Low Carb Ideas

I feel better when I eat low carb.  It's a new discovery for me.  I have no before and after story to tell...at least not yet.  All I know is that I honestly feel better when I eat this way.  I am NOT hungry all the time!  That alone is a huge plus for me along with not having indigestion and feeling bloated.  I feel lighter and the clothes are getting looser.  I think I might be on to something here!  :)

So, to help keep me on track and to share some of the ideas I have learned along the way, I have created this page.  I am always on the lookout for new tips and tricks.  If this is something you have experience with, please share!!

Breakfast Ideas
~Hard boiled eggs.  I keep a bowl in the refrigerator at all times for a quick breakfast or snack.
~Scrambled or fried eggs, bacon or sausage.  Hold the toast!
~Scrambled eggs with sauteed onion, green pepper, spinach, and/or mushrooms.  Any veggie combo you like.  Top with cheddar cheese, fresh tomato or salsa and a few dashes of hot sauce like Texas Pete.    This is one of my favorites and it's like eating an open faced omelette.
~Cottage cheese mixed with Bruschetta (I love the one from Costco.)

Lunch Ideas
Lettuce Wraps  (you could also use a low carb tortilla wrap for any of these combinations.)
~Bacon, avocado, and tomato with feta cheese.
~Ham, salami, and Pepper Jack cheese
~Taco meat (from last night's dinner) cheese, tomato, and avocado
~Chicken (also from last night's dinner) provolone, and pesto
~Roast beef, horseradish cheese or provolone
~Ruben Wrap:  Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and mustard
~Chicken, Ranch dressing, bacon, and Cheddar cheese
~Ham, bacon, Swiss, tomatoes, and honey mustard
~Turkey, cranberry sauce, Havarti, cheese, and pecans
~Egg salad
~Chicken salad with celery, grapes, and almonds

Salads  (adding meat and/or cheese helps to make your salad more satisfying)
~Greek with Feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cucumber, red onions, and pine nuts
~Wedge salad, Iceburg lettuce, bacon, tomato, cheese, and ranch dressing
~Mixed greens, spinach, strawberries, onion, Jarlsburg cheese, and Sweet and Sour Dressing
~Caesar Salad, chicken, and/or hard boiled egg, and dressing.  NO Croutons!!
~Italian salad with Provolone cheese, and diced ham, salami, or chicken, cucumber, onion, olive oil    and Balsamic dressing.
~Chef salad with julienne ham and cheese
~Mixed greens, chicken, avocado, bacon, egg, dried cranberries, and pecans
~Taco salad with taco beef or chicken, tomato, avocado, cilantro green pepper, cheddar cheese, and Catalina dressing
~Cobb salad with chicken or turkey meat, egg, Blue cheese, bacon, avocado, and pecans
~Napa salad with turkey, red onions bacon, mushrooms, glazed pecans, tomatoes, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and Balsamic vinaigrette.
~Caprese salad with Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil in Balsamic vinaigrette

Snack Ideas
~Hard boiled eggs
~Jello cups (sugar-free) with real whipped cream
~Salami slice wrapped around a cheese stick
~olives, sundried tomatoes, pepperdews stuffed with cheese
~Pumpkin seeds, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Macadamia nuts, Cashews or Pistachio nuts..  Go easy, they have a lot of calories.
~Cheese cubes or cheese sticks
~Cottage cheese with chopped fresh tomatoes, strawberries or raspberries.
~Deviled eggs made with sour cream, Worschestershire sauce, dried mustard, and diced celery
~Stuffed Mushroom with Boursin cheese
~Strawberries dipped in real whipped cream
~Hummus with sliced cucumbers
~Pickles and Cheese :)
~Pork Rinds

Beverages
 ~water
~ Hot cup of tea
~Hot cup of coffee with real whipped cream
~  Pellegrino Sparkling Water
~Flavored Seltzer Water (make sure it's calorie free)
~Iced tea
I try and stay away from diet pop/soda and all artificial sweeteners

Dinner Ideas

List in progress...stay tuned.

Tips and Tricks I have learned along the way
~Make your own whipped cream and keep it in the refrigerator.  Since I avoid all artificial sweeteners, I add vanilla extract or other flavorings like orange or raspberry extract to the cream as I whip it.  It's delicious and I don't miss the sweetness.  It makes my morning coffee delicious and I use it to top sugar free jello cups when I crave something sweet.
~Turns out coconut oil which was once tabu is good for you!  It is more stable at high temperatures and I now use it to pop popcorn.  Pop 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil.  Melt butter and top the popcorn with it. Add salt.  (This has 26 grams of carb with 5 grams of fiber for a net carb of 21 grams.)
~ You can subtract the fiber grams from the total carbohydrate grams for a net carb number.  If you are eating higher fiber foods you can actually eat more.
~Grate cauliflower to look like rice, cook, and mix with cheese to make a rice substitute. 
~Make your own salad dressing. It tastes better and no artificial ingredients or hidden sugar or carbs.
~Flavored seltzer waters are so refreshing!  My favorites are Mandarin Orange and Black Cherry.
~Flavored Olive Oils and Vinegars are so good.  There are shops now that specialize in these.  My favorites are Blood Orange Olive Oil and Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar.
~Scrape the cheese and toppings off of pizza and eat.  It's not pretty but its tasty!

 Fast Food Lunch Ideas
~Panera    I love their Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad, Caesar Salad w/out the croutons, their Steak Salad with Blue Cheese, and their Greek Salad with Chicken.  Dressing on the side.  Hold the bread.  They have a "You pick two" which is half a salad with their Chicken Noodle Soup.  The noodles and carrots in the soup have carbs but I do LOW Carb not NO Carb!

~Mexican   I like to get the "Naked Burrito Bowls" that offer chicken, sometimes I'll add a small amount of black beans, NO Rice, and all the other toppings I can fit including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olives, cheese, and cilantro.  Hold the tortillas and chips.

~McAlister's Deli has an awesome salad called The Savannah Chicken Salad with grilled chicken, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and pecans.  Dressing on the side.  It's delicious.

~McDonald's    I have ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and tossed the bun and wrapped it in Romaine lettuce leaves.  You have to think ahead for this one but it's delicious and fills me up for the rest of the day till dinner time.  Or keep low carb tortilla/wraps in your car and at home for bun replacement!

~Wendy's    I like to order their Spicy Chicken Sandwich, toss the bun, and bring it home and slice it up and top a container of salad greens that I have brought home from the grocery store.  Their chili is also considered low carb.  No crackers!  I sometimes bring it home and add some Cheddar cheese.

~Chinese    You can enjoy a lot of the items on a Chinese menu if you just avoid the rice and anything that has been breaded.  My favorites are the chicken lettuce wraps, shrimp, beef or chicken and broccoli, Mongolian beef, and Won Ton Soup. 





Stay tuned as this page is a work in progress!