Another Round of THM Dinners

I didn't take as many pictures this time, but I still have some yummy meals to share. The kids think it is hilarious when I take a picture of my dinner.  Anyway, here's another week's worth of THM dinners.

Day 1 - Chicken noodle soup (FP), Grilled cheese sandwiches (S or E)

For the chicken noodle soup, place 2 chicken breasts, 1-2 cartons of fat free chicken broth, chopped carrots and celery (and onions if you like them, I use onion powder), salt, pepper, and basil in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours.  Right before serving, cook a box of Dreamfield's pasta (I think I used rotini) according to package directions.  Shred chicken and stir noodles into soup.  The soup by itself is FP.

Grilled cheese sandwiches - Kids get 100% Whole Wheat bread and cheddar.  For an S, use a Joseph's Pita or low carb tortilla, butter, and regular cheese.  For an E, use spouted bread, cheddar laughing cow, and a light spritz of coconut oil spray.

Day 2 - Brats, raw veggies and ranch, berries - S

Look for brats with 1-2 carbs each.  I eat mine in a Joseph's pita with spicy brown mustard.  Kids get regular buns and ketchup.  Sierra likes to eat her ketchup by itself using her fingers, but that's beside the point.

Day 3 - Slow Cooker Italian Beef Stew, Buttered Gwen's Nest Bread, sliced cheese - S helper for one piece of bread or crossover for 2

We all LOVE this soup.  Even the kids (and Dave) eat it, and they are not typically fond of zucchini.  Make sure you mix up the bread dough 72 hours before you plan to serve it.  The souring process breaks down the carbs and makes it on plan.

Day 4 - Savory Cinnamon Slow Cooker Chicken (I was not lying about using my crock pot all the time), brown rice, canned green beans - E

I know this picture isn't very appetizing, but it was very yummy.  Everyone enjoyed it.  The chicken recipe calls for making this meal and freezing it ahead of time; I just made it the day I served it.  I cooked the rice in chicken broth for added flavor.  I just put salt and pepper on my green beans.  The kids put butter on their rice and/or green beans to make their meal a crossover.  Or there's Jordanna who just licked the butter off of her knife.  Whatever works.

Day 5 - Cheeseburger pie (I add bacon when I make this), sauteed mushrooms, roasted potatoes (I skip these), salad with ranch - S

You might notice the canned drink in this picture and other previous picture.  I usually just drink water (and coffee), but I do like to have La Croix or Dasani sparkling water from time to time.

Day 6 - Chicken in Tomato Basil Cream Sauce, Dreamfield's Pasta, Oven Roasted Broccoli - S

Yum! Enough said!

Chicken in Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce - S

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

fat of your choice for cooking chicken

2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp garlic powder

2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 can diced tomatoes

⅓-½ cup fresh basil, diced

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Sprinkle seasonings over chicken, to lightly coat
2. Cook chicken on stove-top pan, browning on both sides
3. When chicken is just about done, remove the meat from the pan and set aside
4. Add cream to pan, stirring to loosen and mix the leftover juices and such
5. Keep cream at a simmer and drain tomatoes and add to cream
6. Add the basil and cheese to the mixture, stir until combined and bring back to a simmer
7. Add chicken back into the pan
8. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring and turning chicken until sauce has coated the meat
9. Serve over Dreamfields angel hair if you are a pasta eater, spaghetti squash or zucchini, steamed veggies, or as is.

Day 7 - Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken Thighs (Yep, there's the crockpot again), Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, Rolls (I skip these), Salad

Teaching Time

I think we are finally into the swing of things for this semester.  Just as a reminder, Caleb is technically in 4th grade but is doing 5th grade level work, Alexa is in 2nd grade, and Jordanna is in Pre-K.

Alexa practicing her spelling words by writing them in rainbow colors.

Cold day, indoor PE - Just Dance Disney Edition

Even Silas got in the middle of things

And then Sierra started dancing, too.

Alexa was studying snakes in science, and one of her assignments was to attempt to slither in the 4 main ways that snakes slither.  It was pretty funny, especially since Jordanna and Caleb got in on it.

And finally, Jordanna reading her very first book to Dave.  I started teaching her phonics last week.

