Low Carb Diet Menu

Today, health has become one of the major problems of people worldwide. Death has become rampant as well as, birth of some strange and new ailments or diseases. Sad to say but, its true!!  When we try to trace the cause for these entire health crises, it always boils down to “FOOD.” People nowadays live an unhealthy lifestyle, one of which is an unhealthy diet. But, the good thing is, more and more of us are learning and we’re becoming more and more aware of the fact so as to say that people are now conscious of the food they eat; we are clamoring for healthier menu choices- specifically a low carb diet menu.

Before, when we start to cut carbs in our diet it would mean sacrificing a good breakfast because, most of what we prepare for breakfast are processed food that are loaded with carbs, but hey! Skipping meal or eating very little food, especially one to start your day is unhealthy. In fact, it doesn’t work because you can’t last through lunch and end up experiencing a “mid morning crash” as they call it, you can’t help the urge to grab for a doughnut, muffin or some junk foods and soda’s. Instead of cutting carbs you’re gaining more than your usual. But, today there are various low carb diet menu to choose from and the good news is it could last you through to lunch without that mid morning crash and not even take a glance on some mouthwatering doughnuts or chocolate chips and the like…

Another way to cut carbs is of course, eating low carb foods. Before, these kinds of foods are usually the least to our liking. Why? Well because they’re tasteless, strictly no sugar and are like eating cotton of some kind. And if I have to cut carbs that way, “I would rather not eat at all.”

Today, you can cook a batch of delicious muffins and not worry of carbs at all. Here are some of the easiest and delicious and mouth watering low carb diet menu to choose from. you can choose from breads and muffins, pancakes, egg dishes like omelets and frittatas, cereals, breakfast shakes and many others. So tasty that you wont even think of the usual high carb foods that you eat. Can you believe that? Well it’s true… Cut that carbs now by eating tasty and healthy low carb diet three times a day. And guess what? You can even have snacks in between.

Low Carb Diet Recipes:

All of these low-carb recipes have been tested. The recipes are all low-carb, sugar-free, and include information about carbohydrates, calories, fiber, and often other nutritional information. They are also gluten-free and wheat-free.

1. Low-Carb Doughnuts

They taste like doughnuts, and you fry them up like doughnuts, but the texture of this treat is much lighter – somewhere between a traditional doughnut and a popover. Unfortunately, they don’t keep well — plan to eat them within a few hours of making them.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup whey protein powder (Vanilla works well. I used Designer Protein when I made these.)
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (rounded)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup sugar equivalent in a substitute (I used a liquid for zero carbs)
  • Oil (for frying)

For Topping:

3 packets powdered sugar substitute, such as Splenda Pinch cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Mix sweetener with cinnamon, and set aside.

2. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk egg with other wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients, and whisk to combine well.

3. Fill a deep skillet, cast-iron pan, or Dutch oven with about 1½ inches of oil and heat. I find that using a fry/candy thermometer that clips onto the side of the pan is helpful for determining when the oil is ready, but you can estimate by dropping small amounts of the batter in — it should sizzle fairly vigorously.

4. When oil reaches around 350 to 360 F, drop tablespoon-sized amounts of batter into the oil. The batter will spread and puff up. If you let the oil go higher than about 375 F, the batter will fry quickly, leaving you with more of a funnel cake than a doughnut. (This, of course, is not a big tragedy.)

5. When the underside browns (about a minute, give or take 20 seconds for temperature variation), turn the doughnut. In another 30 to 45 seconds, it will be ready to remove. I like cooling them on a cake rack sitting in a sheet pan. If you place them on paper towels, be sure not to let them sit too long, as they will lose their crunchy outside.

6. Sprinkle sweetener and cinnamon mixture over both sides of the doughnuts.

Makes 12 doughnuts, each about 2½ inches in diameter.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has less than a gram effective carbohydrate and 2 grams protein. Each doughnut has 26 calories, prior to frying (total calories per doughnut are dependent on the amount of oil absorbed).

2. Berry Protein Shake

The medium-chain fatty acids in the coconut milk will keep you going for a long time! The flax seed meal adds fiber and lots of other good things, but you could also add fiber in the form of “Benefiber” or some similar preparation, or skip it (though I think part of the reason the shake is so satisfying is the fiber).

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 scoop low carb protein powder (I used “Designer Protein” for my calculations), vanilla or plain
  • 1/3 cup frozen berries (I used strawberries for the analysis)
  • 2 Tablespoons Flax Seed Meal (or see above)
  • 1/2 – 1 cup water (less if you want it thicker)
  • Sweetener to taste (I like to use liquid forms of Splenda – no carbs (see below)

Preparation:

Put everything in the blender and whiz it together.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has 11 grams effective carbohydrate plus 6 grams fiber, 24 grams protein, and 429 calories.

