My DS eats low carb. I want him to grow up thinking this natural healthy way of eating is normal and not struggle with the mindset of having bolognese without pasta, soup without bread, curry without rice etc.
I buy cheap cuts of meat and use my slow cooker a lot. Aldi is really cheap for fruit, veg and meat although they only do organic bananas. These are the cheapest prices I have found.
Minced beef 3.59/kg aldi
Minced pork 2.98/kg aldi
Lamb breast 4.89/kg aldi
Lamb shoulder 6.49/kg aldi
Lamb blade 6.79/kg morrisons
Frozen lamb shanks 6/kg heron foods (these are a treat as they do come in a mint gravy although they are still low carb)
Beef brisket 6.79/kg aldi
Pork shoulder 3/kg asda
Gammon 3.76/kg aldi (I think this does have nitrates though)
Free range chicken 3.33/kg aldi
Chicken thighs 2.65/kg aldi
Boneless chicken thighs 4.99/kg aldi
Pork belly joint tesco 3/kg
Steak 10.73/kg aldi
I've got a long list of snacks that I can fall back on when hunger kicks in.
uncooked salad crudites served with homemade coleslaw, goat's cream cheese, mayo or nut butter (brazils, walnuts, pistachios, macadamias, hazelnuts, almonds or pecans) or to dip in a soft boiled egg (avocado, carrot, pepper, celery, cucumber, cherry toms, baby spinach, baby corn, mange tout, green beans, courgette)
asparagus or green beans wrapped in parma ham (also good to dip in soft boiled egg)
omelette or frittata cut up (sometimes have cold leftovers out of fridge)
scrambled egg
egg muffins
hard boiled egg
egg mayonnaise
chunks of goat's cheese
sweet peppers stuffed with goat's cream cheese
sundried tomatoes/cubes of goat's cheese in oil
olives
pickled shallots
chicken drumsticks
canned tuna in spring water
pieces of cold chicken, lamb, beef, parma ham, salmon, prawns
brazils, walnuts, pistachios, macadamias, hazelnuts, pecan, almonds
roasted swede, celeriac, turnip and carrot wedges (again sometimes have cold leftovers out of fridge)
lettuce wraps with sandwich fillings or left over chilli/bolognese, curry etc
pork scratchings
low sugar fruit so rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants with natural goat's yoghurt, jersey cow cream or goat's cream or nut butter
1-3 squares of 85% or 90% dark choc
Our version of mini pancakes (make pancake batter by mixing a big spoonful of nut butter with a mashed up banana and two eggs. Place greased metal cookie cutter on frying pan and pour in batter)
Cream cheese pancakes
50g goat's cream cheese
2 eggs
1tsp maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon - ( I add 2tsp as we love cinnamon)
1tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix together using a stick blender. You can make them without coconut flour and baking powder to make something more like a crepe.
Spoon a tablespoon of mixture onto an oiled heated non stick frying pan. Like all pancakes you need to play a bit to achieve the right heat and figure out when best to flip over.
Philly comes in small snack sized portions - it's perfect for this, they have a really long shelf life, so you'll always have the ingredients at hand.
Frozen blueberries with more cinnamon cooked in micro till they go jammy work well with these.
It is a great way of eating for me because I don't feel deprived. You can make things taste rich with oils, butter, cream and cheese. After all plain bread, rice and pasta isn't exactly something to look forward to is it, it's the sauces you put on it. I just put those sauces on my meat and veg instead.
I also allow myself a recommended amount of 3 squares or 30g of 85% or higher dark chocolate a day and a large glass of good red. The one I drink is 13% and an "allowable" daily serving is apparently 273ml. They both have health benefits and they are a nice treat to look forward to.
If you have a coffee machine put dry ingredients (cinnamon, cocoa powder) on top of the coffee in the filter rather than adding it into the liquid coffee. I use 2 tablespoons of decaff ground coffee, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of cocoa per mug. It's much more flavorful than adding it after the coffee's brewed. After I have poured my coffee I have some vanilla extract, a dollop of extra thick double cream (some people have a dollop of butter and coconut oil also known as a bullet proof coffee) with extra cocoa and cinnamon sprinkled on top instead of milk and sugar.
I also have decaff tea either black or with a teaspoon of milk. Green tea, rooibos tea, fruit tea and herbal teas are all OK to have as well.