Cauliflower, cauliflower and more cauliflower. It can be a staple on the cheap and a good base for many meals(soups, rice, mashed, etc). Surprisingly the low carb tortillas and pitas are quite cheap as well.
On the other side, once I started eating low carb, the meat started to matter. I realized that a lot of the things I used to eat were really just good tasting starches will proteins / fats that leave something to be desired. So, now quality protein and fats matters more to me.
Hey onesaint - wish I had access to reasonably-priced low carb tortillas and pitas. Here in the UK you can only get such things from specialist online companies, and a bag of low-carb pitas costs about 15 times as much as the cheaper pitas available from the supermarket.
Netrition.com is my go to for such things. They are a US based web site. I went over to check if they shipped to the UK. On their shipping calculator, I plugged in a random London postal code (AL2 1AB) with 6 pita breads in my cart and it came back with a charge of 19.63GBP for 1-2 weeks delivery. Granted the pitas are only 1.84GBP each, I dont think thats a stellar deal for you.
My low carb chili lasts for about 4 dinners. Here is the recipe.
4 pounds stew meat (I use grass fed)
1 large red onion
2 green peppers
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 large jar sugar free marinara sauce (I use Victoria)
1 med can chopped tomatos
salt and pepper to taste
chop peppers and onion into bite sized pieces. Add all ingredients into crock pot, and cook on low for about 7-8 hours on low until meat is tender.
I like cheddar cheese on top when I eat this.
Beans are known to help keep blood sugar down. Lentils, split peas, soybeans (think tofu) are very filling yet low-carb. They are also high fiber. The key is portion control. Measure how much you are eating carefully so that you know how many carbs you are consuming. If you want advice for how to prepare beans so you have less gas from them, let me know. If you can’t afford meat, beans are the way to go. Don’t forget natural peanut butter without added sugar or hydrogenated oil, too!
I eat a lot of eggs. I’ve learned to make eggs in a variety of ways that keeps less bored on the low carb Aitkins diet. When I’d like a treat I have a 1/2 cup of strawberries, or blackberries, or raspberries with a couple (or a few) tablespoons of heavy whipping crean and 1 packet of Splenda. It’s like eating a bowl of real ice cream - if you savory evry bite and put exactly the right amount of cream in every spoonful.
I also dress up salads, for example - I’ll make taco meat (not Taco Bell), slice avacado’s, slice tomatoes, add shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, and sour cream if you like and there you have a taco salad without the carbs. When I crave Mexican this is what I make for myself.
Now if I could find a new low carb duplicate for Pandas shrimp egg fou yung with gravy(the best). When I get my blood levels to “normal” that is one thing I want to eat.
Hi Cat - shrimp egg foo yung isn’t by itself too carby. There will be some carb in the gravy but again not a huge amount if you don’t go over the top with the cornstarch?
My favorite Mexican is Chipotle’s bowl. I get it with double carnitas, sour cream, cheese, fresh salsa, hot sauce and lettuce. This is very primal low carb. It’s hard to duplicate Chinese food to make it low carb and still taste like the Chinese food that we love. I stay away from it. Try Thai. I enjoy shrimp with green curry and I make some cauliflower fried rice. Now that dish is to die for.
I also lime my fruit consumption as it raises my BG too much. I like to eat some melted Lindt 99% dark chocolate mixed with some almond butter. This never spikes my BG. Lindt 99% Excellence Bar
I’ve been using xanthan gum as a thickener. Carbs and fiber are the same so 0 net carbs. A little goes a long way. It does cause digestive problems in excess for some people, but I don’t notice any problem.
JELLO! Sugar free of course
Basa fillets with a baby spinich salad.
Now, before you turn your nose up at it… let me tell you how i prepare it and you may just want to try it!
First of all, basa is fairly cheap, but I usually find a place that has it on sale and stock up on it.
I thaw it out and then I roal it in one of the most whole grain oatmeals I can find.
Cook it in fry pan just until it is nice and flakey,(grape seed oil is what I use to cook with)
Now for the salad…
baby spinich, topped with fresh OR frozen berries your choice, I prefer fresh.
then… i drizzle non fat probiotic yogurt…any flavor you like… my fav is french vanilla.
and then i sprinkle nuts, seeds,and or granola cereal on top. It is the healthiest and best tasting salad ever!!!
Then, for dessert… i eat 4 peakfrean all bran cookies with 1/4 glass of red wine!
I know, bran cookies sounds terrible… but they are really very tasty! kind of reminds me of graham wafers with a more nutty taste!
Caution:
May evoke yummy sounds!
For those that don’t know Basa ,is a catfish, it is farm raised, large quantities are raised in Vietnam and it can often be found very inexpensively, even $2-3/lb frozen.
