The ingredients in these sections are explained in more detail in my cookbook. Some of the following links are affiliate links. To see my affiliate disclosure, click here.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the low-glycemic healthy eating lifestyle I follow.
Flours I Use:
- Almond Flour – I rarely use this due to the price but like to have some on hand for crusts.
- Coconut Flour
- Golden Flaxmeal – I usually buy golden flax seeds from a bulk food store and grind my own flax meal in a coffee grinder.
- Gluten-Free Oat Flour
- Oat Fiber
- Oat Flour – I usually grind oats in a blender to make my own oat flour.
- THM Oat Fiber (Gluten Free) (Swanson) or THM Oat Fiber (gluten-free) (THM Store)
- THM Pristine Whey Protein Powder (Swanson) or THM Pristine Whey Protein Powder (THM Store)
- Whey Protein Powder – I like the taste of this protein powder the best of any I’ve tried. It’s made of whey protein concentrate instead of whey protein isolate (which is preferred for THM), but at only 1g carbs per serving, I still use it.
Sweeteners I Use:
- Erythritol
- THM Gentle Sweet (Swanson) or THM Gentle Sweet (THM Store)
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (Swanson) or THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (THM Store)
- THM Super Sweet Blend (Swanson) or THM Super Sweet Blend (THM Store)
- Truvia – I usually buy this from Sam’s Club.
- Xylitol (heads up – xylitol is poisonous to dogs)
Unique Ingredients:
I purchase quite a few of the products in this section at local grocery stores, but here are some links to products that I buy online or know are not readily available in some places.
- Defatted Peanut Flour
- Dehydrated Tomato Powder
- Finely-Shredded Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Glucomannan
- Joseph’s Reduced Carb/Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Lavash Bread
- Joseph’s Reduced Carb/Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- Lorann Flavor Oils
- Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
- Xylitol-Sweetened Peppermints
- Vegetable Glycerin
Gelatin:
Equipment:
- 9″ cake pans
- 10″ spring-form cheesecake pan
- Bosch mixer
- Crockpot
- Cuisinart 1 1/2 qt. automatic ice cream churn
- Electric skillet
- Ninja Kitchen System – I am now using a refurbished Vitamix blender, but all the recipes in my cookbook were tested with a Ninja.
- Offset frosting spreader
- Popsicle molds
- Silicone baking mats
Pages and articles on my site that you might enjoy:
- Starting THM (this explains many of the ingredients above and includes many different sources for them so you can shop around)
- My picture recipe index
- My recipes categorized by THM fuel type, allergy info, and theme
- Sample menu index
- “What’s on My Plate?” index
- Trim Healthy Tips index
- “Food Freedom or Gluttony?”
- “Dos and Don’ts from a THM Veteran”
- “When You’re Overwhelmed on THM”
- Lifestyle Posts index (blogging, music, photography, devotionals, etc.)
- Greek yogurt video tutorial
Other helpful pages and articles:
- “Baking with Coconut Flour” (All Day I Dream About Food)
- “10 Trim Healthy Mama Stevia Tips” (Gwen’s Nest)
- Trim Healthy Mama Sweetener Conversion Chart
- “What is Vegetable Glycerin?”
- Video demo for cutting cinnamon rolls with thread or floss
Recipe Tweaks:
Necessary Food was published in 2016, and I’ve learned a few things about cooking since then! When I remake my old recipes, sometimes I tweak them a bit to make them better. All updated recipes that have their own blog post have nutrition info added. Here are the changes you should know about:
- Berry Gello Salad (page 137): The Creamy Strawberry Gello Salad here on my website is an adaptation of this recipe and is probably a bit better.
- Buttery Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole (page 56): To the bottom chicken mixture I added 1/2 cup half and half, 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon onion powder. (These are in addition to what is already in the recipe.) This added a bit more moisture and flavor. I used a 9×13 pan and baked for the full 40 minutes since the extra liquid was sogging out the crumbs a bit more than usual. I actually made the chicken mixture ahead of time and froze it in a gallon Ziplock bag. When I wanted to make the casserole I thawed the chicken mixture and spread it into the baking pan, mixed up the crumbs and put them on top, and baked.
