Archive for the ‘Meal Planning’ Category
Eating Right With A Busy Schedule
When it comes to eating right many of us find that the number one hindrance to our success is the lack of time to prepare the proper meals and snacks for our dietary needs. It is often much more convenient to throw one thing in the crockpot for the family or resort to the fast food last resort rather than preparing the healthy and nutritious meal that we should be eating. If you’re like me when time runs out and stress enters the equation all healthy intentions fly out the window.
Planning, prepping, and organization ahead of time is the real key to success on a low-carb eating plan or any eating plan for that matter. You have to work at eating right and there are a few things you can do that will reduce the temptation to hit the drive thru and keep you on course.
Atkins Cost Saving Tips
The Atkins diet has a lot of health benefits, but it is not exactly easy on the wallet. Fresh meats are some of the most expensive items in the grocery store and when you follow Atkins, you’ll need to purchase a lot of them. However, there are simple steps that you can take to cut costs on this low-carb plan.
First of all, be creative in your meal planning. Remember that most diet books and written to entice readers to try new combinations of foods. The recipes within those books contain the most expensive ingredients. You don’t have to cook like a professional chef in order to be able to experience the benefits of the Atkins diet. There are many simple recipes that you can make that are within the plan and cost much less than the ones shown in the diet books. If you modify the meal plans with the books, you can enjoy the low-carb lifestyle on a budget.
Low-Carb Thanksgiving Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Pie Dip
Source: kitchensimplicity.com
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, it always seems to sneak up on me. Early meal planning is key here, so I’ve started collecting Thanksgiving recipes. Some are high carb dishes that need some work and others, like this one are already low-carb and ready to go.
My favorite place to hangout online is on food blogs, any free time I have is usually dedicated to reading through whatever is in my Google Reader and I subscribe to a ton of food blogs. I cam across Kitchen Simplicity, a Canadian food blog that has come up with some really great no bake Thanksgiving recipes. Including this fantastic Creamy Pumpkin Pie Dip and Mini “Pumpkin” Cheese Balls.
Here ya go, re-posted for your tasting enjoyment!
10 Low Carb Staples You Can’t Live Without
For those just starting out and even for you long timers, sticking to your healthy low carb lifestyle can be difficult. There are carbohydrates, sugar, and sneaky anti-foods in everything. Some times it’s hard to figure out what’s ‘safe’ and what’s not. Eating low carb takes a bit of rewiring your brain to look for certain things to avoid. 
You should start by reading labels. Pay attention to carbohydrate count, sugar count, and fiber count. You should also check out the ingredients list under the white Nutrition Facts box. This is where the really important information is. If you’re trying to stay away from anti-foods like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), hydrogenated fats, hydrolyzed fats, trans fats, and other scary chemicals, this is where they will be listed.
Like with any other kind of cooking, there are staple ingredients we rely on. Here is a list of 10 low-carb staples to get you through your recipes.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Many of us are making Corned Beef and Cabbage today, just make sure to skip the potatoes! If you aren’t much of a corned beef or cabbage fan you can always make Shepherd’s Pie instead. There are many options when it comes to low carb St. Patrick’s Day recipes. Stews and soups and Irish coffee’s, sausage coddle and colcannon, just about anything can be made low carb. Substitute rutabaga, cauliflower, or turnips for potatoes and you’ve got a scrumptious topping for a cottage pie.
I thought about green eggs and ham, but I’ve opted for the traditional corned beef and cabbage. I’ve got mine cooking away in my crock pot. Smells delicious!
What are you having today?
Online Weightloss Journal Reviews
All weightloss plans require you to log your food intake so you can see exactly what goes in and what needs cutting. Whether you’re tracking fat, calories, or carbohydrates, you need to know where to start and where to look when the scale isn’t moving in the right direction. There are a plethora of websites available for just this activity. So how do you figure out which one of the million online weightloss journals or food log sites is the best for you?
Well, I’ve tried a few, here are my thoughts.
Fat Secret
No bones about it, FatSecret is my favorite!
Not only can I enter all the food I’ve eaten in a day or plan for the next day, but there are forums, recipes, groups, a journal, and tons more great tools. You can even log in from your Blackberry, iPhone, or Android phone. Think of this as a FaceBook for people looking to lose weight. I hear it’s similar to SparkPeople, thought I’ve never checked this one out.
