Looking for a ridiculously easy and quick meal for a busy evening?

Would you love it to be low-carb, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly?

Should it be packed with flavor, with little clean-up required?

I know the answer to all those questions is yes!

The meal that fits that bill for our household is Egg Roll in a Bowl. I didn’t come up with the name. It was initially shared in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group by generous member Diana Rodburn, but I’ve adapted it to fit our family’s preferences and needs. Most of the items needed for this meal are easily kept on hand in your pantry and freezer.

Here’s how I make egg roll in a bowl and sugar-free yum-yum sauce.

Our favorite version is made with ground pork (THM S meal). I use 2lbs of ground pork for our family of 8. This provides us with dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day. If you prefer, this can be made with ground beef or chicken, or even shrimp for a different flavor profile.

I begin be browning the meat, I do not add any oil to the hot pan. You may need a little if you’re using a very lean meat or shrimp. Strain the meat (but do not rinse), if necessary.

Then add in a small onion, sliced thin. Once that starts to cook, I add crushed garlic and ginger. For my family, I use 1Tbsp crushed (fresh or frozen) ginger, and 5-6 cloves of garlic, pressed. This cooks until the onion is soft and the ginger and garlic have cooked into the meat. Then I add 1-1.5 Tbsp of coconut sugar. You could use your sweetener of choice. The little bit of coconut sugar doesn’t really sweeten the dish, but really helps balance the flavors, embracing umami.

For the vegetable portion, I like to keep it super simple, I purchase bags of coleslaw blend! It has a great blend of green and red cabbage, and shredded carrots. I’ve also used broccoli slaw mix for added crunch and variety.

Often I’ll add half a head of green cabbage, sliced thin, to add bulk to the dish if I need to feed more than our family.

Once added to the cooked meat, it just needs to cook until softened through. For the salt, I use either tamari or liquid aminos, depending on what I have in the pantry. I add this now as the cabbage is cooking down.

Towards the end of cooking, just a little before serving, I add in about a tablespoon of sesame oil. It adds great flavor that really makes the dish.

It’s really that simple!

For my family I serve it over Jasmine rice. I like it by itself with extra cabbage.

We all enjoy this stir fried dish with Yum-Yum sauce!

Want to make your favorite Japanese steakhouse sauce?

Just combine mayonnaise, stevia, salt, pepper, sriracha, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Thin with a bit of water, to desired consistency.

**Linked up with Weekend Potluck at Frugal Family Favorites**

What is your favorite quick meal one really busy nights?

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Now you’ve burned through your Starbucks funds and are still craving a delicious, tall, cold brew.

No problem, you can make it yourself!

Don’t worry, you don’t even need any fancy or expensive tools to make cold brew coffee at home.

(This post may contain affiliate links.)

All you need is two ingredients for great cold brew coffee.

Grab your favorite ground coffee (coarse grind, NOT espresso grind) and water.

I use around 1 cup of coffee in a quart jar and fill the jar with filtered water. I like to make it a little on the strong side so that I can use it as a concentrate. Place the lid on tightly and give it a good shake, then place the jar in the fridge for around 24 hours. (Sometimes I leave it an extra day or so and it’s just fine.)

Now you’re ready for the ‘hard’ part. I say that with a smile, because it really isn’t difficult.

I don’t have a coffee sock, or other fancy cold brew equipment. I found this on Amazon, it’s really beautiful, but not necessary (yet? Ha!).

I just use a mesh strainer and a coffee filter over a big measuring cup.

Just pour it in and let it drip. I pour about half at a time, so as to not flood the filter.

I prefer to sweeten my black coffee concentrate. I use sweet juice concentrate to stay sugar-free and Trim Healthy Mama friendly. You can use which ever liquid sweetener you prefer.

Here’s how I make sweet juice concentrate.

Add one tablespoon of pure stevia extract powder (a little less if using THM Organic Stevia Extract) to a quart of filtered water. Stir to dissolve. Cover with a breathable material and allow it to sit at room temperature for three days. Three days is crucial for fermenting and getting rid of any bitterness or funny aftertaste that is commonly associated with stevia!

After three days it’s ready for use. I add a splash of vanilla extract, the vanilla for a touch of flavor and the alcohol serves as a preservative. Cover and store in the fridge. Add to any beverage, it’s perfect for cold drinks since there are no crystals to dissolve!

Flavor your cold brew coffee to perfection!

