Hi everyone!
I wanted to share one of our favorite lunch choices around here. But first, some background. Luis and I have made low-carb eating a lifestyle. There is no comparison to how we both feel (and weigh) now to six months ago. I have been a Dr. Atkins fan for about 12 years, but I have not stuck with it consistently. The key to any eating plan is staying with it. No one can go on any “diet” then go off, back to the old habits and not expect to gain weight. All I have to do is compare our meal choices now (especially my husband’s choices) to our meal choices before and they are so much healthier. I will never forget sitting at a meal in Germany with a couple who told me that they had to stop Atkins because their cholesterol went up. They were then eating Schnitzel (breaded and fried) and a huge portion of fries followed by some kind of sugary dessert. I looked at my plate of huge salad and a steak, and thought to myself, I wonder what your cholesterol is now? There are so many misconceptions about low-carb eating out there, but for me it comes down to this one basic thing — your body burns what you put in. If you put in sugar, it has to burn that first. If you don’t put sugar in, your body burns fat. I just read that the one of the leading causes of heart disease is diabetes. One of the leading causes of diabetes is obesity. I want to do all I can to not be part of that domino effect. In any case, we eat a lot of fruits and veggies, lean meats, eggs, raw milk, cheeses, nuts, whole grains (oats), etc. Basically, we eat mostly whole foods — outside aisle at the grocery store. I know I’m seriously digressing…now for the wrap…
Luis loves sandwiches so when I found these low-carb wraps, I knew he would be fine with the substitution. They have a whopping 13 grams of fiber compared to a slice of whole wheat bread which has 2 grams.
On top of a wrap, I added a spread I made with cream cheese, grated cheddar cheese, chopped onion, and chili powder.
…different kinds of dark green lettuce from the garden.
Then I added smoked turkey, roasted peppers and banana peppers for Luis…
Then to mine, I added a few more things! We LOVE Wickles sub relish. We get it at Mast General Store, and it is hot, spicy, and delicious!
Then roll it all up…
We love these and try different things inside depending on what we have in the fridge and what is growing. I toast them and wrap up diced cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, feta cheese and italian dressing for a yummy summer lunch. They are also great for breakfast burritos, etc.
If I could encourage people to do anything, it would be to choose whole foods, fresh veggies/fruits, and eliminate “fake” foods. This is what works for us. I know everyone is different, and everyone has an opinion, but I’ll take this lunch choice over a Big Mac, fries and coke any day:-) Although I do love a Big Mac…every now and then.
***Because several have asked what kinds of things we eat, I wanted to add to this post. These are just some of the daily things we eat…not all in the same meal but some options.
Breakfast:
Fried Egg sometimes with bacon or sausage but usually just an egg as that fills me up. I do use a little bacon grease in a non-stick pan because that is better than the chemicals in non-stick sprays.
Dannon makes a yogurt called “Light and Fit” for diabetics with only 3 grams of carbs that I love.
I also love Atkins breakfast bars. The blueberry square is my fav.
Lunch
Low-carb wrap
We usually use the ones above in the wheat version.
I recently discovered a Flax/Oat/Whole Wheat pita bread by Joseph’s Bakery that we love and are great filled with anything you would put in a sandwich.
Julians Bakery offers all natural no-carb breads that I have not tried yet but hear they are great.
Salad
I grow my greens in the summer and love dark ones. I add whatever I have on hand: cucumbers, tomato, onion, grated cheddar cheese, bacon, banana peppers, boiled eggs, etc.
I make Italian dressing with Olive Oil and Vinegar, but I also like Kraft Ranch.
Dinner
Baked fish or chicken/salad/green veggie
I always have frozen Cod, Catfish or Tilapia on hand thanks to my mom. I drizzle olive oil, smooth a little butter on top, and whatever spices I want (garlic, cajun seasoning, etc.) then bake it frozen in a 400 oven for 25 minutes.
Green beans
broccoli
Cauliflower
Fried Cabbage
Asparagus, etc.
Stir Fry frozen veggies with chicken and a little soy sauce
Hamburger steak seasoned with steak seasoning/worchestershire/A-1
Snacks
Nuts
Cheese
veggies dipped in Ranch:-)
Whole fruits (strawberries, clementines, grapes, grapefruit, etc. )
Basically, whole foods are what we strive for at this point and no low-fat versions since they are full of added unnatural ingredients.
