The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 20,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
It’s been awhile, but I’m back with another Trim Healthy Mama Post! I seriously love apples. I love all different kinds of apples and like to switch it up when I can, but if I had to pick just one apple, it would probably be the red delicious apple. However, I love fuji, gala, and honey crisps as well. I also love peanut butter. I especially love peanut butter with apples. That was my favorite snack before THM. However, when in weight loss mode for THM, you should not combine your fats and carbs, so my spoonfuls of peanut butter with my apple is considered a cross-over snack which is not friendly for weight loss. On a side note, you should also know that I love carrots and peanut butter! I know – it grosses some people out!! So one day, while I was reading through the Facebook Trim Healthy Mama group, someone posted that they mix plain greek yogurt, with 1 tsp of peanut butter, with some stevia. Bingo. I just HAD to try it. I did and I loved it! I’ve shared with other Trim Healthy Mamas in my life and those who aren’t not and, as long as they love peanut butter, they love it! I haven’t seen any formal blog post or recipe with this lovely Yogurt Nut Dip, so I decided to post it. It’s nothing fancy and pretty simple, but it definitely satisfies. In the pictures, I use homemade almond butter, but I do prefer peanut butter. For THM, make sure it is all natural peanut butter with no added sugars (the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt.)
Simple mix all three ingredients together and enjoy!
In the below picture, look at the almost transparent semi-circle in the middle – that means you are in for naturally sweet and delicious apple. I get excited when I cut into my apples and see those sweet transparent lines!
This post is linked up to Trim Healthy Tuesday at Gwen’s Nest! Your source for many THM friendly foods and useful ideas!
I’ve been looking for a tea concoction that I could cozy up to during the long winter months here in rural North Dakota. I’ve fallen in love with Apple Cider Vinegar over the summer and I drink it on a daily basis (thanks to the Good Girl Moonshine Recipe posted by Trim Healthy Mama!). The apple cinder vinegar reminds me alone of hot cider, so I wanted to add it into a tea blend with Cinnamon. My friend Shellee recently introduced to her new business, Steeped Tea. This is where I found the perfect pairing for my love affair with Apple Cider Vinegar with their Pu-erh Tea Cinnamon Hearts. This is a winter/fall, cozy, apple, spiced love in a mug! What is even better is that there are great benefits to drinking both Pu-erh Tea and apple cider vinegar. Just smelling the Cinnamon Hearts tea got my toes all tingly! It has a very fragrant aroma of cinnamon and spice. YUM!
Benefits of Pu-erh Tea from Livestrong:
“Pu-erh that is processed and allowed to ferment is a black tea that also contains catechins. Catechins in pu-erh tea lock onto the oxidating elements in the blood and destroy the oxidative process thereby preventing cancer”
“Pu-erh tea can be used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders because it reduces blood lipids.”
“In a study conducted by the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, pu-erh tea had a greater ability to regulate and reduce body weight than any other tea studied.The study concluded that the compounds found in the pu-erh tea that had an anti-obesity effect were catechins, caffeine, and theanine. Pu-erh tea was also shown to reduce the fat content in the liver in the study.”
Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar From Livestrong:
“Apple cider vinegar contains beta-carotene, which according to the Mayo Clinic possesses antioxidant properties that counteract damage caused by free radicals and that boost your immune system.”
Trim Healthy Mamas: This would be fuel pull and can be sip on throughout the day.
**This post DOES NOT contain any affiliate links that I will receive any monetary reimbursement for.
**This post is linked up to Trim Healthy Tuesdays! Check out Gwen’s Nest recipe for Low Carb Cinnamon Dippers as well as many other THM Friendly Recipes & Tips!
I may have a slight obsession with ch9ocolate and coconut. Thanks to Trim Healthy Mama I can indulge in both without guilt! I love being a Trim Healthy Mama. I’ve lost over 60+ lbs to date (in about five months).
On pinterest, I came across a pin for Coconut Crack Bars. It looked delicious, but I thought it would be even better with some skinny chocolate added.
I doubled the recipe for the coconut crack bars and I suggest making a simple syrup from Truvia (I used my homemade version of truvia) in place of the agave. I found that after I blended the mixture together, I needed to add a bit more water to make the mixture combine better. You need to taste the coconut mixture and to be sure it taste sweet enough for you. I always seem to add more than the recipe calls for because I do have a sweet tooth.
