Trim Healthy Mama Friendly Christmas Recipes

Eliza NoelLeave a comment

Christmas is the time for yummy festive treats, right? After veering a bit off the Trim Healthy Mama plan for Thanksgiving, I was so done with sugar. So I decided to search for yummy sugar-free Christmas treats that were Trim Healthy Mama friendly. Here are a few that both my husband and I enjoyed. Most of these don’t even taste healthy to me, but leave me feeling so much better than when I eat other treats. I hope these recipes help you have a festive time without the sick feeling that comes with eating junk food! Let me know if you give any of them a try.

My Vanilla Candy Cane Creamer (FP) & Northern Nester’s Chocolate Peppermint Log (S).
In this picture I added my candy cane creamer to a crossover latte, but you can add it to just plain coffee for a delicious Christmas-y fuel pull coffee. The chocolate peppermint log was actually so much easier to make than I expected! A little time consuming, but if you follow the directions carefully it should turn out just right.

Around the Family Table’s Hot Cocoa Bombs (S) were such a fun treat! You can add a little peppermint extract to them as well if you like. They go great in heated nut milk for hot cocoa, or you can add them to a latte for a mocha!

Trim Healthy Mama’s Cranberry Wassail is a perfect warm festive drink with no caffeine. Think Cranberry Cider. If you’re having guests over I highly recommend throwing this in a crockpot. It’ll leave your whole house smelling festive, cozy, and Christmas-y!

Cranberry Orange Muffins based on the Soaked Blueberry Muffin (E) Recipe. I followed the blueberry muffin recipe, but substituted cranberries for blueberries, omitted the cinnamon and added splashes of almond extract and orange extract.

If you haven’t yet, go give me a follow on Instagram! I often share recipes or meal prep tips there.

That wraps up all of my favorites that I tried out this year! Consider this my Christmas card to you! If you’re looking towards the New Year hoping for a healthier you, make sure you stay tuned through my email list for more tips.

Merry Christmas to you all!

I am an Amazon Associate so I earn money through purchases made through my links at no extra cost to you.

Vanilla Candy Cane Coffee Creamer//Easy-prep, THM-Friendly Fuel Pull (FP), Low-fat, Low-carb, Sugar-free

Eliza NoelLeave a comment

My THM-Friendly recipe for Vanilla Candy Cane Coffee Creamer will make your morning coffee simple, delicious, and healthy. Just make it at the beginning of the week, and you’ll have lovely Christmas-y coffee to go with the chilly weather all week long! This recipe is sugar-free and a Trim Healthy Mama friendly Fuel Pull. That means you can pair it with an S or an E breakfast without it becoming a Crossover!

If you’d like a review of the book Terms and Traditions click here.

Health Benefits of the Vanilla Candy Cane Coffee Creamer

  • It’s sugar-free. Most coffee creamers are packed with sugar or artificial sweeteners. This recipe calls for stevia, a healthy natural sweetener.
  • It’s made with real ingredients. GoodRX says that most coffee creamers are packed with additives and chemicals. This recipe includes only good, natural, and real ingredients. You can rest in knowing that you’re not putting bad things into your body along with your daily Cup o’ Joe!

THM-Friendly Fuel Pull Recipe for Vanilla Candy Cane Coffee Creamer

Makes 8 servings

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients in a mason jar, stir it up, and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it just put 1-2 tbs. in your coffee mug, then fill it the rest of the way with your favorite coffee!

*You can use heavy whipping cream instead for a creamier heavy S creamer

Download this THM Friendly Fuel Pull recipe card for free!

Vanilla Candy Cane Coffee Creamer Recipe Free DownloadDownload

THM-Friendly Fuel Pull Vanilla Candy Cane Creamer Recipe on Instagram

Where are you on your health journey?

I love learning more about health! The plan I follow (Trim Healthy Mama) balances food groups beautifully, cuts out sugar, and emphasizes the need for high protein. It’s super personalizable for budget, preferences, allergies, phase of life, and goals (weight loss, gaining muscle, healthy weight gain, working through health issues, getting more energy, etc.). If healthy living interests you sign up for my email list here.

