How to make a Low Carb Meal

When I think about making a low carb meal, the first question I ask myself, is what do I fancy to eat? For me, eating is about enjoyment and satisfaction. You have to enjoy eating something and feel satisfied afterwards, or for me, I end up eating rubbish and feeling disappointed. Food is what I look forward to throughout the day so I want my meals to be tasty. There are a number of ways that you can make a low carb meal but first, I ask myself: do I fancy chilli, spaghetti Bolognese, fajitas, or a salad (the list goes on)?

Smart Carb Swaps

The majority of meals that we have in our repertoire can be turned into low carb versions if you wish. I like to make simple swaps, for example:

Rice for Cauliflower rice or cauliflower and broccoli rice
Spaghetti or noodles for Zoodles (zucchini noodles) or Boodles (butternut squash / pumpkin) noodles or even carrot-ghetti (ribbons of carrot)
Wraps or taco shells for lettuce wraps

You only need a small number of tools to be able to make these swaps and they take minutes to do (and are much simpler than you may think). For example to make cauliflower rice, you just need to cut a cauliflower into small pieces, and blend in a mixer/food processor until it turns into a fine ‘rice’ like consistency. With any type of noodle, you can use a spiralizer on your veggies to get your ribbon/pasta effect. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to make linguine like strips which are just a little thicker. With both the rice and noodle varieties, I tend to pan fry for 3 – 5 minutes with salt and pepper and chopped garlic and chilli too if you have them. I would then cook the meat, or sauce as normal. For recipe inspiration, head over to ‘Our Top Low Carb Chicken Recipes’ which uses smart carb swaps.

Bulking out the meal

Another way you can make a meal satisfying and low carb is to make a salad with satisfying and filling ingredients such as beans, legumes and substantial vegetables. I would then have this with a piece of lean protein, such as a chicken breast or piece of fish. One of my favourite warm salads to make at the moment includes roasted Brussels sprouts, broccoli and a tahini dressing. The recipe can be found here. I also add chickpeas into the mix sometimes too!

Use products that are Low Carb

The Protein Bread Co. products saved me when it came to making delicious and easy dinners that were low carb – the products do the hard work for us. I tried every recipe out there for cauliflower pizzas to create one that tasted near a pizza, but somehow they never did the job. I was so excited when I first made The Protein Bread Co. pizza - the crust was actually thick and didn’t crumble into nothing when I tried to pick it up to eat. The Protein Bread Co’s products are all low carb and high protein, so no matter which pack you buy, you can guarantee that you’re serving will be low carb. The products are made with a great ingredient list and no added nasties too.

How to make a Low Carb Meal

Smart Carb Swaps

Bulking out the meal

Use products that are Low Carb

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