Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Review

So a few days ago I reviewed the Trim Healthy Mama Plan Book and what I thought. In addition to using the plan book I've also been using The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and here's what I thought of that….

If you already have the original Trim Healthy Mama book then the Cookbook is a good addition for you. There are a few recipes that are the same but most of these are new.

The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook is a stocky 511 page paper cover book. The pages are glossy but you still may want to protect them as you cook.

I love the colorful pictures. I mean who doesn't love full color pictures in a cookbook? Not every recipe has a color picture but there are enough there to make you happy.

Unlike most cookbooks the Trim Healthy Mama table of contents starts with One Pot Meals as opposed to Breads or Breakfasts.  I admit this seems to be where I hang out  most because it's most challenging to come up with Trim Healthy Mama meals for dinnertime.

Next up in the Table of Contents are Hearty Mains and Side Dishes, the Breakfasts, Desserts, Beverages, and finally Extras such as dips and condiments.

Diving into the Cookbook I went right for dinnertime meals. To me this is an important part of figuring out if this style of eating will work for me. Seeing if I could also feed my family some of these dishes so that I wouldn't end up making two sets of dinners each evening.

Here is what I've been cooking…

• Blackened Chicken with Mango and Black Beans (2) : This dish is an E Meal (Energizing low fat) and was fairly easy to prepare and really delicious. The only things I don't carry normally on hand were frozen mangos (I've since taken care of that) and the Seasoning Blend used in many of the recipes (also taken care of).
• The Trim Healthy Mama Seasoning Blend (4) is apparently a mix of chopped onions, celery and peppers the authors say are available in most grocery stores. I've never seen this mix and could not find it in the store so I made my own. You use quite a bit in this recipe (2.5 cups) so I've taken to creating this blend quite often and keeping it in the freezer. It's actually pretty handy for even non THM recipes.
• I served the Blackened Chicken with  Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes (1). I was actually making these pancakes for breakfast and was going to make the Quinoa for the Blackened Chicken dish but my daughter, who was helping me, got really antsy for the pancakes. I've made these before and they are a family hit. The Blackened Chicken has become a regular dish. The whole family enjoys this.
• Cilantro Lime-Burst Chicken Thighs: This is an S (Satisfying) Crock Pot Meal. It was a winner and very good. Probably because it uses chicken thighs WITH skin and bone. It also takes okra and a fair amount of lime juice. My food processor died a while ago and the little mini one I use wasn't able to puree the okra enough to hide it from my husband who is not a fan of okra. Even with that he loved the dish. You can serve it with some Cauliflower rice or brown rice.

Other recipes I've been trying…

• Shrinker Tea
• Wonder Wraps
• Trimtastic Chocolate Zucchini Cake (3)
• Swiss Bread Loaf (5)

My Thoughts…

I'm finding, that with the Trim Healthy Mama plan recipes I tend to gravitate mostly to the “E” meals (Energizing lower in fat) which is a bit surprising. I'm not a big dairy person and the it took some doing to get me to try the Trim Healthy Pancakes at the beginning because they involved cottage cheese.

I really like the recipes and don't find them that difficult to make. I've got many of the ingredients already on hand and would like to get my hands on a few of the specialty items they sell in their online store.

So far my only issue is being diligent about following the eating plan. I'm not a breakfast person and that does throw me off for the whole day when I skip it which is often.

Also, I think, you need to be fairly organized if you're going to follow this way of cooking. Since everything is made from scratch, including your bread. To have the right meals ready at the go when it's time to eat is important. Some things I need to work on and prepare in advance are Breakfasts and Snacks. I also need to make sure all the recipes are appropriate for my whole family. I have a bout 10lbs (MAN! They will just not budge) to lose but my husband and daughter are both lean. Making sure they aren't losing weight is also key but keeping them healthy is at the top of the list.

In the Trim Healthy Mama books Serene and Peal “guarantee 0 pounds lost in the first month”. I think this is because you'll spend a bit of time getting acclimated and fine tuning the “plan” to work for you and your family. Since I've dipped my foot in this arena before it was easy to jump back in but I still have a way to go.

The book also links you up to a few bloggers who have helped out with Trim Healthy Mama printables, more recipes, and tips to get started quickly. Here are some of my favorites.

• Gwen's Nest (Quick start guide, Free download)
• Sheri Graham (printables, recipes)
• Large Families on Purpse (recipes and types of meals catagorized)

My only main qualm, so far,  about the cookbook is the Trim Healthy Mama blend. This is a particular blend that they talk up so well I now want some. It's made with coconut flour, almond flour, and oat fiber. May be something else in there too. Now they tell you that you don't “have” to buy anything special from their online store. You can use what you can find in the grocery store but then they hint that their Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend is specially formulated and you won't get the “exact benefits” (my words) if you mix up your own or use something else, but you'll be close. Well that makes me want to buy the Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend! I probably will. So far I've been mixing up my own.

In a pinch Sheri Graham (link above) has a recipe you can use in place of the Trim Healthy Mama Blend.

My future with Trim Healthy Mama?

We are already a Whole Foods eating family. I make my own bread, yogurt, desserts, and what have you. I have a soy allergy and that pretty much knocked store bought convenience foods out off of my grocery list before I left home to start my own family.

What Trim Healthy Mama brings to my table is…

• less sugar
• more thoughtful breakfasts, lunches, and snacks
• seperating my fats and carbs

The cookbook kind of follows me around. When I think of something I want to try making I look here first. My sister is gluten free so I've been making a few of the baked goods for her. She really liked the Swiss Bread.

I'm still working on the eating every 3-4 hours. That may have to be a New Year's goal.  Also getting a bit of protein in each meal has been a bit of a challenge. That can be kind of expensive if you're not thoughtful about your proteins (or the thought of cottage cheese makes you gag).

I'm also not a fan of stevia. I've been using coconut sugar where they use stevia.

So saying all of that this will obviously be a very long term goal for me to get my eating schedule in gear. It's something I've needed to do for a while and if I can lose weight AND gain some health benefits while doing it that is great!

You can buy the cookbook at the Trim Healthy Mama store or on [easyazon_link identifier=”1101902663″ locale=”US” tag=”mommybabytool-20″]Amazon[/easyazon_link].

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogging for Books as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”