You can go as simple or as complex as you like. I like cream in my coffee (name that song!), but if you want to lighten it up into a sipper, just mix half and half with almond or cashew milk (also great if you need a dairy-free alternative!). I like to add a touch of vanilla and almond extracts, and sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon for a metabolism boost.

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The perfect dish to use up what’s already in your fridge and pantry.

Here’s my final #TuranoHack, and this time I’m including an alternative for my fellow Trim Healthy Mama fans (amended steps beneath the bread pudding recipe). This meal is a great example of how I implement THM principles for my family when I’m the only one with any weight to lose. I don’t make different meals, I just make minor alterations. The savory bread pudding uses up all the ends and short slices of Pane Turano you have left after making the Spiced Apple Bread Pudding or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Use what you already have on hand.

I used:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 4-6 slices of Pane Turano
• 1lb of breakfast sausage, crumbled
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 8oz of cheese (cubed or shredded)
• salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste
• butter to grease the baking dish

Putting it together:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease your baking dish.

Cut the bread slices into cubes and add to the baking dish.

Cut the vegetables into small diced pieces and add to the baking dish. I used bell pepper and zucchini, but you could use anything you have on hand, spinach, kale, mushrooms, and tomatoes are great add-ins!

Brown and drain the sausage and add that to the baking dish. If you don’t have sausage, use what you have on hand, leftover chicken, ham, bacon. Anything goes!

Add in cubed or shredded cheese and mix all the ingredients together.

Create the custard be whisking together the eggs and cream and seasoning with salt and pepper. I also added dried onion and mixed herb seasoning. This mix is one of my favorite (and my Amazon Associate link) herb mix.

Pour the custard over the filled baking dish and allow the bread to soak in the custard for 5-10 minutes.

I also added a little grated Romano cheese to the top before placing in the preheated oven to bake for 55-65 minutes (until custard is set).

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.

Make it THM-friendly.

There’s no reason to make a completely different meal while following Trim Healthy Mama. When I made this savory bread pudding I made a small baking dish for myself without the cubed bread. Follow all of the other instructions, no need to replace the bread. It’s a delicious vegetable egg casserole. I did add a few diced mushrooms to mine.

What is your favorite way to use up leftovers?

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Simple ingredients from Aldi transform a humble lunch into a gourmet treat.

Depending on where you look, either April is National Grilled Cheese Month or April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day. Either way, I’d say it’s a total win! My friend Maria at Try It Tuesday (Try it Tuesday blog) posed a question to her readers: what was their favorite grilled cheese sandwich? I took her recommendation of ham, Swiss, and fig butter and ran with it. The only problem was that I didn’t have fancy ingredients, I had budget-friendly pantry items from Aldi. Armed with a loaf of Pane Turano, I accepted the #TuranoHack challenge to come up with gourmet grilled cheese with what I had on hand.

Between food television and the food truck revolution, our palates are getting more sophisticated. As an admitted food snob, I see no problem here. My food budget, on the other hand, doesn’t always allow for exotic ingredients. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean sacrificing taste. As a wife and mom of many, I try to stretch my grocery budget however I can while still eating well. Shopping at Aldi is a huge help to me. Creativity is the key.

Three Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from Inexpensive Ingredients

Here’s what I had on hand to experiment with:

I like to add meat to my grilled cheese sandwiches to make them a more complete meal with the added protein.

First up, ham, Swiss cheese, and fruit preserves.

I’ve also made this with fig butter from Trader Joe’s, but that’s a seasonal item and I don’t get to shop there more than a few times a year. Aldi carries an inexpensive alternative in raspberry and blackberry varieties and it worked just as well. The jam provides a slight sweetness that is perfection with the gooey cheese and salty ham. This was definitely a favorite for the whole household! Think Monte Cristo-ish flavor.

Next, cheddar and roast beef.

This was enjoyable, a great sandwich for my steak-and-starch boys! We all agreed the only thing missing was a horseradish spread, which would have put it over the top. I’ll be looking for that next time. Try it with bacon, too. When is adding bacon not perfect?

Finally, salami and mozzarella, with a pesto spread.

This was PERFECT for dipping into creamy tomato soup. Almost like a pizza sandwich. I had homemade pesto in the fridge, from the garden. But you could easily use jarred pesto from the store. It gave a zing of freshness to this satisfying sandwich.

What is your favorite grilled cheese sandwich?

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