LOW CARB CHALLENGE WEEK 2 RECIPES
DOWNLOAD SHOPPING LIST NOW >>>
MONDAY:
LUNCH:
Strawberry Blueberry Spinach Salad
- Marinade & Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1tsp garlic powder
- Optional: 1 Tbsp honey
- Optional: 1/2tsp cardamom
- Use ½ mixture for marinade, and ½ for dressing
- Marinate and grill (or cook on stove) 16oz chicken breast
- Cube or slice chicken
- Assemble salad!
- Spinach
- Blueberries
- Sliced strawberries
- 1oz goat cheese
- Almonds (optional: roast almonds in some honey)
- 4oz grilled balsamic chicken
- Dressing (you don’t need much – the juice from the berries will almost be enough on its own!)
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 410
DINNER:
Creamy Citrus Salmon with Sautéed Broccoli & Pineapple
Creamy Citrus Salmon
- See “week 1” for sauce recipe!
- Place salmon steaks in tin foil “pouch” with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and about half of the sauce reserved for this day (1/4 of the total recipe yields).
- Wrap in another layer of foil to prevent leakage
- Grill on medium heat for 15-20min
- Top with the other half of the sauce and a sprinkling of chives (leftover from earlier)
Serves 2 (sauce makes enough for 8 total salmon steaks)
Calories per serving: 369
Sautéed Broccoli
- Heat ¼ cup water and ½ tsp “Better than Bouillon” in a fry pan
- Add ½ tsp garlic powder, as well as salt and pepper (to taste)
- Add chopped broccoli and stir until broccoli is tossed in the liquid
- Cover, turn to low, and simmer for 5-10 minutes (check occasionally and add some water if the moisture has all boiled off)
- Remove from heat when broccoli reaches your desired softness
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 30
- Serve meal with 1 cup diced pineapple (calories: 80)
Total calories per meal: 479
TUESDAY:
LUNCH:
Strawberry Blueberry Spinach Salad
DINNER:
Ginger Beef Mushroom Stir-Fry
Quinoa
- In a small pot, add:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water and 2tps “Better than Bouillon” (or 2 cups chicken broth)
- 1tsp garlic powder
- Black pepper
- A sprinkle of anise seed
- Bring to a boil
- Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes
Stir-Fry
- Mix:
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup water + ½ tsp “Better Than Bouillon”
- 2Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2Tbsp corn starch
- 2tsp ground ginger
- Black pepper to taste
- Add 16oz diced lean steak and let marinade for 15 minutes or more
- Reserving marinade, sauté steak over medium high heat
- Remove steak from pan and set aside
- Sauté:
- 8oz mushrooms baby bella or button mushrooms (chopped)
- 4oz shitake mushrooms (chopped)
- 3 cups kale
- Remaining marinade
- Stir until the sauce has come to a boil, kale is wilted, and mushrooms have cooked through
- Add steak and serve over quinoa!
- Optional: top with sesame seeds, chives, and/or peanuts
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 457 (164 quinoa + 293 stir-fry)
Notes:
- Serve stir-fry over zoodles (rather than quinoa) for Whole30/Paleo
WEDNESDAY:
LUNCH:
Chicken Avocado Lime Soup
Chicken:
- Drizzle 1Tbsp olive oil in a medium-sized pan and heat to medium/high
- Add two chicken breasts (or 16oz)
- Sprinkle each side with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sear each side slightly
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes
- Remove from heat (still covered) and continue to steam in pan for another 10 minutes
- Uncover and shred (continue to stir pieces on low heat, if not fully cooked)
Soup:
- In a large pot, sauté:
- 1Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large bunch green onions (chopped)
- 2 jalapenos (chopped, seeds removed)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- Add and bring to boil:
- 8 cups water
- 2Tbsp “Better Than Bouillon”
- 2 Roma tomatoes (chopped)
- 1tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Add shredded chicken
- Top with cilantro, lime juice, and avocado (1/4 avocado per serving)
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 212
DINNER:
Ginger Beef Mushroom Stir-Fry
THURSDAY:
LUNCH:
Chicken Avocado Lime Soup
DINNER:
Red Pepper Meatballs, Roasted Asparagus, and Fresh Tomato Salad
Red Pepper Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350
- In food processor, finely dice 3 red bell peppers
- Drain some liquid from peppers, and pour into a large bowl
- Add:
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs (double coconut flour to skip bread crumbs)
- ¼ cup coconut flour (double bread crumbs to skip coconut flour)
- 2tsp garlic powder
- 2tsp kosher or sea salt
- 2tsp oregano
- 1tsp basil
- 1tsp parsley
- Black pepper
- Mix in 16oz lean ground turkey and combine thoroughly
- Form meatballs (2 inches in diameter, about 30 meatballs) and place on greased cookie sheet
- Bake until done (30-45 minutes depending on meatball size)
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 279
Roasted Asparagus
- Pre-heat oven to 450
- Chop off woody ends of asparagus (2 bunches)
- Lay asparagus in one layer on a cookie sheet
- Drizzle with olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and plenty of garlic powder
- Bake for 15 minutes, tossing once (bake times may vary based on asparagus stalk sizes)
- Optional: sprinkle roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 71
Fresh Tomato Salad
- Wash two cartons of cherry or grape tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise
- Drizzle with olive oil, rice or balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh basil (dried works, too!)