Note: I’m an Amazon Affiliate so I receive a commission off anything purchased through links I share.

Terms and Traditions by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht//Christian Christmas Fiction

Eliza Noel2 Comments

Terms and Traditions by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht is a humorous Christian Christmas fiction novel that tackles some heavy topics. It tackles broken family relationships, scars from past relationships, and chronic illness. Despite all of that, somehow the tone remains light and seasonal. If you want a Christmas book that will make you laugh in the mood for the Christmas season read this one.

Audience

Older Teen Girls & Women

Genre

Christian Christmas Fiction, Christian Contemporary Romance, Closed-door Romance, Rom-com

Author

Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

Buy on Amazon

Stephanie is perfectly organized and put together at her job as handsome millionaire Nash’s personal assistant. But her dating life- not so much. It’s anxiety-ridden and pretty much non-existent. Unless you count her 2-year crush on her boss who also happens to be part of her friend group. When Stephanie’s dad pressures her to bring a date to their very dysfunctional family Christmas trip, Stephanie speaks before thinking and asks Nash to be her fake boyfriend. Surprisingly, he says yes.

A few of my favorite things…

  • references to Christmas movies and songs I love
  • just alll the Christmas-y vibes, even the explanations and descriptions were enveloped in Christmas (for example, the exclamation “Sugarplums!” and the description “warm cocoa hug”)
  • Nash’s determination to not sleep with anyone but his future wife
  • Stephanie’s nana’s positive influence in her life, pointing her to Jesus
  • Stephanie’s tight friend group that walks through the ups and downs of life together
  • Nash being protective and deeply caring
  • cute kid characters
  • family holiday traditions

I didn’t care for…

  • clean, but it was still a bit kiss-y for me. At one point, characters sneak into a pantry to make out, but there’s no talk or thought of going further.

Know that…

  • some mean girls speculate that Stephanie slept her way to the top of the company (absolutely not true)

Perfect for…

Any woman looking for a Hallmark-y clean Christian Christmas fiction book to read!

If you love reading clean Christian fiction (especially contemporary) sign-up for my email list here.

Christmas Gift Guide: Pure Literature

Eliza NoelLeave a comment

Christmas shopping is just around the corner, especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up. Here’s some pure literature I highly recommend for each person you’re buying a Christmas gift for. If all my friends and family were readers, these are the books I would buy them as Christmas gifts. You’ll notice the books I wrote, the Dawn Chandler Series, are listed here. They actually happen to be on sale now through Christmas!

Just a heads up- I am an Amazon affiliate so I make a small commission off anything purchase through my links at no extra cost to you.

Books to Buy Your Loved Ones for Christmas

Children’s Story Book (ages 1-8)

Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Ferguson

Amazon//Goodreads

  • homestead
  • sweet loving family
  • lots of animals
  • based on a true story
  • encourages a love for the outdoors

Children’s Chapter Books (ages 8-12)

Dawn Chandler by Eliza Noel (me 😉 )

Amazon//Goodreads

  • small town setting
  • learning Biblical contentment in the midst of a move
  • good family relationships
  • homeschooled and large family MC’s
  • MC who is not crush-obsessed

Dawn and the Letters by Eliza Noel

Amazon//Goodreads

  • bit of a mystery
  • the Biblical lesson of learning to love your enemies
  • kids doing farm chores
  • all the other things listed about the first book

Books for Teens

Riley + Sam by Ashley Schaller (for girls)

Amazon//Goodreads

  • summer setting
  • undercover popstar
  • fun little kid and dog characters
  • friends-to-lovers (but nothing more than a light kiss)
  • learning to grieve

Mammoth by Brian Mcbride (for boys)

Amazon//Goodreads

  • vibes similar to Indiana Jones, The Hardy Boys, and The Outsiders
  • beautiful PNW setting
  • found family
  • lighthouse
  • a mysterious death

Books for Adults

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh

Amazon//Goodreads

  • happy feel-good rom-com
  • A Man Called Otto vibes
  • comedic
  • lighthearted

Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson

Amazon//Goodreads

  • light-hearted murder mystery
  • pre-orders only (it’ll be published in February)
  • similar to Murder on the Orient Express and Knives Out
  • intriguing mystery with a touch of cute romance
  • very protective male MC
  • lots of author characters

Sense and Suitability by Pepper Basham

Amazon//Goodreads

  • Regency Romance
  • Jane Austen references
  • humorous situations
  • cute kids
  • ballroom socializing

Trim Healthy Wisdom by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison

Amazon//Goodreads

  • Health Resource
  • 950 pages of nutritional wisdom
  • helpful chapter summaries
  • insights on weight challenges in different hormonal seasons
  • well-rounded healthy eating
  • this is the book I read to study for a health coaching test I’m hoping to take next year!

Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer

Amazon//Goodreads

  • Parenting/Apologetics Resource
  • written in a way that’s full of grace and truth
  • super helpful insight into cultural lies
  • discussion questions

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

Amazon//Goodreads

  • Hospitality
  • practical tips for hospitality
  • principles from the Bible
  • delightful read

What books will you be giving as gifts this year? Have you read any of these? Follow my instagram or signup for my email list for more book recommendations!

Pumpkin Cheesecake//THM-Friendly S, Low-carb, High-protein, Sugar-free

Eliza Noel2 Comments

My THM-Friendly recipe for High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake is a Satisfying (fat) dessert. The cream cheese would actually make it a Heavy S. So not the best daily snack if you’re in weight-loss mode, but a great sugar-free treat for celebrating the holidays! Consider pairing it with a hot coffee with Optimized Collagen powder in it or some other protein drink to help you get the rest of the way to your protein goal. I’ll definitely be continuing to make this one. It’s so delicious and helps me stay away from off-plan treats. Also, it’s husband-approved!

Health Benefits of High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake

  • It’s packed with 15 g of protein per serving. Protein is essential because it’s what helps your body keep and build muscle. Without muscle, your body can’t burn fat, and overall health quickly goes downhill. Having this as a dessert can help your dinner get the rest of the way to it’s protein goal. Or you can have it as a snack paired with some kind of protein drink
  • It’s sugar-free and delicious. We’re in that time of year now when we’re surrounded with sugar-y treats. Having a healthy treat you loved prepped and sitting in your fridge or freezer will help you more easily say no to sugar.
  • Pumpkin Spice and everything nice. Ok, not an actual health benefit, but I do love my pumpkin spice stuff. Maybe a mental health benefit?

THM-Friendly S Recipe for High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

  • 4 c. Low Fat Cottage Cheese (1% or 2%)
  • 1 1/4 tsp. Pure Stevia Extract
  • 16 oz. 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 6 Eggs
  • 15 oz. Canned Pumpkin
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. each Cloves, Nutmeg, and Allspice
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 and grease a pan well (Maybe a 9 x 13? I used several little pans because it’s what I had available).
  2. Blend the cottage cheese and stevia in a blender until it’s smooth and creamy.
  3. In a Kitchen-Aid mixer (or a mixing bowl and hand mixer) mix the cream cheese until it’s also smooth and creamy.
  4. Add the cottage cheese mixture and all other ingredients to the mixing bowl and combine well.
  5. Pour into the pan and bake for 1 hour.
  6. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour and a half.
  7. Chill the cheesecake in your fridge and then, enjoy!

Nutrition facts per serving (makes 14 servings): Protein 15 g, Carbs 8 g, Fat 18g

Download this free THM Friendly S recipe card!

THM-Friendly S High Protein Pumpkin CheesecakeDownload

High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe on Instagram

Where are you on your health journey?

I love learning more about health! The plan I follow (Trim Healthy Mama) balances food groups beautifully, cuts out sugar, and emphasizes the need for high protein. It’s super personalizable for budget, preferences, allergies, phase of life, and goals (weight loss, gaining muscle, healthy weight gain, working through health issues, getting more energy, etc.). Do you want Trim Healthy Mama friendly recipes sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for my email list here.