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Grace-Filled Homemaking

The Semi-Crunchy Mama's Guide to Healthy Recipes, Faith and All Things Homemaking

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Cucumber Ranch Dressing

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My Cucumber Ranch Dressing takes only a couple minutes to whip up! It’s the perfect way to jazz up your salads and get an extra boost of veggies in. This salad is pretty light as it’s greek yogurt based.

Cucumber Ranch Dressing

 

I used to love the store-bought variations of ranch dressing. There was just something slightly fake tasting about them though. I’ve found that whipping up my own dressings tastes better and it honestly doesn’t take very long to make. I love knowing what ingredients are in my dressings, plus, it’s kind of fun to feel like a Food Network star. 🙂

This dressing pairs well with salads, crudites or on-plan crackers. You can thicken it up with a bit of Gluccie to make it more of a spread if you’d like to use it on wraps or sandwiches. This recipe makes about 2 cups of dressing. It stores well in the fridge, though I can’t vouch for how it holds up past a week. That’s about how long it lasts in my house before my hungry boys eat it all. I may have caught a tiny drinking it from the jar before. To each his own, I guess.

Trim Healthy Mama friends, the mayo makes my dressing an “S” fuel. Low-carb friends, this is a great option for you as well! If you’re looking for a probiotic version of this dressing, you might want to check out this one from Traditional Cooking School! It has kefir in it.

You Might Also Like..

Chicken Bacon Ranch Soup

Asian Chicken Salad

Bacon Ranch Bombs

Pin my Cucumber Ranch Dressing recipe here!

Cucumber Ranch Dressing

 

Cucumber Ranch Dressing
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Cucumber Ranch Dressing
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate any leftovers. This keeps for up to a week.
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Basic Breakfast Quiche (E)

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My Basic Breakfast Quiche tastes extremely decadent, but it’s surprisingly light. It even has a crust, which in my opinion, is the best kind of quiche. Don’t let the word quiche fool you! This is an easy breakfast that anyone can throw together. This meal was a huge hit with my husband and kids, who couldn’t believe how cheesy it was! It really doesn’t feel like you’re eating an “E”, but rather a cheesy, fat-filled Crossover!

Basic Breakfast Quiche

Trim Healthy Mama girls, this is an “E” breakfast because of the sprouted bread. It isn’t a Crossover because we use egg whites and an extremely light cheese. This adds a lot of creaminess without any of the added fat. Feel free to customize this quiche with “E” friendly ingredients if you have them on hand! Here are a couple of ideas:

Let me know what other combos you come up with! I have a few more in the works that I hope to share with you all soon!

This recipe makes 1 8×8 inch pan and it serves 4-6. You can prep this the night before and store it in your fridge. I have done this and while the “crust” isn’t as crisp, it is still tasty. I haven’t tried freezing this yet, but from past experience, eggs tend to change texture after frozen and not always for the best. 🙂 Try it at your own discretion!

For all your Trim Healthy Mama needs, check out the official THM store!

You Might Also Like These Breakfast Recipes:

Bananas Foster French Toast

Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

 

Pin my Basic Breakfast Quiche here!

Basic Breakfast Quiche (E)
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Basic Breakfast Quiche (E)
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch pan.
  2. Lay the sprouted bread in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the onions and peppers on top of the bread.
  3. In a blender or food processor, blend the egg whites, spices and wedges of cheese until smooth.
  4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (garnish amount)
  5. Pour into the pan and bake for 30-45 minutes or until set in the middle. Enjoy!
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Savory Roasted Chicken (Low-Carb, THM:S, Sugar-Free, Versatile!)

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Every girl needs an easy roasted chicken recipe in her cooking arsenal. This is mine! The chicken itself is so flavorful, yet the seasoning blend is pretty basic, so you can use this chicken in virtually anything.

 

easy roasted chicken

 

I’m the self-proclaimed queen of stretching a whole chicken. Give me a reduced-price chicken and I’ll give you three or four meals and a few bags of bone broth. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for using this chicken:

  • As is with a side salad and roasted veggies
  • Tacos
  • Chicken Alfredo
  • Chicken Chili
  • Chicken Salad
  • Sandwiches
  • As a salad topper
  • Bone broth (Use the carcass, skin, etc!)

