Tag: Healthy Eating on a Budget

My Trim Healthy Mama Journey: 2025 in Review

Eliza Noel3 Comments

2025 was my year for growing in health. Let’s back up real quick. I’m the odd person who loves Mondays. I love the fresh start to the week and healthy routines. Because of that, I also love New Year’s. I love reflecting on the past year as well as looking forward to the new one. This past year, I turned back to the the Trim Healthy Mama ways of eating. And this time I took it way more seriously. On top of that, my husband started coaching me in doing heavy weight lifting. Getting to do healthy living alongside my husband is so sweet! Having someone else help keep me accountable is absolutely the best.

If this post and health in general catches your interest, please sign up for my email list now. I send free recipes and helpful tips there.

My Trim Healthy Mama History

I talk a bit about my Trim Healthy Mama story on my health coaching page, but I wanted to talk about it here, too. Trim Healthy Mama is a healthy way of life (not a restrictive diet) that includes all the food groups and is super customizable. There are tweaks you can do whether you’re wanting to lose weight, gain weight, are pregnant/nursing or are in menopause. There’s a way of doing it that fits every stage. I was first introduced to this plan by my parents back in 2012. Then, as I grew up, I had a loose understanding of what it was.

At age 19 I spent a summer in Tennessee and got to know the creators of the plan, Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison. After getting to know them, I decided I wanted to start eating the Trim Healthy Mama way myself. I was at an age where if I ate ice cream and treats several times a week it would actually start showing up in my weight. I knew as a young adult that my health was my responsibility.

I made healthy choices for a while, but how well I stuck to it fluctuated depending on life circumstances. The toughest time to stick to it was when I was in Bible school. By the end of my two years there, I’d gained 20 lbs., my energy was low, and my immune system wasn’t great. This brings us to 2025.

My Trim Healthy Mama Journey in 2025

The Story

After Christmas 2024, my husband and I knew something needed to change. Our goal has always been a healthy and active lifestyle, but we weren’t actively making healthy choices. January 1st, we got back on the Trim Healthy Mama plan just using knowledge I had from previous times I had been on it. I started off the year without knowing the importance of protein and struggling to find easy go-to recipes. Looking back, I realized previous times I’d done Trim Healthy Mama, I hadn’t been eating enough. That’s not the proper way to do Trim Healthy Mama. It’s not a plan of starvation, it’s a plan where you fuel your body and are satisfied by healthy foods. Let me share some specifics of how our health journey grew this past year.

The new book, Trim Healthy Wisdom, is 950 pages long and jam-packed with wisdom that I’ve started implementing in my own life and can’t wait to share as a health coach!

Highlights

  • We found thrifty ways to do healthy living. I learned to shop sales, focus on affordable ingredients, and use what’s already in my kitchen. “Eating healthy is too expensive” is an easy excuse, but I’m sorry, it’s not a good one. There’s a way to do it on any budget.
  • Tried out and chose our favorite go-to Trim Healthy Mama recipes. The first year of our marriage I think I made cooking harder than it needed to be. I often tried new recipes every night. This also made our grocery bill higher because I was buying a lot of ingredients instead of finding creative ways to use what I had. Now I’m better at just throwing together what I have or leaning on my favorite recipes. Here are a few that I love:
  • Lost the college weight. Remember that 20 lbs. of college weight I gained? I was able to lose it all! Healthy living isn’t all about weight (there are so many other factors), but it is fun when the scale starts reflecting the effort I’m putting in.
  • Healed a dairy allergy. My husband used to be allergic to dairy. We introduced homemade kefir (so easy to make!) into our daily diet and now he can handle dairy! It doesn’t work that way for everyone, but it could be worth a try. Also, kefir is incredible for your gut health!
  • Incorporated working out into our schedule. We found the cheapest bare minimum gym membership in our area and got one. Going to the gym together has been so fun. Nutrition is my specialty, but my husband knows way more about strength training than I do. I enjoy getting to learn from him. If going to the gym isn’t possible for you, there are always home workouts you can do!
  • Better immune systems. We got sick so many less times in 2025 compared to 2024. I think the healthy eating, specifically avoiding sugar, helped our immune systems a lot. Aside from just catching colds, I used to be nauseous a lot and now that rarely ever happens.
  • More energy. Healthy eating and working out has given me more energy. Of course, getting good sleep also plays into this.
  • The Lord grew me in the area of spiritual health, too. I absolutely love working on physical health, but that’s not nearly as important as spiritual health. Looking back, the Lord has helped us grow in such a sweet community and fellowship at our local church. He’s used the teaching there to grow me, correct my thinking, and convict me. The Lord showed me that I treated my devotional time as more of a checklist where I tried to get through my daily reading plan. More recently I’ve been enjoying just slowly working through different books of the Bible and prayer journaling as I go. It makes my time more about learning and fellowshipping with the Lord rather than “just getting it done and staying on track”.

Goals for My Health Journey in 2026

I’m so excited to keep growing and establishing healthy habits this next year! Here are a few things I’m hoping to work on.

  • Better circadian rhythm. I’m excited to learn more about how to have a better circadian rhythm. Some little habits I’ve started implementing are being outside as the sun rises and waiting to have a coffee a few hours after I naturally wake up.
  • Up my protein a little more. This year I learned about how foundational protein is. It’s the building block for essentially everything- muscle growth, weight loss, hair and skin health…the list goes on and on. For the past several months I’ve tried to get in at least four meals or snacks of 25 g of protein each. This next year I’d like to add on a little bit more.
  • More consistent strength training. I’d like to be more consistent with working out at least 3 times a week. It can be hard to schedule it in, but I know it’s so worth it.
  • Sharing devotionals on my blog. Like I said, spiritual health is the most important kind of health. I’d like that to be reflected here on Pure Healthy Living & Literature. I look forward to hopefully writing and sharing devotional thoughts here on the blog.
  • Coach other ladies along in their health journey. I’m so excited to start coaching other ladies in their health journeys! This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was 19 and I’ve put so much thought into this past year. I’m passionate about sustainable healthy living and I want to be part of other ladies’ health journeys.

