Finding Balance Without Losing Food Freedom

A heart-to-heart with Pearl … “I want to ever so gently help you keep your Food Freedom while I help you find your balance.”

Can we chat about something? Take a seat on my couch … move that semi-folded laundry, step over the dog, don’t mind the loud children running in and out and let’s talk.  I want to ever so gently help you keep your “Food Freedom” while I help you find your balance.

I am seeing quite a lot of Heavy S, almond flour baked recipes going around in the THM community. Hey, fabulous … we want you to love recipes! If you find one that pleases you … that makes Serene and I smile because when you love your food and feel like you can do this for life… you have the keys to the kingdom right there!

So let’s make this clear … it is better to eat a bunch of heavy almond flour treats than to give up and go off-plan because you can’t find something that you like. So yes, enjoy some almond flour recipes now and then but now let’s get to the balance part of this conversation. Almond flour is pure ground up nuts … nothing else. Nuts are on-plan, but they are to be “used in moderation”.

Overdoing nuts can cause stalls… and even if you are blessed with a super metabolism and they don’t cause stalls, there is just such a thing as overdoing it… ya’ know? So if your bread, pizza crust, cookies, cakes (the list goes on) are all almond flour and then you add other Heavy S fats on top of that like butter, cheese, cream… well, this is why we’re having this little chat.  No need to get chained down counting calories,  but Serene and I want you to learn that beautiful caloric balance that comes from juggling your fuels and yes, even juggling your fats.  Enjoy those almond flour treats but don’t make them part of your every meal… or your everyday staple.

We created the THM Baking Blend not just because people needed an easy pre-blended flour that was great for baking, but because it is just too easy to overload the fats and calories when you are constantly feasting on almond flour. The THM Baking Blend is so much lighter. There is a little bit of almond flour in it, but it is not a chief ingredient. You sure don’t have to use our Baking Blend, this is not an ad for it because we can barely keep it in stock as it is, but I just want you to know part of the reason behind why we created it. Look for a copycat one on Pinterest if you don’t want to buy ours. (Can’t believe I am saying that!) But, really… lighten things up. Try some baked goods without constant almond flour in them. Almond flour is costly anyway, generally it costs more than our Baking Blend (or one you will make yourself at home).  Having some questions about coconut and peanut flour? Those are defatted so they have less fuel and you don’t have to be very concerned about them.

And… let’s talk veggies and leafy greens. You are not properly doing THM if you are forgetting them. I always encourage people if they are in a stall to put their main dishes over salad. Cowboy Grub over salad, Lazy Lasagna over salad… you get the picture. There is a wonderful balance here that you will grow into as you mature on plan. If you are not in a stall, doesn’t matter. Don’t forget them… they complete the THM picture.

Now… for all our newbies. Please don’t let me put you off your new found Food Freedom in this lifestyle. When you are first starting there is a lot to learn and thinking about a bunch of rules or “lightening things up and avoiding evil almond flour” is not remotely what we want you to be focusing on.  All you need to do is focus on separating your fuels, grounding your meals with protein, beating sugar’s power over you and well… that’s about all. Once you have all the basics down, you can then being to reflect on whether you may be over doing almond flour or not. This message here is geared more toward our seasoned Trim Healthy Mamas.  Hope I am not laying a big heavy on you… I actually want to lighten your load! LOL!

Take one succulent bite of the Cinnamon Butter Bundt Cake and you’d swear it has 2 cups of butter in it, making it so buttery and moist. Nope, a sensible ½ cup of butter. I think this might be my favorite cake from this new book. Hard to pick favorites, but when I am eating it I can’t stop saying “Mmmmmm!” I hope you enjoy it!

– Pearl

Cinnamon Butter Bundt Cake