If you live in a metropolitan area, look for an Asian (or international) grocery store… not one of the little mom & pop stores the size of a 7-11 (altho those are great for picking up cheap spices) but a full service grocery with a meat and seafood counter. There are several in Atlanta and I can pick up tilapia for $2-3 a pound and nice big shrimp or scallops for maybe $5. Cuts of beef and chicken are also cheap (Mine has boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.99 a pound and that translates into 2 meals for 2 people. Produce and fresh herbs are also much less expensive than a standard chain supermarket. (99 cents for a bunch of fresh herbs that cost $2.50 at Publix and even more at Whole Foods)
Trader Joes (if there is one in your area) is also a great way to reduce your food budget. (But price check because not everything is less expensive than a standard supermarket) Their frozen case has a variety of seafood that is fresh frozen on the boats its been caught on and is relatively inexpensive. Albacore Tuna fillets run $6.00 a lb (again, 2 meals for 2 people), and they have nice pre-marinated salmon and mahi mahi and swordfish for about the same price (the mahi mahi in my freezer was marked $6.29 a pound) Note, with the short refrigerator life of seafood once its been unthawed, this may not be cost effective if you’re cooking for one. There are several pre-marinated fresh seafood options in their meat case. They’re a little more expensive, but it may be worth it for a single person to divide the package up into 4 freezer bags to be able to pull out a single serving. The Herb Dijon Salmon currently in my fridge was marked at $8.99 a pound. Not as cheap as the frozen stuff, but its also pre marinated and needs only to be cooked. I also like TJs for vitamins (and the occasional bottle of red wine) They also do a great reduced carb whole wheat tortilla and are less expensive for toasted sesame oil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I also second the idea of looking at the “Reduced for Quick Sale” section of any supermarket. When I was still eating red meat, I often found expensive cuts very cheaply. I could eat well that night or freeze it, knowing I would need to eat it the same day it thawed.
Even if don’t think you’re a full blown cook, a couple of decent knives (for portioning meat and chopping produce), a kitchen scale (so you can weigh the portions) a grill and a vegetable steamer are useful additions to any low carb kitchen. A grill basket for vegetables is a bonus. An average meal in my house is grilled seafood (marinated, rubbed with spices, or rolled in sesame seeds) and steamed or grilled vegetables tossed with balsamic vinegar or light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. (did zucchini on the grill last night, brushed with olive oil and garlic and they were delicious).
I’'ve found that on a mostly “clean living” (i.e minimal processed foods) low carb diet that even buying seafood and produce, our grocery bills are down because I’m not buying all of the processed, packaged foods I used to, and only minimal dairy products, which are never cheap.
I eat lean meats and veggies. I like to buy fresh veggies but you can get them in the can for pretty cheap in some stores. Some Turkey franks are very low carb and really cheap, add in the veggies and you have a meal. I also like to buy smart ones, some of them have 15g of carbs. The meals are small so you have to have a salad or something with them.
Yeah, sale items always scare me, especially meats, you have to use them up right away like you said, I wouldn’t let them sit around for any length of time.
BadMoon growing a garden is a great idea. A guy at work, his mom was diabetic, she started on insulin, then got sick of that so she started growing her own food, she canned and froze from her garden, she got so good at her diet that they put her on the pills, then eventually nothing at all. She lived to be 90. You can’t ask for much more than that!
I work in DC, so I am always experimenting with low carb lunches that aren’t too expensive (eating out for lunch every day is way expensive in the city). I have found some good low-carb frozen entrees, and I also pack nuts, pumpkin seeds, greek yogurt, and cheese pretty much daily. I am a vegetarian, which makes low-carbing it a bit more difficult, but there are options. I just ignore all other dietary restrictions (calories, fat, etc) and focus on carbs, because for me the carbs have the greatest impact on my blood sugar.
Hi Michael ,
We began low carb eating back in 2009 first 4months lost over 20 lbs and 8 inches off waist allowed ourselves to get sabotaged with BBQ’s & parties during summer …we eat real low carb or have been the past yr and a half . Broiled chicken, steak , pork chops or fish (tilapia or cod or salmon ) , frozen veggies like asparagus , brussel sprouts, broccoli , cauliflower ,green beans , toss salad, a slice of (Lite Oroweat bread 5.5 carbs per slice ) gelatin for desert . Raw almonds for snacks 2.5hrs after meals . We eat 3 meals a day 5 hrs apart and mini meal or snack at 11:30pm before bed for me and before work for hubby . We get fresh veggies when we can food budget here is tight ! We get meats bulk at Costco and other foods at WINCO ( only in Washinton , Idaho , Nevada, California and Oregon states ) .-Shadaya
Great post! Lots of good stuff here. I have a fairly large electric smoker ($199 @ Lowes) and almost every weekend I smoke a whole chicken for about 5 hrs @ 210 degrees. This makes dinner for two that night and lunches for the week. I have done this in the oven also, but the smoker works better. I usually make a dry rub but also will use fresh garlic with rosemary and thyme from the garden. Melt in your mouth delish. Even as a left over.
Also use a lot of ground chicken. We buy skinless, boneless breasts on sale and grind them in the Kitchenade (no a cheap mixer, but easily paid for itself in about a year). Makes burgers, meatballs and tacos. Quick thaw if we need a quick meal. Also this is turning out to be Winston’s (the cat) favorite meal and is WAY cheaper than store bought cat food. And it seems to be helping him from a health standpoint.
We use fresh as well as frozen veggies. Albertson’s brand steamer veggies can be around $1.25 per bag on sale. MUCH better quality than the big brands and cheaper even when not on sale.
I agree with many of the other posts. Find the best places to buy what you like. Plan and prepare ahead (like that’s a new concept for PWD) and have a freezer.
Do you have a good dry rub that doesn’t use brown sugar?