So the last couple of weeks have had me craving for some comfort foods, and when trying to keep low-carb, that can be tough. So this post is all about low-carb coping.
Low Carb at the Movies
Some friends have been doing weekly movie nights at their house - and all our friends head over to watch classics. If you're in a social movie scenario where everyone is eating popcorn and traditional movie theatre candy (think Twizzlers, Junior Mint, M&Ms and Milk Duds), its hard to just sit empty handed. I think I fairly effectively solved this with pork rinds -- And the Bake'nets spicy ones or the BBQ flavor ones are the best. (Not a huge fan of the non-flavored ones.) You get the crunch/junk food of popcorn, and if you do the spicy ones, you'll have to pace your consumption because they're HOT. And of course for the chocolate, Russell Stover makes a very wide assortment of sugar-free chocolates. But a little goes a long way with the sugar alcohols - (not just calories-wise but the laxative effect of the sugar alcohols). Atkins even has some sugar-free M&Ms but I've not tried them yet. (However, Atkins' chocolate caramel nut chews are almost as good as Snickers and are portioned appropriately). The only word to the wise: Get your exercise early to make sure you have the calories for junk food!
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Costco's deli sold the curry
prepared with chicken & peas.
But they sold the sauce by itself too. |
Cold Weather Curry
On a particularly stressful day, on one of those freezing cold-snap days we had in early March, I had zero desire to cook and every desire to feed my face with something unhealthy and comforting. I couldn't come up with a single food that I could dine out that met that criteria, but I had bought some Maya Kaimal Chicken Coconut Curry at Costco on a whim. Their 5 oz serving has 6 g net carbs, and only 150 calories. I did not think that the serving size was enough, so I bumped it to 7.5 oz and served on steamed broccoli. I prefer my
Thai-Panang curry as far as coconut curries go, but takes some time and is a lot more calories, but this definitely meets the "don't want to cook" need and is pretty good for 'fast'. It also goes well with cold days.
St. Patrick's Day Savory Cabbage
This week as St. Patrick's day is approaching, I've seen a ton of recipes for corned beef and cabbage with potatoes. I had also seen a pin on Pinterest for a cabbage and kielbasa skillet dish - and figured it might satisfy comfort, St Pats and still convert to low carb. Costco again for the rescue: they had 2.5 lb pack of roasted garlic Kiolbassa for about $8, and with cabbage at about $0.70/head, this is not just comfort food, but super cheap and way easy. Not doing this like a regular recipe, since the ingredient list is short, and the steps are few.
Heat a skillet with about .5 tbsp of olive oil. Chop 1.5 lbs of kielbasa into 1/4-1/2" coins and brown in the olive oil. Remove the sausage, but leave the oils, and add about 2 tbsp of butter to the skillet. While that's melting/reheating, chop your cabbage head (removing the solid 'heart'). Sauté the cabbage in the oil/fat, and add salt & pepper to taste, and add the kielbasa back in at the end. This makes 4 very gigantic portions (probably 6 healthier sizes) of about 560 calories, and 11g net carbs. I was positively stuffed after eating this, so it's definitely bang for your buck.
Dining Out
I have opportunities to eat out a lot with friends, and so I've gotten pretty good at navigating restaurant menus. My favorites are Mexican - my 'go-to' is a plate of fajitas, without the beans rice or tortillas. Once you dump sour cream and guacamole or cheese on your meat and veggies, you have something super satisfying. At Chipotle, which is easy and fast, I do the bowl, with steak (or carnitas when they have it), fajita veggies, cheese, sour cream on the side (maybe yours doesn't but without some control, the line workers at Chipotle will absolutely SMOTHER the dish with sour cream), and lettuce and the 'fresh' salsa (called Pico de Gallo where I come from).
Salads also are a common go-to. Cobb Salads have good protein from the egg, and chicken (and get the plain ranch and avocado if you can), just skipping the croutons. Caesar salads with salmon, shrimp or chicken is a favorite too. Nearly EVERY menu has one of these types of options. And for fast-food, Panera salads are the best.
Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, but only because I love omelets. If having a breakfast out and I can't sit down and order an omelette, Panera winds up being a go-to. They have a few power 'bowl' breakfasts that hit it well. The steak bowl has strips of steak, avocado, tomato, and poached eggs. For 270 calories and 3 net carbs, its a winner.
Last, Red Robin has lettuce wrapped burgers (any burger on the menu wrapped in lettuce instead of bun), and you can get steamed broccoli in place of the fries. I may have to have this today while I'm out - sometimes you just don't want a salad but cheese-y bacon-y goodness is always welcome. The guacamole bacon burger on lettuce wrap is not low-cal, but its a pretty good size portion - and at 772 calories but only 8 net carbs, you can feel pretty good about it. (Add another 3 net carbs for the broccoli).
