Week 3 - Low Carb Meal Plan

Just a reminder- this is what I ate this week. Feel free to modify to meet what you like and have!


Breakfast

8am

coffee with half and half and up to 2 Truvia for sweetener every day 

& one of the following:

- 2 eggs scrambled with half and half and 2 slices of cheese served with 3 slices of bacon
OR
- One Peanut Butter Mug Cake *But I only use 1 packet of Truvia if I'm eating this as a breakfast*

Snacks

10am & 3pm one of the following

-1 string cheese of your choice (2 grams of carbs or less), 4 thin slices of pepperoni,  4 green olives and 2 tsp dijon mustard

OR

-3 slices of your favorite lunch meat rolled with 1 slice of cheese and mustard

OR

-2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (this week I couldn't get enough peanut butter)

Lunch

12pm one of the following: 

-1/2 can tuna mixed with mayo, salt and pepper served in a few lettuce leaves

OR

- one serving of Balsamic Chicken & Veggies

OR

-2 hotdogs with chopped onion, dill pickle with mustard and no sugar ketchup

Dinner

6pm one of the following:

-One serving of my Italian Sausage Skillet

OR

- One Garlic Chicken Burger served over arugula along side roasted eggplant
(Giadas recipe and it is AMAZING)

OR
- One serving of my Lemon Garlic Chicken
served with 2 low carb veggies-  I did cauliflower mash and roasted Brussel sprouts!

Nigh time snack (optional):

2 White Claw Hard Seltzers

OR

2 Glasses of Red Wine

OR 

another snack from the list above

low carb Italian Sausage Skillet, One Pan, 20 Minute Meal

Are your socks ready to be rocked? OK then, you can read the recipe.
Seriously though this recipe is my new favorite. I made it for dinner and then heated it up for lunch and let me tell you its just perfection. Fall will be here for you know it and I cant wait to share some new comfort food recipes with everyone. What's better than a 20 minute, low carb, comfort food dinner? Nothinggggg!

Make sure you're subscribed to my blog and my YouTube channel (above) so you don't miss any low carb diet updates or any new recipes!

low carb Italian Sausage Skillet - Serves 4


1 pound ground Italian Sausage, hot or mild
1 can Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic , 14.5 oz
1 cup baby spinach
2 medium zucchinis spiralized, about 3 cups of "zoodles"
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Squeeze of lemon juice- about 1/2 Tsp

First thing you need to do is spiralize your zucchini into noodles. Refer to the video above for the how I do it and check out the link at the bottom of this post to get the one I use in the video. Or you can buy them already prepared at your local grocery store.
In a large nonstick skillet heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
Add in the ground sausage breaking up the pieces in the pan. Continue to stir and break into smaller pieces until cooked through.
Then add in the entire can of diced tomatoes (do not drain) and mix well.
Allow the tomatoes to warm through for about 1-2 minutes.
Then add in the spices- Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Mix well.
Add in the baby spinach, mix well and allow the spinach to cook and wilt down about 2 minutes.
Then add in the zoodles and mix well. Allow the zoodles to warm through and cook down for about 3 minutes. They will still be al dente.
Then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top followed by the mozzarella.
Turn off the heat on the stove and allow the cheese to melt about 1 minutes.
Right before serving squeeze a tiny bit of lemon on top of the whole skillet.
The lemon will wake up the flavors but you won't taste lemon - similar to my Rustic Chicken Soup recipe.
Enjoy!

*Spiralizer I use

Nutritional Info:

Per Serving

262 Calories

5 Net Grams Carbs

28 Grams Protein 

Week 2 - Low Carb Diet Meal Plan

Keeping it short and sweet today! Here is the food I ate this past week to lose weight while following a low carb diet. Pick and choose from the list below or browse my blog for some more inspiration. I also like to repeat a recipe during the week to make my grocery trip that much easier.

Breakfast

8am

coffee with half and half and up to 2 Truvia for sweetener every day
 (I have also been adding cinnamon!.. and whipped cream on the weekends LOL)

& one of the following:

My Breakfast Bombs

-2 eggs scrambled with 1 Tbsp half and half and 1/4 cup of your favorite cheese (I used 2 slices of American cheese) and 3 slices of bacon

-2 Breakfast Bombs served with 1/4 avocado and choloula sauce
(these are my obsession again this week!)

