31 Days of Gluten-Free Trim Healthy Mama Meals
UPDATE: Click HERE for free printable shopping lists to go with this menu! Or click here for ANOTHER 31 day menu of THM meals, or check out some $7 THM Family Dinners HERE.
Before I share a month of meals, I'd like to share my top time-saving menu planning tips. Work and homeschool keep us SO busy that these little sanity-savers make it easy to meal plan and to get food on the table.
1. Repeat the same breakfast and lunch menu every week. The kids are happy eating what I eat for breakfast and lunch, and repeating the same meals for breakfast and lunch saves time and money. There isn't really an opportunity to get tired of a meal when you only eat it once a week.
2. Once a week (at least), I double or triple a recipe and freeze the extra meals. This is a lifesaver because I get a fully-stocked freezer without spending hours of prep and hours of once a month freezer cooking. As you can see on this menu for the month, I did most of my double and triple recipes at the beginning of the month because I knew the end of the month would be crazy. Usually I double or triple recipes 1-2 times per week throughout the entire month.
Above is my list of meals, and below I've included links on where to find the recipes for everything that's not self-explanatory. Many of these recipes are Paleo-friendly, also.
Recipe links:
Breakfast Recipes:
Coffee Cake from Rhonda Sue (S)
Big Boy Smoothie (THM book) (FP)
Dashing Dish Cake Batter Protein Shake (S)
Peanut Butter Blizzard from here (Working at Homeschool) (S)
Muffin in a Mug (THM book)
California Omelet (skip the cooking spray in the recipe and use real butter instead) (S)
Eggs and bacon (S)
Toast with egg whites (E) (For THM GF, substitute Trim Healthy Pan Bread from THM book)
2 eggs scrambled with cottage cheese (S)
Lunch Recipes:
Cottage cheese, cucumber, and tomato salad from here (Working at Homeschool)
Joseph's Pita Pizza (S) (THM book). For GF option, make Fooled Ya Pizza Crust (THM book), OR substitute very thinly sliced chicken breasts for the crust. It sounds weird, but if you make them thin enough you can get a crispy pizza “crust”.
Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad (THM book)
Dinner Recipes:
- Whole Roasted Chicken (E) (I omit the butter, and use white meat only for E)
- Pizza Casserole (S) (THM book)
- Chicken Cobb Salad (S) (I use dark leafy greens instead of iceberg lettuce, and dress the salad individually with 2 parts Ken’s Ranch Dressing mixed with 1 part water).
- Chicken Wings with salad (S) (THM book)
- Ham and Bean Soup with sprouted or homemade sourdough (THM book). Or for GF THM, use Trim Healthy Pan Bread. (Many ham and bean soups will work with THM. One important substitution to keep the fat low for an “E” is to use a ham bone without the meat, or with just small amounts of meat. You still get all of the flavor).
- Carne Asada Steak w/ avocado, sour cream, and cheese (S) (omit sugar and tortillas)
- All Day Lentil Soup (THM book)
- Spaghetti with Pioneer Woman’s Alfredo Sauce (S) (Gluten-free Tinkyada pasta for the GF kids, Dreamfields pasta for me, OR for a GF THM recipe I omit the pasta altogether and sub chicken breasts) **
- Chipotle Meatballs (S) (Make 2, freeze one)
10. Chicken Fajitas (S with cheese, sour cream, and avocado, E with no toppings but adding rice)
11. Big Mac Salad (S)
12. Green Chili (FP)
13. Crockpot Café Rio Chicken (FP, but I add cheese and avocado to make it an S) (To tweak this to THM, I use chicken breasts and substitute this ranch dressing mix from Gwen’s nest instead of a ranch packet)
14. Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Bake (E) (To make this THM-compliant and gluten-free, I skip the breadcrumbs and omit the cheese on my portion)
15. Mexican Baked Eggs (E) (To make this THM-compliant and gluten-free, I skip the tortillas and only eat the egg whites with mine. The kids have the whole egg with cheese).
16. Whole roasted chicken or turkey with Cheesy Rolls (THM book) and frozen green beans
17. Leftover turkey or chicken and salad
18. Crockpot Rice and Beans (E) (add 1-2 shredded chicken breasts for added protein – the leftovers from the turkey or chicken on day 16 would work perfectly!)
