In order to be able to eat with my family and still have a low-carb meal I have come up with 5 low-carb substitutes for me when my family is eating the regular meals I cook. These substitutes will not work for everyone but when I use these 5 low-carb substitutes it seems to help me manage my weight and overall health.
#1 Low-Carb Substitute is Power Greens
I would love to buy my power greens at a farmer’s market or grow my own but for now I go to my local Kroger and buy my power greens already packaged. The power greens I buy are a mix of baby spinach, chard, kale & mizuna. I have loved using these to make shakes but I have found they have become my #1 low-carb substitute. I can substitute my power greens instead of a bun when I eat sloppy joes or any kind of ground hamburger meal. In the winter I usually just throw my power greens in a bowl, add avocado, and add a little cheese. Then I microwave it for a minute. After it is softer and warm I add a few cashews, tomatoes and a little ranch. I am able to make this in under 5 minutes so I am able to sit at the table and eat with the rest of the family. I love my power greens!
#2 Low-Carb Substitute is Squash or Zucchini
When I make spaghetti, chili or any kind of pasta meal I will grab a sqash or zuccini out of the fridge and use my spiralizer to make the squash(zuccini) look like spaghetti. You can buy spaghetti squash and bake it but I find this is much faster. I just throw it in the bowl and add the meat sauce(if it is in the middle of winter I will put it in the microwave for a minute). When I do this I don’t feel like I am missing out on what the family is eating.
#3 Low-Carb Substitute is Cauliflower
I like cauliflower all by itself dipped in ranch but whenever I am cooking a meal that has rice involved I can substitute my meal with cauliflower by crumbling it in a small pan with a little olive oil and adding the other ingredients to it..
#4 Low-Carb Substitute is Lettuce
Lettuce is probably one of the most well known substitutes that you can use in a salad(I do add lettuce to my power greens in my salad). I just decided to try to substitute lettuce for my hamburger bun and I found that it worked really well. It was much better than just eating the hamburger all by itself. I also use it to substitute bread when I make lunch meat sandwiches.
#5 Low-Carb Substitute is Celery
I really enjoy eating celery with peanut butter and raisins but I wanted to try and see if I could use it for a substitute and I found that it worked surprisingly well as a substitute for hard taco shells. I just put all of the taco ingredients inside the celery and it was delicious! You can put any toppings or sauces in celery to make a yummy crunchy lunch.
With these low-carb substitutes I am able to make a meal in under 5 minutes for myself and still eat with the rest of the family without feeling like I am missing out on what they are eating. I hope these will help you manage your weight and overall health. If you have any low-carb substitutes or meals you enjoy please feel free to share!