Need Healthy Meal Suggestions That Are Low-carb

Chili Colorado, tofu & vegi stir fry, you can have dips like humus and spinach just dip with vegi's instead of chips.

Honestly, weight watchers is the only sane way to go. I lost 10 lbs after my first boy in 4 months. Now after my second, I am 25 lbs over weight. I am joining this week, because I know it works.
Best wishes!

Chicken noodle soup but replace half of the noodles with another veggie besides carrots and celery.

Turkey Chili

Salmon with melted butter and dill and steamed broccoli

Sausage, Kale and White bean soup
Cook 2 cloves garlic, 1 med onion in bottom of large soup pan with a little water.
Add in sausage and brown.
Add 3 cups broth, 3 C water, 1 can white beans until water comes to a boil. Turn off stove and add kale until it becomes limp. Serve hot!

Sliced turkey meat with avocado and salsa
Roll-up and enjoy

Instead of just eggs, try different flavors. Make mexican eggs with rice, beans and salsa,
Mediterranean eggs with goat cheese, steamed spinach and green olives, etc.

Epicurious.com for more ideas

Try brown rice, instead of white. It is a complex carb, not a starch... and is very healthy. Also, WHOLE grain breads, and whole grain anything....since these are also complex carbs.
There is a difference between "starches" and "complex carbs."

Also, pita sandwiches are great.

ALso, try Asian dishes... these are many times, using lots of veggies and is very tasty, and healthy. Japanese and Thai foods are a good alternative.

Also, do a Google search on "low carb recipes" online... lots will turn up.
Here's one link:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Low-Carb-Di...

Good luck!
Susan

I totally hear you! First I can say that most of the recipes on weelicious are very healthy and perfect for all the family.
I love eating non fat yogurt with fruit, egg white veggie omelette's and oatmeal for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, think lean proteins such as fish, chicken, turkey and pork tenderloin. Tons of veggies and fruits, and carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes and rice cakes with fruit preserves and air popped popcorn for snacks. I always roast turkey and keep grilled chicken breasts in the fridge to much on and add to dinners for the family. Protein fills you up too!-www.weelicious.com

try different types of fish with veggies and brown rice for dinner or lunch. mix up the type of salad you make, puting something different together each time. there are lots of veggie soups out there that are very filling, or you can make your own. i can give you a few recipes if interested. since you are eating some carbs, try sauteing veggies (mushrooms, squash, bell pepper, and black olives) in red wine vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, crushed garlic, and rosemary, add some shrimp when almost done (or any type of meat you like), and eat it as is or put it on a bed of whole wheat pasta. i love carbs and just buy whole grain/wheat versions of the stuff i love so that there is more fiber than filler in them. protein shakes and bars also add variety to meals or substitute them completely. they are especially good if you are on the go. but don't forget to actually exercise along with all the healthy eating, or you won't lose the weight and look the way you want. walking with your baby and doing free weight exercises in the house are easy, low cost ways to tone up quick. good luck!

Hi S. ~ Like other women have suggested, turn to whole grain breads, pasta and brown rice. When cooking your pasta and rice, add chicken broth, beef broth or veggi broth with your water. It will give your pasta and rice more flavor. Try hungrygirl.com for specific recipies. It's a great website and has endless ideas. Switch to 100 calorie snacks. Incorporate more vegetables into your meals. Instead of just eggs in the morning, add mushroom, onion, bell pepper or any vegetable you like. Also eat more soups. Try to stick to the clear soups (broth based) instead of cream based. They are more healthy and filling. I don't know what your produce department is like on base, but if you're not happy with it, you should get your fruits and vegetables from your farmer's market. It's the most inexpensive way to go and it's nice to get outside and walk around and you support your local farmers to boot!

My husband and I are big fans of icecream and we now only eat laughing cow or weightwatchers brand. We buy ours at Target and save a couple of dollars per box/item.

I for weekday breakfast I have yogurt (light); fruit (fresh) and of course coffee! I have switched to fat free 1/2 and 1/2 and milk. For weekend breakfast I'll do an egg scrambled with vegetables (mentioned above) and a piece of whole grain toast.