19. Lasagna (S) with Dreamfields lasagna noodles for THM and salad (I substitute stevia for the white sugar or omit sweetener completely in the sauce. For a GF THM recipe, I omit the noodles and make it a lasagna bake/casserole)
20. Chicken wings (frozen from week 1) with grilled zucchini (S)
21. Taco Stack Ups
22. All Day Lentil Soup (E) (THM book)
23. Pizza Casserole (S) (Frozen from week 1)
24. Chicken Tikki Masala (E) (To make this THM-friendly, I omit the butter, use fat-free Greek yogurt, sub “Just Like Brown Sugar”, and serve it over rice)
25. Chicken Cobb Salad (S)
26. Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup (S) (THM book)
27. Chicken Quinoa Broccoli Bake (E) frozen from week 2
28. Crockpot rice and beans (E)
29. Low Carb enchiladas using leftover shredded poultry (S)
30. Santa-Fe Quinoa (E) (For a THM “E” I reduce the olive oil)
31. Chipotle Meatballs (S) frozen from week 2
** Make sure you use gluten-free cheese and tortillas in recipes that call for them!
***Most oats are not gluten-free! So if you are eating gluten-free (especially if you have Celiac Disease, like we do in our family) make sure your oats are gluten-free.
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This is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad someone is able to use it! Thanks!
So helpful! Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! Thanks for coming by. I hope to have another 31 days of meals posted by April 1st. 🙂
Uhmm… is it awkward for me to say I love you right now? Because, I do. This is so great! 😀 Thanks!
LOL I’m glad you’re able to use it! I’ve been on plan for a year and I remember feeling desperate for ideas for meals, so I thought I’d share. Thanks!
Thank you so much! This will be very helpful! Have u tried freezing the casseroles? Just wanted to make sure its been tried and tested… 🙂 Thanks again!
Thanks Lisa! Yes, if it says to make double and freeze it, then they have been tested, frozen, and reheated.
I see Ezekiel bread and Joseph’s products in your list. Are you substituting these to be gluten free?
Yes! I’m sorry I didn’t make it clearer. I didn’t have room to write out all of the gluten-free options on the graphic, so the details are typed out underneath the graphic. Thanks!
God bless you! Baby #7 arrived in January and I have really struggled with THM and juggling everything. Thank you for sharing your gift of organization.
I’m glad you think it will be useful! I’ve done THM for 12 months and got to my goal weight eight months ago but I love it so much I have the whole family eating this way. I’ll be posting more of these soon. Congratulations on baby #7!
I have really enjoyed reading your menu plan. Beautiful, simple, family friendly plus the gluten free “work” has been done for me.
Thanks Cathy! I did have to specify the gluten-free changes in the notes, since they wouldn’t fit on the image, but I’m so glad you’re able to use it! One of my kids has Celiac disease, so I’ve had to figure out meals that can be adapted for my husband (doing THM without needing to worry about THM), and GF for me and the kids (although we add a lot of crossovers for the kids). I’m glad other people are finding this useful!
I have been watching/following THM sites for about 6 months but since I don’t have a book I haven’t started. With this I will at least have enough to maybe give me a jumpstart… THANK YOU!!!! ♥
Thanks! I’m glad this is helpful. I have to tell you, though, that I tried the plan without the book but I didn’t get really good results until I read the entire book. It really taught me how my body works and how to eat! I borrowed it from the library, read it, and then saved up and bought a copy as soon as I could. I highly recommend it!
Wow! I was just sitting here, wishing I had someone else to plan a whole month of gluten free THM recipes for me! 🙂 Thank you!!!
I’m glad you can use them! I plan to have more up soon. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I too am gluten free so this is DOUBLY helpful! You are a blessing.
Thanks for taking a look! I’m glad it’s helpful to you! I wish I could have fit all of the GF instructions on the actual menu, but I had to settle fitting all of the instructions underneath.
Thank you for this! I’ve seen other meal plans, but most of them are foods I just don’t like or won’t eat. Every one of these ideas sounds like something I will like!
Wow, thanks! That’s great! I hope to have more up in the next few weeks. 🙂
I have an idea for you… try putting your website on your graphics. I printed out the jpg of the 31 meals and when I just looked at it, I thought it would be nice to have your website right there. But I pinned it, so I’m good, lol.
Thanks, I will do that!