This recipe is easy but tastes gourmet thanks to a few tricks. To start, I place a few pats of butter under the chicken skin. This makes the chicken stay moist (not a fan of that word!) and it makes the skin crispy. I also put lemon and onion wedges in the chicken’s cavity. This gives the chicken a savory flavor and (bonus!) you already have a few things to add to your crock-pot when you make bone broth. I also brush butter on the outside of the chicken because it helps the seasoning mix to stay better and tastes amazing!

The general rule is to roast your chicken for 20 minutes per lb. To stay on the safe side, I do that AND use my meat thermometer to make sure my chicken is at 180 degrees.

If you like my Easy Roasted Chicken you might also like..

Brown “Sugar” Garlic Chicken

Bacon Ranch Bombs

General Tso’s Chicken

 

Pin this post here..

easy roasted chicken

Cate's Savory Roasted Chicken (Low-Carb, THM:S, Sugar-Free, Versatile!)
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Cate's Savory Roasted Chicken (Low-Carb, THM:S, Sugar-Free, Versatile!)
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap chicken from the package and take out the giblets. Pat the chicken dry and place in a large roasting pan. Slice 4 T. of the butter and slide it under the skin. Melt the remaining 2 T. butter and brush over chicken skin. Mix the spices and sprinkle over top. Place the quartered onion and lemon wedges inside the chicken's cavity. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes a pound or until you reach an internal temp of 180. I like to let my chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes to let the juices settle! Enjoy.
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Bacon Ranch Bombs (Low-Carb, THM:S

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If you’re a huge fan of all things chicken bacon ranch, you’ll want to try my Bacon Ranch Bombs. It’s literally just chicken stuffed with a ranch filling wrapped in bacon. 🙂 Yes, it is as easy to make as it sounds and it requires no special ingredients. You might already have the ingredients in your fridge and pantry!

Bacon Ranch Bombs are the ultimate man-friendly low-carb dinner!

I love finding new ways to amp up ordinary chicken breasts. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are something I ALWAYS pick up when there’s a good sale going on. They’re lean enough to be a Fuel Pull on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, so the possibilities are endless. Stuffed chicken breasts are one of those dinners that seem oh so fancy, but require little prep work. My kind of meal! 🙂

 

This recipe serves 4-6 depending on the size of your chicken breasts. My package came with two smaller ones and one mammoth piece of meat, which is why you only see three in my photos. Like all my recipes, this is extremely family-friendly, but beware it might cause a bit of jealousy. I sent my husband with leftovers and he was the envy of all his co-workers!

To keep it even more simple, I threw some asparagus in my roasting pan when my chicken had about 15 minutes left to cook. The bacon grease seasoned it perfectly! I also served it with a side salad, but I think cauli-rice would taste wonderful as well.

Like this recipe? Check out:

Hillbilly Chicken (Another bacon wrapped wonder!)

Bacon Swiss Chicken Bake

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Bacon Ranch Bombs are the ultimate man-friendly low-carb meal!
Bacon Ranch Bombs (Low-Carb, THM:S
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Servings
4-6
Servings
4-6
Bacon Ranch Bombs are the ultimate man-friendly low-carb meal!
Bacon Ranch Bombs (Low-Carb, THM:S
Print Recipe
Servings
4-6
Servings
4-6
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix your cream cheese and spices together in a small bowl. Slice each chicken breast length-wise until it looks like an open book. You don't want to cut all the way through! Take about 1 T. of filling and "stuff" each chicken breast. Wrap the filled chicken with bacon, secure with a toothpick if you wish and bake for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 722
% Daily Value
Total Fat 22.1g
28%
Saturated Fat 8.7g
43%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 326mg
109%
Sodium 1031mg
45%
Total Carbohydrates 2.4g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g
0%
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 119.3g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 41%
Iron undefined%


Cheesy Beef Stroganoff Casserole

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Cold weather calls for a good stroganoff recipe, right? This one is my family’s favorite recipe. I created it a couple of years ago and have been tweaking it to perfection ever since. I’m slowly getting around to posting some of our family favorites, which are usually simple, no special ingredient recipes.

beef stroganoff

 

Traditional stroganoff uses pieces of beef, which is scrumptious, but when this recipe was created, it was a lot more affordable for me to use ground beef and it’s just sort of stuck. 🙂 You’ll notice like I mentioned above that this recipe doesn’t have any special ingredients. A lot of THM stroganoff recipes use xanthan gum or gluccie to help thicken it, but my family absolutely DETESTS both, so to keep the peace I leave it out of my family dinners.

beef stroganoff

 

This is a casserole that you can serve your family with the confidence that they’ll LOVE it! I eat this stroganoff over zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. You can also serve it as it with no “pasta”, or if you don’t mind a little franken-food, serve it with a bit of Dreamfields pasta. I also recommend serving a large side salad or some green beans with this meal, since it is a little on the heavy side.

