Atkins Diet Recipes

I have to be honest and say that I'm not a huge dieter. I haven't tried a ton of diets because I really love food and the more I make myself not eat something, the easier it is to eat it (if that makes sense). However, when I was in college, I gained the proverbial freshman 15; however it was a freshman 25. I went from being 5'4" 120 to 5'4" 145, it wasn't good. My mom was back home, and when I came home for winter break, she told me about the Atkins Diet; this was when it first became huge. I decided to give it a try. I actually was a strict Atkins dieter for about a year and a half, and ended up losing about 20 pounds, but then slowly fell off the bandwagon.

In that year and a half, I did a lot of research on Atkins Diet Recipes because eating the same old salad every day got really boring. I'm pretty much a carnivore so eating meat wasn't a problem for me, but finding feel good eats with good taste to replace my yummy carbs was a bit of a challenge. So here are a few Atkins Diet Recipes that I came across along the way that got me through.

Bacon and Goat Cheese Salad

This is a fantastic recipe because it really fires up your taste buds. The bacon and goat cheese really add intense flavor to what would normally be a plain salad. With only 2 grams of net carbs, it's a great salad to add to your list of Atkins Diet Recipes.

Salad Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups frisée or curly endive, torn into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1 1/2 slices Atkins Country White bread, torn into 2-inch chunks
8 ounces goat cheese, cut into 6 pieces
1 egg, beaten

Dressing Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad Directions:
~ cook bacon over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet for 6-7 minutes, turn once and cook until crisp. Transfer to paper towels in order to dry. Save 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings.
~ combine romaine, frisée and chives into one large bowl and set aside
~ in a blender or food processor, process the bread to make crumbs then spread crumbs onto a plate. Place the goat cheese slices onto a flat work surface and press to flatten. Dip cheese in egg then place in crumbs and coat cheese with crumbs evenly and completely.
~ wipe out bacon skillet, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add the goat cheese patties to the oil and cook until browned (about 2 mins per side). Remove and put on plate with paper towels in order to dry oil.

Dressing Directions:
~ add bacon drippings, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper to clean skillet. Whisk to combine ingredients. Add warm dressing and bacon to the bowl containing the lettuce and toss to combine. Arrange salad on individual plates and top with goat cheese patties.

For a salad that serves six, it is very easy to make and absolutely delicious. For the entire meal, total calories: 294, total fat: 24 grams, total protein: 13 grams, total carbohydrates: 4 grams, total fiber: 2 grams. It's absolutely delicious so add to your Atkins Diet Recipes today!

Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Soup

Can you tell I like bacon!! Most people are under the impression that soup contains a lot of carbs, but with only 7 net carbs, this soup is absolutely delicious and a great meal come winter time.

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 teaspoons ThickenThin Not/Starch Thickener
2 cups half-and-half
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Directions:
~ in a large saucepan, cook bacon for 6 minutes over medium heat, until crisp. Remove and dry on paper towels, then crumble bacon
~ add onion to the bacon fat in the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until onion starts to brown
~ add mustard, pepper and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in thickener. Then add half-and-half, cheese and paprika and stir until the cheese is melted. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon.

This soup serves four and only takes 20 minutes to make! The entire pan contains 567 calories, 44 grams of fat, 29 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber. This truly is one of the greatest Atkins Diet Recipes I've ever tasted.

Baked Quesadillas

Before going on Atkins, I used to eat quesadillas all the time, so when I came across this recipe I was ecstatic. With only 7 net carbs, this is a great way to spice up your diet.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked, cut into small strips
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 jalapeno pepper (optional), seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
(8-inch) Low Carb Tortillas
Tomato salsa

Directions:
~ preheat your oven to 450F.
~ heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes or until softened. Move to bowl and add chicken, cheese, green salsa, jalapeno, cilantro, pepper and salt. Mix ingredients well.
~ brush one side of each tortilla with the remaining oil, spoon 1/8 of chicken mixture over half of the non-oiled side of the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over the filling.
~ once oven is heated, arrange filled tortillas on backing sheet, bake 5 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve with tomato salsa.

You can always substitute the chicken for beef or pork in this recipe, it's whatever you desire. I always cheated a bit and ate them with sour cream as well, but without the sour cream, the entire meal contains 506 calories, 32 grams of fat, 40 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates, and 18 grams of fiber. It's great to know that you can still enjoy a tasty meal while on the Atkins Diet.

So these are a few of my favorite Atkins Diet Recipes! There are tons more though! For more Atkins Diet Recipes, visit the Atkins Website. They have great ideas for any type of meal. So eat healthy and hearty on the Atkins Diet!