Low-carb diets hold steady in the world of weight loss. They are touted as quite effective and ideal for achieving your goals by limiting your carbohydrate intake. Well, in this post we give you a 7-day meal plan and refreshingly new low-carb recipes you can try.
We show you what you should include in your diet to enjoy the weight loss benefits and delicious recipes for snacking, breakfast, and whole meals as well as a low-carb shopping list.
7-Day Low-Carb Meal Plan
An example of a one-week meal plan on a low-carb diet is shown below. These tips are suitable for anyone on a weight loss journey through dieting.
They offer well below 50 grams of carbohydrates in each meal.
Monday
- Breakfast: Omelet with vegetables
- Lunch: Chicken or shrimp salad sprinkled with olive oil.
- Dinner: Pork chops and vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Eggs and bacon
- Lunch: Organic or grass-fed yogurt with a handful of almonds and perhaps berries.
- Dinner: Paillard of chicken with lemon and herbs
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Vegetables, butter-fried eggs, with coconut oil.
- Lunch: Smoothie with some almonds, protein powder, coconut milk, and berries
- Dinner: Grilled chicken wings and some veggies.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Omelet with veggies fried using butter or coconut oil.
- Lunch: Chicken salad with olive oil.
- Dinner: Serve cheeseburger with vegetables and salsa sauce (cheeseburger should be without the bun).
Friday
- Breakfast: Some eggs and bacon.
- Lunch: Lamb shashliks with rosemary and garlic
- Dinner: Fish (salmon or sardine) with butter and some veggies.
Saturday
- Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
- Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with a handful of walnuts, berries, and coconut flakes.
- Dinner: Thai chicken and mushroom broth.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Omelet with veggies fried with butter or coconut oil.
- Lunch: Smoothie with heavy cream, berries, coconut milk, and flavored protein powder
- Dinner: Grilled salmon radicchio wraps.
There are limitless low-carb recipe combinations you can have in a low-carb diet. But to enjoy well below 50 grams of carbs in each meal, always ensure that you add some vegetables.
Remember, the fewer carbohydrates you eat the more powerful the blood sugar and weight loss effects will be.
Easy Low Carb Recipes
Low-Carb Recipes for a Hearty
The easiest breakfast in a low-carb diet is leftovers from the previous night. You can also have:
- Bulletproof coffee
- Boiled eggs with a can of mackerel
- Cheese rolls with butter
- Boiled or fried eggs – with mayonnaise
- Avocado and smoked salmon
- Turkey rolls with cream cheese
Other low-carb recipes for breakfast include:
Bacon and Eggs
Ingredients:
- 8 eggs
- 5 ounces of sliced bacon
- Fresh parsley (optional)
- Cherry tomatoes (optional)
Method:
- Fry the bacon in a pan on medium heat until crispy.
- Put them aside on a plate and leave the rendered fat in the pan.
- With the same pan and on the same medium heat, crack the eggs into the hot bacon grease and fry them.
- Cook the eggs your way, cooked easy or the sunny side up, whichever works. Cook for less than two minutes.
- Optional step. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and fry them at the same time.
- Salt and serve or add pepper to taste.
Cauliflower Hash Browns
Ingredients:
- 15 ounces of cauliflower
- 3 eggs
- ½ grated yellow onion
- 2 pinches salt
- 4 ounces of butter for frying
- 1 tablespoon of salt
Method:
- Clean the cauliflower, trim, and grate them using a grater or a food processor
- Add them to a large bowl.
- Add the other ingredients and mix them.
- Leave them to rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Heat a sufficient amount of butter or coconut oil in a skillet on low heat. Cooking is even easier if you are looking to have enough space for 4 pancakes at a time. The low heat should warm the pancakes as you prepare the remaining.
- Flatten some scoops of the grated cauliflower mixture until they measure about 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
- Fry each of the sides for 5 minutes while adjusting the heat to ensure they don’t burn. Don’t flip the pancakes too soon as they will tear.
- Serve (You can pair the cauliflower hash browns with fresh, leafy salads)
There are a ton of other breakfast examples you can try. The above two are just good examples of how to do it right.
You can make different combinations that include eggs and vegetables, pancakes with berries and whipped cream, or frittata with whipped cream among others.
Low-Carb Recipes for Lunch/Dinner
These are examples of meals you can have for lunch, dinner, or supper. They are wholesome, delicious, and refreshingly new.
Low-Carb Garlic Chicken
High in fresh parsley and lemon, this meal makes one of the savoriest recipes to always try.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-8 cloves of sliced garlic
- 1 lemon, juice
- 25 teaspoons fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons butter
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to about 225 Degrees Celsius (450 Degrees Fahrenheit).
- Put the chicken pieces in a pan greased with butter.
- Salt and pepper them well then intersperse some garlic and parsley over the chicken, and sprinkle the lemon juice and olive oil on top.
- Bake until the chicken is golden brown and when the garlic cloves have also turned brown and beautifully roasted. It should take 30 to 40 minutes depending on how big the chicken drumsticks are. In the end, lower the heat.
- Serve your meal, with either aioli or a hearty salad.
Zucchini Noodles
This low-carb recipe includes tomatoes, mushrooms, and parmesan sauce. It is a great alternative to your regular pasta and you can have it during the day or for dinner.
Ingredients:
- 4 tomatoes (reserve some after slicing)
- 3 zucchinis
- 8 ounces button mushroom (reserve some for garnishing)
- Some salt and pepper to add taste
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, and a handful of shaved bits for serving
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and some pepper for taste
Method:
- Cut the zucchini lengthwise into ribbons using a julienne peeler
- Put them into a bowl and sprinkle with some olive oil and set it aside to marinate and soften.
