How do you all keep atkins creative??
 

As a former low carber that has come back to atkins I want to get some opinions from some of you veteran atkins followers. I know some have u have been on atkins for months, some even YEARS. How do u keep from getting bored?? I know when I did atkins last year I was having a hard time not feeling deprived . I felt all I was eating was meat and fish for entrees and eggs for breakfast. But perhaps I didn't give it a good enough shot. I just would like to know how you keep things exciting on atkins?? Any tips from the vets here woulg be great!!

Piera

I'm not an Atkins veteran, but I do bore very easily! What's been helping me out tremendously is variety! Experiment with different recipes! I never knew there were so many ways to fix eggs or chicken! If you've never tried Donald's Deep Dish Pizza Quiche, do try! The possibilities are endless as far as what you put in them or on them. There's even a lasagna quiche recipe. They're awesome, and it fixes your pizza/lasagna cravings big time. I also like the Enchilada Chicken because they are so simple and you can dress them up anyway you like it by adding things like avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, grilled onions. I've never been much of a cook, but simple and flavorful dishes like this keeps me very interested. There's also a recipe on Chicken Parmesan that was wonderful with a little bit of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on it.

I agree.

Venture into the Kitchen section and grab some recipes. The biggest reason for people to jump of this WOE is they get bored.

You may want to think of what it is you feel deprived of...because there is most likely a Low CArb solution to it!! And you'll find it here!! :)

Yas,

I am going to make enchilada chicken this weekend!! YUM. I have been craving mexican food so this will give me my fix!!

By experimenting with flavors, textures.

I find that cheese, bacon bits, Mrs. Dash seasonings ... they all add to making the ordinary to extraordinary. I use combos too - veggies with meats - stirfry, bake. I make foods that I used to make pre-LC but with an LC flair.

You can do it but it takes a little creativity and a little extra time. There should be a Low Carb cook-off - -

A culinary world awaits !
 

Hi all,

Oh, Piera, sometimes I think I gain weight just READING some of the eating suggestions I find on this forum.

And, Patty, if I do gain some weight by reading, you're one of the people I'm going to blame. It's all your fault. You make things sound so good, and offer up so many tasty suggestions. (I've wanted to comment on your ideas for some time.)

The old saying, people dying of boredom are boring people, might translate as, people bored with this WOE just haven't explored the wonderful options. Piera, I haven't really even ventured into the kitchen area yet, 'cause I know my eyes (and appetite for imagined food) are bigger than my stomach, and my stomach is pretty big.

Like you, UAGirl, I am a huge fan of Mexican food (in fact, most any kind of ethnic food), but all I've had since starting Atkins is taco salad. Maybe I should explore all those options. The chicken just sounds terrific. Just maybe not this week. This is not a good week. The daily scale readings are up two pounds

LOL Arrow! I think I've gained a few pounds myself when I posted that last message! But I kid you not, they were awesome! That Chicken Parmesan was great, just pound the chicken breast until they're about 1/4 inch thick, dip it in egg and dredge it in grated parmesan cheese and fry them up. I used 5oz chicken breast, 6 tbsp parmesan cheese, and fried them up in the smallest pan I had with 2 tbsp olive oil on med to med-high. The small pan makes the oil deeper. I put 2 tbsp tomato sauce and sprinkled with shredded mozzarella cheese, and walla! I found this recipe in the kitchen section :)

I like the chicken idea !! Darn i had chicken breasts last night I could have dipped them in egg and then in parmesan cheese instead of directly inot the hot olive oil! Oh well next time. I also have some Keto crumbs which I bought, but I won't use those till I'm well into OWL.

i guess I should take a look at the recipe board and get some new recipies. Its just I don't have alto of time to cook. So I would need fast and easy meals. Are there some of those in that section?

I love you ideas, thanks all

Piera

Experiment
 

Try different foods on the approved list. Cook them in different ways. I use herbs and spices on everything, to create flavor nad variation. I'm never bored.

Good Luck!