After I got the coconut mixture tasting just right, I scooped it into my deluxe mini muffin pan and then pressed it down to make little wells for the skinny chocolate. You could easily do this recipe in a brownie 9 by 9 ban or whatever small pan you have available. Just do one layer chocolate and one layer of coconut crack bar.
This is my version of the skinny dark chocolate which I love (based from the THM version)! Blend all below ingredients together in a blender (single serving works great). Again, taste it before you start pouring it to make sure it taste good to you.
After I was sure my skinny dark chocolate had my desired sweetness, I then poured the skinny chocolate into the wells. I had more chocolate then coconut, so I filled a couple more wells with just the chocolate. I popped my muffin pan into the freezer for about an hour. It was a little hard to get the ones with the coconut mixture to pop out, but I found putting a butter knife straight down helped to get them to pop out. A silicone mold would be easier to work with.
These are a great yummy treat for those who love a dark skinny chocolate and coconut!
If coconut isn’t your thing – here is my version of Skinny Dark Chocolate made into fancy chocolate with the help of a silicone mold.
This post is linked up to Trim Healthy Mama Tuesdays! Check it out for lots of tasty THM recipes.
I have no idea what “dutch babies” are. I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten one, but reading Stacey Makes Cent’s Blog Post about her Grain Free Dutch Babies looked so delicious so I knew I needed to give it a go this weekend for breakfast. I followed her recipe exactly, I only halved the recipe since I was only making it for me. I wanted to devour the whole pie pan of the dutch baby, but good thing I didn’t because two serving would make this a crossover meal. One day, I’ll get to have crossover meals-but not now. Stacey also suggested Gwen’s Sugar Free Berry Syrup, so I decided I needed to give that a go. I also halved her recipe since I knew I wouldn’t finish 3 cups of syrup in one week. Gwen’s Syrup really made this meal. The Dutch babies were good on their own, but they are AMAZING with Gwen’s Syrup. I have a sweet tooth, so I added a dash of NOW Better Stevia and probably close to 2 TBSP of powered homemade truvia (perhaps even a bit more). Before I added the gluccie, I would taste test and I kept adding in my powered homemade truvia until it was the right sweetness for me. After adding the gluccie and it thickening up, I added just a bit more. I also wanted to add some chia seeds so I added 1/2 tsp – which still keeps in the FP zone. I did add the lemon oil. The touch of lemon just made it that much better.
This is definitely a breakfast you will want to give a go. I’m so thankful for both Stacey and Gwen’s blog because both of these ladies have made THM so yummy with all of their recipes. I definitely recommend going to both of their recipe tabs and pinning all the recipes you will want to try!
Keep to half the pie pan to stay in S territory. Nutritional info is just ONE dutch baby pie pan-half of Stacey’s recipe
Gwen’s Sugar Free Berry Sauce is FP (even more so without the addition of Chia Seeds). I only added 1/2 tsp which is what it is showing below. The nutritional information is for half of the recipe.
A moment in time. Frozen. Forever. Etched forever in my mind.
Staring at my face in the mirror after my water broke in disbelief that this was happening.
Calling my husband and him telling me I needed to go to the Labor and Delivery immediately.
I was only 33 weeks. I was all alone with my 19 month old daughter. My husband was seven hours away. This couldn’t be, shouldn’t be happening.
Dear Lord – Help me.
Alone in my hospital bed. No one to hold my hand. No one tell me it was going to be okay.
Scared. Yelling at my husband that if he didn’t get here before I delivered, I would never forgive him. Crazy, pregnant hormones.
Relieved. My husband arrived.
Contractions. Very Painful back contractions. I remember the nurse asking me to quiet down.
I just wanted relief so I agreed to the c-section.
Scared and Cold. Naked. Vulnerable. Praying for God’s protection. So cold. So cold. And so very scared.
My husband was behind the curtain with me. I was wanting to hear desperately my son’s first cry, so I would know he was okay.
After only hearing a brief cry the silence in the room was deafening. Why couldn’t I hear him? I yelled at the doctor. IS HE OKAY? Yes. They had taken him through the NICU window.
I would not be the first person to lay eyes on my son. I would not be the first person to touch his skin. I would not be the first voice he would hear. Oh. My heart.
