Category Archives: Tasty Tuesday

Because you have to feed them too

Split Pea Soup (Pork free)

Main Dishes, Soup, Tasty Tuesday

This recipe was touted as being cheap/inexpensive and thus great for people on a tight budget. So naturally I was expecting the split peas to be around 50¢-75¢ a pound but unfortunately they were about double that and the recipe calls for two pounds. :o So for this inexpensive dinner, I was going to have to pay close to $3 and I can get chicken breast for cheaper than that! But I wasn’t just fixing it for being budget friendly, I was fixing it for being healthy and a lighter dinner.

Well, when I started going to WinCo, they had the split peas for less than 70¢ a pound, if I remember correctly. So, I it made it more budget friendly.

Some people don’t eat pork and split pea soup is usually made with a ham bone and chunks of ham. But to eat these carbohydrates and still lose weight, I need to eat them with very little fat, so no ham bone nor ham.

You may wonder how to make it taste good if you don’t use a ham bone. Liquid smoke and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. I’ve never had split pea soup before so I had no taste that this recipe had to live up to. Sean even took one look at it and told me that he’d taste it but that he was probably going to eat something else. :D He ate his whole bowl and got seconds, if I remember correctly. ;)

So you start by soaking the dried split peas in water first thing in the morning. Then early afternoon drain and rinse them.

Next begin sauteing some finely diced onion in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add a bit of water for moisture as it cooks to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot or add up to 1 tablespoon of butter.

Then you simply add the water, peas and just a few seasonings. Cover and simmer for several hours. It can be cooked in the crock pot too, just soak the peas overnight.

I like to cook mine for about 4 hours. Really it is about how it tastes to you, when to stop cooking and eat.

Print
Split Pea Soup (Pork free)

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds dried split peas, soaked about 8 hours in warm water with 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 onion, diced
  • up to 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 12 cups of water
  • 4 teaspoons liquid smoke
  • 3 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1-2 squirts Bragg's Liquid Aminos
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • several slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (I do one slice per person)

Instructions

  1. drain and rinse the soaked peas
  2. saute onion in water or up to 1 Tablespoon butter for a few minutes
  3. Add peas, water and seasonings.
  4. Cover and bring to a boil.
  5. Simmer for several hours on low.
  6. Serve with some turkey bacon bits on top and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast, if desired. 🙂
https://lifeofjoy.me/split-pea-soup-pork-free/

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Creamalicious Latte

Beverages, Tasty Tuesday

Tiffany made up this creamy tea.  I posted her Fruit Loops Tea which really does taste like fruity cereal, a couple weeks ago. This is the other tea she likes to make. You see she used to enjoy drinking coffee but cannot tolerate its caffeine any longer and misses the warm comfort of a lovely latte. So she created these teas.

So here is how to make it.

Boil a cup of water.

Fill mug 3/4 full with milk of choice; she uses either almond milk or cashew milk.

Heat the milk on medium heat.

Place English Breakfast tea bag in mug, fill 1/4 full with boiled water and add sweetener as desired. Tiffany uses two spoonfuls of xylitol, two doonks of stevia for my hubby, and 3 doonks and two xylitols for Sean. So, use whatever sweetener and how much you like.

Steep for a few minutes. Tiffany likes her tea pretty mild; so feel free to steep your tea a bit longer if you prefer a stronger tea. Remove tea bag.

As soon as the milk is warmed (not boiled), add the warmed milk to the tea, stir and drink.