3. Oven-Baked Cheese Crisps

These are an oven-baked version of the Italian frico. It’s just basically thin rounds of baked cheese. One of the cool things about it is that they are moldable when still warm. If you drape them over an upturned glass, they will form a cup that you can fill with anything you like. It makes a really nice presentation for a party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup grated hard cheese (such as Parmesean) – NOT the dried powdery stuff

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Note on type of cheese: You can use any kind, really, but the results will be different. Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asagio, etc, will make a crisp “shell,” whereas cheddar will be more chewy and “lacey” (the fat separates out), though still firm. Softer cheeses such as mozzarella will not work well.

Toss cheese with any seasonings you’d like — garlic powder (about half a teaspoon for a cup of cheese), hot pepper powder, even cinnamon. Or leave plain.

Pile 1 to 4 Tablespoons of cheese (depending on the size you want) on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper oiled on both sides. Flatten the tops so they are in more or less an even pile. There should be at least two inches between smaller mounds, 4 inches between larger ones.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown (they will be a little darker at the edges). It happens fast, so watch carefully.

If you want to mold them into a shape, you want to “drape” them while still warm. You can make cups over an upturned glass, or “taco shell” shapes by draping over any cylindrical object that is at hand (rolling pin, side of glass)

Serving Suggestions: Fill with fruit, dip, salad. Spread flat ones with sugar-free jam (I’m not kidding), or any spread you want, or eat plain.

4. Low-Carb Chicken A La King

Ah, Chicken (or turkey) A La King – true comfort food. This is one of our favorite ways to use up leftover cooked chicken or turkey. The only question on low-carb diets is how to manage the fact that this is at its base a white sauce. There are a lot of options – I recommend this information on making low-carb sauces. I like to use a half and half approach, using partly a starchy thickener (some type of flour) and partly a low-carb product such as xanthan gum or Thicken Thin.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 1 small green pepper, chopped (about 3 oz)
  • 1 small can of mushrooms or 4 to 6 oz fresh chopped mushrooms
  • 2 Tablespoons oil or butter
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 Tablespoons flour or less flour and a low carb alternative, see note
  • 1 cup milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk (carb count is for unsweetened soy or almond milk)
  • ½ cup cream
  • 1¼ cups chicken stock, or water with chicken Better than Bouillon or regular bouillon
  • 1 4 oz jar chopped pimentos
  • Salt if not using bouillon

Preparation:

1) Heat the oil or butter and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the green pepper and mushrooms, and cook until softening. Add black pepper.

2) Add the flour, if using as a thickener. Cook for 2 minutes before adding liquids.

3) Add liquids. Add low-carb thickeners, and any flavorings such as Better than Bouillon. Add salt if needed. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4) Add chicken/turkey and pimento. Heat through.

Serving Suggestions: Serve over “Cauli-Rice” or low-carb toast (such as toasted Flax Meal Foccacia Bread). Alternatively, any low-carb pasta or pasta substitute works well.

Nutritional Information: Using above recipe, each of 6 servings has 5 grams effective carbohydrate plus 1 grams fiber, 17 grams protein, and 237 calories. The flour adds 2 grams of carb per serving. If you use only flour (6 tablespoons) to thicken, it would add 4 additional grams per serving.

5. Low Carb Pasta with Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This recipe can use any kind of low carb pasta, but it works very well with the tofu shirataki fettuccini noodles. (As of fall 2006, this is available at Trader Joe’s, or sees sources in my article about Shirataki Noodles.

Ingredients:

  • Low carb pasta (if using shirataki noodles, two 8 ounce packages works well for 4 servings)
  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into cubes – for 5 servings – less for fewer servings
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce (see link below)
  • Basil (optional – fresh chopped preferred)

Preparation:

1) Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Saute’ chicken and onions in a small amount of oil until cooked through.

2) Heat Roasted Red Pepper Sauce through in a saucepan or in the microwave. Do not boil.

3) Rinse shiratake noodles in hot water (or prepare other low carb pasta). Cut with kitchen shears to desired length.

4) Toss ingredients together. If fresh basil is available, I will usually chop some up and add it at this point.

Nutritional Information: Each of 5 servings has 4 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2.5 grams fiber, 33 grams protein, and 302 calories.

These are just few of the many low carb diet menus/recipes that you can choose from. So what are you waiting for?! Cut that carbs now eat yummy but totally and absolutely healthy diet…