In a somewhat recent endeavour, I’ve spent a lot of time and effort focused on my physical well-being. Post-pregnancy, I wasn’t happy with the way my body looked but that wasn’t exactly a new thing. I’d been uncomfortable in my skin for years.  And now, with a little one, I decided there would never really be a “good time” to make it a priority so I might as well just do it.  After all, I now have a little one who will eventually learn his healthy (or unhealthy) habits from me.

I’ve almost gotten a handle on how to fit exercise into an already overwhelming schedule (along with some time for my mental well-being) but my main focus as of late has been on our diet…. that’s for another post.

Now, I am NOT one of those people who thinks carbs are the devil and then eats a bajillion grams of fat and various other alwful things. Can’t you tell how well-versed I am in healthy eating??  But I HAVE found that one of the most effective ways for me to lose weight and slim down is to carefully monitor my carb intake. This means that whenever I easily can, I keep carbs to a minimum so that when it’s a little hard (for example, co-worker lunches or girls’ night out), I can just not worry about it.

This is a great article about carbs, blood sugar and – most importantly – insulin resistance.  And those facts are what ultimately led me decide which route I wanted to take with me new diet/lifestyle. I found Pinterest to be a treasure trove of delicious low carb meals and ideas to “feel” like you’re getting your carb fix without actually doing it.  These are not my recipes but I will share some details on what I tweaked.

1. Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie – We’ve all heard about using spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta.  I’ve alwasy felt that the squash just wasn’t “noodle-ey” enough but this dish really does it.  Once you baked the squash and assembled the meat sauce and layered it like baked spaghetti, you bake it once more (WITH CHEESE) and the second go ’round in the oven really softens the noodles.  This is perfect dish to make double the portions and freeze for later.

2.  Taco Turkey Burgers – We eat these OFTEN. I typicaly don’t have tortilla chips so crush up and use in these (and that would carb it up) but I will use a small amount of panko bread crumbs or almond flour to help bind the patties together, which ground turkey often needs a little help doing. I also tend to mix in diced onion and bell pepper.  I found the best finish for these in to broil in a cast iron skillet and add cheese for the last 45 seconds-1 minute for a nice golden brown topping. So basically I don’t follow this recipe at all. Still, so yummy.  I make about 12 patties total and make 4-6 depending on if I want to take leftovers to lunch the next day (1.5 for me, 2 for G, and 1 for III to eat on for the next two evenings for dinner, and an extra 1.5 for me to take for my lunch).  The other 6 patties get frozen individually to cook and eat later.  And they are awesome with just about any sides… you could do an avocado salad, sauteed brussel sprouts, or sweet potato fries.

3.  Cauliflower Mash – talk about some TRICKERY! Ok… if I’m being totally honest, these aren’t a perfect replica for eating mashed potatoes but honestly, it’s super tasty and typically appeases my carb cravings! I follow this recipe exactly but I’ve also done it greek yogurt… and a little extra butter never hurt! This also freezes well so you can make it larger batches.

You can see these and more on my Low Carbin’ Pinterest board!  Stay tuned for an upcoming post on my meal planning and prepping process!