This recipe makes one 9×13 inch pan full of casserole and I would say it serves a family of 10-12. You can freeze leftovers and they’ll taste just as good as the first time. 🙂

beef stroganoff
Cheesy Beef Stroganoff Casserole
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Servings
12
Servings
12
beef stroganoff
Cheesy Beef Stroganoff Casserole
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Servings
12
Servings
12
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, drain then return to pan. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until the veggies are soft. You don't have to add any additional fat to the pan. The leftover grease from the beef is enough. Place the meat and veggies in a 9x13 inch pan and spread evenly. Place the cream cheese, salt, sour cream, pepper, garlic powder and broth in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour over the meat and veggie mixture and stir to combine. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes


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Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 159
% Daily Value
Total Fat 9.7g
12%
Saturated Fat 5.3g
26%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 53mg
18%
Sodium 162mg
7%
Total Carbohydrates 3g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0.3g
1%
Sugars 1.6g
Protein 14.6g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 45%
Iron undefined%


Cold Pizza (Low-Carb, Sugar-Free, THM:S)

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It’s been pretty hot in Iowa. So hot, that I really don’t feel like firing up my oven mid-day. The other day, I wanted something different than my usual hot-weather fare of salads and sandwiches, so I created this cold pizza. It’s refreshing, fits whatever you have on hand (What’s up the day before grocery day?!) and it’s easy to throw together. The only slightly complex step is toasting your pita if you choose to go that route.

 

 

This recipe is single-serve, but I’m thinking this would make a great, fun lunch for my toddlers. I plan on whipping up a larger batch of my delicious cream cheese spread and putting out some ingredients so they can make their own. My Mom used to do something similar for my siblings and me when we were little and we absolutely loved making our homemade “Lunchables”.  For my cold pizza, I used lunch meat, cucumber, and some peppers. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand: tomatoes, broccoli, ham, cheeses, bacon, zucchini. The possibilities are endless.

 

Cold Pizza (Low-Carb, Sugar-Free, THM:S)
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Servings
1
Servings
1
Cold Pizza (Low-Carb, Sugar-Free, THM:S)
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Servings
1
Servings
1
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Toast your pita if you choose. Combine cream cheese and spices. Spread over pita. Top with desired toppings and enjoy!
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Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100
% Daily Value
Total Fat 4.8g
6%
Saturated Fat 2.2g
11%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 11mg
4%
Sodium 356mg
15%
Total Carbohydrates 9.4g
3%
Dietary Fiber 3.9g
14%
Sugars 0g
Protein 7.3g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 47%
Iron undefined%


Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Pasta

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Every so often, you just need a simple meal that feels super gourmet. This dinner was actually my husband’s and my last date night dinner. After I made it for him, he made a status on social media saying it was so good I broke his taste buds. I think he’s still looking for a solution to fix them, so if you have any suggestions.. 😛

Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp

 

This is a classic cream pasta sauce with a twist. The sauce isn’t quite an alfredo because it doesn’t have cheese, but the texture is the same. I wanted a sauce that had a hint of lemon, so I chose the flavors I thought would perfectly compliment that ingredient and hoped for the best. It doesn’t disappoint!

Lemon, garlic, butter and rosemary all mesh together for a unique flavor experience. The lemon isn’t overpowering by any means, but a team player to make this recipe awesome. This combination isn’t something you have every day! I think this meal tastes super “Springy” and it makes me think of bright days, a good thing to have in gloomy Iowa. 🙂

While you don’t get a PERFECTLY white sauce due to the addition of almond milk, you do get a pretty topping for pasta. I think shrimp really made this dish, however, you can substitute chicken if that’s what you have on hand. I was able to get four servings out of this recipe. I garnished my plates with parsley and additional lemon slices.

Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Pasta
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Pasta
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Place butter, garlic, and onion into a large skillet and sautee until golden brown. Add all other ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Turn to low heat and let simmer until thick, stirring occasionally. This took me about 15 minutes. Serve over pasta of choice.
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Sweet Herbed Chicken and Green Beans (THM:FP)

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This Sweet Herbed Chicken and Green Beans are filling, easy to make and FULL of flavor. You won’t feel deprived after having this meal!

I’m all about easy these days, so this is a one pan meal. It’s really simple to throw together, just sprinkle some herbs on top, add some green beans to the side and bake! My family loved this dinner. Its unique spice blend makes it stand out from the pack. You’ll taste a little sweet, a little herb and a hint of lemon juice. The chicken is juicy and the green beans sop up the juices perfectly to create a sauce for the veggies that you didn’t even have to do anything extra for!

This meal is fine on its own, but if you need a little more to be satisfied try adding a salad with a FP dressing or even a baby Frapp (found in the THM Cookbook)

Special Items Mentioned:

Gentle Sweet
Mineral Salt

*This meal serves 4*

Sweet Herbed Chicken and Green Beans (THM:FP)
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Sweet Herbed Chicken and Green Beans (THM:FP)
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Place chicken in a dish. Place green beans around the meat. Mix together spices and sprinkle over top. Sprinkle lemon juice and liquid smoke over beans and chicken. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until done. Enjoy!
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Asian Chicken Salad with Spicy Sweet Peanut Dressing

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Asian Chicken Salad + Spicy Sweet Peanut Dressing = Love!

Asian Chicken Salad

Especially when paired with a spicy peanut dressing. My Asian Chicken Salad is simple to prep, yet tastes gourmet. You’ll get a great dose of veggies in because this salad has greens AND cabbage. I wanted to create a salad that has a slight crunch to it without the addition of rice noodles or other unhealthy carb elements that you usually find in Asian salads. I found cabbage (or coleslaw mix!) lightly sauteed with a few spices gave this dish a satisfying crunch. It adds a great amount of texture! My dressing, though peanut based is lighter than you’d think because it’s base is actually peanut flour with just a tiny bit of actual peanut butter. The dressing is really unique and truly steps it up a notch.

Asian Chicken Salad

 

I am already craving this salad and will be making it at least once a week! I’d say this salad would serve 4 people with hearty portions and possibly seconds. It’s a classy meal to serve for lunch or dinner.

Special Items Mentioned:

Super Sweet

Asian Chicken Salad with Spicy Sweet Peanut Dressing
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Asian Chicken Salad with Spicy Sweet Peanut Dressing
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Dressing
Servings:
Instructions
  1. 1. Sautee the coleslaw, ginger, soy sauce or liquid aminos and black pepper for 3 minutes until slightly tender but not completely mushy. 2. Let cool 3. Whisk together the dressing (If too thick, thin with 1/4 C. Water or so) 4. To assemble the salad: -Place some greens on a plate. -Top with a spoonful of coleslaw mixture. -Place chopped chicken on top -Drizzle with the salad dressing 5. Enjoy!
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Creamy Bacon Swiss Chicken Bake (THM:S)

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This is my husband’s new favorite dinner recipe. When I was creating it, I actually baked it early in the day to photograph it in natural lighting. He saw it hours before he could actually eat it and from the way he was talking..it was sheer torture. He may have snuck a bite, or five. 🙂

 

creamy-bacon-swiss

 

 

img_0232

 

This chicken bake is creamy and full of flavor. It has mushrooms, bacon, and swiss cheese, along with a secret ingredient that gives it a bit of smokehouse flair. It’s also very easy to make, literally just throwing a few ingredients in a pan and baking it. This dish pairs nicely with a tossed salad and some roasted broccoli.

Creamy Bacon Mushroom Swiss Chicken Bake (THM:S)
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Creamy Bacon Mushroom Swiss Chicken Bake (THM:S)
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch pan. Cut the cream cheese into little chunks and place evenly around the chicken. Drain mushrooms and place on top of chicken. Lay the pre-cooked bacon on top. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and a dash of liquid smoke. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, take out and top with cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes of until the cheese is melty. Let cool and enjoy!
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