working in his previous job! I wouldn’t have even wanted to try.
I keep thinking I want to try THM…
Carlee says
I too struggled to love Almond flour desserts…until this one. It’s moist, fluffy, and the almond really compliments the chocolate instead of being overpowering. http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2015/01/luxurious-almond-cake-in-chocolate.html
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life says
I enjoyed reading about you testing the recipes and hearing what worked and what didn’t. I am always trying new recipes and, more often than not, developing my own. It’s fun to see someone else in the same process. 🙂
Thanks also for the encouragement about kids getting older and all the training paying off! My oldest is 4 1/2 and I’ve seen so much progress already. It’s exciting to think about the future and all the things he will be capable of and all the things we can work on together.
Susan in St. Louis says
We’re having our kiddos do more as well, and it really is a help! My 3 year-old empties all the little trashes and changes out hand towels in the bathrooms every day – something I don’t think I would have thought to have her do if you hadn’t mentioned it eons ago in a post. 😉 My 5/7 year olds vacuum, unload and load the dishwasher, etc. Love it!
Theres says
These were yummy! I feel good eating them…no guilt!
Sweet Potato Brownies
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic cane sugar (I used raw sugar)
2/3 cup sweet-potato puree (or one skinned, boiled sweet potato, pureed)
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan; set aside.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cocoa. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in sugar and sweet-potato puree, then egg.
Add vanilla to cocoa mixture. Then add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the top. Bake until surface of brownies looks barely dry and an inserted knife comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving
Alissa says
The substituting half and half made me laugh with the THM 🙂 Way to go with trying new recipes! And AMEN to the kids helping… I can’t believe how much less stressed I feel on the days our littles help out around the house!! My 5 year old asks what he can do and loves cooking! Some days I wondered if it would ever pay off 😉 #blessedwithHISgrace
Crystal Paine says
Not sure if you’re familiar with THM, but half and half is actually THM-approved in small amounts if you’re making S recipes — which both of these were. If I were trying to lose weight it wouldn’t be wise, but since I’m not I’m good with it. (I don’t have any weight to lose; I’m eating THM because I feel *SO much better* eating this way!)
Jen says
I highly encourage you to use the Honeyville almond flour if you haven’t already! Here are several almond or coconut flour recipes I’ve tried with great results:
Banana Bread French toast: http://paleomg.com/banana-bread-french-toast/ (I sub blueberries for the bananas. Best French toast I’ve ever had!)
Cranberry Walnut Bread: http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-bread/
Simple Blueberry Muffins: http://paleomg.com/simple-blueberry-muffins/
Apple Surprise Muffins: http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com/index/2012/02/25/apple-surprise-muffins/
Cranberry Orange “Buttermilk” Breakfast Cake: http://realsustenance.com/cranberry-orange-buttermilk-breakfast-cake-grainglutendairycornsoy-free/
Chocolate zucchini muffins: http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com/index/2012/07/03/chocolate-zucchini-muffins/
Coconut Blueberry Pound Cupcakes: http://glutenfreeeasily.com/coconut-blueberry-pound-cupcakes-gluten-free-grain-free-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free/
Paleo pancakes: http://paleoparents.com/featured/easy-peasy-pancakes/
Paleo-fied chocolate cake: http://cleaneatsinthezoo.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/paleo-fied-chocolate-cake/
Raw Paleo Apple Pie: http://memyselfandfood.com/2012/04/raw-paleo-apple-pie/
No-Bake Paleo and Gluten-Free Cookies: http://www.ingredientsinc.net/2012/02/no-bake-paleo-cookies/
Grain-Free Mudslide Fudge Cookies: http://www.foodrenegade.com/grainfree-mudslide-fudge-cookies/
Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies: http://www.elanaspantry.com/double-chocolate-walnut-brownies/
Healthy Pumpkin Seed Power Truffles: http://www.dailybitesblog.com/2012/01/10/healthy-pumpkin-seed-power-truffles/
Avocado Chocolate Torte: http://memyselfandfood.com/2012/02/avocado-chocolate-torte/ (I could write poetry about this dessert, it is that good!)
Pineapple upside-down cake: http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com/index/2012/07/19/supermans-pineapple-upside-down-cake/ (I make this in an 11×7 Pyrex and use coconut oil in place of the butter.)
Grain Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake: http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com/index/2012/08/11/grain-free-cinnamon-coffee-cake/ (Not cheap to make, but oh so good!)
Raw chocolate cheesecake: http://detoxinista.com/2013/02/raw-chocolate-cheesecake/ (I make it in an 8” square Pyrex.)
Paleo chocolate chip cookies: http://www.primalpalate.com/blog/chocolate-chip-cookies/
Sweet potato ginger brownies: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/grain-free-goodies/sweet-potato-ginger-brownies/
Crystal Paine says
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing all those recipe! I still may yet find a coconut flour or almond flour recipe I like!
amanda says
I agree that almond flour brands make a big difference. I can’t eat crossovers yet, so I am still tweaking a lot of almond flour recipes. The ones that add a tiny bit of coconut flour seem to have a better texture, in my opinion. I do like that cookie dough recipe. I keep it in the fridge, the freezer made it too hard for my tastes. It is much better cold. I love you sharing your experience with the THM recipes. I cracked up yesterday when you cleaned out your cabinet, I said to myself, that’s a THM cabinet!
Charissa says
Thanks for the encouragement in regards to training your children to help out around the house. Some days I get overwhelmed and think, “Why didn’t I just ask the kids to pitch in?” Tonight they were such a big help and they enjoyed it, too.