My husband makes an awesome smoothie for snacks. You can buy a smoothie recipe book (Home & Gardens) at the checkout stand at a local grocery store for less than $4.

For lunch I like a salad with a basalmic vineger dressing or a dressing on the side. Or soup and a 1/2 sandwhich.

For dinner I eat chicken, but do a lot of different things to it. We switched to ground turkey or ground chicken in place of ground beef or hamburgers. We also eat more seafood.

We have been very successful eating this way. My husband lost 37 pounds last year and I lost 23. We also exercise now and our dogs get out a lot more than they used to.

Maybe I got carried away with all this information and if so, I apologize. I hope it helps you with some ideas. The foodnetwork.com website has great recipies and they have a section for healthy eating. So does marthastewart.com and you might also checkout tasteofhome.com.

Good luck to you with your healthy eating. Thanks so much to your husband and others just like him protectig our freedom. We are forever indebted to our military. My family and I will pray for his safe return to you and your family.

L.

There is a book titled 'Entering the Zone' (don't recall author) but it is a balanced way of eating that is low-carb (but not carb-free). Whenever I 'get in the zone' I lose weight, have more energy, and don't feel hungry. I believe that there are some recipes and meal ideas in the book, but I'm sure that you could find some on-line as well.

Good luck!
-M.

I love cottage cheese with fruit (my favorites are nectarines and blueberries) or with applesauce. An apple with some natural peanut butter is delicious and very good for you. Celery sticks are also very yummy with peanut butter on top. I make guacamole with just a mashed avocado, sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt and a little garlic powder, then dip raw zucchini and cucumber in it. It's delicious! One of my favorite things for dinner is steak. Omaha Steaks (mail-order) has delicious Sirloin Supremes - only 4 oz. (the perfect serving size) and no fat to cut off. They are amazingly tender and flavorful and go great with some vegetables for dinner.

Good luck!

Here is a recipe that my Aunt gave me for "White Chili". She was very overweight and lost a lot of it using this soup as her main meal much of the time. It is really tasty and I love it b/c you can make a big pot of it to eat on for days. (Especially while your husband is away since he probably wouldn't want soup every day!) It freezes well too. It says for a crock pot but I have made it on stove top many times. If I am feeling especially lazy, I eliminate all of the seasonings at the end and instead just dump a jar of salsa in with the rest of the ingredients. It's just as good. Also I like mine more broth-y so I add extra broth. I like to add celery sometimes too. Hope you like this and that it helps you!

White Chili (for a large sized Crock-Pot)
• 1 pound of boneless chicken breast (bite size)
• 1 Large onion (diced)
• 2 cans of green chilies (drained)
• 1 16oz can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 cups of chicken broth (one 16 oz can)
• 2 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 3 tsp. cilantro
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2-3 jalapeno peppers (chopped)
• 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1. Saute onions in some olive oil (or cooking spray).
2. Add all ingredients into crock-pot.
3. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or High 3-4 hours.
4. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Please thank your husband for keeping our country safe. We pray for our troops every day. Have a Happy New Year.

H.

Hi S.~ Go to Amazon.com and purchase Eating For Life by Bill Phillipps, it is the cook book companion to the work out book Body For Life. I started it after my 2nd. child was born and lost 42 pounds and was in the best shape of my life. I am now 37 and have 4 children and the book is still my favorite!! The recipe book has GREAT meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desert & snacks, they are all balanced awesome meals too!

Happy New Year!!
W.

Hi S.

I am a personal trainer and get asked this question all the time!!!
Peanut butter (I like Laura Scudders reduced fat) will help you feel full as it has protein and fat. Edamame is a great snack food as it takes awhile to eat (in the shell) and is loaded with protein and fiber. Cottage cheese is good, low fat. I don't like the non fat as it has some strange things in it.
Part of the key is to not always look at your meals as standard brekfast etc.. Meaning you don't have to have "breakfast food" for breakfast. Change your timing up a little. Maybe eggs for dinner with salsa and guacamole. Sometimes a shift will help change your state of mind.
You can try a good peotein drink for breakfast. No fruit juice!! What you want is something like lowfat or non fat milk, some good protein powder and a scoop of peanut butter. Add blueberrys if you want and skip the peanut butter but make sure the protein content is close to 20 grams. fruit juice will kick up the sugar content too high as well as calories. Bananas are a high glycemic food and contain alot of sugar so if you have to add it, only add a half of one. You can substitute the milk for water. be careful of soy milks etc as those usually are high in sugar.
If you have any other questions, let me know...happy to help.
n