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad (page 145): The recipe here on the website has some updated ingredients and notes as well as nutrition info.
- Brianafinger Bars (page 328): The new website version has more crust and uses sugar free chocolate chips instead of a coconut oil based chocolate topping. Both crust and topping are more authentic in texture and taste to the original cookie bars I was trying to recreate. The recipe in the book makes a 9″ x 13″ pan while the recipe here on the website makes an 8″ x 8″ pan. (This recipe can easily be doubled for a 9″ x 13″ pan.)
- Briana’s Baking Mix (page 157): The post here on the website has been updated with gram measurements, a coconut free option, new nutritional info, and helpful info about swapping for other flours. The recipe has not been changed.
- Chicken Alfredo (page 68): The recipe here on the website is a new and improved version of the recipe in the cookbook (although that one is just fine and my mom still loves it). The website recipe has been updated with some improved culinary know how and better flavors – and a nice easy bag of Aldi chicken tenders.
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (page 62): The casserole could use more baking than listed in the recipe. I baked it (covered) for forty minutes, then left it in (uncovered) for probably another twenty to let some of the liquid evaporate and soften the broccoli a little more. Then I let it cool a bit to solidify before serving. You could easily add more rice, and chopping up the broccoli florets would be a good idea if they’re on the large side.
- Grandma’s Dream Cheesecake (page 352): The new recipe here on the website has an almond flour crust and topping that are more like the original graham cracker crust. (The cookbook crust is nut free.) The only other major change here on the website is a change in sweeteners and an increase in vanilla.
- Green Bean Casserole (page 124): Website recipe has been updated. This recipe is a double batch made in a larger pan so you can feed a crowd. I added mushrooms to the soup for a mushroom soup flavor, added an onion topping reminiscent of French fried onions, and bumped up the spice and flavor.
- Pecan Pie Bars (page 330): In this update I added more sweetener to try to appease everyone’s taste buds (and I personally make things sweeter now than I used to) and tried to up the goo factor. The new recipe is made for an 8″ x 8″ pan while the old recipe was for a 9″ x 13″ pan.
- Poppy Seed Ham & Cheese “Slider” Wraps – This blog recipe is similar to the Poppy Seed Ham & Cheese Wraps recipe on page 114, but the cookbook recipe is constructed and baked differently and only serves 3. The full size recipe on the blog is more traditionally prepared and makes a full 9” x 13” pan of “slider” wraps to feed a crowd.
- Pumpkin Delight (page 368): The recipe here on the website has been updated with an amazing “brown sugar” pecan crust, simplified ingredients, better sweetness, and nutrition info.
- Pumpkin Spice Latte (page 210): A few small tweaks added to the recipe on the website.
- Rhubarb Custard Bars (page 335): The recipe here on the website has a sturdier crust and more custard. It uses coconut flour and oat fiber instead of my baking mix and is made in an 8″x8″ pan instead of a pie plate. Nutritional info included.
- Tomato Basil Soup (page 93): The recipe here on the website is a complete remake and I highly recommend it! Also included are instructions for how to make toasted cheese melts to go along with the soup.
- Vanilla Pudding or Pie Filling (page 343): I updated this recipe and posted it to the blog as this Basic Custard. The post includes nutrition info for the new recipe.
- Strawberry Shortcake (page 277): This shortcake often came out a bit soggy in the center, so I made some tweaks to the coconut flour, baking powder, and water amounts in the recipe here on the website. I also changed the baking time from 25 mins to 30 mins.
- Sweet Potato Casserole (page 125): Website recipe has been updated. This recipe makes a 9″ x 13″ pan instead of an 8″ x 8″ pan. There are some other small tweaks for balanced flavor and sweetness, and the streusel topping has a more authentic texture.
Post updated and nutrition info added but no real changes made to recipe (except perhaps for a few helpful notes):
- Blueberry Custard Bars (page 334)
- Mac and Cheese (page 123)
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Shake (page 187)
- Strawberry Freezer Jam (page 420)