Trim Healthy Breakfasts

Finally on to Trim Healthy Breakfasts.

Day 1 - Baked Oatmeal - E. I like to mix this up right after I put Sierra on the bus.  Then I can go take a shower while it bakes.  I have made banana, applesauce, apple, blueberry, raspberry, and pumpkin.

Day 2 - Spinach mushroom egg white omelet, 2 pieces of sprouted toast with Polaner's jam - E.  I can never use a whole bag of spinach before it gets slimy, so I just pick a few pieces of spinach out of my tub of spring mix.  I use Aldi brand light laughing cow cheese when I make an egg white omelet.

Day 3 - 2 eggs fried in butter, 3 pieces of bacon - S.

Day 4 - French toast made with Trader Joe's Tuscan Whole Wheat, 2 pieces of sausage - crossover (because I used butter and whole eggs, to make it an E use egg whites and lightly spritz the pan with coconut spray).

Day 5 - 2 pieces of sprouted bread - E.  1 topped with jam.  1 topped with light laughing cow cheese and microwaved egg whites (I just spray a small glass Pyrex with coconut spray, pour in egg whites, and microwave just over a minute.).

Day 6 - Scrambled eggs and shredded cheddar on two low carb tortillas - S.  I sometimes add bacon, but we were out.  You can also add salsa.

Day 7 - Cheesy scrambled eggs and a strawberry cheesecake smoothie (recipe below) - S.

Raspberry Cheesecake Shake - S

½ c cottage cheese

1 scoop protein powder

¾-2 tsp Truvia

5-10 ice cubes

½-1 c water

½ tsp gluc. (optional)

½ c fresh or frozen raspberries (or strawberries)

2 TB cream cheese

Blend all ingredients in the blender and enjoy!

Beautiful Park Days

We had some warm, sunny days at the beginning of the week, so we took the opportunity to go to two different parks before it became rainy and 40 degrees by the end of the week.

Sierra still loves swinging,

But she also loves to play

And slide with her big sister

And ride with Silas.

Buddies

Big kids swingin

Even Dave got to go to the park with us one day.

It's a bit hard to see, but the small speck with the black shirt on the far right is Sierra.  She found a group of boys playing football at the park and thought she should join in.  She chased after them, sat in the middle of what they were doing, and cheered.

Silas stealing Mommy's water bottle

Sweet, silly Sierra.

Teaching Time

Caleb was watching his Latin DVD last week (which, by the way, was money WELL spent), and Jordanna wanted to watch it with him.  I told her she could as long as she was quiet.  So sweet!

Latin teacher

One of the ways we study Alexa's spelling words is for her to give me a spelling test.  I spell many words incorrectly, but I try to use common misspellings.  Then Alexa has to grade the test.  Apparently I did so poorly that I got a G.

Another way we practice spelling words is using these letter tiles.

Jordanna had to make a quilt out of paper for a literature unit she is doing.  We (very loosely) modeled it after the quilt that Grammy made her when she was born.

And if you are wondering by now where Sierra is, she now goes to special needs preschool at the local public elementary school.  The bus picks her up around 6:55 and drops her off around 12:25.  She get speech and occupational therapy at school as well as just general educational experiences including playing hockey in PE last week.  There are 10 students and 4 teachers.  We miss her while she is gone, but it gives us wonderful uninterrupted time to home school.

Pretty Princesses

Trim Healthy Lunches

Okay, on to Trim Healthy Lunches. As opposed to dinner, for lunches I usually make myself a separate meal from the kids.  But it has to be quick.  Now that Sierra is riding the bus to and from school, she gets home about 12:25, so I like to be finished eating lunch by then.