Print
CreamaliciousTea

Ingredients

  • English Breakfast tea bag
  • milk (we use almond or cashew milk)
  • sweetener of choice (xylitol, stevia, etc.)
  • water

Instructions

  1. Boil water
  2. Pour milk into chosen mug until 3/4 full, pour into saucepan and warm.
  3. Add a dash of vanilla if your milk is plain.
  4. Place tea bag and sweetener in mug.
  5. Fill mug 1/4 full with boiled water
  6. Steep tea, then remove tea bag.
  7. Add warmed milk, and stir.
  8. ENJOY the creamy goodness!
https://lifeofjoy.me/creamalicious-latte/

Hope you enjoy this tea as much as Tiffany and Sean are. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Nutritional Yeast: Healthy, Delicious, and Nutritious

Tasty Tuesday

Have you tried nutritional yeast? It’s a cheesy-ish tasting substance that we sprinkle on a lot of things. :) Sean sprinkles it on just about everything. :D It is a key ingredient in the bouillon mix we make that is scrumptious.

Benefits

The cool thing about nutritional yeast is that it is inactive yeast and thus doesn’t have the negative effects of baker’s yeast. Although it does have 3 grams of carbs it also has 3 grams of fiber, so it is can be very helpful.  It also has some protein and B vitamins. Because of that, it can give you energy.

It also boosts the immune system and can help stabilize blood sugar. It is also anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Oh and it contains powerful antioxidants.

Links

Here are a few links to tell you about all those good things, because although I understand the words, I couldn’t really tell you what they mean. :D

  • The product description here is helpful. We purchase ours from THM because it is one of the few that is not fortified. When nutritional yeast is fortified, it is more yellow because of the synthetic vitamins.
  • This website talks about some of the benefits and explains them.
  • This one explains how it provides the benefits.
  • There can be some negative side effects, if you start out eating a lot at once. It does have fiber and that can cause a little irritation if you eat too much. Just start easy. We have not personally had any problems with it. :)

If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast yet, I recommend giving it a try.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Fruit Loops Tea

Beverages, Tasty Tuesday

Tiffany made up this interesting tea that tastes like fruit loops cereal. :D Seriously, it really does taste like fruity cereal.

So here is how to make it.

Boil a cup of water.

Fill mug 3/4 full with milk of choice; she uses either almond milk or cashew milk. If it is plain milk, add a splash of vanilla.

Heat the milk on medium heat.

Place Lady Grey tea bag in mug, fill 1/4 full with boiled water and add sweetener as desired. Tiffany uses two spoonfuls of xylitol, two doonks of stevia for my hubby, and 3 doonks and two xylitols for Sean. So, use whatever sweetener and how much you like.

Steep for a few minutes. Tiffany likes her tea pretty mild; so feel free to steep your tea a bit longer if you prefer a stronger tea. Remove tea bag.

As soon as the milk is warmed (not boiled), add the warmed milk to the tea, stir and drink.

Print
CreamaliciousTea

Ingredients

  • English Breakfast tea bag
  • milk (we use almond or cashew milk)
  • sweetener of choice (xylitol, stevia, etc.)
  • water

Instructions

  1. Boil water
  2. Pour milk into chosen mug until 3/4 full, pour into saucepan and warm.
  3. Add a dash of vanilla if your milk is plain.
  4. Place tea bag and sweetener in mug.
  5. Fill mug 1/4 full with boiled water
  6. Steep tea, then remove tea bag.
  7. Add warmed milk, and stir.
  8. ENJOY the creamy goodness!
https://lifeofjoy.me/fruit-loops-tea/

Hope you enjoy this tea as much as Tiffany and Sean are. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Taco Mac Salad (THM E- low fat version)

Chicken, Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Pasta, Salad, Tasty Tuesday

Taco Mac Salad is one of our favorite salads, if not meals. I have remade this as a healthy fats meal before using dreamfields pasta. But since this is a favorite meal, I looked for a way to make this without using that pasta.

The next solution I had was to use brown rice pasta or brown rice & quinoa pasta. You could use any alternative pasta like lentil, black bean, chickpea, or other such pasta. This night we used brown rice pasta from WinCo.

I took about a pounds worth of thawed boneless skinless chicken bread and put it in the food processor. I then ground it up, cooked it in a fry pan, and seasoned it with taco seasoning.

