There are plenty of filling and tasty side dishes to try on a busy workday or special occasion. Low carb diets emphasize the importance of balanced and diversified menu for healthy weight loss.
Ideas for Low Carb Sides
Sides add flavor, nutrients, and variety to any meal. Dieters can try different low carb recipes and sides or modify classic recipes. There are plenty of low carb options though, for example, mushrooms and green beans, tomatoes and okra, and garlic green beans. You can also try shredded Brussels sprouts, sesame green beans, roasted baby carrots with rosemary, and asparagus parmesan. There are meat and vegetarian options to incorporate in your menu. Low carb diets offer plenty of choice and vegetarian sides are tasty and good for your health. You can have pea and asparagus medley, smothered green beans, tomato and eggplant bake, or broccoli with almond butter. You can also make green beans with lemon and hazelnuts or baked stuffed tomatoes for a special occasion. There are also meat options such as creamed vegetables with ham and almond and bacon green beans. Some sides are easy to make and take no time to prepare while others are great for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and other special occasions and formal events. Stuffed artichokes, for example, are an excellent choice for a special occasion and are made using Romano cheese, parsley, oregano, and garlic.
Snacks for Busy Workdays
It is always a good idea to make snacks and have them in between meals, and many popular diets recommend eating two snacks per day. You can choose from a wealth of low carb foods and recipes for a healthy and filling snack. Some snacks are available at supermarkets such as olives, cheese, and nuts. If you don’t have much time, you can buy mini cheese portions or a trail mix with almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, and Brazil nuts. Some trail mixes also contain chestnuts, cashews, raisins, and other dried fruits. It is best to avoid them because chestnuts and cashews are high on carbs while dried fruits are loaded with sugar. You can have full-fat yogurt, celery, pepperoni sticks, or berries instead. You will also find diet-friendly snacks at healthy food and specialist stores. You can try protein shakes, pork scratchings and dried meat snacks, and even seaweed. Other snacks can be prepared at home and take little time to make. If you have 10 – 15 minutes, you can make celery sticks with peanut butter or hard boiled eggs with cream, sour cream, or mayonnaise. Some snacks take more time to make, and you may want to prepare in advance. You can make cheddar crisps, cheese straws, flax crackers, or low-carb pancakes. There are great low carb recipes for a lazy weekend at home when you have free time to cook. You can try zucchini chips, broccoli bites, or cauliflower tater tots. There are plenty of options, from premade products to homemade snacks.
Side Dish Ideas:
http://lowcarbfoods.org/bean-salad-medley-recipe
http://lowcarbfoods.org/mushrooms-beans-and-pepper-medley-recipe
Snack ideas:
http://www.health-bent.com/snacks/paleo-guacamole-bacon-stuffed-pepper-poppers