Big Mac Salad - the Thrive Low Carb Way!

Big Mac Salad

The Thrive Low Carb Way!

by Kay Curtiss

I've been reorganizing around my house today and time got away from me and I realized I was hungry. I'd seen a recipe for a Big Mac Salad from Our Abundant Blessings Blog and pinned it to one of my boards.  It sounded good but I didn't have any hamburger thawed to make a burger - THRIVE to the rescue again --  I love my Thrive Home Store!

Remember the Big Mac jingle?  

Well, I've made up a new one for the Big Mac Salad, 

the Thrive Low Carb Way! --

Thrive freeze dried beef, special sauce, 

lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions 

And don't need that sesame seed bun!

So here's you go -- my Thrive version of the:

Big Mac Salad

FD - Freeze Dried
Thrive product numbers are for Pantry sized cans
THM friendly "S" recipe.

Ingredients:

Special Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons my Sugar Free Sweet Fire Ketchup or any sugar-free ketchup
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish

Salad:
Romaine lettuce
1/4 - 1/2 cup Thrive FD Ground Beef (#22564), reconstituted
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Diced Tomatoes (#22241) or grape tomatoes cut in half
Dill pickles, chopped
1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Onions (#22227) or Onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Cheddar cheese (#22440), right out of the can! Adds a nice crunch!

Instructions:  

Mix up the sauce and let the flavors blend for about an hour (if you can wait - I couldn't so used it right away and it was delicious!)

Layer your salad ingredients in the order listed

Look at that wonderful ground beef and cheddar cheese.

This salad has the grape tomatoes cut up and

I love big pieces of onion so I cut one up! 

However, both the Thrive Tomato Dices and Onions

are in my Home Store for a future salad! 

Add your dressing and ENJOY!  

Now wasn't that easy?

Click to download Thrive Big Mac Salad Recipe

Thrive Breakfast Lasagna - A Hearty Breakfast to Start the Day!

Thrive Breakfast Lasagna

A Hearty Breakfast to Start the Day!

by Kay Curtiss

Follow my blog by email and you'll get my recipes and post as soon as I publish them!

This Thrive Breakfast Lasagna is a great weekend Breakfast or Brunch.  It talks a little more time (if you have to make the Cream Cheese Pancakes or Crepes first - But you can make them up ahead of time, it would go together pretty fast.  I saw the original recipe on Pinterest - it came from the blog, I Breathe . . . I'm Hungry. . .  and naturally I Thrivealized it!

This recipe will use Thrive Whole Egg Powder and Thrive Freeze Dried Sausage Crumbles so I wanted to share comparisons I did against store bought eggs and store bought sausage that Thrive Consultant, Holly Cooley blogged about here.  - You can see how using Thrive is saving me money and time!

Back to our recipe:

Thrive Breakfast Lasagna

by Kay Curtiss

FD - Freeze Dried
Thrive product numbers are for pantry size cans unless seasonings
Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Meal Classification - "S"

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Thrive Whole Egg Powder (#22570)

1/2 cup Thrive FD Sausage Crumbles (#22568)
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Onions (#22227)
1/2 teaspoon Chef's Choice Seasoning Blend (#23628)
1/4 teaspoon Peppercorn Blend (#23629)
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup Thrive FD Mushrooms (#22226)
1/4 cup Thrive FD Red Bell Peppers (#22243)
1/4 cup Thrive FD Tomato Dices (#22241) 
1/3 cup water
1 cup Thrive FD Shredded Cheddar Cheese (#22440), reconstituted
12 Cream Cheese Pancakes***, OR 12 Thrive Crepes (click here for Thrive Crepe recipe)

Garnish (optional):
Cholula Hot Sauce (I like Chipotle)
1 teaspoon Sour Cream

Instructions:

Combine the Whole Egg Powder and 1 3/4 cups of water.  Add sausage crumbles, onions, Chef's Choice and Peppercorn Blend seasonings.  Mix well.  Let sit for about 5-7 minutes to start reconstituting the sausage crumbles.

In a small bowl, combine mushrooms, red bell peppers and tomato dices (or ANY 3 Thrive FD Veggies that you want) and add the 1/3 cup water, stir and let sit to reconstitute.