Hi S.,
You may wish to consider a low glycemic (low carb) way of eating. I count no calories but I do the following. I only eat foods that have the glycemic index of 55 or lower. In that way, none of the foods I eat will spike my blood sugar which in turn will not make me hungry. I shot for half of my plate to be low carb veggies, my starch is either a LG fruit or 1/2 cup of brown rice, wheat pasta, boiled yams, two steamed corn tortias, or one ear of corn. I also eat 4 to 6 ounces of lean meat or two eggs 3 times a day. I snack on nuts and crudites.
I myself have safely lost 38 pounds and over 11 inches off my waist in 12 short weeks using an exclusive patented product. I exercise 25 minutes 3 to 5 times a week in a wheelchair. While your results may very, I just know that If you would like to attack the fat around your middle, check out my website:

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"A waist is a terrible thing to mind" F.

Hey S. - kudos on your decision to get health! I am a natural health consultant, and would love to meet with you to give you some variety in your meals. I have several clients who have been successful with not only weight loss, but reaching even further and becoming healthy. Having a healthy body will make you the weight you are meant to be, and it will also give you the energy you need to chase that little one around! Please email me if you are interested...I hope to hear from you!

H. Carter
____@____.com

I get ground turkey, add any vegetables I feel like and ada box of the vegetable broth from Trader Joes. Sometimes I add a can of tomatoes flavored in some way like Italian or Mexican style. I also love the 21 season salute from Trader joes. Makes the right amount of flavoring. I don't eat any grains except Quinoa, so I sometimes eat this for breakfast. It's a great standby to grab when you're busy and you can change the flavor by adding curry one time or miso another. enjoy

I like living low carb too. It is challenging though to feed the rest of my family food they'll like and not end up preparing 2-3 meals every time we eat. Some easy ways to cut carbs... If you order a sandwich or burger, cut it in half and put all the insides on one half of the sandwich. Replace carbs with veggies where possible, I do lettuce wrap tacos and sandwiches, or replace pasta with thinly shredded carrots and zuccini with the same sauce that the rest of the family is eating. Lasagna is great with zuccini instead of pasta too. The south beach diet has some recipes that are pretty good. Our family favorite is cauliflower cooked like mashed potatoes. Yeah, it doesn't really taste like a potato but it's pretty yummy, especially with a little fresh parmesan cheese on top and toasted under the broiler. Good luck to you. I'll be joining you on the low carb band wagon!

I make a spicy chicken salad and serve it over chopped lettuce. You can either cook the chicken breast yourself and finely dice it, or you can use a can of cooked chicken (Costco)...that is faster. Mix in diced celery, red pepper, water chestnuts, cajun spice mix, a bit of lemon juice or lemon pepper, S&P, and mayo. Your choice if the mayo is regular or light. Good luck! db

I think you are not supposed to eliminate carbs 100%. Otherwise you're burning sugar that you need for energy, not doing what you need to build lean muscle mass. I started on 6-week body makeover at www.provida.com/makeover and the diet that was specified for my "body type" had me eating 3 egg whites + mixed fruit for Breakfast, tuna & fresh mixed veggies for snack, chix breast/rice/veggies for lunch and so on. I think I lost about 5 lbs after the 1st week. Also, it gave me a ton of advice on exercise I didn't realize before.

Good for you. I'm hoping to follow suit.

Yogurt with berries or granola and a whole wheat bagel (Thomas' brand) is a great breakfast. I like turkey bacon and sausage too. Barilla makes a pasta that is has more whole grains than regular-it somes in a yellow package but can't think of the name (they also have whole wheat but it's an acquired taste). Trader Joes sells brown rice that comes in microwave pouches. I'll mix it with white rice for stir fry since my family isn't big on the brown rice. You can take salad fixins and wrap in wheat tortillas.

Thank your husband for his service. Here's to his safe return!