Are you interested in growing in healthy living?

I would absolutely love to coach you along in your health journey. My goal is to get to know each individual woman and come up with a healthy living plan that fits their needs and lifestyle. Click below to schedule a free health consultation over the phone with no commitment. We’ll talk through where you’re at in your health journey, what your goals are, and whether or not Pure Healthy Coaching could be a good fit for you.

Follow me on Instagram

5 Easy Steps for Creating a THM-Friendly Meal Plan: Healthy Eating on a Budget PDF (Free Download)

Eliza Noel1 Comment

Picture yourself sitting down with me and sipping your favorite healthy latte. I want to have a friendly little chat about healthy eating on a budget. My goal is to give you 5 easy steps that will help you create THM-friendly meal plans. You should walk away from our coffee time together understanding that eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. As you implement these principles, meal-planning will become a joyful process that simplifies the rest of your week. The meals you thoughtfully choose will also leave you feeling energized and satisfied.

THM-Friendly Meal Plan: Healthy Eating on a Budget

Note: This post includes Amazon Affiliate links. I make a small commission off any purchases made through the links at no extra cost to you.

What is Trim Healthy Mama?

If you’re new to this, let’s take a moment to talk about what Trim Healthy Mama is. Trim Healthy Mama isn’t some fad diet, it’s a lifestyle. It’s often accurately referred to as the “Food Freedom Movement”. The Trim Healthy Mama way of eating includes all the macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates and protein). It focuses on clean and nourishing sources of each of those nutrients. The plan can be personalized for different seasons of life and health goals. Wherever you’re at in life, you will be focusing on protecting your muscles and supporting your hormones.

How to Create a THM-Friendly Meal Plan

1. Check What’s in Your Fridge and Pantry

Before meal-planning, you’ll want to make sure you know what ingredients you have. I like to make a list of several key ingredients I have, especially protein sources since that’s what my meals are centered around. In order to do healthy eating on a budget, you’ll want to come up with as many meals as you can using ingredients you already have.

2. Consult your Cookbooks and Pinterest

The next step is to flip through your cookbooks (or scroll Pinterest) to find recipe ideas. It’s a good idea to already have a list (written down or in your head) of your favorite go-to recipes. The more you repeat recipes you’re already familiar with, the easier meal planning and prep will become. I have Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks I use and I like to save THM-friendly recipes on Pinterest. You can find links to recipes I created on this Pinterest board. Another way to simplify is by not always using recipes. You can do something simple like salmon, seasoned brown rice, and a side of broccoli.

3. Count Your Protein Grams (eating high-protein can save your life!)

Protein does so many incredible things for you! It helps you build and keep muscle, nourishes your hair and skin, causes your metabolism to burn fat… the list goes on and on! Because of this, I would argue that meeting your protein goal should be your biggest concern when meal planning. Protein might seem expensive, but so are doctor bills. And, I’m not saying you have to eat steak for every meal. You can focus on more affordable protein sources like cottage cheese, protein powder bought in bulk, nonfat plain greek yogurt, eggs, meat that’s on sale… If you do decide to purchase protein powder in bulk, here’s one I recommend. What should your protein goal be? According to Trim Healthy Mama you should have at least four meals and snacks that have 25 g of protein in them per day. I give my husband even more than that. Counting protein grams can be a pain at first, but once you get the hang of it and have your go-to meals it’s not so hard. If whatever protein you’re using doesn’t come with nutrition facts, you can figure out how much protein it has with a quick google search. For example, I often search things like “how much protein is there in a pound of ground turkey”. Once you’ve got your protein nailed down, make sure you’re also getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, healthy carbs, and healthy fats. Keep your meal plan well-balanced!

4. Write Down Your Plan

Grab a blank piece of paper and write down your THM-friendly meal plan. My plan usually includes two kinds of breakfasts I batch make ahead (usually one carb breakfast and one fat breakfast) and 5 or 6 dinners. I only plan for 5 or 6 dinners because we usually often up having leftovers or eating somewhere else at least once or twice. Lunches aren’t usually on my meal plan. I usually just have leftovers, sandwiches or scramble random ingredients together. Your plan doesn’t have to say exactly which day you’re having which dinners, just make sure you have your list of ideas for the week somewhere you can easily find.

5. Make a Grocery List and a Meal-Prep List

Now that you have your meals chosen, you’re going to make a list of the ingredients you need to buy. If my list starts looking expensive, I’ll often revise my plan. That may mean swapping recipes for cheaper recipes or omitting ingredients. The second list you’re making is a meal-prep list. If you can set aside an hour or two for meal prep, it could make the rest of your week a lot easier. Often if I get meal prep time in, it feels like the rest of the week my meals just make themselves. Things you can prep ahead are breakfasts, easy grab snacks, beans, meat or rice can be cooked ahead of time…all of this will save you time later on.

Healthy Eating on a Budget PDF (free download)

5 Easy Steps for Creating a THM-Friendly Meal Plan Healthy Eating on a Budget PDF FreeDownload

Budget THM Meal Planning Reel on Instagram

Are you interested in learning more about healthy living?

As a certified Trim Healthy Lifestyle Coach my goal is to show ladies how healthy living can be affordable, simple and delicious. If you interested in learning more schedule a free 15 minute health consultation!