Reconstitute the cheddar cheese (See You Tube Below) and divide in thirds.

Scramble the Egg Mixture, divide in half and set aside.

Cover the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan with 4 pancakes or crepes, it's ok if they overlap. Spread 1/2 the scrambled eggs and 1/3 cheese. Layer next 4 pancakes.  Spread veggie mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. Layer the last 4 pancakes.  Spread last 1/2 of scrambled eggs and final 1/3 cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.  Cut into 9 equal pieces and serve. Optional garnish with Cholula Hot Sauce and/or Sour Cream.  ENJOY!

How to Reconstitute Thrive FD Cheese with Chef Todd

***Thrive Cream Cheese Pancakes for Breakfast Lasagna

Ingredients:

8 ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Thrive Whole Egg Powder (#22570)
1 cup water
pinch of Thrive Iodized Salt (#22668)

Instructions:
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Let it rest for a couple minutes.  Pour batter into a hot pan greased with coconut oil or butter to make a 3-4 inch pancake.  Cook for 2 minutes until golden.  Flip and cook another 2 minutes.  NOTE: these are a little fragile so don't make them too big. If they break apart, it's OK as you will be layering them in the lasagna and covering with other ingredients.

Here's the Nutritional information if you use the Thrive Crepes instead of the Cream Cheese Pancakes

Click to Download Thrive Breakfast Lasagna Recipe

Thrive Chicken Burgers (or Meatballs) - Lunch or Dinner, You Decide

Thrive Chicken Burgers (or Meatballs) 

Lunch or Dinner, You Decide!

by Kay Curtiss

This week I've been doing a lot of cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, working on my new way of eating, following for the most part the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) eating style. I've lost just over 15 pounds in the last month.  I'm not hung up with counting calories or carbs but there are a few guidelines I work within for any meal/snack as I'm creating and Thrivealizing recipes and eating this way:

1.  Only 1 primary Fuel Source per Meal/Snack - Either Fat or Glucose
2.  ALL meals have protein
3.  THREE Types of Meals/Snacks:
     *   Satisfying Meal/Snack (or "S" for short) provides Fat as the Fuel Source contains:
         -   Greater Than 5g Fat

         -   Less Than 10g NET carbs (Carbs - Fiber = NET Carbs)
         -  "S" Salad Dressings should be 2 Carbs or less

     *   Energizing Meal/Snack (or "E" for short) provides Glucose as the Fuel Source contains:
          -   Less Than 5g Fat
          -   Between 10-45 NET carbs (Carbs - Fiber = NET Carbs)
          -   "E" Salad Dressings - Less Than 4g Fat

     *   Fuel Pull Meal/Snack (or "FP" for short) provides virtually neither fuel source so your body             is forced to pull it's fuel from it's stored reserves and contains:
          -   Less Than 5g Fat
          -   Less Than 10g NET Carbs (Carbs - Fiber = NET Carbs)
          Note:  FP's are thrown in occasionally as meals and are great as more frequent "snacks" but will             slow your metabolism if used for too long consistently - however, they are great to use (up to a               week) to kick start or break a "plateau" when trying to lose weight.

4.  There MUST be 3 hours between an "S" or "E" meal/snack so that the primary fuel of the previous meal/snack has been used.

5.  DRINK lots of water, "Feel the Burn" Lemonade, Herbal teas sweetened with stevia, (THM) Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS), etc.

Now, back to our recipe - 

I love the convenience of the Thrive FD Chopped Chicken - already washed, cooked, cut, prepped ready to scoop and go!  It makes a wonderful Chicken Salad in less 10 minutes and can be enhanced in a variety of ways making it different every time - another post will be coming about that so keep an eye out for it.

Thrive Chicken Burgers (or Meatballs)

FD - Freeze Dried
Thrive product numbers are for Pantry Size Cans except for Seasonings
THM - Protein that can be used in any of the THM Meals

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Thrive Chopped Chicken (#22567)
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Onions (#22227)
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Green Onions (#22244)
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/4 cup crushed Pork Rinds (no carbs :O)
1/4 teaspoon Thrive Peppercorn Blend (#23629)
2 Tablespoons Thrive Whole Egg Powder (#22570)
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1 Tablespoon Thrive Diced Carrots (#22221)
3/4 cup water

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix Whole Egg Powder, red curry paste, carrots and water.  Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes to reconstitute carrots.