Day 1: Egg crust pizza (I sometimes make it with pepperoni as described, but I never use olives.  This time I used ham, mushrooms, and feta but followed the same cooking directions.), cottage berry whip (from the book)

Day 2: Just like Campbell's soup (from the book) with grilled cheese sandwich in bread in a mug (from the book)

Day 3: Mixed greens tossed with olive oil vinaigrette and shredded Parmesan topped with warmed grilled chicken (store bought, precooked), berries

Day 4: Two low carb tortillas with the rest of the grilled chicken, bacon, ranch, lettuce, and shredded cheese, Greek yogurt with raspberries

Day 5: Egg salad, one Joseph's pita, mixed greens, Greek yogurt with mixed berries (I eat a lot of Greek yogurt), dark chocolate

Day 6: Leftover turkey chili (see dinner menu) topped with Greek yogurt, baked blue tortilla chips, fruit salad

Day 7: Two fried eggs, one Joseph's pita with melted cheese, Greek yogurt with berries

Haircut

Sierra's hair was getting long and scraggly in the back.  I thought about taking her to a kids' salon, but I wasn't sure how she'd do.  So I decided to try it myself first.  I ended up cutting it while she was playing in the bathtub with Alexa, and I think it turned out pretty well.  Of course, getting her to sit still for a picture is next to impossible.

Icy Fun

We had several days of rain last week followed by several very cold days.  The sandbox lid was frozen full of ice.  Dave helped the kids get it out, and they chopped it up and had a great time playing with the ice.  Yes, they are southerners.

Teaching Time

Both Alexa and Jordanna have been studying fish in science, so one day, we made sharks, fish, and rays out of playdough.

Sierra really LOVES reading lately.  Here is Jordanna "reading" to her.

And here is Jordanna watching a video about cotton to go with her study of The Rag Coat.  She was mesmerized the whole time.

One Week of Trim Healthy Dinners

So, I wanted to give an example of one week of dinners on Trim Healthy Mama (breakfast, lunch and snacks to come later) to show how easy and yummy our meals are and how to adapt my meals to the needs of growing children without having to make separate dinners. These are all actual meals we have eaten in the last week and a half or so. I have included recipe links included if possible and what type of meal  (S, E, FP, or crossover)

Day 1 - Ham (I buy a small ham at Aldi that is very low in sugar/carbs), stovetop mac and cheese (I use Dreamfield's pasta and sub half and half for the evaporated milk to stay on plan.  I omit mustard and hot sauce, but that is just personal preference), roasted cauliflower and broccoli (roast in oven at 400 degress for about 25 minutes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, stir occasionally, add parmesan for last 10 min if desired) - S

Day 2 - Chicken quesadillas (Low carb tortillas for me, regular for everyone else.  I used store bought precooked chicken and shredded cheddar), sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips (I skip these), salad - S

Day 3 - Bacon, scrambled eggs, low carb pancakes with sugar free syrup for me, regular pancakes for everyone else, strawberries, decaf coffee with half and half (me only) - S

Day 4 - Slow cooker turkey chili (omit corn, top with 0% Greek yogurt and/or, laughing cow cheese to stay on plan),  hotdogs for the kids (two eat a plain hot dog, one eats a chili dog, and one eats hotdog and chili separately), baked blue tortilla chips, fruit salad - E (or crossover if you eat the chili over a bunless hotdog)

Day 5 - Meatballs in cream sauce , Dreamfield's pasta, garlic bread (for the kids), salad - S

Day 6 - Chicken Q sandwiches (Sub Truvia for the honey, I eat bunless), roasted potatoes (I skip these), green fries (from the book), salad - S

Day 7 - Slow cooker cream cheese chicken taquitos (low carb tortillas for me, regular for everyone else), chips and salsa (I skip the chips), salad

As you can tell, I usually make S dinner (crossover for the kids) and eat my E meals at breakfast or lunch.  Also, I use my crock pot A LOT and fill in with easy meals on other nights.  And I eat a lot of salads.  It is possible to do this plan without spending hours in the kitchen.

Stay tuned for breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas!

Still Frozen

Not the movie this time.  Us.  We woke up one day this week to 9 degree weather.  In Georgia.  After we dropped Sierra off at school, Alexa continued to wear her hat while she did her school.  Here Alexa is doing her math test, and Jordanna is making a letter "O" book.

They also made underwater pictures using Goldfish.  Both Jordanna and Alexa studied fish in science this week, and this was a cute, fun, and easy craft.

When Sierra got home, she brought me her hat because she wanted to wear a hat like her sisters.

Sweet, snuggly warm sisters.