Cold. Shaking. I couldn’t breathe. I just wanted the c-section to be over. I started coughing. I couldn’t stop. And I was so cold. They couldn’t tell me if my son was okay. I just couldn’t breathe. Then, darkness. The anesthesiologist put me out after I agreed.
I should be cheerful. Put on my positive mask. I couldn’t let people know that I was scared for my son. Seeing pictures of my son with his CPAP was tough. But he was beautiful and precious.
The bruised hands. The bruised feet. The bruised head. So many pokes on his tiny body. Good, Lord. Why? I was crushed on the inside. This was all my fault. Why had my body betrayed me? Why had my body caused my son to be into the NICU?
I drank Ryan in every chance I could. His sweet smell. His sweet snuggles. It was never enough and sadly, every night, I had to leave my son in the hands of someone else. It should have been at home with me. Nursing freely and without the eyes of others.
Blood in his stools. Nurse, is this normal? Panic was overcoming me again. This can’t be happening. I don’t think I can endure this.
“This could be devastating.” I will never forgot those words. They are forever etched in my mind. Ryan had an infection in his bowels. Oh, Dear Lord – Please help my son. See the train track in the x-rays of bowels? That is a sign of NEC. I could see the two parallel lines on the X-ray. There was no mistaking them.
Another tube. This time down into his belly. Crying. And more Crying. And then more. Dear Lord – What had I done? Ryan just wanted to eat, but he couldn’t, it was to help him get better. A whole seven days with no eating. Just fluids and medicine. His sweet smell went away. He was lucky though. They caught it early and was able to treat the infection before it became anything really serious. Thankful. Extremely, thankful.
It was during this week my husband had an argument. I don’t remember about what exactly, but I think it had something to do with the amount of time I was spending at the NICU and I had a husband and daughter at home that needed me too. Guilt. More Guilt.
Ryan needs me. I don’t know what it is, but there is something different about him. There is something different about him. He needs me. Those words are forever etched in my mind. To this day, these words I think about often. It’s the whole reason I’m writing this.
There is something different about him. Did I know in my hearts of hearts then that he would be different. Why had I thought that?
I’ve been strongly bonded to Ryan since I was able to hold him. Not more than my beautiful daughter. But it is a different bond and something I haven’t yet been able to explain or put into even vague words. I just knew that he would need me and need me in a different way. A sixth sense? Mother’s instincts? God preparing me for our journey that was ahead? I don’t know but that moment is forever etched in my brain. Staring at him in the NICU. Watching him sleep. Holding his tiny hand and promising him that whatever it is he needed from me, I would give it to him.
These past few weeks, I have been coming to term with my son’s diagnosis of Autism. I’ve been processing it quietly – in the confines of my mind. But over the past few weeks, those words keep echoing in my head. There is something different about him. He needs me. My beautiful son. My laughing son. My rambunctious son. My happy son. He needs me…. but I think I need him more than he needs me. I love you, Ryan Scott Grover.
Another yummy recipe that I made tonight that was posted in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook Group: Almond Joy Fudge. I made it tonight and it was very yummy. Another great recipe to have to help satisfy my sweet tooth when it comes up. I love being a Trim Healthy Mama! This would be an S Dessert (or who I am kidding… I’m going to eat this as snack tomorrow)
Here is how I made it:
In small saucepan, melt coconut oil and chocolate squares over low heat until melted. I actually removed it from the heat before it is fully melted because the chocolate and coconut oil melt quickly. I don’t like to heat up the coconut oil more than necessary. Stir in your salt, vanilla, and truvia until combined well. Taste it – add more salt or truvia to please your taste buds. You could add mixture to a blender to make sure your ingredients mix well. Add chopped almonds and coconut flakes until they are saturated in chocolate sauce. I wanted a thicker fudge, so I lined a loaf pan (bread pan) with parchment paper, gave my ingredients once last good stir, pour into the lined pan, and popped it into the freezer.
Freeze until it hardens (about an hour-but you can leave it for as long as you want). After it hardens, cut into pieces and put in ziplock bag or storage container. Store in freezer or fridge until you are ready to eat (it melts quickly). Of course, that is the hardest part is not having more than a couple of pieces at a time!
**Original Posting had 60% Chocolate which I made this with. After a very kind commenter pointed out the carbs, may be too high with 60% chocolate, I’m adjusted the recipe to make it more THM compliant to stay in the S meals which is what I want this to be.