I can’t thank you enough. I feel so encouraged as I begin THM because of your help. I was drowning in all of the info, and trying to figure out if each meal would be E or S. I have made copies of the recipes from sites, and am composing a binder…feel ready to GO (at least for this month). God’s best to you, because that is the BEST that there is!
A word of encouragement for you as you homeschool and wonder if your kids are getting all they need (if you do/I did constantly). We taught our sons at home 4th/7th til graduated…one is a high-end web developer, father of 3 and will begin homeschooling his children next year (he is 32) the other is an ER physician after obtaining his PhD first (he is 34) and they just had their 1st child!
Wow, thanks! I do frequently have to remind myself not to stress about my kids, and your story is very encouraging! I hope to post a shopping list and more menus very soon, and I hope they are helpful!
This is FANTASTIC. You are a goddess for sharing. I have two boys — both with special needs (and special diets all around) — so my life is constant chaos. This just made April a little easier. Thank you! 😀
Thanks, I’m so glad you’re finding it useful! I’ll be posting a shopping list to go with it soon, and more 31 day menus in April!
Cannot find Just Right Porridge website/blog. Do you have an alternative coffee cake recipe for S breakfasts? Thanks.
The link works for me, I’m sorry I don’t have an alternative. Are you able to try again from a different computer? Here’s the link again: http://justrightporridge.com/sour-cream-coffee-cake/
Hm. Now it’s working. Perhaps they were doing an update or something. Thanks! 🙂
This is an absolutely wonderful list! I cannot wait to use it.
However, I’m running into the same issue. Do you have the recipe printed somewhere?
Thank you for sharing all your hard work! I so appreciate it!!
You’re welcome! I just added the shopping lists to go with the meals today!
I just came across this post on Pinterest! I only recently heard about THM from a friend and I’m also gluten free/celiac. I am every interested in these dinner recipes but I’m wondering….what does the (S) and (E) stand for??
Hi Jackie! The Trim Healthy Mama book explains different meal types and how to utilize them to lose weight and get healthy. The “S” and “E” are two of the meal types. I highly recommend reading the book! I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for over a year.
I noticed there are about 9 meals for breakfast and lunch. Are any of these combined to make it only 7 meals or are there extra to give a little choice in the week? Thanks for sharing your menu, a great help for this mama! 🙂
Yes! So basically we repeat the same breakfasts and lunches throughout the month. It cuts costs, and we keep most of our variety for dinner time. But we do have those extra few meals just as ideas, or if you get sick of something and want to swap it out. 🙂
I’m still going to look around, but I’m not seeing the instructions to the recipes that I like. I made a list from the 31 days of recipes. I don’t see Salman, green beans, & salad (it might have said a specific salad) Chicken, broccoli, with alfredo sauce, Chicken club salad, and many more.
I think you might be looking at the wrong menu! The menu you commented on doesn’t have those meals included, but this one does, and the recipes are linked there: https://thewellplannedkitchen.com/2014/04/20/april-31-days-gluten-free-trim-healthy-mama-meals .
Tremendously helpful. Thanks for sharing!
This is just what I needed! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the hard work you put into this for us! I do have a question though, what recipe did you use for the Carne Asada Steak w/ avocado, sour cream, and cheese on day 6?
You’re welcome! This is my favorite carne asada recipe, sorry that the link isn’t showing up. I’m trying to fix it! http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=347407
where is the recipe for DAY 6.Carne Asada Steak w/ avocado, sour cream, and cheese
I’m sorry; that link keeps disappearing! Here’s the one I use: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=347407 But I’ve also bought pre-seasoned carne asada at the store. I just watch for added sugar/carbs. 🙂
I am very excited about this great tool you have created. I was looking at the recipes and printing them out, when I noticed that some of them have both Fat and Carbs. Like the carne asada recipe for instance. I have read the book and I am still confused. Would this be an S helper? instead of an S?