I agree about variety
 

This is my fourth try at Atkins and what I do is on Sundays I make very good lunches, which I use to try new things (tasting them before I freeze them). I make frozen pouches. Let me tell you this encourages variation and boy does it ever make the co workers envious! :p

Creativity
 

Who says you have to have breakfast at Breakfast?

Shake things up, experiment with cooking. Get a good cookbook and make something new once a week.

You will be surprised at yourself.

After nearly 2 years following low carb, I still look for new recipes and ideas. I have my favorites, of course, but that doesn't stop me from trying new things. There are more and more low carb cookbooks hitting the market nearly every month. I just picked up a new one a few weeks ago and have been having a blast trying new recipes and getting ideas for modifying my own.
Lately I've been experimenting with low carb soups. Before low carb, I always had a pot of some type of soup in the refrigerator during the winter months, but the old favorites of bean, pea and clam chowder are way too high carb. So....now we have Tuscan sausage soup, cauliflower cheese soup, chicken soup (minus the rice or noodles), cream of mushroom soup or texas-style chili. Probably going to start experimenting to come up with a broccoli cheese soup in the next week or two.
Be creative! Look at your old recipes and think, "how can I make this low carb?".
Instead of enchiladas or burritos with a packet of taco mix and regular tortillas, try making your own taco seasoning and using some of the low carb tortillas available. I've done this a few times with great results.
Revive the French method of making sauces by deglazing the pan with a little water and adding spices and some cream to thicken it instead of flour. Yes, it takes a little longer to simmer it to the right thickness, but the taste has no comparison to flour thickened gravies.
Instead of plain steamed asparagus, how about wrapping 5 or 6 spears in a slice of bacon and roasting it?
Variety and creativity will give you a great low carb kitchen! :)

I was just telling my daughter that , I can't get over the amount of info there is on the internet, especially on this forum compared to two years ago when I tried Atkins for the second time in twenty years. This fact has really been a God send this time around. :exclm: :wave: Vonnie

Oh ya, I should add-it helps to have a printer and a piece of paper and pen near by at all times. :thup: Vonnie

I've only been doing this for a little over two months, but I'm here to tell you...I haven't been bored yet. I rarely eat the same thing twice a week...unless it is sooo good I can't resist!

I love making fajitas with La Tortilla tortillas, grilled fajita meat, bell peppers, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole if I have it.

I could go on and on. I don't cook much myself, but you would be surprised at how many quick fixes there are.

I also use the tortillas to make chicken quesadillas and ham and cheese wraps.

I have had some wonderful chicken dishes and like to eat steak about once a week. Of course, it's easier when there are things you don't tend to tire of.

You might check out my post on favorite lo-carb finds in the general section. It hasn't had many replies yet, but I am hoping it will take off. I love to hear what people are eating.

Get creative, and good luck!

I've been LCing since Sept '01 and this is what I've learned.

1) You cannot succeed without variety - I strive to make 1 new recipe each week. Peek into people's journals to see what they are eating - if something strikes you, ask them if they will post the recipe on the recipe forum (that way we all benefit ;) )

2) I bought almost every LC cookbook on the market - VARIETY

3) Be organized! I freeze things like lemon juice, lime juice, broth, sauces, canned pumpkin, chopped leeks etc. into ice cube trays and then dump them into freezer bags to have on hand for cooking. Of course, making big batches of food and freezing them is also helpful.

4) You mention feeling deprived. When I'm feeling deprived, it's b/c I'm not eating enough fat - most people think they are eating enough fat until they input their food into fitday to find that they aren't - For this reason, I used to binge regularly and it's now under control - it feels so decadent when I eat now.

5) Stay as far away from most processed LC foods as you can - I found that nothing made me feel more deprived than eating something that reminded me of what I was missing. My only LC indulgence is LC tortillas b/c I really like the taste of them.

When done properly (and I know b/c I've made almost every mistake there is to make ;) ), there should mostly be no feelings of deprivation or cravings.

Wanda