Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook (A Review)

One of the hardest things for me to admit to is that I'm overweight.  I know I've got more than a few extra pounds yet I try my hardest to hide this fact by only posting pictures of myself that makes me look at least a little bit skinnier than I am, only posting headshots, ect.  If your indeed like me, you've probably tried and failed multiple times at losing weight, always feeling like a failure each time.

Trimtastic Chocolate Cake

Maybe you've tried many different eating plans that are the latest fad in hopes of finding that one magic formula to help you drop the extra.

Well, this might be exactly the miracle your looking for.

I recently was given the opportunity to review the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, a 512 page companion book that works with the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan designed by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison.  Prior to receiving the cookbook, I had heard quite a bit about the THM eating plan and was pretty excited to try it.  Needless to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed using this cookbook along with the eating plan.

If you are unfamiliar with the THM Eating plan, basically it teaches you to eat foods by balancing fats and carbohydrates in order to allow your body to efficiently burn each type of energy.  By doing so, your body burns through the fuel you supply with your meal and then moves on to burn excess stores of fat.   This means that particular groupings of foods are not eliminated with a few exceptions of those items that cause a spike in blood sugar.  Meals are grouped either as S (Satisfying), E (Energizing) and FP (fuel pulls).  While a bit confusing, the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book explains it really well.

The Cookbook, while not necessary, is EXTREMELY helpful in coming up with great ideas for meals. It takes the guesswork out of putting a meal plan together as each recipe is labeled as either S, E, or FP.  Full colored pictures accompany many of the recipes to allow you to see what the finished product should look like.  The book is broken into sections such as One Pot Meals, Hearty Mains and Sides, Sunrise Eats, Sweet Treats, Beverages and All Things Smooth and Crunchy.

My Thoughts and Experiences with the Cookbook

Lazy Lasagna

My family and I have been using this cookbook almost exclusively for the last three weeks and I honestly think I am in love with it.  My picky eaters have eaten just about everything we have made and have even asked for repeats of some of the recipes.    Tonight we made the slow cooker pot roast which had radishes instead of potatoes in it and they didn't have a clue they were eating radishes.

Some of our favorite recipes so far have been the Lazy Lasagna (which both my kids and my husband made me make a second time less than a week later)  and the Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup.   The Just Like Campbell's Tomato Soup has also been a real hit in our house with the kids who have asked for this recipe for their lunch a few times now. However, the Trimtastic Chocolate Cake, which is made using zucchini, has been the most requested recipe out of the book, even resulting in an extra cake being made for my husband to take to work.

Each recipe uses healthy ingredients and replaces harmful weight increasing ingredients like refined sugar and white flour with healthier alternatives like Stevia and almond flour.  While some recipes do require special ingredients such as Oat Fiber, Glucomannan or Pressed Peanut Flour, many other recipes do not require these pricey ingredients and can be made from ordinary ingredients from your grocery store on the corner.

We have only found one recipe that none of us liked very much (it was a desert). Many recipes will

Just Like Campbell's Tomato Soup

have you scratching your head wondering if it will be worth trying but the outcome turns out really well such as  in the case of the radishes in the pot roast or mashed cauliflower on top of a shepherd's pie.

Does the plan work?  So far, so good.  We've been eating the THM way now for a 3 weeks. I will admit that during that time, I have eating meals that were "off plan" a number of times, yet I have still managed to lose 7 lbs. My oldest daughter has also lost roughly 5 lbs.   Nobody in my family has felt like they have been on a diet and my kids are thrilled that dessert has become a frequent visitor to our dinners.

If your looking for a healthier way to eat without feeling like your punishing yourself, I would highly recommend this plan.  Even if your just looking for a few healthier meals to add to your dinner rotation, this cookbook would make a great addition.