I get asked quite frequently about what I eat and if I can
recommend any low-carb recipes to anyone.
I am probably the worst person to ask this of. I used to consider myself a pretty good cook
and even better baker but since I don’t eat much anymore it kind of takes the
joy out of dinner time. Also, being
single, it’s not worth making dinner for just myself sometimes. I’ve become extremely regimented in what I
eat because that works for me. If you’re
someone who gets bored easily then you’ll definitely need to use hubs like
Pinterest or low-carb eating blogs to help you out. After a lot of testing, I have determined
that I lose more weight on weeks when I eat moderate carbs. Now, I don’t blow it out of the water and
have whatever I want but I do pick at carbs.
With the amount that I work out, moderate carb helps me lose more
weight.
This is my day in a snapshot:
Pre-workout- red
delicious apple in route to the gym.
Breakfast- 1
whole egg, 2 egg whites (scrambled) with about 1 tbsp. shredded cheese and 3-4
slices of low sodium deli ham. Sometimes
I roll it up on the side and sometimes I chop it to mix it in to the eggs.
Snack- piece of
fruit and/or a protein bar/shake (more on those later!) depending on my hunger.
Lunch- Varies on
how much time I have but usually a salad w/ protein. Lunch is where I work in my little bit of
carb. If I’m eating out with friends
from work and we go to Mexican, I get a taco salad with chicken and just pick
at the shell. I will eat some of the
chips but I won’t eat a whole basket like the old me. If I pack my lunch, I’ll have salad topped
with chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, a bit of cheese and dressing. Another piece of fruit and a protein bar if I
haven’t had one yet today.
3 o’clock crash-
flavored Sparkling ICE water. Found in
the water aisle, no calories, carbs or caffeine. My favorite flavors are the mango lemonade,
black raspberry, cherry limeade and watermelon-strawberry. This is my something sweet to get me through
the rest of the work day.
Dinner- Blazin’
Buffalo chicken deli meat, small salad, sliced veggies or celery & peanut
butter. If I’m sick of green things for
the day, I’ll have another piece of fruit if I haven’t had 2 yet today.
Dessert- Almond
milk with NesQuick or sugar free Hershey’s syrup (see Mo’Dairy, Mo’ Problems
for details).
As you can see, life is pretty boring in the food department
but that’s what keeps me on track. Lunch
is my biggest meal of the day and I try to squeeze all my food in before 7
p.m. I also only eat if I’m hungry,
which is still pretty rare that I’m not. Weekends are where I usually mix it up and actually cook
meals or other items. A few of my
favorites are below. I also allow myself
to eat bacon (low sodium) on weekends for breakfast. I have to limit it to weekends because
otherwise I will eat it all day every day.
Seriously, who doesn’t love bacon?
Fake Fajitas (this
is my fave meal!)
Marinate steak or chicken in your favorite marinade (I use
the McCormick Grill Mates Zesty Herb and follow packet directions). Sauté, in a bit of butter and garlic, sliced
green bell pepper and yellow onion until caramelized. Grill or pan cook chicken or steak until done
to your liking. Serve sliced meat over
bed of peppers and onions and top with sliced tomato, sliced avocado and a
dollop of sour cream.
Barber Foods Stuffed
Chickens
These stuffed chicken breasts come in a variety of flavors
and are lightly breaded on the outside. They
are relatively low in carb (broccoli cheese has 13g) and are pretty
delicious. The cranberry brie is my
favorite but it has a higher carb count so I stick with the broccoli cheese
flavor. Add with a veggie and you have
dinner! They’re in the frozen meat
section near the chicken nuggets.
Lean Hot Dogs
I sometimes eat these for breakfast or a snack. Oscar Meyer makes the lean beef franks that
are low calorie and, obviously, low carb.
I’ll grill up two and serve with low-sugar ketchup on the side. If you haven’t tried low-sugar ketchup, I
definitely recommend it! It has a
different flavor than normal ketchup but not enough to make you question it. It’s a great alternative that will give you a
bit of savings.
I’ve tried a lot of the cauliflower substitution recipes and
I just don’t love them. Honestly, if you
want a pizza that tastes like cauliflower then it’s a great alternative. I noticed that I would load up on sauce and
cheese to make it taste better. I also
went through a phase where I was obsessed with spaghetti squash. I burned out quickly on that one. It is a really good meal but, again, it
doesn’t taste like pasta. Again, I
loaded up on sauce and cheese to compensate.
Finding out what works for you takes time and effort on your part. I’ve learned that I’m okay eating nearly the
same thing every day because that’s how I see results. Can someone please figure out how to remove
carbs from mac ‘n’ cheese already? I’m
impatiently waiting.
4 comments:
Buffalo cauliflower is my favorite veggie dish!! Curbs my buffalo wing cravings!!
Ooh, that sounds good, Kayla! I've seen the recipe on Pinterest. I'll have to try it! Thanks!
Love me some spaghetti squash! But I always feel like I am going to lose a finger when I prepare it lol. Do you like quinoa? I think it might be high in carbs, but it also has protein and it is really versatile and filling. Maybe something you can incorporate later? Butternut squash could be something to switch up your lunch routine for the fall. That with some pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries on top of arugula, mmm. I also blended it with some sauteed garlic and onions and chicken stock and nutmeg (and other random spices) for soup.
Thanks, Ashley! Those all sound yummy. I've not had quinoa because it's a grain but it is something I've been wanting to try. I just pinned some recipes today for butternut squash, coincidentally! I'll have to do some recipe testing and report back. Let me know if you have any others!
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