5 Tasty Low Carb

5 Tasty Low Carb On-the-Go Meals

You’ve made the decision to eat low carb…kudos to you for that! However, you may soon realize that it can easily become much more difficult than you anticipated; at least without a little thought and preparation.  #FoodieFriday

So What’s To Be Done?

Let’s face it, life keeps us busy.  It can be quite the task to wake up earlier in the morning to prepare food when we have a jam-packed day.  Even the best of intentions can get derailed.  Especially when we’re on-the-go!

What if I told you, that you can carry your food with you?

Yes, I know you won’t be spending hours in the kitchen before you head out.  And you won’t need to.  There are ways you can expedite preparation time, and have delicious, healthy and portable low carb meals at your disposal.

First, A Few Quick Tips:

  • Do the bulk (or all) of your preparation on weekends. You can easily cut veggies for salads, marinate and grill meat, and even portion off entire meals, all over a Sunday afternoon.
  • Make a list of all the likely needed ingredients for the week. You’re more likely to fall off a diligent plan if you have nothing to eat. So, stock up, and embrace your inner foodie!
  • Don’t go condiment heavy. By this, I mean try to limit or restrict the amount of condiments added to these otherwise healthy and low carb meals. Condiments are loaded with hidden carbs and food additives, which can leave you scratching your head wondering where you’re going wrong.

With That Out Of The Way, Here Are Some Great, Healthy And Portable Low Carb Meals Ideas

Breadless Sandwiches

Finding it hard to forego your reliable stand-by… a bread based sandwich? For many, bread forms a very important meal base, around which endless varieties of sandwiches can be concocted.

Going cold turkey on bread when eating low carb can drive you bananas! (I’m done with the food puns…for now!)

Luckily, you can use any variety of lettuce to substitute as bread slices, or a double-up as a stand-in for buns when devouring a juicy burger! Sandwiches are the ultimate portable food, and this can be a godsend.

Fill with lean meats, onion, ranch (or blue-cheese) dressing for a zesty kick (which coincidentally is low in carbs, wink-wink!) and, in limitation, a bit of real cheese. You can try a new type of lettuce sandwich every single day if you like!

Stir-Fried Veggies And Seafood

Don’t like to cut up and prepare veggies on the weekend? Then, still no reason to stress. You can just as easily pick up a bag of frozen veggies from you supermarket freezer aisle, and quickly whip out a cup or two for a tasty stir-fry. Add shrimp in the mix, or even canned tuna, and what you’ve got is a powerful and portable meal rich in heart healthy Omega-3 Fatty acids and lots of nutrients!

Low Carb Bento Boxes  

Bento boxes may be unfamiliar to you, but they can be a very nice way to spruce up a boring or visually blasé diet. The way food looks plays an important part in its perceived taste, and this is especially where bento box low carb meals take center-stage.

All you need is a lunch bowl with 3-4 compartments, then creatively fill with various foods in each. Typically, Japanese Bento contains rice, but low carb substitutions are a quick and easy fix.

You can fill one compartment with seasoned or stir-fried veggies (your choice; I love the way stir fried Brussels sprouts taste!), one compartment with bite-sized chunks of a meat of your choice, or even better, fish; and a boiled egg or two in the other compartment. Sprinkle a little soy sauce (or liquid aminos) over the dish and you will have a delectable meal that looks stunning too!

Charcuterie 

Charcuterie?  This is Hoity-Toity speak for “cheese, meat and olive platter”.

Even if you can’t pronounce this foodie term (I butcher it every time…ha, I didn’t even mean to be punny!), you can enjoy every single low carb bite, guilt-free!  Slice up an ounce or two of salami, chop up some crispy bacon, add to those an ounce of fresh shaved parmesan (or asiago), then grab a handful of olives (about 6).  To keep with our portability theme, bag each separately (or use a compartmented container) and dig in when it’s meal time.

Good Ol’ Salads

Nothing beats a hearty salad when it comes to health…and convenience. Salads take mere minutes to prepare, can be done however you like, and are filling too. Load up with lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil), olives, cucumbers, sweet peppers and chopped meat of your choice (leftover steak works well here). You may even want to pack two servings for a long day!

Pour a few tablespoons of (low carb) dressing into a well-sealed jar to add when you’re ready to eat.  You can add some blue-cheese crumbles and bacon to ramp up the flavor and make for happy taste buds!

No More Drive-Thru Shuffle…

Now that you’ve seen the simplicity of packing a healthy low carb meal, there’s no longer a reason to not carry yours from home. And just think of all the time and cash you’ll save!

Take your lunch break at a park or by the water when time and proximity permits.  Get in a little “me time” while you enjoy one of the convenient, on-the-go meals above.

The portability of these meals is unmatched; you can likely fit them in your handbag or pack an insulated lunchbox.  Lunchboxes are NOT just for the kids anymore! 

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