This blog post is linked up at Stacey Makes Cents – be sure to check out her blogs for TONS of delicious recipes (most are THM compliant!). I was highlighted her Trim Healthy Tuesday linkup where you can also find other great linked up THM recipes including her recipe for Spaghetti Squash Primavera!
86% Chocolate – Limit yourself to 2 pieces and cut into 15 pieces
60% – Cut into 15 pieces and limit to 1 piece
Check out Stacey’s and Gwen’s Blog every Tuesday for new recipes for THM!
About two months ago, I started the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Lifestyle. I refrain from calling it a diet because you’ll see some THMs heads turn 360 when you do, but for all intents and purposes of the word diet – your diet is what you eat – and my diet is THM friendly foods. One of my favorite E breakfast meals are the THM pancakes. I’ve made them several times now and have now perfected my method of making them. Because I respect copyrights, I cannot post the full recipe here, as it belongs to the authors of THM, However, I am sharing how I adjusted their recipe and methods to make the some super yummy THM pancakes that are approved by my kids!
I love cinnamon! So today, I decided to have my THM pancakes topped with truvia sweetened 0% Fage Greek Yogurt and peaches sprinkled with a good dose of cinnamon! YUM!
1. What is your favorite T.V. Show? Well, first I like Bugs (A Bug’s Life), Wild Krattz, and Wonder Pets
2. What did you have for breakfast? I don’t know
3. What is your middle name? Denna
4. Favorite Food? Dessert. ICE CREAM!
5. What food do you dislike? Well, your chicken.
6. What is your favorite color? Pink. Dark Pink and Plain pink.
7. Favorite lunch? Spaghetti. (She likes plain spaghetti noodles)
8. What is your favorite thing to do? Helping you and daddy
9. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? To Disneyland
10. Favorite sport? Games
11. When is your birthday? Oh, oh, oh… I Don’t know
12. Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m both
13. Pets? I love fairy pets
14. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? I love sharing graham crackers with Ryan, but then he will squash them.
15. What do you want to be when you grow up? You. (Pointing to Mommy)
16. What is your favorite candy? Candy Canes. I want chocolate and candy canes.
17. Where is the farthest place you’ve ever been from home? (She didn’t understand this question)
18. What is your favorite book? My little ponies
19. What are you most proud of? When I am not making mess
20. What is your favorite movie? Little Ponies
21. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Chicken.
As many of you know, Ryan was a part of an Early Intervention program since he was about 2 years old. The first initial evaluation, I was told that he had some “red flags” for Autism. We were concerned about speech, but inwardly, I had some suspicions if the was displaying some signs of Autism. His Early Intervention therapy was extremely beneficial. As his parents, we learned new ways of working with Ryan. In addition to a speech therapist coming about 3 times a month, he was also able to attend a Sensory Pre-K Class. By the end of 2012, Ryan was finally beginning to say two word phases. He made huge leaps and bounds in his speech. He also started pointing. I had actually started to convince myself that maybe he was “normal” (for whatever “normal” means) but as 2013 continued on, some of his behavior became increasingly worse. Trying to get him into the Early Intervention program in North Dakota, proved difficult for us. Mostly because he was bordering on turning three and they didn’t seem to think it would be beneficial to enroll him since he wouldn’t qualify for services after three. His speech was improving every month and trying to get settled into our life here in North Dakota things became hectic.. months started to slip by and after seeing some behaviors worsening, I decided I couldn’t put off getting him into some kind of program or getting him evaluated. At this point, I was tired. Tired of the constant battle in my head and wondering if he was autistic-was I making it all up, did I just spoil him too much (I have heard this comment more than once), was it just a “phase” like most people would tell me and he would just grow out of it? I mean after all, he looks “normal.” I’m not sure what most people envision Autistic children as – but for some reason, I can’t help but think that people think Autistic children spend more of their time sitting in corner, flapping their arms, drooling all over them self having no kind of communication with other people. I just didn’t want the constant battle of wondering, so I set out on a mission to get a professional diagnosis done for him. I was also prompted to seek out a diagnosis because it was proving difficult to get services started in rural North Dakota. I knew that once I had the diagnosis, services would start to open up for him. So, I called about every number I could find on google relating to Autism Services in North Dakota. I talked to several different people and left several voice mails. Calling Minot State University proved the most helpful. They were able to get me in contact with Special Ed services in our county and they also told me about the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, North Dakota. This was probably around the end of June, so with summer break, there wasn’t anything the Special Ed Services could do immediately since most were on their summer break. After contemplating whether or not go with public diagnosis services or with a private one (and posting on an autism group which would be preferred-which 100% said private would be the way to go), I decided to have his professional diagnosis done at the Anne Carlsen Center (a privately run center). Fortunately, they offer their Autism Clinic free of charge.