Meanwhile, I boiled the pasta and chopped up some vegetables. It’s important to measure the pasta so as not to overdo the carbs.

It is probably best to only 40g weight instead of 52-68g worth of pasta to give some space for some beans.

Tear the lettuce and chop the green pepper. I serve the diced tomatoes separately because the kids don’t like them. Drain, rinse, and heat up a can of black beans (it can be added to the meat).

Combine the drained, cooked pasta, beans, salad, and a cheese stick or two (sliced) in a salad bowl.

Serve with low fat/low carb dressing, low fat/fat free sour cream or yogurt and any other veggies you desire. I do choose to use some fat free cheddar cheese as well.

If you used a low enough carb pasta, you can probably add a tostada to it. :)

I added some nutritional yeast. :)

I hope you like it as much as we do.

Print
Taco Mac Salad (THM E- low fat version)

Ingredients

  • brown rice pasta (or other alternative pasta, such as brown rice & quinoa, black bean, chickpea, lentil, etc)
  • boneless skinless chicken breast
  • lettuce
  • green pepper
  • tomato
  • low fat mozzarella cheese stick
  • fat free yogurt or fat free/low fat sour cream
  • taco seasoning (chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper)
  • black beans, drained and rinsed
  • tostada (corn, lime treated) optional

Instructions

  1. process chicken breast into ground chicken in a food processor
  2. cook chicken and add taco seasoning
  3. boil pasta
  4. chop veggies
  5. add beans to meat
  6. add meat, beans, and drained pasta to the chopped veggies
  7. serve with toppings desired
https://lifeofjoy.me/taco-mac-salad-thm-e-low-fat-version/

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

What to Cook When I Don’t Feel Like Cooking

Tasty Tuesday

A menu of items to choose from is one of my biggest helps to this problem. I usually plan to have things I’m hungry for so that means I have a little extra incentive to cook. ;) But sometimes I just don’t feel like cooking whatever is on the menu. This happened to me last night.

Don’t feel like cooking . . .

It was overcast here and the kids got the new Animal Crossing game, so there was not much motivation to do much of anything at all today. Evidently my afternoon snack was a bit filling too. So although I was a bit hungry when dinnertime came around, I did not feel like making anything.

On nights like that the first thought is to call a Yo-Yo, which means You’re On Your Own. :D I got that from one of my oldest friends. I love it. But any way, I really didn’t want to make my hubby fend for himself after having worked. So I did what came naturally and stood in front of the refrigerator and pondered what to make. I had a package of polish kielbasi that was unplanned and some cabbage, so I thought I’d make that but hubby wasn’t up for the cabbage, which is unusual but okay.

Breakfast for Dinner . . .

I was close to declaring a YoYo and considered another easy dinner option, Eggs for dinner. :) When I get stumped for a dinner menu item, I consider breakfast for dinner which is usually pancakes or some such specialty. But lately, when I want an easy dinner, it is eggs or oatmeal. :) But I wasn’t really in the mood for either of those. ;)

Then I was enticed by the veggies. :o Who am I? =)) I pulled out the red bell pepper, some onion, a green bell pepper, some mushrooms, and some zucchini. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking of making until I got out the zucchini. Next came the low carb tortillas and some cheese. At the last minute I got out some turkey lunch meat so my guys didn’t complain too much. ;)

I chopped up the veggies and Tiff heated up the tortillas. It was quick, easy, and filling.

Other Options

My other options are spaghetti, tacos, grilled sandwiches/paninis, fajitas, or salad (which admittedly is a last resort). I do ask that people eat up leftovers, if at all possible on YoYo nights too.

Well, that’s what I do, what do you do when you don’t feel like cooking?

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Go-To Meals and Menu Planning

Tasty Tuesday

What are some of your “go-to” meals? Are they seasonal? Our temperatures here are all over the place right now. I nearly had to turn on the air conditioner the week before last and then the bottom dropped and it got very cold again.

If I eat a salad, I like to do it when it is warm out (unless it is Chicken and Fries salad, Mmmmm, mmmm) and soups when it is colder. Of course “colder” is relative to what the temperatures have been. If it is the fall and just come out of 100º temperatures then the 60’s is definitely colder but if it spring and the temperatures have been in the 30’s and 40’s then 60 is definitely warmer. ;) See?

Soups/Chili

Well, all that to say . . . my go-to meals are subject to temperature. :D When it is a bit on the chilly side, we lean to adding chili and soup to our menu at least a couple of times in the week.

I’ve shared some of our favorites here. Sometimes I make this crock pot meal with added broth for more of a soup than gravied type casserole.

Hand-held Food

Hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, and fajitas are ones that make it to our menu frequently, especially in warmer weather. I don’t know why it is more frequent during warmer temps unless it is the fact that it heats the house up less than turning on the oven.

There are other hand-held foods that we eat but not as frequently as those, such as quesadillas, grilled sandwiches/paninis, and chicken nuggets.

Casseroles/Pasta/Grains

We don’t have a lot of casseroles any more unless you call spaghetti a casserole. ;) Spaghetti and pasta dishes frequent our menu. Spaghetti is one of Tiffany’s favorite meals; she has been known to ask for it for her birthday dinner frequently.

I’ve shared several pasta dishes that are THM compatible in the last year, as these are ones that Tiffany loves to just throw together on the fly. She’s been enjoying quinoa again for lunches lately too.

Pizza

Yep, pizza or a pizza flavored dish is a weekly meal here. For a while I had stopped making pizza for dinner and Sean said he missed it. I happily brought it back to our menu as it is a favorite of mine.

We are really enjoying pizza with a sourdough crust for the last several months. It is our current favorite. We’ve even learned to enjoy it with little cheese. :o I know, shocking! However, when we are needing a cheese fix, we will switch to either a fathead type crust and go keto-style or shift to my pizza skillet or pizza topping casserole. :D

Salad?

When it is warmer weather we will sometimes do a salad for dinner but more often than not we will just have a side salad with whatever entree I’ve decided to cook.

My other go-to meals are printed out from recipes I’ve found online; I thumb through them to be reminded of how good they are and if they are simple, all the better. :)

My menu this ‘week’ is

  • fajitas
  • chili
  • pizza with salad
  • split pea soup
  • fried pork chops, crispy asparagus, and caulitaters
  • spaghetti
  • crock pot chicken and noodles with caulitaters (mashed/creamed cauliflower)

The chili was nice the day the temperature stayed in the 50’s and rained. Fajitas were a nice quick fix meal. Crock pot meal will make errand day dinner easy. And the fried pork chops will be a nice change–they were on sale a couple weeks ago, as was the asparagus.

I hope this helps you create your menu.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Prayer and Food

Tasty Tuesday

Recently I was a bit frustrated with my weight reduction progress (or lack thereof). I began to wonder if maybe the fat choices I was making were not the best ones for me to release weight. (I know all foods are not created equal and that this goes for fats as well.)

Pearl and Serene talk about virgin coconut oil and how good it is for you. And I think that it has been said that it is better than the refined coconut oil. We’ve had some virgin coconut oil here for a while but I haven’t used it because I didn’t care too much for the flavor.

I realized that the bacon fat, beef fat, and pork fat I’ve been eating probably aren’t the best for me. So in my frustration, I bowed my head and asked God to help me like the foods that are best for me and will help me release this excess weight.

Answered Prayer: Tastes Changing

The other day I had some oatmeal and prepared it the way Pearl calls her ‘sweatpants oatmeal.’ I decided to go ahead and try using the virgin coconut oil melted in the 2-4 tablespoons of hot water. And you know what? I loved it!

