if your whole family low carbs, please come and give some recipe/snack ideas

[apatchylass]

After the big thread about Gwyneth Paltrow's family all low carbing, I was amazed at how many people on here do this and seem to feel fantastic on it. As one of my DSs is quite a sugar and carb addict and also gets tired, has mood swings, can't sleep, I thought maybe we should try this over Easter and see how it feels. But I have no idea what to make, especially at breakfast or for packed lunches. My DC live on toast and cereal or bagels and muffins.

What do you feed your family if you low carb

[LaurieFairyCake]

We don't deliberately low carb but dh and dd are veggie so it's really important that they get good protein so we eat plenty of:

Nuts, seeds, cheese (everyone loves Babybels), hard boiled eggs. The Food Doctor bean mix is a huge favourite and incredibly filling. Edamame beans and wasabi peas go down really well

These are all naturally lower carb - think the wasabi peas are the highest out of that lot.

[apatchylass]

Thanks, Laurie. Great suggestions.

Are edamame beans low carb? I love them.
DS2 would happily eat chunks of cheese with no bread but DS1 would gag on them. Haven't tried the food Doctor bean mix - I'll take a look.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Yes, the steamed version is the lowest in carbs for edamame - it's high for the roasted version - 28 grams per 100g

[DorisIsWaiting]

I made spianch pizza today (just for me as I am the only one low carbing atm).

The receipe was american (and I think can be improved a little)

2 cups of spinch, I large eg and 1 cup of cheese (they put some itailian style kraft brand but I used goats chees and pecorino (abit salty so I mightchange that next time). Blitz it down and spread it thinly on baking parchment on a pizza tray. Cook for 15 mins at 220 until the edges are crisp and brown. Then add low carb toppings of yor choice (I had mozarella olives mushrooms on a (not verylow carb) tomato base. Stick back in the oven for 5 mins untill the toppings are melted and serve.

[LaurieFairyCake]

That spinach 'pizza' sounds lovely!!

I really like spinach.

[FrantasticO]

Bumping for Sunday crowdshopeful for some recipes

[apatchylass]

Doris that spinach pizza sounds heavenly. Thanks so much for that recipe. Going to try that tomorrow. I'm a heifer. It has to stop. Why is tomato not low carb?

Today gave the DC roast pork with sliced fennel, red onions and mushrooms, peas and carrots. Is that OK?

I need a good low carb cookbook - can anyone recommend one that is practical and suggests recipes that 10 year olds who are used to high carb diet will actually eat?

[QueenofWhatever]

We follow the Primal Blueprint which is a no grains (so low carb) high fat way of eating.

Breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms or FF Greek yoghurt, nuts, seed and chopped up fruit.

Lunch - large salad with meat or fish (leftover chicken, smoked fish, tuna)

Supper - same as usual just without pasta, rice or potatoes. Tonight was roast chicken with mashed swede, spring greens, cauliflower and broccoli.

Snacks fall out of the picture after a while as you're just not that hungry between meals. But nuts, seeds, slab of cheese, boiled eggs etc. all work well.

My aches and pains have all but disappeared, I sleep brilliantly and DP is very smug that he has lost 1.5 stone since January.

Type paleo family recipe into google or Pinterest. There is so much stuff out there, no need to buy cookbooks.

[DorisIsWaiting]

The receipe was from pinterest. I got the rose elliot vegie lo carb book but I haven't been overly impressed so I keep my eye out for receipes here and there.

My favourite favourite atm is leeks and mushrooms sauteed in butter, with cream and smoked salmon addded just before serving. YUM!

[Yama]

Similar to QueenofWhatever here.

When we started off, we'd make the kids pasta/rice/potatoes to go with dinner as normal while we had cauliflower rice/cabbage/courgette/broccoli as a carb substitute.

Now though, the dc have much the same as us.

They do eat some carbs - bread/couscous/wraps/yoghurts. They are growing after all. And we can't control what they eat all the time so their diet is as 'normal' as we can healthily make it.

For me, reducing sugar intake is the biggie.

You asked about snacks. Honestly? I can't remember the last time dd (our eldest) asked for a snack. Eating this way really fills you up.

[Ruprekt]

I agree with Yama. The snacks stop once you low carb as you are full from the fat.

The idea is high fat, medium protein, low carb veg.

I have lost over a stone as has dh.

Tis harder with the children and sugar but we are more aware now about what sugar does to the body and have cut down the pasta and rice we give them.

[apatchylass]

This sounds really helpful and interesting. DS2 is quite a sugar junkie and it does affect his moods. It will help a lot to ease him off refined carbs.
Losing a stone and not wanting snacks both sound great.

Thank you for all the tips so far. (Keep them coming )

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Some brilliant recipes on this thread

If you're low carbing 'properly' then you will not find the need to snack. It means eating plenty of fat/protein.

[snoworneahva]

I find Paleo/Primal is a bit more flexible for family eating that very low carbing. Grains are off the menu but all veg is unlimited except white potatoes and the kids can still have home baked treats sweetened with honey or maple syrup. There are lots of blogs with a huge number of recipes.
I stopped buying cereal last year, but I allowed any other option for breakfast. It takes a while to adjust and with kids a less than perfect approach is important to prevent all out rebellion. I now have discovered good grain free banana muffins, lemon and poppy seed muffins and gingerbread men. We've never eaten much processed food so we have that box ticked already, I'd like to reduce gluten consumption but I have a pasta addict to think of, she'd prefer a bowl of pasta to almost any other food, it seems harsh to remove it completely so I have reduced the pasta and increased the sauce.
Most of all you have to see this as a bit of a journey - you don't have to jump in 100% initially, build up recipes and make the transition when you are ready.

[snoworneahva]

Try this blog

[teaandthorazine]

I really like this blog - the author has two small children so is very focused on making paleo/primal work for the whole family.

Am just transitioning from a low-carb diet just for me, to trying to get ds into a paleo/primal WOE too. (Dp is a bit of a lost cause, unfortunately!)

I think primal is a bit more relaxed than 'pure' low-carb, as it allows more in the way of fruits, honey, nuts etc which is great for us. I'm just conscious of trying to cut right back on the refined sugar in ds's diet, which is generally fairly easy as he's not actually a big sweets/choc fan and will happily eat fruit/full-fat yog/nuts/olives etc instead.

He is a pasta monster though...and breakfast is always tricky. I do resort to cereal 9 times out of 10 . Those muffins sound good though, and tbh I do have time to do him a boiled egg in the mornings if I get myself organised...

[teaandthorazine]

Sorry snow it looks as if I've just re-written your post! I think you're right about one step at a time though. I've been reading the forum of Mark's Daily Apple and some of them are soooo super-committed! Bit scary sometimes

[snoworneahva]

I agree Tea I love the t-shirts that say "I'm more Paleo than you!" There definitely are some obsessive types out there, if it works for them, great.....but we are all different and with kids you have to tread very carefully and the 80:20 rule may be a little too much for most.

For a sweet treat try these, better than Haribos! Gummy stars

Breakfast today - ds had bacon & eggs. Dd had full fat greek yoghurt with Maple syrup and a home made bread roll with butter and lemon curd. Not great but it's been worse and it's been a lot better!

[buildingmycorestrength]

Hi, I am interested in this approach. My kids will eat carbs but my son in particular isn't that bothered. Yesterday he wanted tuna mayo and cucumbers with no bread or wraps for lunch so I let him....Keeping an eye.

[thebestpossibletaste]

My DH and I eat low carb but my dd is a bit of a sugar addict. I'm trying to get her to cut down on sugar but allow her most other things as she loves pasta.