As you may have read in another post, I’ve lost about 180 pounds by following the Atkins lifestyle for the last two years. I’ve never felt healthier, and my body chemistry is proof that I’ve never been healthier!! The secret to my success has been finding ways to make over my favorite foods so that I can still eat the things I love without the guilt!
You can read more about my low carb journey in this post here, and grab my recipes for buffalo chicken, an awesome breakfast scramble and my favorite meal on the planet, low carb spinach lasagna while you’re there. Now, on to my favorite easy low carb eats and summer treats (i.e, get out your grill and turn up your sweet tooth)! Since sharing my success story with Atkins, I’ve been lucky enough to team up with them to reach a few more people and hopefully inspire a few along the way as an Atkins Ambassador.
Low Carb Kebabs/Kabobs
These kebabs are definitely my go-to summer grilling recipe, even before I got started with Atkins and eating low carb! Adjust amounts to number of People Served. This is at least 6. The carb counts here will vary depending on which vegetables you use and any marinades you add. This is not so much a recipe as it is an amazing idea – have fun with this!
Ingredients:
1 Lb Boneless Chicken or Beef cut into 1” Pieces (I usually make both but marinate and skewer separately).
1 Lb Steak or Beef Tips, 1” pieces
1 Pkg of Your Favorite Marinade OR a Bottle of Italian Dressing (no sugar added)
1 Each Green, Red, Orange & Yellow Peppers
2 Lrg Onions (I like the Red Ones for this)
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 Pint Small Fresh Mushrooms
1 Zucchini, Sliced and quartered
1 Summer Squash, Sliced and quartered
Directions:
I marinate the chicken and the beef (separately) in my marinade of choice overnight. You can do something as simple as olive oil, salt and pepper, or even this mixture plus lemon juice for the chicken. Sometimes I make teriyaki type marinades using soy sauce, garlic, liquid sucralose. And often I just use a low carb Italian dressing which gives an awesome flavor!
If you will be using wooden skewers (as opposed to metal) you will need to soak them in water and can also soak those overnight.
About an hour before I am ready to grill, I cut up my veggies. I use a mixture of red, yellow, orange and green peppers, red onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and summer squashes
Skewer the meat and veggies, alternating in any real order you’d like. I love how colorful these turn out!
Grill over high, direct heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
I’m currently working on a recipe for something similar but coating in crushed pork rinds. We make Kushi alot in my neck of the woods which is chicken, onions and green peppers skewered on a stick then dipped in flour and then egg and then rolled in Panko crumbs and deep fried. I’m thinking that I can do it low carb by skipping the flour, coating in crushed pork rinds and then I’m going to give them a go in an air fryer! Speaking of air fryers, I think I can make mozzarella sticks the same way and not have the mess I usually end up with when trying to fry them in oil. I’ll post these air fryer recipes as soon as I perfect them!
Smoked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
I just love pork tenderloin. Stuffed, grilled, broiled, baked, barbecued, smoked, roasted, in the crockpot – just give me the pork, okay? This stuff is no joke, I mean just look at it –
My husband started getting serious about smoking meats last summer. I had to up my game, guys! So, I went to work in the kitchen preparing meats for his smoking adventures. This bacon wrapped stuffed pork tenderloin was a big huge hit! I mean, d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!
Butterfly and pound out the pork tenderloins so that they can be stuffed and rolled. In a large skillet cook your favorite sausage (casings removed) – for this I used Italian basil sausage. Drain. Then add the following and saute until the mushrooms start to brown slightly:
- 1 16oz package fresh spinach
- 8 ounces diced fresh mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Let the mixture cool to room temperature then spread the stuffing mixture over the pork, rolled it up and wrapped it in BACON. Mmhmm, bacon. Pork meets pork. Taking things to a whole new level.
Follow the directions for your smoker if using, or roast in the oven. I don’t have exact times and temps but you should be able to find the basic information about how long to cook and at what temperature specific to the cooking method you’re using.
Low Carb Lime Mini Cheesecakes
Makes approximately 16 cupcake size servings at an estimated 2.5 net carbs each.
- 1 cup whole fat ricotta cheese
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 eggs
- Liquid sweetener (sucralose or stevia) to equal 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 400°F. In food processor, process ricotta cheese until smooth. Add cream cheese. Process. Add eggs, liquid sweetener, erythritol, lime juice and vanilla; process. Stir and process, making sure all lumps have been removed. Pour into 12 paper cups which have been placed in muffin pans. Bake 20 minutes in the oven, or until cake tester comes out clean. Refrigerate when cool.
If you want to add a crust layer first, try mixing about half a cup of almond flour with 1/4 cup melted butter and a few tablespoons of erythritol or splenda to taste and pressing the mixture into the bottom of the muffin tins. Sometimes I skip the crust completely to keep the carb count down even further but other times, you just need to go the extra mile!
Here are a few more of my favorite low carb eats – I don’t always remember to grab pictures but these recipes are totally worth sharing!!
Garlic Bacon Pesto Pizza
Estimated 5 net carbs per serving.
- 1.5 cups mozarella
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 eggs
- roasted garlic
- chopped cooked bacon
- mushroom pieces
Mix together. Spread evenly in an ungreased 8 inch cake pan. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until top starts to brown slightly. Top with pesto sauce, more mozzarella cheese and toppings of choice – I used real bacon bits and roasted garlic because it’s what I had on hand. Mushrooms would have been awesome on this. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted!
The pesto sauce I used had a 3 net carb content for the whole pizza. Add in some trace carbs for the mozzarella and this entire pizza is 5 grams of net carbs or less!
Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Blondies
Estimated 4 net carbs per serving. Makes 16 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cranberry “butter” **recipe below
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract
- 1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325F and grease an 8×8 inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking soda and salt.In a large bowl, beat cranberry “butter,” butter and Swerve Sweetener until smooth and well combined. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract and stevia extract until well combined. Beat in almond flour mixture until fully incorporated and then stir in chocolate chips. Spread the mixture into a prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a knife. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (less for a gooey consistency, more for a cakier consistency), until top is lightly browned and just set. Remove from oven and let cool for half an hour before cutting and serving.
Sugar Free Orange Cranberry “Butter” and Sauce
12 oz cranberries
1 c splenda
1/4 tsp orange extract
1 c water
Bring water and Splenda to a boil. Add cranberries and orange extract. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Mash with a potato masher. Pour into a nut bag or use cheesecloth. Pour the liquid into a container , cover and cool and you’ve got cranberry sauce!
Now the cranberry pulp left in the bag – this is what inspired this recipe! I didn’t want to waste it when I was making jellied cranberry sauce so I created these Blondies.
To keep up with my weight loss journey, how I use Atkins products and create a variety of fun low carb eats at home, and how I am learning to love my new body and build my self-esteem along with power-lifting at the gym, please follow me on Instagram. I’m also always happy to answer any questions and talk about my journey! Leave me a comment below, on my Instagram or on my Facebook page here.
What are some of your favorite low carb eats?
