Hello, I have just joined the site and will be starting the 800-calorie plan soon. I am a single lady, age 63, on my own, and prefer to keep my food preparation very simple. Are there any who’ve been doing the plan for awhile that might be willing to share a few typical days or an open food diary which includes very simple-prep foods with just a few ingredients? I also joined My Fitness Pal if you happen to log your food on there. My goals are to prevent diabetes (currently prediabetic) and remove a lot of weight. The meal plan in the book sounds delicious, but like too many ingredients, too much expense and waste for one person, and too complicated in preparation. Any help appreciated!

Becca

BeccaBSD:

If you are up for it, try the recipe at the bottom….makes 6 breakfast “mini quiches”. They freeze well. Make once….eat 6 times.

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage in whatever combo you like (2 eggs no bacon, 1 egg and 3 slices bacon, etc), 2 egg omelette with 15 g cheese, …or just coffee or tea with heavy cream

Lunch: tuna salad with mayo, egg salad (on non egg breakfast days), big salad with 90 g grilled chicken breast, or a veg soup and a low carb muffin from the web site (Good Eats or Recipe tab)

Dinner: a grilled chop or chicken breast, fish…..etc with 2 veg

Typically you can do 2 very small meals of 200 cal and 1 big one with 400….and no snacking (other than raw veg if you like those…I do).

Or….do only coffee or tea with heavy cream or almond milk for breakfast and have a bigger lunch.

Or….if you can…..bigger breakfast at 10 am and big dinner

Its a mix and match game. If you can find low carb breads or pitas in your area (or order off of Amazon if they carry those where you are) it expands your options some. I can get low carb pita that when split and each thin half toasted makes a great “cracker” to put tuna salad on.

Welcome and good luck.

SPINACH FETA QUICHE MUFFINS
Author: lowcarbmaven.com

Serves: 6 (half recipe)
These Spinach Feta Quiche Muffins make low carb breakfast and snacking easy.

1/2 tablespoon olive oil, butter, ghee or bacon grease
1/4 cup ( half of one small onion), small dice
1/2 clove garlic, minced
2 oz cream cheese, split
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled mixed with the other half the cream cheese… set aside.
1 1/2 tablespoons (44 ml) dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon (5 ml) red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

4 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ tsp dill
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 ounces thin deli ham (6 thin slices)

Preheat oven to 350 and place the rack in the middle position.

Spray a 6 count muffin pan and line each well with 1 piece of ham (I find a thin slice doubled in half works well and bends easier to fit)

Saute the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the sherry, cook alcohol off (30 sec)

Add the vinegar and then HALF the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has fully melted and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining cream cheese and feta and set aside

In medium size bowl, add the remaining ingredients (excluding feta mix) and mix thoroughly.

When the skillet mixture is ready, add it to the bowl and mix until blended.

Fold in the feta/cream cheese mixture so there are medium curds still visible

Divide the filling mixture evenly between the 6 ham lined muffin cups.
A ⅓ cup measure (or disher) works perfectly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Serving size: 1 muffin
Calories: 148
Fat: 11
Carbohydrates: 3
Fiber: 1
Protein: 8

Hi Becca, you could keep it extra simple by eating what you currently eat (unless it is truly shocking) and cut out the carbs and add extra veg. If this is completely new to you try batch cooking a few meals like a big pot of mince with onions, garlic, red peppers, mushrooms etc then divide into tubs to freeze. You can make them into other things like add some red kidney beans and chilli powder for a chilli con carne served with cauliflower rice, keep some for a bolognaise sauce served with courgette spaghetti then put one serving in an oven proof dish and top with boiled white cabbage mixed with some butter and cheese, oven bake for a delicious fake cottage pie. You can do similar with beef or chicken, the combinations are endless. Mix up the veg and have things like purees celeriac instead of potatoes, leek and cauliflower mixed to top the cottage pie. Keep it simple and keep it varied so you never get bored. My favourite lunch is the Spanish soup which i make 4 portions, eat one on the day then freeze 3 for a one each week for 3 more weeks. Good luck.

