Five Go-To Low-Carb Meals

Alright, my low-carb lovers and lifestylers!  Where are you?  This round up of recipes is for YOU.  Seems to be the “trendy” thing to do these days.  But just because it’s trendy, does it mean it’s right for you?  That’s a twist on the classic “if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?”  A dose of healthy skepticism is needed any time a trendy new eating fad rears its head.  Here’s an intriguing read: “Carb Controversy: Why Low-Carb Diets Have Got It All Wrong” from my very own nutrition coaching certifying body, Precision Nutrition.

It’s not as though low-carb diets are actually new.  Each macronutrient (carb, protein or fat) has gone in and out of vogue over the decades.  Restricting any one or combination of macro-nutrients to take energy intake below energy expenditure is going to create weight loss.  Those are the fundamental laws of thermodynamics.  But the question is, what approach is going to work the best for YOU and make you feel, look and perform YOUR best?

Now, if you’ve done your homework and perhaps even consulted with a qualified nutrition coach (like me!), and you want to increase your repertoire of low-carb meals and snacks, who am I to deny you?  One of the best ways to determine if a particular eating approach is going to work for you is to “play scientist” and try it out.  Even if you just want to include these selections from time to time to create a more moderate intake of carbohydrates in your overall eating approach, you’re going to find these useful.

I think it’s safe to say that in my total repertoire of recipes, I have ideas for  meals and snacks that suit just about any and every style of eating (except maybe macrobiotic raw veganism).  And of course, as a busy professional working mother myself, these recipes are generally all kid- and husband-tested and approved, like my round up of family-friendly healthy recipes from just a few short months ago.  I even went the extra step of going live every time I ate over the course of a “low-carb day” – you can check out my Facebook feed for that.

Now, if you want a single place to easily reference ALL of the recipes, be sure to bookmark this page.

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Five Family-Friendly Healthy Recipes

Are you ready for the hands-on portion of the class?  I write about a lot of theory, and I decided it was time to get back to my roots (and I don’t mean my hair) – if you didn’t know, this blog actually started mainly with recipes for meals and snacks!  Since I am committed to helping busy professional working mothers to lose fat (and all other comers are welcome, too!), I thought it would be practical to share some of my latest and greatest delicious and nutritious recipes.  These are all kid- and husband-tested and approved.

I’ve taken some of the Golden Graham family favourites – a lot of these are updated, more healthful versions of perennial favourite foods like pizza or burgers.  They are delicious AND nutritious, and I especially love them because they can be on the table in 20-30 minutes (or faster, if you do some make-ahead prep – my top prep tips are here).  You’ll definitely want to pin or bookmark this page for easy reference for these recipes to keep you winning the weeknight dinner wars!

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(High-Protein) Power Potato Salad (Gluten-free, Grain-free, Paleo-friendly)

Power Potato Salad PlateYou might think of potato salad as strictly a summer food, the stuff of cookouts and backyard barbecues.  Well, it’s time to think again!  Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s entirely likely that you’ll have leftover boiled potatoes on hand.  Keep yourself fueled up for the busy-ness of the season with this high-protein option (and save the recipe for next summer, too!). You can also make a version that is Paleo-friendly (and yes, it can be Whole30-compliant).

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Weeknight Winner Wednesday: (Paleo) Honey-Lime Spicy Shrimp Stir-fry (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free)

Honey-Lime Spicy Shrimp Stir-fry PanOther than sticking with Wednesdays, I guess I haven’t been very faithful with Weeknight Winner Wednesdays!   But hey, as in all things fitness and nutrition-related, you do the best you can with what you have, when you can.  So here is the long-awaited (?) fourth installment and this time we’ve got seafood back on the blog (or perhaps you’ll consider this the first appearance, if you’re grouping seafood such as shrimp separately from fish).  It’s heating up outside, but there’s no reason you can’t add some heat in the kitchen with the spices in this Honey-Lime Spicy Shrimp Stir-fry!  Make it as hot (or not) as you like!