Put chicken into a food processor and grind to a powder.

Dump chicken powder into a medium mixing bowl and add both the onions, garlic, pork rinds and peppercorn blend and mix.  Add water mixture and mix well.  Add additional water a tablespoon at a time to get the consistency you want to make burgers or meatballs.

Make into 6 burgers and cook in frying pan with coconut oil to keep from sticking.

Serve on Parmesan Onion Rolls with mayo 

add additional toppings of choice (lettuce and tomatoes, etc.) 

OR 

put on a salad to add some good protein.

Click to Download Chicken Burger (or Meatball) Recipe

Loaded Cauliflower Cheese Soup

A Quick & Easy Low Carb Lunch!

Threw together a quick and easy lunch today that goes along with my new eating plan of focusing on just one type of body fuel in each meal -- fat (low carb) OR glucose (good carb).  Today's lunch falls in the Low Carb category OR as in the Trim Healthy Mama lingo, it's an "S" meal for Satisfying Meal. Definitely was that.   

I went to my Thrive Home Store and pulled out Freeze Dried Cauliflower, FD Onions, FD Cheddar Cheese, Thrive Chicken Bouillon and Peppercorn Blend.  Seasoned it up with some garlic, Bragg's Nutritional Yeast (you could use Parmesan Cheese) and Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  Bragg's products can be found in a lot of grocery stores, health food stores, or order it online.  You can season this soup up any way you want.  I used a couple ounces of lite cream cheese to "smooth" it out and a few shakes of Glucomannan Powder to thicken it up.  

Do you know what Glucomannan Powder is?  It's a white powder that comes from the konjac root and looks like corn starch.  It is used to thicken gravies, puddings, sauces or soups -- really anything you want to thicken.  It is a soluble fiber that slows glucose absorption and lowers the glycemic index of a meal.  Glucomannan has ZERO carbs, ZERO calories, ZERO taste and blends into recipes really well.  It does not have to be heated to thicken liquids but it is more potent with heat.  It also has about 10 times the thickening power of cornstarch, so you don't need much.  I put mine in a salt shaker and just sprinkle it in. I've just started to experiment with Glucomannan Powder and it did a wonderful job in this Loaded Cauliflower Cheese Soup, with just 3-4 shakes.  Click here to read more . . .

Now back to lunch and my new recipe -- 

Loaded Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I made this soup in my Vitamix Blender and it was a snap.  But it would be very easy to do in a sauce pan and food processor or blender.  I've given directions for both.

Loaded Cauliflower Cheese Soup

by Kay Curtiss

FD – Freeze Dried
Product numbers are for Thrive Pantry Size except Seasonings
Trim Healthy Mama (THM) Rating – "S" Meal

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Thrive FD Cauliflower (#22222)
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Onion (#22227)
1/4 cup Thrive FD Cheddar Cheese (#22440)
1/4 teaspoon Thrive Peppercorn Blend (#23629)
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Bragg's Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos, optional
2 cups water
2 teaspoons Thrive Chicken Bouillon (#22663)
2 ounces Lite Cream Cheese
Glucomannan Powder in shaker bottle to thicken, if desired, optional

Garnish for each bowl:
1 Tablespoon Thrive Bacon TVP (#22557) or Bacon Bits
1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Green Onions (#22244)
1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Cheddar Cheese (#22440)

Vitamix instructions:
Combine all ingredients except for cream cheese and blend on Soup setting.  When blue light is blinking at the end of the cycle, drop in cream cheese to melt and blend.  Add 3 - 4 shakes of Glucomannan Powder to thicken to desired consistency (optional).  Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Saucepan instructions:
Combine all ingredients except for cream cheese and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Pour soup into blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Add cream cheese and blend until melted and smooth.  Add 3-4 shakes of Glucomannan Powder to thicken to desired consistency (optional).

Pour into 3 bowls and garnish as desired.

Click to download Loaded Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe