Low Carb Diet Menu and Recipes

Because carbohydrates are needed by the body for energy, I am very careful and very selective of the carbs that I consume. I know that if I consume more carbs than my body uses for energy, it will be stored as fat. So, though I consume carbohydrates throughout my day, the grams of carbohydrates I consume is low.

When I sit down and plan my menu for the week, I am very careful to make sure that I balance my grams of carbohydrates and proteins as much as possible; making sure to consume enough to supply my daily energy needs, and not more. Though I have a job that keeps me tied to a desk a good portion of my work day; I do a relatively hard cardio workout almost every morning, and in the evenings I play with my dog and clean the house and yard, so I consider my energy need to be on an average level. Being average does make it easy when planning out my menu.

Here is a list of some of the menu ideas and recipes that I use in keeping my carbohydrate level low.

At least once a week I like to have a baked potato. When I do have one, I take the skin off which takes away about 2/3 of the carbs, and I put about 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, with chopped up chives and imitation bacon bits. There are about 15 grams of carbs in the potato, and 15 in the yogurt. When eaten early enough in the day, the energy produced from these carbohydrates will be burned off before bedtime.

Spicy Chicken Salad

1 t olive oil

1 t teriyaki

½ banana chopped into small pieces

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 small jalapeno - seeded and chopped very small

1 clove garlic - minced

1 teaspoon coriander

Juice of 1 lime

2 chicken breasts

Place chicken breasts into baking dish. Blend all other ingredients in a small bowl an whisk together until well blended, then pour over the chicken. Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for about 4 - 6 hours. Take chicken out, and cut either into strips or small cubes. Sauté until done. Put on a plate of chopped lettuce. This is a delicious one dish light meal, that is very low in fat, calories and carbohydrates. Exactly what you need if trying to loose weight.

Stuffed Zucchini

- Preheat oven to 350° F

3 - 4 small zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup ground turkey sausage

2 stalks chopped celery

½ onion, chopped

6 chopped button mushrooms

½ bell pepper - chopped

¼ cup chicken broth (I always have a carton on my refrigerator door. You can use bouillon cubes)

Cut off both ends of the zucchini, and bore out the inside with a table knife. Place zucchini in a baking dish, and set aside. In skillet put olive oil, turkey sausage and vegetables and sauté until done. With a small spoon stuff this mixture into each of the zucchini, and place each back into baking dish. Gently pour over this, the chicken broth and bake until tender; usually about ½ hour, depending on size of zucchini. This recipe is also very low in calories, fat and carbohydrates.

Stuffed Peppers with Beef

1 onion

4 bell peppers - seeded and deveined

1 pound extra - lean ground beef

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Pinch of onion salt

Boil bell peppers for about 2 minutes and then drain. Mix meat with egg and salt and pepper. Fill the peppers with this mixture. Slice onions and put into a large kettle. Cover barely with water and place the peppers on top of this. Simmer until the peppers and onions are done.

This is a fast low - carb dish for those busy days that you don't have a lot of time for cooking.

Creole Chicken

3 cups cut - up chicken breast - I cut this up when about ½ frozen - it's easier

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion diced

1 jalapeno seeded and chopped

1 cup rice

1 large can tomatoes

1 cup okra slices

1 bell pepper - seeded and deveined

Salt & pepper to taste

In kettle, put olive oil then onion. Cook onion until almost clear, then add chicken. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about an hour or until tender.

All of these dishes are very healthy one dish meals, that can be eaten by anyone following a low - carb eating plan to loose weight.