This is basically what we don’t eat:
bread (We get whole grains from whole oatmeal which I also add to meatloaf, etc. )
rice
pasta
white potatoes
sweets (cakes/cookies, etc.)
Sugary drinks
It is really hard to put into one post what low-carb eating is especially as there are different phases where more carbs are allowed, but we are at the point where we really just try to stick to whole foods. I do have a lot of other recipes I will be adding to the recipe section here.
We feel so much better when we eat this way. Luis dropped 60 pounds and I dropped 30. Both of us had excellent numbers as far as good and bad cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure, etc., at our checkups this fall.
For more accurate info, though, I suggest visiting the Atkins website HERE. Also, Gail at Faithfulness Farm has tons of yummy recipes and tips on her site, so give her a visit.
We are true believers in this style of eating and approach it with common sense and health in mind. Everyone has to find what works for their body. Everything doesn’t work for everyone for sure, but this is our tried and true method.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Anita
I’ll be joining:
On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable
Great post. Thanks for breaking it down for me. Since turning 50 last year although my wieght has remained the same my fat distribution has changed and settled around my mid-section. I consume mostly sugar in the am and can now see why the fat is being stored around my middle. Great suggestions and that wrap looks delicious! Any suggestions for low carb cookies with my coffee?
Patty, Murray cookies are what we indulge in if we want a sugar-free cookie! They are great! murraysugarfree.com/
We LOVE Wickles!! In fact, the brothers who own the company are younger than me, but from my hometown, where I still live. Their mother was a good friend of mine and she and her husband owned the hardware store around the corner from my familys' store. Small, small world!!
Have a great weekend!
Really Susan??? When we found it at Mast, we fell in love with it, and that is the only place we can get it here. I can eat it out of the jar!!!
That looks so yummy! I am trying to lose some weight but have zero willpower or motivation! I am going to start training to "wog" a half marathon this winter. Wog is my version of walking/jogging! I am trying to change my eating habits, but oh how my sweet tooth takes over sometimes! I keep saying that I will do well when Jemma starts school. I will! I have to! Good for you and the healthy changes you have made. It sets a great example for eating for your kiddos!
🙂 Thanks for sharing!
My youngest in not a sandwich lover and while he was in school, I made him a wrap a day for his lunch. I wish I had you to inspire me then.
Will be sharing this with him as he' s still a wrap boy!
Cheers. Gee
Hi Anita, I buy these wraps all the time! I love the sound of your cheesy spread. I make my own hummus or white bean spread and fill it with either salad or grilled veggies. I love breakfast burritos too, made with egg whites. I have egg whites almost daily. Low carb is the way to go, but my family background was so carb-laden (pasta, Italian bread and rolls, pizza, rice, etc.)and meat eaten sparingly, it is an epic battle for me. But I keep trying. Love the Desert Rose Franciscan plates, beautiful! xo
Anita — congrats on choosing low-carb as a lifestyle 🙂
You are SOOOO right in all you said and I just want to add a BIG Amen! I have to catch myself when people hear I've lost 100+ pounds on Atkins because they start offering me reasons why they can't do Atkins — well, if I can, anyone can 🙂
Have you and Luis tried the Julian Bakery low-carb breads? Many swear by them — in 2-1/2 years, I can say that bread is not something I have missed but it is good to know there are options.
Have a great weekend!
Blessings!
Gail
Hey Anita I'm back with new blog.I'm new following come see me.
And yes!yes! I do love me some low carb vittles,now that's my kinda eatn'.
I have followed a low carb diet off and on…whenever I feel the weight piling on, I cut out those nasty carbs. The wrap looks delicious! I like to make omelettes in the wrap for breakfast…you just need some sort of starch!! Keep up the great way of eating and living!
XO,
Jane
That looks really, really good. I gave up flour and sugar over a year ago and feel so much better. This is a nice helpful post for people- xo Diana
Ooh that cheesy spread sounds good to me! Thanks for this post. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
thanks Anita, I will try your new wrap recipes soon…we both had blood work, literally yesterday, mine is perfect, LOL, like me…haha… but I do avoid foods, that aggravate my asthma-allergies. I can't eat a lot of wheat products, but wraps are in all flavors now, thank you…hugs, Emelia.PS,thanks for showing the products and recipes.
Oh yummy and good for you! Now that's a winning combination! Thanks for linking up to ON THE MENU MONDAY!
I would lije to give this a try. It looks so yummy. Thank you for sharing.
~ Lisa from Indiana ~