I’ve been home all week, which is odd for me. Not that I’ve been home (because I hardly leave the house between trips), but that I have been HOME – meaning I haven’t been eating out or getting my usual take-out, not even once.
Crazy, right? 🙂 😛 haha
I rarely cook, but when I do it’s super easy meals, and I’m most often cooking for one. Okay, 99.99% of the time!
In MY kitchen, it’s more like a “science experiment” than a recipe, but then you take my ideas and “fix them”. So I end up with REAL recipes by sharing my “fails” with you. 🙂 WIN! I love that.
I keep it simple. I always keep frozen vegetables on hand because they’re convenient (and don’t go bad on me, so no waste!). I also like foods I can cook up in bulk so I have cooked foods on hand to easily throw together a quick low carb meal.
I also try to plan smart. I cook like I dress: “mix & match” 🙂 lol. Meaning… when I do get groceries (so very rare) I get foods that will easily go together from one meal to the next – for less cooking, easier/faster meals, and less cleanup.
Examples: Leftover sausage is great in omelets or breakfast casseroles, leftover baked chicken makes a great chicken salad, extra peanut butter fat bombs mixed with nuts makes a great low carb “bark” or bar, ground beef is great for taco salad AND hamburger casserole, etc. And ANY kind of leftovers you have from your meals can be turned into beautiful low carb biscuits too!
My Easy Low Carb Meals For One This Week
Yesterday I took the leftover baked chicken I made on Thursday, cut it into chunks, and made a casserole with veggies. While I was cutting up the cold chicken, I steamed a bag of frozen mixed broccoli & cauliflower. I put the chicken chunks in a casserole dish, dumped the veggies on top of that, and topped it with shredded cheese – then baked it. This is actually better with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese mixed in, but I didn’t have any on hand. I call it “veggie lasagna” when I do that. 🙂
Low Carb Casserole
It was okay. Edible anyway. It could definitely use something else…
On Friday I got up and made a batch of Low Carb Sausage Biscuits. And that is exactly what I ate – all day. 🙂 A batch makes up 8 very filling biscuits, so I usually eat 2 or 3 for a “meal”. (I had six of them that day.) The last two I ate with a dab of sugar free raspberry preserves on them. YUM!
Low Carb Sausage Biscuits
I find cooking low carb for one very easy. Because nobody fusses about what you’re making. 😛 LOL – but also because you can cook up plenty of something and just eat on that all day – or have leftovers to enjoy for breakfast the next morning.
Plus you can get creative and turn it into something else to keep from getting bored with it – like going from baked chicken thighs to chicken salad to chicken casserole.
Ooh, speaking of using leftovers (and chicken salad!) check out this amazingly delicious Low Carb Avocado Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe.
Now THAT was a creative use of leftovers! lol…
Use A Recipe Calculator To Track Carbs
When I cook, or make something with multiple ingredients – you know, like a “recipe” lol – I use the Free Recipe Calculator in MyFitnessPal to get an accurate carb count per serving. That makes it REALLY easy to track a more complicated meal.
What Will I Cook Today? Hmm…
I have some fresh yellow squash and fresh mushrooms to work with today. I may just saute them together in olive oil and call that lunch and dinner. I like meat, but I don’t find it necessary for EVERY meal, or even every day. And when you’re eating alone… you can do that. 🙂
I also have some frozen spinach on hand, so if I have leftover sauteed veggies… I can add the spinach and make low carb veggie biscuits. I’m going to cook sausage and fried eggs for breakfast though, so I may add some leftover crumbled sausage to those biscuits… yes, that’s sounding really good!
I hope that gives you a few new ideas to work with. Just keep it simple, make easy foods that mix ‘n match well as leftovers, and get creative with those leftovers! Cooking for one is actually really easy. Or if you’re cooking for a family, cooking low carb for yourself is a breeze when you combine a little of this & that to your own plate.
Here are a couple of other ideas from my archives:
10 Minute Low Carb One-Skillet Meal
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Jo says
I’m with ya! lol
In the freezer right now I have prepared hamburgers, low carb chili and ‘spaghetti’ sauce, chicken curry, and cauliflower fried rice. Plus some bags of frozen creamed spinach, several loaves of low carb bread, bacon and Hebrew National hot dogs(both bogo at Publix). π
Lynn Terry says
Smart, Jo! I wish we could trade freezers today. π lol. I usually just wing it, but prepare enough at a time to stretch me through the day (or so). Back when I had a big family – many many years ago, I cooked for 7 – I would prep on the weekends and have meals lined up for the whole week…
Sicorra says
I have been following you for years! I love how you have lost this year from eating low carb. I work on it as well, but not nearly as well as you.
As I read your posts, and I know how much you love to travel, I thought, who better then Lynn Terry to organize a Low Carb Cruise adventure? Kind of similar to your meetups, but on a grand scale. You could include exercise routines for each day as well π
Lynn Terry says
I may consider it, Sicorra. I know a lot of people like cruises. I am not one of them… π lol! haha
Tanya says
I just had to come and tell you I adore those sausage biscuits. I made them for the first time a couple of days ago, and the longer they sit.. the better they get!
I love your “recipe” I’m thinking butter and bacon would have made it even better (butter and bacon make EVERYTHING better *chuckle*)
You’re inspiring me to meal prep tonite. Time to pull out my crock pot and shred me some chicken (and get broth at the same time!) whoo hooo!!!!
In case no one ever told you. I think you’re amazing. You’ve inspired me in so many ways. Have a great day
Lynn Terry says
Thank you so much, Tanya – that really made my day. π I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! They are GREAT with bacon, by the way, and spinach too! See: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4275/low-carb-biscuit-recipe/ Enjoy!!