Low Carb Meal Ideas

I feel like I need to start this post off with several disclaimers. I should not be the poster child for healthy eating, nor should I be the poster child for cooking. None of these recipes are groundbreaking or new by any means, but this post has been highly requested by so many of you! However, I think I naturally eat healthily (for the most part) and to be honest, I can't cook well, but I've been slowly learning! 

Today, I'm sharing what I eat on a weekly basis. In past posts, I've shared that Monday-Friday (really probably Monday-Thursday, haha!) I try to stay as low (refined) carb as possible. This isn't necessarily a diet for me, but just kind of the way I choose to eat. I should also preface this by saying I pretty much eat all day long, or else I get a severe case of 'Hanger', and no one wants to see that.  I try to eat like this, but I am a major foodie and will try anything and everything. My favorite foods are sushi, grilled veggies, rare filet (or steak of any kind), and a really really good (rare) burger (oh, and Mineo's pizza, too). 

One more thing, I don't particularly like following recipes (hence, why I have never really baked anything but cookie dough from a tub or brownies from a box). I actually really dislike cooking in general; it's just not my thing (which is weird because both of my parents and my sister love cooking and are SO good at it). But a girl's gotta eat, so here I am, haha! With that said, this post is more 'meal ideas' rather than full recipes. I'd love for you to share any easy meal ideas that you have!

The first meal in the photo above is roasted vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, peppers, asparagus, etc. (marinated in low-sodium taco seasoning and a sprinkle of EVOO) atop a bed of romaine lettuce and topped with fresh pico de gallo. It's basically a vegetarian taco salad. Not that I don't eat meat, I just used veggies left over from dinner one night and repurposed them into this salad for lunch! Super easy, very filling, and delicious. I make this a lot and sometimes I'll top with sour cream or gauc, too!

Roasted veggies. I usually make a huge batch and snack on them all throughout the week. This was my first attempt and as you can see I majorly overcooked the asparagus-- but still really good! I marinated these in balsamic, EVOO, and roasted garlic. 

I am obsessed with salmon and eat it several times a week. I always get my salmon from Fresh Market (about a pound and a half makes enough for about 4 people) because I think they have the best (never frozen) and they also have really great sales/deals each week.  I don't follow any recipes, I just kind of do whatever I feel like for that night. 

The above photo (and what I've shared on Snapchat in the past) was a splash of teriyaki sauce, splash of soy sauce, ginger powder, splash of sesame oil, and roasted minced garlic. I let that marinate for 4+ hours and then bake on the same baking sheet as the vegetables. 

I always repurpose leftovers over a salad the next day! A salmon salad is one of my favorite meals in the entire world! 

This ground turkey taco skillet meal is a MUST. I love love love Mexican food and this is so delicious and beyond easy to make. This was my first time cooking meat by myself and I could not get over how easy this was. I followed this recipe but definitely tweaked it to make it my own. 

I love love love veggies, so I basically cut up everything I had in my fridge and threw it in. I also added pickled jalapenos, which add a great kick to it! The 'official' recipe calls for ground beef, but I use ground turkey and it turns out the same! I also use red onion instead of yellow onion because that's what I prefer and I usually don't have spinach or kale on hand so that never makes it in.

I like to put it over a bed of shredded lettuce and top with salsa. Incredible. It also makes a ton (especially if you load it up with veggies), so I repurpose it in different ways (sometimes I do lettuce wraps, or just eat it on its own!). The recipe, depending on the amount of veggies you use, could easily feed 6 people.

I do this a lot around 5pm when I know I have dinner plans later (around 8 or 9). I also do this when I have people over. I love snacking on meats and cheeses and different dips (olive tapenade is pictured above). I basically raid my fridge and chop up whatever I have to munch on. I find that actually taking the time to cut things up and arrange them nicely, even if I'm by myself, helps me to be conscious of what and how much I am eating. It also makes me feel way more civilized than just breaking off a piece of cheese straight from the refrigerator when #hanger strikes. 

For those of you who have been cooking for forever, you are going to laugh at this one. But I am sharing this in hopes it helps others who are helpless in the kitchen like me. I am obsessed with asparagus and had no idea how to cook them. A quick text to mom and I find out that it's even easier than grilled cheese! All you do is toss wth olive oil and garlic salt and then saute for a few minutes over medium/high heat. SO quick and easy. Makes for a great side dish or even an afternoon snack. They're great cold or hot, too. Oftentimes I'll make a snack plate of cold asparagus and a few pieces of prosciutto. Sidenote: cantaloupe and prosciutto is a delicious snack, too.

I eat a ton of hummus. My favorite non-carb way to eat hummus with carrots instead of pita/etc., but I also love it on top of a bed of mixed greens, like a Mediterranean salad. I then top it off with diced kalamata olives, chopped red onion, a dash of EVOO, and a sprinkle of feta cheese. SO good. I also throw in some leftover grilled chicken if I have it on hand! 

This requires absolutely no cooking skill whatsoever. I always have smoked salmon on hand because it's one of my favorite things in the entire world. This makes for a great meal, snack, breakfast, whatever! I also like to think of this as deconstructed sushi because I add ground pepper and soy sauce over the avocado to give it an Asian taste. 

Lastly, this is my version of a southwestern omelet. I saute pickled jalapeno, diced peppers, and diced red onion with a little EVOO, then add in scrambled eggs, and stuff with shredded Mexican cheese. I then top with salsa and add a side of guac. It's beyond filling and absolutely delicious!