One Dish Five THM Meal Types: Go From FP to E, S, S Helper, or Crossover

I’ve shared the recipe for this amazingly yummy and versatile[Fuel Pull] main dish here: Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

But first, I want to talk to you about how one dish can be converted into ALL of the Trim Healthy Mama meal types!   So let’s look at how we can turn this Fuel Pull main dish into a THM S meal, and E meal, or a Fuel Pull, and also what to add to make it a Crossover for kids and/or hubbies that don’t want or need to lose weight.  We can even pull it into S helper territory.

I’m a very visual learner, so I wanted you to be able to SEE how easy this is.

Here’s our main dish: very low fat seasoned chicken breast, that’s in the Fuel Pull category for a 3 oz. serving, so that’s how we can make ALL of the THM meal types with this meal. (If I were using dark meat or regular ground beef, we’d already be making a decision to move into a meal containing fat, so that would limit our meal type options.)

Let’s start building!

Fuel Pull

If you want to stay in FP zone, use: 3 oz. of lime chicken, paired with as many veggies as you’d like and a simple salsa. Instead of sour cream, use 0% Greek Yogurt. It makes a really amazing sour cream sub! You can serve on low carb tortillas, and I also made some Low Carb Lime Tortilla chips as a side as well. Other yummy FP toppings are: limes to squeeze over, chopped or sliced onion, tomato, lettuce, and salsa.  I’m telling you…this is a filling and delicious Fuel Pull meal!

Please ignore the guacamole that sneaked into the corner of the photo! It’s not invited to a Fuel Pull meal, as it’s an S friendly (fat filled) condiment.

Since Fuel Pull ingredients go with EVERY type of meal, you can use these toppings on any of the variations below.

An E is for Energizing Meal

If you want to turn this into an E dinner, then you can bump up your protein serving to 4-5 oz of chicken. But an E meal is NOT just a low fat meal.

<shaking head vigorously> 

For this to really ENERGIZE your, you’ve GOTTA have a healthy carb fuel!  Your brains and your muscles…and your metabolism will thank you. 
(And if you have ketosis breath, everyone around you will also thank you for having this awesome E meal!)

So, let’s go full on E: Add in a side dish of refried beans or black beans to provide a healthy E fuel source. You can have up to 1 1/2 cup of beans, or 3/4 cup of brown rice.  If you have a smaller serving, enjoy half an apple, or a little fruit for dessert. Just keep your total fats to around 5 grams for your whole dinner and dessert.

An S is for Satisfying Meal

S meals mean that you can enjoy your meal with fats…my favorite choices with this dish are sour cream, olives, and guacamole. Again, you don’t really have to stick to the 3 oz. of protein with other THM meal types besides Fuel Pull.

With S meals, you can really lean into the guacamole, cheese, and olives for a heavy S, or you can go lighter like I have above. It’s a great idea to mix things up and do some lighter style S meals as part of your week. (Now excuse me while my low carb chips and I lean into the guacamole…it’s heavy S night here.)

An S Helper Meal

S helpers want to lend a helping hand if you need a little energy boost. Some of us really need more carbs than others, and an S helper is a great way to get that extra boost without activating fat storage.If you want to move into S Helper mode, start with building an S meal. Enjoy your fats, and add in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of beans or 1/4 cup of brown rice to your taco dinner.  S helpers are weight loss friendly for those who are seeing a good pattern of loss, and who have been on plan for a while (at least a couple of months).  Or, they can also be useful for anyone who has blood sugar issues after a full E meal…it allows you to enjoy healthy carbs in smaller portions.

Beginner Tip: If you’re still getting the hang of all of this, grab a sharpie marker and write the food type right on the container. (see photo above) It will help you stay focused on what you’re building when putting together a meal or dish, and it will also help you learn the food types much faster!

The Crossover Meal

Now, you might be asking, what about my growing kids?  What about my very thin husband?  Do I need to prepare a WHOLE different meal for them, since all of the amazing above THM meal types are for weight loss?  The happy answer is, “NO WAY!” 🙂

Just turn it into a delicious Crossover meal for them with the addition of a side dish or two that you’ll pass on.

For my growing kids, and anyone else who isn’t working on weight loss, I serve tortilla chips (carbs) with the guacamole and sour cream (fats) to make a crossover. Or if chips are not your cup of tea, then you can go back to the side of beans or rice to give the crossover effect if you’re serving your dinner with S style sides.

If you want a tortilla chip option for guacamole or salsa, then try out this really tasty [Fuel Pull] lime tortilla chips made with low carb pitas! They were delicious!

If you’re serving with Fuel Pull or E style sides, just serve real sour cream for those needing to cross over.   See how easy it is to throw together an on plan family meal in ANY THM meal type that you like!

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Here’s the recipe for Lime Chicken Soft Tacos!  Follow me on Pinterest and never miss a recipe!

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Tell me your favorite way to enjoy a taco in the comments!