Hi Becca! I like it simple too. I never even tried anything from the recipes in the BSD book, just modified my own diet to meet my needs.
My typical breakfast:
One or two tablespoons of heavy cream in coffee
(I’m not hungry in the morning but when I was, it was cheese and eggs).
Lunch:
Big heaping plate of greens like romaine lettuce, baby kale or spring mix topped with (any mix) canned tuna mixed with mayonaise and capers, grated cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, hard boiled egg, leftover chicken or beef, cooked beets, pumpkin seeds or other nuts , beans, lentils in small quantities — home made dressing of olive oil, red wine or sherry-wine vinegar and whole grain mustard.
(Still eating that now in maintenance)
Dinner (or any meal in a restaurant):
Protein like wild fish, organic chicken, grass fed beef or pork (cooked any way I want except fried or breaded)
A big side of greens, spinach, kale, chard, beet greens cooked with garlic and olive oil or steamed or in butter.
Any other vegetable I want in a large portion.
If I needed more calories I ate nuts or cheese or leftover meats or uncured salami or added butter to my veg.
Sometimes I made mousakka without cream sauce and quiche without crust — just make the usual and get creative subbing out the non-BSD friendly parts (like quiche crust can be made with sunflower seeds).
I did drink small amounts of wine and beer.
I’m still eating like this two years later but portions are bigger and I have added back in quinoa now and then as a grain and I eat more beans.
I have completely lost my ravaging sugar fixation — an unbelievable and fantastic effect of staying low carb.

Hi Becca
Welcome welcome! I’m also the same and like it simple. Batch cooking at the weekend as already suggested is a good idea and you can freeze stuff but what I did last week to get me back on track, I decided to plan in advance. I have a budget so I aim for 3 veggie dinners, 2 fish, 2 chicken per week. I no longer have breakfast but when I did, it was boiled egg and raw spinach, or mushroom omelette. Not a fan of yogurt unfortunately. Lunch is usually the egg and spinach or tuna and spinach. Today I had seared asparagus, prosciutto ham with a grate of parmesan and rocket. My favourite dinner right now is quartered mushrooms sauteed with knob of butter, splash of virgin olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper. Once cooked I add 2 table spoons of full fat soft cheese. Once that’s melted I add the thin ribbons from a courgette (zucchini) – I only peel as far as the seeds on four sides then discard the centre as too wet to use. Great ribbons to hold the sauce! Mix it all together and warm it through for a couple of mins. Add to a warm bowl and a quick grate of fresh parmesan cheese. Yum! You could add all sorts to that basic recipe. I make enough for 2 meals. I do a similar thing with cauliflower but alternate the weeks otherwise I’d be having soft cheese 4 nights a week. and have that with grilled chicken breast, halved so 2 meals. I bake 2 salmon steaks in tin foil with bit of olive oil, chopped spring onion (scallion), grate of ginger, slices of lemon. Serve that with 2 types of steamed greens – broccoli, green cabbage, green beans – 2 more meals. The 7th meal is usually leftovers! Obviously you can add herbs and spices to your taste. I also make seed crackers as I need crunch and have those with tinned tuna, left over salmon mixed with a bit of mayo, salad. Very very simple and it’s working for me rather than getting home and wondering what to have when I’m tired and can’t be bothered.

I used to yearn for gravy whenever I had veg at the start but now I put a knob of butter on my greens, or pour the cooking juices over from the salmon.

Good luck! 🙂

Kazzeexx

Thank you all for being so lovely and for the quick and very helpful responses!

Thank you every one for this. It is very helpful. I was wary of mayonnaise as it often has sugar in it. Or do you make your own? Off for a mushroom omelette for breakfast!

For me Sallyo, I make my own salad dressing similar to mayo. 2 tablespoons of Greek full fat yoghurt, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of pepper. When I do use real mayo I use real mayo, full fat not low cal.

Hi Sallyo – Just a quick note on mayo based salad dressings 🙂 and an extension of sunshine-girls comment.
When I prepare something like chicken or tuna salad where mayo would traditionally be used, I mix it in equal
proportions with greek yogurt. Experiment! This may help 🙂

Instead of mayo I use creme fraiche or full fat greek yoghurt with a squeeze of lemon or lime. The BSD book has a Chicken Waldorf salad (not called that), that uses 1 tbsp creme fraiche, 1 tsp dijon custard and a squeeze of lemon – it’s delicious.

This sounds interesting, Caro. Does it get watery if you prepare it in advance? And what is dijon
custard? Sorry, American 🙂

Aargh! Dijon Mustard, lol. As for getting watery, I’m afraid I don’t know Allie, as I currently make it when I need it. However, I don’t *think* it would. I’ll try to do a test and let you know (try, as in try to remember!).

How “thick” of me, Caro 🙂 🙂 🙂 I thought you knew of a condiment that I wasn’t familiar with! Don’t mind
me…I’m a dunce

Allie, my “aargh” was aimed at me, for the typo! I just realised that might not have come across like that, sorry.

No worries, caro! I frequently have cause to laugh at myself, and you just gave me an opportunity to do so again 🙂
Thanks

Well, I’m laughing like a drain at this exchange! Thank you both! 🙂

Dijon custard – hmmm, my favourite!