The planning for week 12 is underway.  It will be short and sweet because we have planned another road trip…this time back to Charleston.  Why Charleston again…because it has so much to offer and I have yet to discover many of it’s treasures.

I will not go into a lot of detail about week 12 since most of the meals are comprised of food stuffs in the refrigerator that need to be eaten.  Once we are on the road obviously things will change.  I will say that since we will be staying at properties that include breakfast, I will be dependent on what is available.  I have learned over past trips that there are always egg options for an S breakfast.  This time however, I plan to take some of my compliant coffee creamer as well as some stevia for oatmeal.  It will enable me to have more E options.

Orange Creamsicle Shake  THM E   Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook page 408

Lunches for week 12 are already made and waiting to be eaten.  (Cook once/eat again).  I would like to think that I will pack some lunch options as well.  We will have a kitchen and freezer/refrigerator available for at least 7 of the days on our trip, which makes “eating in” a greater possibility.  HOWEVER, we do LOVE the food in Charleston.  I plan to eat creatively in the evening, but hope to be more modest at lunch.  Sometimes the mid day meal is the most difficult for me when I travel with the ‘Ole Buckeye.  He loves to eat heartily at every meal and I try to be conservative (often hard to do after peruessing a menu).

The dinners planned before the trip are reheats except for the Chicken Patty Parm.   It was the only new dinner planned for week 11, but I didn’t have ground chicken, so I moved it to week 12.  During the month of April Rachael Ray is being featured on the Food Network everyday at noon with 30 Minute Meals.  I watched the first episode and maybe because I have a craving for pizza, the Chicken Patty Parm sounded really good.  I just have to give it a try!

I do have several dinner reservations in Charleston.  I have learned that you cannot depend on eating where you want unless you plan ahead, and even then sometimes it is impossible to get a reservation.

Chicken Patty Parm   THM S (with modification)

As I review several successes, I must relay that I have signed up for a 3 month membership to Trim Healthy Mama.  Early in the discovery process of this eating plan, I purchased and read the first two books.  I toyed with a membership, but several people expressed to me that it wasn’t worth the expense. Well last week there was a sale.  Not only did I load up on several things I was low on, but I also decided that a $9.99 expense to join THM for 3 months would educate me as to whether the membership is worth the cost.  I am explaining this because several of the recipes I am trying are not available as a link due to copyright rules.

The first new recipe that I tried was Light Vanilla Greek Treat – Breakfast Swirl.  The beauty of this yogurt treat is that it can be made as an S, E, or FP.  Since I am constantly looking for fuel pull snacks, this recipe is a God send.  It is a combination of Greek yogurt, almond milk, whey protein powder and Super Sweet.  I mixed it with berries for a FP breakfast, but other fruit can be added for an E, or nuts or nut butter for an S.  I will have a batch of this available from now on for a quick and easy snack.  It is really good.  The recipes can be found in the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook beginning page 249.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup   THM S  Wow!  This is outstanding.  I love tomato soup and this one is definitely worth the effort.  Instead of a blender I used an immersion blender.  It is over the top with fresh basil as a garnish.

Butter Me Up Banana Bread   THM S  (a bread that can actually be buttered)  OK, may I just say that the cost of the 3 month membership was worth it if all I got was the recipe for this bread!   It tastes like the banana bread I grew up on.  I had to wait to make it until my THM banana extract arrived.  Rave reviews from all three of us, even without spreading butter on it.

Best Baked Pork Tenderloin   THM S  I always try new things and this was a new take on tenderloin.  We enjoyed it as a change…moist and flavorful.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole   THM S  Initially I served roasted spaghetti squash with the Meatball Casserole Parmesan, but there was a lot left over.  I found this recipe and gave it a whirl.  The first night it got an “OK”, but I reheated it in the oven later in the week and it was outstanding.  Even the ‘Ole Buckeye gave it a thumbs up and he is not a fan of spaghetti squash!

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole   THM S  This is a family favorite, but this time I cut down on the amount of cheese.  It was just as flavorful.

Seared Salt and Pepper Ahi Tuna  THM S  Wow!  The ‘Ole Buckeye said this was the best seared ahi he had ever had.  I would put it in my top 5 and I eat ahi tuna a lot.  I didn’t have wasabi for the sauce, and subbed mustard as directed.  It was a great accompaniment, but next time (and there will be a next time), I will be certain to have wasabi.

Blueberry Coffee Cake   THM S  OK, I served this as a dessert and oh my.  I would never waste this on breakfast.  It was a star dessert.  Thank God blackberries were $.99 per pint last week.  Outstanding!  It really is cake!

Sheet Pan Fajitas   THM S  Fajitas using this method continues to be our all time favorite!  A squeeze of lime before serving makes a huge difference.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken    THM FP  This is the second go round with this chicken, and I have decided that it must be routinely on the menu plan.  I paired it with the sweet potatoes and tomato cucumber salad and the entire meal was a hit.  A great way to eat that is not an S meal.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes   THM E

Greek Salad Dressing   THM FP

Tomato Cucumber Salad   THM FP

Orange Creamsicle Shake THM E  page 408 Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook  This tastes like an Orange Julius.  Love it.

I must say that last week was truly a great week to eat at our house.   I continue to enjoy the success of new recipes that I can add to our weekly plans, changing it up, while enjoying healthy eating.

I am excited about our upcoming trip to Charleston.  Until next time…Bon Appetit!