Cheesy Bread Sticks or Pizza Crust

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)

Pizza is one thing that I miss while eating on this plan. Today I made some cheesy bread sticks that we both enjoyed!

Cheesy Bread Sticks or Pizza Crust               S
1 large head of fresh cauliflower or 1 1/2 (16 ounce) bags frozen
3 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup egg whites
1/2 cup powder-style Parmesan cheese (green can)
1/2 tsp. mineral salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
Toppings: Mineral salt, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, etc.

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large 12 x 18 inch baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  For fresh Cauli snow:  Chop the fresh cauliflower into florets and place in a processor. Process completely, past rice size, all the way to snow (which is as fine as it can go...sort of like flour). You'll need to process in 2 batches to get the job done.

For frozen Cauli snow: Put the frozen cauliflower into a blender and blend into a snowy powder. You'll need to process in 2 batches to get the job done.

(I used 4 1/2 cups of frozen riced cauliflower)

3. Put all the cauli snow in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the mozzarella, the egg whites, Parmesan, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Mix well and divide onto the 2 prepared sheets.

4. Using a spatula or your hands, spread the dough out into large rectangles taking up most of the space on the baking sheets but not fully reaching the ends or sides. Don't let the edges get wispy. Push them in or they'll burn.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and top each with 1 cup mozzarella. Add toppings to your liking, return to the oven, and bake for another 5 minutes. Cut into small bread sticks ready for dipping.

(I topped them with some shredded Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. For dipping, I used Great Value Pizza Sauce which has no added sugar.)

THM Barbecue Chicken

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)

This is our daughter's favorite dish on the eating plan.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken -  E                          serves 8

2 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breasts

1 14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes

4 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 T tomato paste

3 T yellow mustard

3 T apple cider vinegar

3 T Paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tsp. mineral salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp. liquid Smoke

2 tsp blackstrap molasses

1 can pineapple chunks in their own juice, drained

1/3 cup Stevia or Splenda

Except for the chicken, blend all ingredients in a blender and place in refrigerator for 1 day.  Place chicken in crockpot. Cover with sauce. Cook on low 8 hours. Shred chicken and return to the pot 30 minutes before serving. This freezes well. 

THM spaghetti

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)

THM Spaghetti         S

Regular pasta is not on the THM eating plan. Therefore to have a form of spaghetti, you can use spaghetti squash as a substitute for the noodles. Just cut the squash down the middle lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and middle part:

Put the squash in a baking dish face down and add a little water:

Bake at 4:50 until tender. The outer shell will be soft when you push on it.

Using a fork, loosen the flesh of the squash. (An added benefit for me is that I can put the outer shell in my composter.☺ )

Depending on the size of your squash, you should have enough for several meals. I add about 1/2 pound of cooked, lean ground beef to my favorite marinara sauce. We enjoy this dish with some shredded parmesan cheese on top.

THM Chicken Bacon Rice Casserole

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)
The "rice" in this recipe is riced cauliflower since this eating plan does not use very much rice. You can rice it in your food processor or I find bags of it now at Walmart in the frozen veggie section. I also find the seasoning blend there.

Chicken Bacon Rice Casserole       S (fat)                         Serves 6 - 8
5 cups diced cooked chicken
6 slices bacon, diced (I used turkey but any kind is fine).
1 tsp. butter (optional)
2 (10 oz) bags frozen riced cauliflower
1 (10 oz) bag frozen small cut seasoning blend
1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. mineral salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried onion flakes
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Place the diced chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer to a plate. If you used turkey bacon, add the butter to the skillet (otherwise just use the bacon fat in the pan). Add all the cauliflower rice and the seasoning blend. Toss in the skillet for a couple minutes, allowing the veggies to soak up the bacon flavor. Stir in the broth, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add to the baking dish with the chicken.

Place the mayonnaise, yogurt, water, and all the seasonings in a medium bowl and whisk well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and stir all the ingredients well. Top with the cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

THM Carrot Cake

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)
Here's another dessert (carb) that is on plan.

Carrot Cake           E                                                  8 servings 
1 3/4 cups oat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp.ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup stevia
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup egg whites
1/3 cup water
1 Tbl. lemon juice

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Add together and blend well. Bake in a sprayed round cake pan at 350 degrees for 19 minutes. Cool in pan and then cool some more on a rack. Add frosting. Keep the cake in the refrigerator. Dividing the cake into 8 slices keeps the fat at 2.25 grams per serving.

Frosting
3 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1 Tbl unsweetened almond milk
3 packets of stevia
Dash of vanilla.

Easiest THM lunch

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)
One of the easiest meals ever is just a salad with grilled chicken!

So simple it really needs no explanation! Just use some good leafy greens, your favorite veggies and throw on your grilled chicken. I like to keep this as an E but leaving off the cheese and using a low fat dressing. I try to keep these ingredients on hand as a go-to meal.

THM Dinner in a Pocket

(To read the explanation of the THM eating plan see my post on 1-9-18)
This is a dinner that Rick and I enjoy often. It is a good way to use up meats and veggies in the fridge. In the THM plan these meals are called Hangry Pockets, a play off of the product Hot Pockets, because you can freeze them if you wish and enjoy them on a day you are rushed for time.

The steps from the cookbook are these:
1. Choose your protein: frozen or fresh white fish or salmon, chicken tenderloins, ground beef, turkey, stew beef, tuna, etc

2. Chose your veggies:  Choose quick cooking veggies if they are raw. Otherwise you can steam them a bit first. ) zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, kale, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

If you wish to add a grain or sweet potato (E meal):  1/2 cup cooked brown rice, wild rice, or quinoa; or a small to medium sweet potato thinly sliced or diced.

3.  Choose your healthy fats and flavorings: 1 Tbl of butter or coconut oil for S meal; 1 tsp. for E or FP)

Mineral Salt, soy sauce, tamari, liquid aminos, parsley flakes, cilantro, minced garlic, diced chili peppers, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, nutritional yeast, cumin, lemon slices, mustard, Italian season or oregano. For S feta or other favorite cheeses

Here is how it looks when I do it.

First I assemble all the ingredients I am using. My meal of preference is chicken and I like the thinly sliced breasts that I can find at Aldi. I have done salmon, too, and it was delicious. I chop all the veggies really thin - broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, onion. This is one of the only meals that I use rice in. Minute rice has a package of two little containers that I half between the two meals. I like to use the wild rice but sometimes I can only find brown.

Then I cut pieces of parchment paper into large heart shapes:

At this point I put it all on the paper and add salt, pepper, nutritional yeast and usually shredded Parmesan cheese. This is what is looks like with everything in:

I think I purchased the nutritional yeast at Walmart. It has a nice cheesy flavor (and is also very good on popcorn).

Next the edges of the papers are folded in twice all the way around:

Then they go in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes depending on how you like your veggies cooked. Here it is on the plate:

This is a great way to kick up the flavor. I can only find this at Publix:

Have fun experimenting with these for a delicious, quick, healthy dinner!