The holidays. Lots of joy, cheer, happiness, and my personal favorite-- domestic disputes among the family members. With all the calories you will be consuming in the form of alcohol to make time with family a little more bearable, you're going to want to cut a few calories in other places. In this post, I am going to help you along with a couple tips for low carb dieting and a few of my favorite recipes for low carb side dishes that you could take to family gatherings throughout the holiday season. Grab those flasks full of eggnog and let's get started!
When you think of Thanksgiving, you usually think of a big juicy bird (that's what she said). The great thing about high protein diets is that you can eat virtually as much turkey as you want. When loading up your plate, try and fill your plate with protein first, then you'll only have a little room left for things like mashed potatoes and peanut butter pie. I'm not saying to restrict yourself from these things on Thanksgiving, I'm just saying to put them on your plate last. Chances are by the time you get to them, you won't have much room for them on your plate, then you won't have near as much room for them in your belly.
What are some other things you can eat on Thanksgiving and not feel too bad about? How about deviled eggs? Now I know most people load those disgusting little stink bombs up with condiments like mayo, but they do have protein in them and although they may have a higher fat content than a plain egg, they are still a better choice than some other classic Thanksgiving foods. You can also hit up all of the meat and cheese trays if you're needing a snack to hold you over until dinner time. Shrimp trays? Great, no carb! Scallops wrapped in bacon? Great, no carbs, but you're in the wrong place because this is a budgeting blog for the broke ass 20-something.
Now I am a slave to my love for finger foods, so do try and stay away from olives. Ahh olives how I love thee. These little babies pack a punch. Often featured on meat trays or snack tables at holiday parties, you can rack up your total daily allowance of fat in no time with just a handful or two of these. Think "Can oil be mad from these?" And if the answer is yes, you should run the other way.
Those are a few a tips I have to help you all out with your holiday eating. Remember, you don't want to restrict yourself from anything, you just want to control yourself and keep from going overboard. Enjoy your holiday and be thankful for all of your blessings! Now on to a few recipes---
Low Carb Broccoli and Cheese
Fresh broccoli florets (you could use frozen, but I think they got too soggy)
1 block of soften fat free cream cheese
Splash of skim milk
Packet of ranch salad dressing mix
About a cup of fat free shredded cheddar cheese (or as much as you want)
Steam the broccoli florets (you can do this in the microwave or on the stove), then combine the cream cheese, milk and ranch dressing mix in a bowl. Top the broccoli with the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with cheese, then microwave until the cheese is melted. ---Boom! Your side dish is made. This recipe is super fast, super easy, and a great alternative to traditional broccoli casserole.
Lemon Pepper Zucchini
Zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds
Lemon pepper
Olive oil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil on a cookie sheet and toss your zucchini in the oil. Sprinkle the zucchini rounds generously with lemon pepper on both sides. Bake until tender. ---You can also do this on your stove top if you are short on time, or on a grill if it is above twenty degrees outside where you live. Don't like lemon pepper? Try Greek seasoning or Mrs. Dash. Zucchini tastes great with whatever you put on it!
Low Carb Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potatoes (I used canned because I'm lazy)
1½ cups pecan chips
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 cup Splenda
Add about 1/4 cup worth sugar substitute, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of the butter, pecans and mix until blended. Put that mixture into a bowl and sit it to the side. Put the sweet potatoes into a food processor or blender and process with 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the rest of the seasonings, the egg and the remaining 1/4 cup of Splenda. If you think your sweet potatoes are sweet enough, leave out the last 1/4 cup of Splenda. Put sweet potatoes in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle pecan topping over the top. Bake at 375 degrees until the topping is browned.
And those are a few recipes for you guys to try out this holiday season, or at any time that you feel like have a yummy low carb side dish. I also want to address why I have not posted on here in almost a month and kind of let you all know what I have went through so you can avoid making my mistake.--
As most of you may know, my mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer and I have moved back home to help take care of her and help out with paying bills and all of that jazz. She's in chemo right now and she is doing absolutely phenomenal (Thank you, God) but it is still scary. She is expected to return to work after the new year.
Last Saturday I was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain and spent 2 days in CCU and 3 more in the general hospital for what turned out to be a bleeding ulcer. I ended up with this because I get headaches almost every single day (which I think are stress induced from my job and the aforementioned issue with my mom) and I have taken so much ibuprofen that it has literally eaten a hole in my stomach. I passed out three times from the blood loss and ended up having to have two blood transfusions, so if you get headaches everyday like I do, go to the freaking doctor and stop trying to doctor yourself, unless you want to end up in my old hospital bed.
Xoxo,
--B
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