I too grew up on dinner from a box and know that meals from scratch are healthier. Part of the difficulty for me is that I don’t have much time to make meals and am pretty tired when I throw dinner together. Not only do I work full time my children are in many activities, so time is limited. Please pass along healthy low carb meal ideas! All of my siblings including myself are now Type 2 so I know it is imperative that I teach my children to take care of themselves.
Lentil stew. Depending on the variety of lentils, about half of the carbs are fiber. I usually combine two parts lentils with one part grain (rice, barley, teff, etc.) to get a complete protein. It's ready in about 45 minutes, but most of that time it's just simmering away, and you can be doing something else.
I start by rendering a couple slices of bacon. Then I remove the crispy bacon bits, and most of the bacon fat, and saute sliced onions and crushed garlic in the remaining bacon fat, just till they've sweated a bit and are no longer firm. I add some spices (sage and thyme are my favorites, rosemary and bay leaf are nice too, and of course black pepper), the sorted and rinsed lentils and the grain, and cover with either water or stock (I use about 2 1/4 cups for 70g of lentils and 35g of grain). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let it go for 40 or so minutes - as teff is so small and takes much less time to cook, I usually add it after 20 minutes of cooking instead of with the lentils. At the very end, check for seasoning, add salt (don't add salt at the beginning, it just makes the lentils take longer to cook), and put the bacon bits back in the stew.
A pretty good sized bowl has about 25 grams of net carbs, 40 grams if you count the fiber.
If you want to go vegetarian, just remove the bacon, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil, and don't use stock. If you want more meat, I've found using a link or two of Italian sausage instead of the bacon is really nice, too.
This is a great and very easy recipe...ENJOY
HOLIDAY FIVE SPICE
GARLIC CHICKEN
6 ounces boneless, cooked skinless chicken or turkey
1 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 T Minced clove garlic
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable
2-3 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
½ Red Pepper
½ Green Pepper
Water chestnuts
Celery
Green Onion
Snow Peas
Carrots
freshly ground pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the veggies, cooked chicken breasts.
Sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Mix the garlic and Chinese 5-spice powder and add the broth and hoisin mixture.
Add and deglaze the pan with the garlic and Chinese 5-spice powder and add the broth and hoisin mixture.
Boil down until thick and glossy.
Sprinkle the scallions on top.