My THM Update - 9 pounds gone!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I'm feeling quite lucky like a leprechaun today since I've finally reached a BIG goal in my weight loss saga. I'm now just over three months on Trim Healthy Mama and drum roll....

I am down about 9 pounds and quite a few inches (will measure and update shortly).  I'm healthier, slimmer and feel really, really good - emotionally and physically.  While 9 pounds doesn't sound that impressive overall (some ladies are dropping 20-30 pounds in three months on Trim Healthy Mama!!) for me, it's a huge victory since I've been struggling with this for quite some time.

As of March 2012, I'm down 20 pounds.  I'm now currently 10 pounds away from my true pre-pregnancy weight (150-ish) and at my first goal of my pre-second child weight (160).

I have to admit it feels really good to be at this goal.  This is a day I thought would never be here. Having really tried everything from Eat To Live, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Cinch, 21 Day Sugar Detox and a few other methods - Trim Healthy Mama is truly what finally has worked for me in these past 3+ years I've been struggling to lose weight.

And, since visuals are more powerful than words, I share with you below two pictures to show my progress.

Just to refresh your memory, I started Trim Healthy Mama on December 12, 2013 right after I ended my 21 Day Sugar Detox.

The image on the left was taken at our family photo shoot we had done literally FOUR days before I started THM.  The right was taken just the other morning.

Left image is Decmber 8, 2013 and the right is just the other morning.

Then, just for "fun" I decided to dig up some older photos of myself - which were quite hard to find since I didn't enjoy having my picture taken.  Nonetheless - here it is...

March 2012 (180), February 2012 (170), February 2014 (163) and the other morning (160).

Far left is when we were at Disney in March 2012, next is Disney end of January/early February 2013, next is February of this year and the last image is just the other morning.  I can definitely see the weight loss in my face more in the last two pictures.  While I'm holding children (trying to strategically block myself!) in the first two pictures, you can see I'm clearly larger in my face -  and honestly just larger all over!  And all I can think when I see the image to the far left is "Who is that???" Because it certainly doesn't look like "me" and at that point I didn't feel like myself either.

So, from my tiny little speck of the Internet here, I'm hoping to inspire someone that if you have been stuck or wanting to finally lose the "baby" weight - or ANY type of weight - it is truly possible with the right plan.  I've found something that finally works and I'm so thankful.

I have some toning to do and am currently working out 3-4 days a week now.  Hopefully will have a true "after" picture to share shortly as I hopefully reach my goal weight!

~Carly

Recipe: Eggplant Parmigiana - THM style (S)

Hello! Sorry, I fell off the blogging bandwagon. But I'm back with a yummy recipe! That makes it all better, right?

I love Italian food. Well, I love all food, actually - but last night I made a pasta dish for my family using regular pasta. Pre-Trim Healthy Mama I would have easily had a bowl full and maybe more. So in keeping with the Italian theme for the evening I made myself some eggplant parmigiana. 

I didn't actually measure all the ingredients and just kind of winged it.  There's no exact science - as your using the "breading" mixture and find you're running low, just throw some more ingredients in the bowl.  Scroll down for the pictures I briefly snapped as I cooked.

Ingredients:

One large eggplant (or more depending on family size)

Almond meal or flour

Flax meal

2 eggs whisked

Oil for frying - coconut or olive oil - your choice!

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Tomato sauce of choice (if on THM make sure it's a no-added sugar sauce)

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1.  Wash, dry and then slice eggplant into 1 inch wide (or less) sliced pieces.  I usually don't use pieces towards the very top or very bottom of the eggplant - but that's just me.

2.  In a larger bowl combine about one cup of flax meal and a half cup of almond meal or flour.  Add Italian seasoning such as oregano, basil and parsley flakes to your mix and garlic powder to taste.  You may also add grated Parmesan cheese also for more flavor.  Be sure to combine well.

3.  Pour choice of oil in pan and begin to heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and give a good amount of liquid for the eggplant pieces to fry in.

4.  At this time you should pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

5.  In another wide opening bowl, whisk the two eggs together. Check to see if oil is heating up nicely.

6.  Submerge each piece of eggplant in the egg and flip to get both sides covered and then coat in the flax, almond meal, seasonings mix.

7.  Place in oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oils.

8.  Repeat egg and "breading mix" and frying until all pieces of eggplant are done.

9.  Take a large baking dish and place a small amount of sauce on bottom of it.  Begin layering the eggplant on top of the sauce.  Cover each piece of eggplant with some sauce on top.

10.  Cover with foil and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes to further soften the eggplant.

11.  Remove briefly to top with shredded mozzarella cheese to your liking and place back in oven to melt.

Sliced eggplant

Mixing up the "breading"

Fried to perfection!

Add a bit of sauce

Topped with cheese and voila!

Serve with Dreamfields pasta, a large side salad or any other veggies you'd like.  This recipe is a keeper for sure!

I plan on posting an update on my personal weight loss journey shortly.  No really, I promise! Soon!
~Carly