Breakfasts
FF Greek yoghurt with double cream poured over. Add a handful of smushed berries or 1/4 chopped apple & shake of cinnamon or splash of vanilla. Chopped nuts or chia seeds would be nice. No honey/sweetener.
Selection of: bacon, egg, GF sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, 1/4 tin low sugar baked beans from Morrisons.
Poached egg/scrambled egg on a bed of spinach/chard
Smoked salmon/smoked mackerel/kippers with egg and a handful of watercress or lightly steamed greens
Cup of coffee with single cream
Lunches
Halloumi cut into 4 batons, wrap each one in a rasher of streaky bacon, fry in olive oil til nicely browned. Serve with watercress/salad (serves 2)
Selection of: bacon, egg, GF sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, 1/4 tin low sugar baked beans from Morrisons.
Tuna and white bean salad
Salad Niçoise… skip the potatoes
HM soup… use a chunk of swede or celeriac in place of potato. No bread. Add a good blob of butter/glug of olive oil/blue cheese/grated cheddar to the bowl
Snacks
Handful of nuts (unsweetened). Fewer peanuts & cashews which can be carby
A slice of presliced cheese (not the processed stuff… something like Gouda/Emmental from Aldi/Lidl). A piece of continental ham/salami/chorizo… roll together
Celery with pâté (check for sugar/carbs) or cheese
Crudités
Babybels
Mini chorizos
1 or 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate
Dinners
Thai curry… use FF coconut milk, mix of vegetables, meat, spoonful of curry paste. Don’t use jars of sauce, they’ll be very sugar laden. I just add lots of cauliflower florets to mine, rather than bothering with “cauliflower rice” which I don’t find very nice.
Indian curry… again use paste (or dry spices) rather than bought sauce
Lamb koftas, served with salad, oven roasted Med vegetables, smushed white beans, olive oil, sprinkled with dukkah or another spice mix
Premium burger, served with a slice of gouda or gorgonzola, big serving of salad or vegetables. Could occasionally have some roasted sliced sweet potato with it
Steak, fillet/chop of lamb or pork grilled or panfried. Serve with creamy mushroom sauce and huge pile of veg. Subtract the potatoes/rice… add extra veg!
Stroganoff… serve with a big pile of green veg
Stirfry… meat and vegetables. For flavour add chopped fresh garlic, ginger and chilli. Stay clear of sachets/jars of chinese sauce… very sugary. Just add generous splashes of sesame oil and tamari and a pinch of chinese spice mix.
Chilli… add a small tin of cannellini beans or kidney beans. No rice. Serve with avocado or guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese
Bolognese… I don’t bother with the “courgetti” thing… I find they go too watery and limp. You could roast a spaghetti squash, or a mix of Med veg like courgette, aubergine, tomatoes, red onion etc
Desserts
A small piece of fruit, eg 1/2 and apple or orange. But I find a lot of fruit too sweet now my tastebuds have changed after drastically cutting back on sugar. I like to have a little for the Vit C to absorb the iron from the meat.
Strawberries and cream (the proper stuff, not Elmlea or squirty!)
I made this crumble recipe recently which was lush, but for occasional use only, as it has maple syrup in which has exactly the same glycemic and triglyceride effects as table sugar… just use a light drizzle of maple syrup
www.unconventionalbaker.com/recipes/simple-paleo-gluten-free-vegan-apple-crumble/
Cheese and flax crackers or celery
Drinks
Tea with a splash of milk, no sugar (limit milk consumption if keeping carb levels down to keto levels, and make sure it’s full fat to maximise macronutrients in favour of high fat/low carb)
Coffee with pouring cream
Herb tea
Water
(Weekend or special occasion only) glass of red wine, 1/2 pint of dry cider, shot of spirits and diet mixer.
I don't count calories or carbs at all... I take a qualitative rather than quantitative approach. I eat only food which is fresh, unprocessed, grain free and generally fits the low carb-high fat profile. I give a bit of wiggle room to beans and fresh fruit in low moderation which aren't strictly low carb but are healthy for fibre/vitamins.