So yesterday I made the eggs and hash and used the virgin coconut oil in it. Once again, I really enjoyed it! I even liked the smell of the oil in the jar. I asked my daughter, “Who am I?” :D

Try Different Things

So I am pleased that I’m trying things I didn’t like before and that I’m liking them too. It gives me confidence to continue to pray about my food choices.

If you are struggling with weight, or health, or exercise, or some such thing, take a moment and ask God to help you with something specific. He always hears us and I am glad that I can see this prayer being answered.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Creamed Turkey (low carb)

Main Dishes, Tasty Tuesday

Creamed turkey is one of those things that my mom made with the Thanksgiving turkey carcass. Recently I’ve started making it with the leftover dark meat and my family has been loving it.

I was concerned about how to make it without using a flour rue and that gluccie (glucomannan) would end up being slimy but it turned out great. The key is to sprinkle it in  very finely as the broth is simmering.

I got this salt shaker from Dollar Tree and keep some gluccie (pronounced glue-key) in it with one of the little silica gel packets in vitamins, to keep it from getting moisture in it and making it clump up.

So here’s how to make the creamed turkey.

Chop the turkey into bite-size pieces and place into a pot.

Add enough water or broth to cover and give you enough gravy. I use chicken broth because it is more flavorful. You can use water and bouillon or broth made from the turkey carcass. Once it comes to a slight simmer, sprinkle in the gluccie and stir.Keep adding and stirring until it thickens slightly. Add just a bit at a time. The shaker makes it easy not to get clumps. I added about 4 shakes at a time and stirred for a little before adding more shakes. I added shakes about 3 or 4 times, stirring well between additions.

Then we served it with creamed cauliflower.

I assure you this did not have the slightest fishy/slimy taste at all. It was delicious and was the comfort food we love. :)

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. I know it is hard to have a “recipe” without exact measurements but this really is easy and customizable to whatever amounts you have. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Brown Rice Pasta and such

Tasty Tuesday

Following the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan, I know that I should not over use any particular food. But I tend to overdo things. I get on one thing and if I love it, I keep using it. Several days a week, if not every day. I try really hard not to use it more than once in a day but depending on the item, I’m not always successful. ;)

My latest favorite is brown rice pasta. The cool thing is that it has only one ingredient: brown rice. The bad thing that a serving is about 45 carbs. So, that is the max carbs I should have in a meal but I’m better off if I have half that amount.

I’m in love with this brown rice macaroni. :) They are nice big macaroni elbows. It makes a wonderful E meal. :) Of course, I cannot have any regular cheese with this, so that means I have to be a bit more creative. A wedge of laughing cow cheese works good though and  adding a little bit of chicken broth to it loosens it up a bit.

I like to add sauteed vegetables and lean meat. I put boneless skinless chicken breast in my food processor and blend it with the ‘s’ blade. It cooks really fast this way.

Cheese is another problem I have. I love cheese. I eat way too much of it to lose much weight. (I also struggle with eating too many Lily’s chocolate chips, skinny chocolate, and peanut junky butter.) But that’s a different topic.

This spaghetti is great too! It is thinner than the one I’ve been getting at Sprouts, which I really like. It is so nice to have spaghetti that isn’t dreamfields, as I think they do not do what they say they do and I really should not eat them. So I brown up some ground turkey and rinse it with boiling hot water and then proceed with my regular spaghetti recipe. :) Yum!

What I need to eat more of though is green veggies; you know, like salad. :o That is not my favorite thing to eat. I’ve tried from time to time but it just isn’t my favorite–it’s not like cheese or chocolate. :D

I need to add a bit more variety in my E meals: sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, and fruit. I get enough oats, brown rice,  and sourdough. ;) I also need more fuel pull foods–spinach, lettuce, and okra. Of course, according to a recent podcast I should increase my fish consumption too. :)

Well, I’m going to run for now. I hope this helps you in your effort to eat healthy.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

PS. I just checked the THM E foods guide and found that brown rice flour needs to be sprouted! Ugh!!!