If you’ve been reading my blogs over last few weeks, you have learned how to spring clean your kitchen and stock it with low carb foods, plus I’ve featured some delicious low carb spring breakfasts and low carb spring menus.
With an organized kitchen and some menus to pick from, it makes it a lot easier to plan and shop for your meals. And if you’re someone who needs a clear-cut plan, you can follow these low carb meal plans for Atkins 20, Atkins 40 and Atkins 100.
Now that the weather is warming up, it’s also time to get outside and enjoy it. While you can lose weight on a low carb diet like Atkins without exercising, breaking a sweat has some positive benefits, such as boosting your mood and helping you build muscle. You can start with these 10 tips for getting in shape.
Finally, follow my suggestions for making the most of your grocery shopping and meal planning. To start, plan your meals and snacks for the week (with the previous menus and meal plans) and then pick one day a week to do all your grocery shopping. Next, cook and prep in advance. Spend a little time once you get home from the grocery store to prep your food, which will save you a lot of time later on in the week. Here’s how:
- Prep your veggies. Don’t let those fresh veggies languish in the refrigerator until they rot. Wash and cut them up and store them in clear glass or plastic containers. That way you can grab them for snacks or quickly add them to omelets, main dishes or salads.
- Eggs aren’t just for breakfast. Make a batch of hard-boiled eggs to keep on hand for quick, protein-packed snacks. You can also make and refrigerate low carb frittatas and quiches in advance that you can slice and heat up for quick breakfasts during the week. You can even serve these savory egg dishes for lunch or dinner. Simply pair with a salad.
- Up your salad game. It’s not just about lettuce leaves. Take some of those hard-boiled eggs and throw together an egg salad, or make chicken, tuna or shrimp salad, which you can serve with veggies or spoon into a romaine lettuce leaf.
- Pre-cook your meat. Cook or grill up chicken breasts, steak and fish and portion and freeze in Ziploc bags. You can defrost your protein of choice whenever you need it for a meal during the week.
- Have a plan for when time is tight. Even if you have the best of intentions, you still may end up making a last-minute run to the store. You can always grab a roast chicken from the deli; pre-washed, pre-cut salads and vegetables or even meat and cheese platters or veggie trays to save the day (or dinner).