No, it’s still an S. You can check the food lists in the THM book to see that all of the ingredients can be eaten in an S setting. Nutritional information for recipes will sometimes include carbs for things like onions, which are allowed in an S setting, and carbs for your protein source, etc. You want to look at ingredients over numbers. 🙂
Thank you so much for your response. That makes so much sense. I am really looking forward to using your meal plan. I made the sour cream crumb cake for breakfast on Easter and was very happy with it. Thanks again!
on the 31 dy GF THM meals……………..if we have an S breakfast we need to make sure we have an E lunch and than an S supper….Is this correct……..and are all of the meals you have planned for B>>>L>>>and S in the correct Fuel order…..I do have the book but still get confused on this. thank you………after I do the 2 week GF. we are going to use the 31 day GF that you have posted……..Thank you all so much>>>>>>>>>
You have to listen to your body and eat the fuel type (S, E, or FP) that works best for you…it’s so hard to explain without the book! I’d be lost without the book, so I highly recommend it! Most libraries have it now, I’d definitely recommend reading it so you understand which fuel types to eat! https://store.trimhealthymama.com/#_l_6a
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the Dashing Dish cake batter shake is an E. You are using all lowfat ingredients in it. I think all her shakes are E’s. They are really yummy!
They are actually FP, because there has to be a carb source to make an E. For example, she has a peach shake that would be an E. 🙂 because it’s so important not to mix fuels, I marked the shake as an S in case someone uses a higher day cottage cheese (like I did by accident the first time I had this shake!). I also like to add a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT.
Have done a couple meal plans before and love them, so I would love to give yours a try! I am completely new to THM and am not looking to loose weight, but for healthy wholesome meals for the family with less carbs.
I have a couple questions :
The recipes that don’t have a link for a recipe, what do we do with those?
The ones that don’t have a link, but say in THM book, can those be found maybe on Pinterest if you don’t have the book? Where can this book be purchased if it is necessary?
Thanks you so much for all your hard work you have put into this for others!
Kayla
Thanks for trying them out! THM is great for getting rid of empty carbs and focusing on whole, healthy foods! The only meals that don’t have links are for super simple things like eggs and bacon or whole roasted chicken. I just look on pinterest for roasted chicken seasonings, and make sure there’s no added sugar. If you want to buy the THM book (which I highly recommend!) you could use my affiliate link if you’re interested here: https://store.trimhealthymama.com/#_l_6a . I don’t think the THM recipes are on Pinterest due to copyright issues, but you can definitely check for similar recipes. 🙂
What did you eat with the steak for week one? Just the steak with avocado and cheese or do you usually add something to it?
Also how much of the steak/avocado/cheese do you have?
Thanks
When i click on the link for Coffee Cake from Just Right Porridge (S) it sends me to a link of ads for other websites with recipes. Can I make any of those?
I am not sure what coffee cake recipe I should be using for the first breakfast.
Hi! I’m so sorry, but it looks like the Just Right Porridge website closed down. I found a great THM approved alternative here: http://rohndasue.com/2014/03/28/coffee-cake-s/ . Thanks for letting me know!
Thank you so much for your hard work for others. I’m getting my book on Monday, and I am so excited! Hoping I can understand it!!! Thanks again
Hi! Thanks for this! I have a question. The Quinoa salad (with black beans) looks so good! You commented that, to keep it an E, you use less than the 1/4 cup olive oil. How much do you use? Thank you ?
Hi Elizabeth! I’m sorry I didn’t clarify that before. If you use the full 1/4 cup, it ends up being almost 2 tsp per serving, which is too high for an E recipe, so I reduced the olive oil to 1/8 cup and it was perfect.
Hi! So glad I found your meal planning guide! Thank you for putting it together!
I wanted to let you know that I tried to follow the link for Rhonda Sue’s coffee cake and it does not work. Is there another way to retrieve that recipe? I believe I heard somewhere that she shut her site down. Thanks again!
Hi Amy! Yes, I’m so sorry about that – it’s actually hosted here on my site, now! I’ll get that updated right away. Here’s the link: https://thewellplannedkitchen.com/2018/08/22/rohndas-low-carb-coffee-cake
Many of these recipes are NOT gluten free. Toast with eggs. Soup with sprouted bread. Joseph’s Pitas. And so on….
Hi Jennifer!
If you read the meal descriptions below the main image of the page, each meal that has a gluten item explains how to make it gluten-free. My daughter has Celiac disease, so we use those adaptations every day to make them gluten-free. Hope that helps!
Dreamfields pasta is not gluten-free. It has wheat in it. Look it up. The website lists the ingredients.
Yes, of course you are right! If you look at the notes next to the meal idea it says “For a GF THM recipe, I omit the noodles and make it a lasagna bake/casserole).”