Snacks

10am & 3pm one of the following

-1 Mozzarella cheese stick and 4 thin slices of pepperoni 

-1 pack of 100 calorie raw almonds

-1/2 cup broccoli florets (or cucumber slices) dipped in 2 Tbsp Ranch dressing (Ranch that is 2 grams of carbs or less per serving)

Lunch

12pm one of the following: 

My BLT Lettuce Cups

-1 can of tuna made with mayo salt and pepper, lettuce, and 2 slices of tomato served in a small Josephs Pita

-BLT lettuce cups- iceberg, mayo, bacon, sliced tomato- I usually make 4 using 3 strips of bacon

-3/4 cup cooked chicken (I used rotisserie) seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder served with 1 cup of cooked cauliflower rice with butter, salt and pepper

Dinner

6pm one of the following:

-1 strip steak with 8 grilled or roasted asparagus spears and 1 cup Cauliflower Mash or buy it in the frozen section 

(for my asparagus I roast it for 20-25 minutes at 425 and season it with a small drizzle of olive oil, zest of 1/2 a lemon, juice of half a lemon and garlic powder, salt and pepper)

**My favorite dinner of the week!**

-Taco Salad- bed of iceberg lettuce topped with seasoned beef , chicken, or turkey - About 1/3 lb

*get my taco seasoning HERE!*

Served with olives, tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, Mexican cheese and sour cream

-My Summer Chicken Bowl

My Taco Salad

Nigh time snack (optional):

2 White Claw Hard Seltzers

OR

2 Glasses of Red Wine

OR 

another snack from the list above

Follow me on Instagram to see what I'm eating in real time!
@lil_piece_of_hart

WEEK 1- Low Carb Diet Meal Plan

I thought this would be the easiest way to have you see what I ate this week. I mixed and matched all the recipes here to include 2 snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ate what I felt like eating and kept it pretty loose you can say. 

I followed this and saw amazing results. Make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube Channel - lil Piece of Hart so you can follow me along my journey. Also follow my blog so you can see when I post new recipes and videos!

*If you are hungry after you eat a meal or a snack my best advice would be to wait 10 minutes and see if you are still hungry. Sometimes it takes our bodies time to recognize that we ate enough and we are full. If you're still hungry have another snack or an extra serving of the vegetable portion of your meal.

*I have included links to all of the items below that reference a recipe of mine. Click on the colored word and it will take you to the full recipe so you can see exactly how to make it. 

*In parenthesis I explain the grams per serving because you might not be buying the exact same brand of cheese or cream cheese I am, which is fine- just make sure you check your labels so you are not eating more carbs than you want to.

OK, here's my very first meal plan for Week One!

Breakfast

8am

coffee with half and half and up to 2 Truvia for sweetener every day 

& one of the following:

- One serving of my Lemon Pancakes (video to come but here is the recipe:)

1/4 cup ground flax, 1 packet Truvia, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 egg, zest of half a lemon= mix together until a batter forms. In a non stick skillet melt 1/2 Tbsp butter and make 2-3 pancakes. Cook for a few minutes on each side then top with butter, zest from the other lemon half and a squeeze of lemon juice.

-2 Breakfast Bombs with 1/4 avocado and choloula sauce

-2 sunny side up (or scrambled) eggs with 3 sausage links

Snacks

10am & 3pm one of the following

-1 string cheese of your choice (2 grams of carbs or less) & 10 raw almonds

-1/4 cup mixed nuts

-6 slices of cucumber spread with 2 Tbsp of chive cream cheese (less than 1 gram per Tbsp)

Lunch

12pm one of the following: 

-My BLT Salad (made with my blue cheese dressing)

- 1 can of tuna with 3 Tbsp mayo, salt, pepper and chili flake served over romaine lettuce with 5 cherry tomatoes

-Chicken Caesar salad made with 2 cups romaine lettuce, 3/4 cup cooked chicken, 2 Tbsp extra parmesan cheese and up to 3 Tbsp Caesar dressing

Dinner

6pm one of the following:

-1 salmon filet pan fried with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper

served with 1 cup of baby spinach or arugula

Served with a side of roasted vegetables- 5 asparagus spears, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup bell pepper, 1/4 cup zucchini. Top veggies with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and bake at 415 degrees for 25 minutes tossing half way through. 

-1 burger topped with 2 slices of cheese with mayo and mustard.

 Served with a side salad of 1 1/2 cups baby spinach with 1/4 cup bell pepper, 1/4 cup cucumber, olive oil and vinegar dressing

-Cover chicken breast with dijon mustard and pan fry in 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Serve with 1 cups broccoli florets tossed in olive oil roasted in the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until desired doneness

Nigh time snack (optional):

2 White Claw Hard Seltzers

OR

2 Glasses of Red Wine

OR 

another snack from the list above