On Monday, we made the almost four hour drive down to Jamestown and spent the night at the hotel. His appointment was at 8 in the morning, and I just couldn’t see making the drive in the wee hours of the morning. We walked in and had to sign in, Ryan immediately went into melt down mode when I wouldn’t let him run up the stairs. He began to scream. I signed him in and then I heard someone say from behind me, “This must be Ryan.” I was a little embarrassed thinking they had known it was him because of the melt down he was having (but in hindsight, I am quite sure they were waiting for us to take us back to the evaluation room). As soon as they opened the door, there were four more people in the room around a table. I was taken a little off guard, because for some reason, I thought we would be given time to settle down and then everyone would come in. They introduced themselves and began the evaluation process and starting observing Ryan. They would ask us questions from time to time and sometimes get us involved with Ryan. I was pretty impressed with Ryan’s behavior. After a while, he warmed up to a lot of the ladies. The first part, they brought out toys and would ask him to complete certain tasks. They had a bubble machine which he loved and did not forget about even after they hid it from him so he could focus on something else 🙂 . Then they took him to a sensory play room. The most notable time spent in there was when Ryan was in the ball pit. He would lay so still and he was just about covered in the colorful, plastic balls. The first time, he just laid there which seemed to be for minutes (I’m sure it wasn’t). Then, I asked him if he was sleeping and he started to snore, and then I prompted him a few times to “Wake Up” and he finally popped up out of the balls. He repeated this several times. At one point, he asked to take his clothes off, which they allowed us to do. So, then he was running around in the play room in only his diaper. It was cute! Then back to the evaluation room for a few more play scenarios. Then, they asked us to leave while they discussed Ryan. About an hour later, they asked us to return.
His diagnosis was done using the DSM-V. With the introduction of DSM-V, they changed some of the criteria and also do not diagnose as PPD-NOS, Autism, or Aspergers. Now, there is only Autism Spectrum Disorder with three different levels: level 1, requiring support; level 2, requiring substantial support; and level 3, requiring very substantial support. They walked us through the DSM-V and their answers. At the end, it was blatantly obvious that he is Autistic and there was nothing borderline about the diagnosis. His official diagnosis is he has Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 2. They said with the old standards, he would have been diagnosed with Autism and that as he got older they would have continued to evaluate him with a possible diagnosis of Aspergers. They said, Ryan is extremely bright and full of potential. He definitely is very interested in learning how things work and wouldn’t be surprised if one day he invented something. In all the evaluation they have done, not one kid had shown interest in a chair lift in the play room. Ryan did and he was not satisfied with giving it a once look over. He had to move all the parts on it and see how it worked. Of course, I wasn’t surprised. Ryan is extremely bright, very inquisitive, and ALWAYS trying to figure out how things work.
So what now? Nothing really that I wasn’t already doing or wanting to do. His diagnosis doesn’t really change a thing or who Ryan is. It just helps us know how to better help him and get him the services he needs. I will never let Ryan be defined by Autism – it is simply helps explains why he may do certain things. I don’t expect anything less out of him or out of us as his parents. I’m going to keep being an advocate for my son and bring out the best in him as anyone parent would do for their child – autistic or not.
I’m still sorting out all of my feelings. I did not cry when they told me. I had already known in my heart. However, on the ride home, I did feel like crying sometimes, but no tears fell. I can’t help but wonder what long term this means. Will he be able to have meaningful relationships? Will he learn to be compassionate? I hope so, but I know I need to concentrate on the here and now. I think it will take a few days to fully sort out all of my feelings.
Our next step is following up with an already schedule appointment in early September to set up local services for Ryan. Also, finding a pediatrician for Ryan where so that he can get an official referral for occupational therapy (OT) services. He will also most like continue to speech therapy.
I love my little Ryan and I’m very thankful that I listened to my mommy instincts and continued to seek out help for him. All research shows that early intervention is extremely beneficial it helping with the long term aspects. I’m still excited to see what his future holds and who he will become.
The Misadventures of One Super Grover 