- Mix it all up and enjoy!
- Optional: add goat, feta, or parmesan cheese
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 89
Total calories per meal: 439
FRIDAY:
LUNCH:
Caprese Zoodle Bowl
- Mix:
- 3Tbsp olive oil
- 3Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 3Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 2tsp dry)
- Black pepper to taste
- Add 1 cup chickpeas to mixture (marinate for a few hours, if possible)
- Assemble bowls!
- Zoodles (1 cup per bowl)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped (1 per bowl)
- Marinated chickpeas (1/2 cup per bowl)
- 1Tbsp diced red onion per bowl
- Fresh basil
- Optional: parmesan cheese
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 243
Note: substitute grilled chicken for chickpeas for Whole30
DINNER:
Red Pepper Meatballs, Roasted Asparagus, and Fresh Tomato Salad
SATURDAY:
LUNCH:
Tuna Patties & Caesar Salad
- Combine:
- 2 cans high quality tuna (drained)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2tsp dill
- 1/2tsp kosher or sea salt
- Black pepper
- Form into 4 patties
- Heat 2Tbsp coconut oil in fry pan
- Cook patties med/high heat until browned (2-3 minutes)
Low Carb “Caesar dressing”
- 1Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon
- ½ cup olive oil mayonnaise (or Veganaise)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Optional: thin with coconut milk
Calories in full recipe: 516 (1/8 = 65)
Drizzle dressing over tuna patties and salad. You can use romaine, or any leftover greens you have around.
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 272
DINNER:
Crock Pot Tikka Masala & Cauliflower Rice
Crock Pot Tikka Masala
- Empty one 6oz carton plain greek yogurt into crockpot
- Add:
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 5Tbsp garam masala
- 1Tbsp ancho chili powder
- 2tsp cumin
- 2tsp kosher or sea salt
- 5tsp powdered ginger
- 5tsp coriander
- 1/2tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4tsp cardamom
- 1/4tsp turmeric
- Black pepper to taste
- Add 2 large chicken breasts, and coat with the yogurt mixture
- Cut slashes in chicken for extra spice-absorption
- Add 1 large yellow onion (chopped) on top of chicken
- Add 42oz (28oz+14oz) canned diced tomatoes
- Cook 4-5 hours on low
- For the last hour, add ¼ cup diced almonds and 1 can lite coconut milk
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 362
Cauliflower Rice
- Pre-heat oven to 450
- Using a food processor, finely chop 1 head cauliflower
- In a small bowl, mix:
- 3Tbsp melted coconut oil
- 2Tbsp cumin
- 2tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1/2tsp cardamom
- 1/2tsp ground cloves
- Chop:
- ½ onion
- 2 carrots
- Add to cauliflower “rice”
- Chopped onion and carrot
- Coconut oil mixture
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Spread cauliflower over foil-lined cookie sheet(s)
- Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 180
Total calories per meal: 542 (362 Tikka Masala + 180 cauliflower)
SUNDAY:
LUNCH:
Smoothie
Add to blender:
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup greek yogurt (one carton is fine)
- 1 banana
- Drizzle of honey or agave
- Optional: vanilla stevia
Serves 1
Calories per serving: 400
DINNER:
Crock Pot Tikka Masala & Cauliflower Rice
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPES HERE!
[gview file=”https://emilymerrellmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Week-2-Recipes.pdf”%5D