Want to end this holiday season closer to your health goals instead of the usual guilt-ridden, sugar-coma, carb-laden-letargy that indicates it’s almost time for a “New Year’s Resolution”?  Me, too! We all know how important it is for homeschool moms to make time to get fit, but you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

*Disclosure- We were given a copy of Trim Healthy Mama for giveaway purposes. No other compensation was received, all opinions are my own.*

What is Trim Healthy Mama

Beginning the Trim Healthy Mama Plan happened quite by accident. I heard all the hype and proceeded to roll my eyes, then actually met the lovely Pearl and Serene at Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention. After looking through the book (twice) I decided it was at least worth the read, even at the $35 price tag. At first it seems a bit daunting. It’s a 600+ page book filled with nutrition, study references, and sisterly squabbles. There’s also a huge section of recipes.  Being up for a challenge I dove in. 8 months later and we all love it!

I will tell you our family is more “purist” than “drive-thru Sue”, but we all really enjoy our THM meals!

Check out the book but don’t forget to enter to win your very own paperback copy of Trim Healthy Mama below! The testimonials are amazing and the THM Facebook support group (it is just for mamas) is phenomenal. I recommend the paperback over the ebook. It’s just too big to not have the real book for recipes, dog-earing pages, etc.

Now on to the gift list!

How to Outfit a Trim Healthy Mama (besides smaller clothes!)

Kitchen Gadgets to make THM Easier for Busy Moms

• Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender with Attachments – This little set is so awesome for mixing bullet proof coffee, whipped cream, blending cauli-fauxtatoes, making berry cheesecake crunch and so much more. It replaces a multitude of gadgets and takes up very little space. It is a definite plus for THMs!

•  Ninja Blender – You need a good blender. It doesn’t have to be a Ninja or Vitamix, but the better quality blender you get now will save you from needing to replace your cheap blender every 3 months. This one is a nice model that doesn’t cost a fortune and will last for a good long time for all those awesome Fat Stripping Frappe’s that will trim down your waistline!

• Optional: 4 cup food processor. This is handy but not as handy as the pieces mentioned above.
• Optional but amazing: Programmable Slow Cooker. If you like freezer cooking, soup/stews, and tender meats, then you absolutely need one of these!

Pantry Items for Busy Trim Healthy Mamas

There are a lot of specialty flours, additives, sweeteners, etc. that you can use with THM, but you don’t have to. These items are the ones we use the most and that are very common and nice to have in your pantry.

Trim Healthy Mama has some of their own products for sale in their online store including Sweet Blend, Protein Isolate, Oat Fiber, and more. All these get great reviews, but I have not tried them personally. The products I use are below.

• NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract – This is a potent sweetener I use very sparingly in some baked goods, breads, and recipes. I have had the same bottle for almost 5 months and am just now getting to the end. It goes a loooooooooong way.

•  Glucomannan Powder – This is a thickener made from konjac root. It’s an awesome alternative to corn starch for allergy families, too.
• SweetLeaf organic stevia packets – It is handy to have travel packs of stevia for when you are out and about! I use these in my Good Girl MoonShine (it’s a yummy raw apple cider vinegar based drink), too. I have found the SweetLeaf brand does not leave a bitter aftertaste that some stevia’s do. They even have liquid drops with flavor added, but I just use the plain.
• Pink Himalayan Salt – The book actually recommends celtic sea salt, but I prefer the pink salt and they both have excellent mineral content.
• Fine ground Almond Flour – We use this in almost everything we bake. It’s got a lovely flavor and both boys can eat it. If there are no allergies in your home, coconut flour is used a lot, too.

•  Xylitol – We use birch based xylitol. We don’t get any tummy issues from it in the birch form. If you have inside dogs, please be aware that xylitol is toxic to doggies. Xylitol is a cup-for-cup exchange with sugar. It is expensive, but you can reduce the amount and add a bit of Stevia powder and it’s more than sweet enough!
• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil – This is the stuff of legend. It helps boost metabolism, is remarkable for memory, and  is the delightful base for bullet-proof coffee and skinny chocolate!
• Bragg Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – This is just good stuff. Nothing like the ACV you buy in the salad aisle, this liquid sunshine is great for making you feel your best!

Everything else, we already had in our pantry. You don’t have to spend a whole lot on special ingredients to make this plan work for you!

Awesome Extras for Trim Healthy Mamas

Exercise will continue to boost your journey to the healthier you.

Here are a few great programs:

21 Day Fix

PiYo

30 Day Shred

T-Tapp

And good-quality supportive tennis shoes! Asics Nimbus series has been my go-to for the last 4 years! (Not in the hot pink, though)

 Additional Resources for Trim Healthy Mamas

Free Recipes on the THM blog

Trim Healthy Mamas on Pinterest

Gwen’s Nest

Pinterest

Follow Lara @ Lara’s Place and a Cup of Grace’s board Trim Healthy Mama – FP Fuel pull on Pinterest.
 

Enter to Win a copy of Trim Healthy Mama

The giveaway runs from 11/6/14-11/12/14. Must be a legal resident of the US or Canada to enter. Good luck and happy Trimming!

a Rafflecopter giveaway