- Seed the tomatoes and chop them into fine pieces. Also, chop the mushrooms.
- Over medium-high heat, heat some olive oil and add the mushrooms.
- Cook them until they are light brown then season with salt and pepper.
- Put the grated cheese and cream in a saucepan and mix them well.
- Allow them to simmer over medium heat and cook till you get a thick sauce after a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Carefully fold the vegetables into the sauce and embellish with the reserved mushrooms and tomatoes.
- Make it complete with the Parmesan cheese chips.
- Serve while still hot
Low-Carb Recipes for Snacking
Parmesan Chips
For this recipe, you can use any of the low-carb seeds and make a scrumptious snack.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ ounces chia seeds
- ¾ ounces flaxseed
- ¾ ounces pumpkin seeds
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius (350 Degrees Fahrenheit).
- Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
- Put the cheese and the seeds in a bowl and mix them well
- Scoop small amounts of the mixture onto the baking sheet. Leave some space between them and do not flatten.
- Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes checking them often. Ensure that the chips are light brown and not dark brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before taking them off the baking sheet
- Serve
Egg Mice
Ingredients:
- 4 radishes
- 6 eggs
- 12 chives, fresh
- 24 whole black peppercorns
- 15 ounces of cheddar cheese or any cheese of your choice
Method:
- Hard boil the eggs for approximately 8 minutes and halve them without letting the yolk run.
- Place the halved eggs on a plate with the yolk side facing down.
- Use the tip of a knife to cut half-a-circle slits for the ears.
- Thinly cut the radishes and slowly push two slices into each egg.
- Poke some tiny holes in the eyes and plug in a black peppercorn in the eyes.
- Place a chive leaf under each egg to make it look like a tail.
- Place diced cheese beside the egg mice.
Sample Low Carb Shopping List
These low-carb recipes are incomplete without a shopping list. Most of the ingredients can be obtained from the grocery store.
Some foods, however, can be obtained directly from the farmer’s market, especially the grass-fed and or organic ingredients – which are highly recommended.
Get rid of the processed foods from your fridge for low-carb foods. Most importantly, choose foods that are within your budget.
Here is a sample shopping list.
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Salsa sauce
- Berries including blueberries, blackberries, and or strawberries
- Himalayan Pink Sea salt
- Cheese (white cheeses)
- Olives
- Seeds such as sunflower seeds or flaxseeds
- Nuts including walnuts, almonds, pecans, and others
- Chicken
- Fish like wild-caught tuna, salmon, trout, sardines
- Garlic
- Pork
- Wine, especially the dry red wine like Pinot Noir
- Beef
- Pepper
- Butter
- Herbal tea
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Mustards
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Berries (organic is a must – frozen is optional)
- Fresh and frozen vegetables including cabbage, kales, cauliflower, broccoli
- Vinegar
How to Minimize Ingredients Cost While Shopping for Your Low-Carb Recipes
Some of the foods you require for your low-carb recipes are expensive, which makes sticking to a low-carb diet seem like an expensive thing to do.
However, if done correctly, you will find that the plan is actually cheap. Here is how to keep the costs low and save lots of cash.
· Plan Ahead
Make a shopping list. This way, you know what you want and what you will eat for the whole week. Buy only what is necessary since you will not be depending on take-outs.
Before buying, ensure that you know what is already available in your fridge then strategize how you will utilize them in meals to avoid food wastage.
Planning keeps you away from impulse purchases. Stick to your shopping list and your weekly meals. Don’t be tempted to stray.
· Be Mindful While Shopping
Buy cheaper alternatives, for instance, buy regular cheese instead of specialty cheese. Stop buying nuts, they will soon add up, and go with simple meats. Also, buy avocado oil, and frozen or canned fish.
If you can afford the best quality ingredients, buy them. Consider organic vegetables, free-range eggs, and grass-fed meat.
While at it, you can buy foods in season and look for the best bargains like discounts, buying food with damaged packaging, buying from the local farmer instead of the counter, and going with regular foodstuff. Also, shop in bulk to attract more discounts.
· Cook a Meal You Can Eat Twice
Leftover foods are also the best in low-carb diets. Only eat the leftover food if you are hungry, otherwise, leave the portion for the next meal-time.
Cook simple meals with enough proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and lots of healthy carbohydrates. Go with the easy-to-cook meals.
· Don’t Eat Out
Don’t eat out. You will spend more on a meal that isn’t friendly to your diet. Incorporate lots of healthy fats as they will keep you more satiated and allow you to eat less.
Over time, the number of meals you consume will reduce.
Plenty of cheese, herbed butter, and olive oil should be added to your meats and the oil in your favorite salads.
This way, you will be able to eat more healthy fat, which is beneficial for your health and your goals. Also, eat more eggs.
You might also want to fast intermittently. In fact, while following the low-carb diet, this type of fasting may happen automatically. If you skip some meals, you will eat less; therefore, spending less.
Stop snacking, buying drinks, buying lunch, or processed foods. Bring your leftovers with you! Ultimately, you will end up much more than you thought you could.
Bottom Line:
There are lots of low-carb recipes you can have with a plethora of combinations and toppings. Losing weight through this type of diet doesn’t have to be an uphill climb, with careful planning, you can ace through your goals without a hassle. The above tips should get you started on your journey.