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Weeknight Winner Wednesday: Basil-Ricotta-Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Lemon

Basil-Ricotta-Parmesan Crusted TilapiaTwo classic Italian cheeses pair up with fragrant basil and zesty lemon to create the perfect creamy, crusted topping for flaky white tilapia fillets.  Perfect paired with roasted or grilled seasonal vegetables, this is an elegant yet easy dinner dish.

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Weeknight Winner Wednesday: Easy Meatless “Cheater” Chili (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, High-fiber, Low-fat, Vegan)

Easy Meatless Cheater Chili BowlI’m back with the second installment of Weeknight Winner Wednesdays!   This edition features a high-fiber, flavourful meatless chili that you can have on the table in about two shakes (that’s twenty minutes) with one simple make-ahead ingredient.  No sweating over a simmering pot for hours.  And with high-fiber beans stealing the show, no one will miss the meat in this vegetarian, low-fat chili.  YOU control the heat, so you can make this just as hot (or not) as you like.  This is another nutritious and delicious dish you (and your family) are sure to love.

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Weeknight Winner Wednesday: Good-for-you Chicken Fried Rice (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, High-protein, Low-fat)

Easy Weeknight Chicken Fried RiceChicken. Fried. Rice.  How many of your late night Chinese food takeout feasts have featured this delicious, crowd-pleasing side dish?  What if I told you I had an easy, healthy recipe that would slash the fat, pump up the protein and fiber and reduce the sodium without compromising the taste?  You’d probably call me crazy!  (And I suppose you’d be at least partly right).  But in my mission to make EVERY meal supportive of my strength training regimen (high-protein, here I come), I found a way, and my first candidate for Weeknight Winner Wednesdays!   That’s right, I’ll be posting quick and easy, nutritious and delicious, FAMILY-FRIENDLY fare that will be your new “go-to” for weeknight dinners (and the leftovers make great lunches, too!).   Not every Wednesday, necessarily, but Wednesday for sure.  Let’s talk about this craziness…

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Quick and Easy Curried Chickpeas with Brown Rice (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Low-fat, Vegan)

Quick and Easy Curried Chickpeas with Brown RiceCraving Indian food but don’t have time to cook?  Wait – don’t pick up that phone!  You can get all the great taste of Indian takeout without the guilt with this super-fast, easy (& healthy!) recipe.  Serve it on its own as a light lunch or dinner or pair it with your favourite Indian dishes as part of a family feast.  This vegan dish still packs a punch of protein from the chickpeas and brown rice and is a great source of fiber.  It’s gluten-free, too!  You can throw all of the ingredients in this single serving recipe into a to-go container for an easy on-the-go meal (just heat and eat) OR multiply the recipe to feed the whole family.

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(Paleo) Simple Apple Cinnamon Roasted Squash Soup (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Vegan)

Simple Apple Cinnamon Roasted Squash SoupI’m always impressed by a bowl of warm and creamy roasted squash soup.  This soup is no different: the rich, earthy, subtly sweet flavour of the roasted squash is enhanced by a just-right blend of spices.  Adding apple adds an unexpected yet complementary flavour and touch of sweetness to the dish.  No matter what time of year you make it, the taste will make you think of fall with its brilliant-hued leaves and crisp weather.  Savouring a bowl of this soup is just like snuggling into your favourite cozy knitted sweater.

Not only am I impressed by this kind of soup, I’ve also been intimidated by the idea of preparing such a soup.  Not anymore!  I promise that this recipe will show you how easily you can prepare this sophisticated yet comforting dish.

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Easy Weeknight Chicken Curry with Brown Rice (Dairy-free, Gluten-free)

Weeknight Chicken CurryMmmm…Indian food. There is just something so warm and comforting about the magical blend of spices in so many Indian dishes. The aroma is exotically enticing and never fails to make my mouth water and my tummy rumble. I can’t necessarily handle a lot of heat (being Canadian and all), but bring on the savoury curries and I’m butter (ghee?) in your hands. Give me a dish I can throw together in just one pan (or pot) and give me authentic Indian takeout taste without any tummy troubles (from dairy or other unknown ingredients), well…I can’t tell you what happens then. But I *can* (and will) share this easy, healthy recipe with you – no one will believe it’s dairy-free, either!  There’s even an option to make this grain-free, low-carb & Paleo!

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