Low Carb is Lekker – Revised meal plan for beginners (2024)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 190 C
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl, season with salt & pepper and set aside
3. Heat large pan over medium and add coconut oil, garlic, red pepper and mushrooms
4. Cook until peppers are crisp-tender – about 5 minutes
5. Add bacon and spinach & cook until spinach has wilted down
6. Remove from heat, and add to the eggs with Parmesan and stir well
7. Pour into a buttered 9×9 casserole dish, top with a little more Parmesan and bake until set, 20-25 minutes – do not overcook…you don’t want it too dry
8. Serve topped with sour cream. Makes 6 – 8 filling portions.
9. You can make it the night before and pack in lunch boxes too.
10. Make 101 different combo’s. I use whatever meat left -overs I have from a previous meal.

Above Onion Marmalade is not advised during strict weight loss phase.

3 – 4 Servings

One serving = 4 thin slices toasted crisp like melba toast or 2 regular slices.

Serve with meat, cheese & veggies. See below for spread suggestions.

Ingredients:

500g Good quality Beef Mince

2 Tbsp Parmesan (optional)

1 Can Tomato Pureè

2 1/2 tsp dried Mixed Herbs (Italian herbs)

1 tsp dried Thyme

1 Tbsp chopped Garlic

1 Medium sized Brinjal (diced)

5 Medium Babymarrows (diced)

6 Baby plum tomatoes (diced)

1 Onion (diced) or 3 Spring onion sprigs (chopped)

1 Green pepper (diced)

4 Tbsp Coconut oil / Lard

Salt & Pepper to taste (I used Garlic and celery flavoured salt)

2 Tbsp Xylitol or a few Stevia drops (Optional)

2 Cups of Water

Cream and chopped chives for garnish

Method:

1. Mix the parmesan and half a teaspoon of mixed herbs into the meat and roll your meat into prune sized meatballs.

2. Fry the meatballs in 2 Tbsp Coconut oil till browned on all sides. Now add the tomato pureè, spices and Xylitol. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 7 – 10 minutes and then add 1 Cup of water.

3. Char grill the diced veggies in half the coconut oil under the grill stir once or twice to get more car grilled sides.

4. Add a 1/4 cup water and give the veggies a quick blitz in a blender or food processor, leaving a third in bigger chunks if you like a chunky, rustic soup. Pureè if you like a smooth soup.

5. Add the veggies, and 3/4 cup water to the tomato and meatballs and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

6. You can adjust your liquids according to your preference. You can also use stock instead of plain water.

7. Garnish with cream and chopped chives or parsley.

Noodeled Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

500 – 800 g Free Range Chicken pieces – Skin on. (I literally use the left over meat and bones from the night before’s roast chicken. Now I must also admit, the free range Chickens we get around here are about 3 kg in weight. I use at least 1 kg in this recipe and it makes for a big pot of soup! )

1 bunch Table celery leaves

2 Onions, chopped

Spring Onions, chopped

2 Carrots, whole

Garlic to taste

Salt and pepper to taste. (I use BBQ spice with lots of coriander and mustard seeds – great smokey flavour)

Fresh Thyme or Dry Mixed Herbs of preference.

Method:

1. If you use raw chicken pieces, brown it in a bit of coconut oil and spices. Add water and veggies. Cook till meat falls from the bones. Free range chicken makes a noodle like fibre. The meat does not cook away like regular chicken. Simmer on medium heat with the bones as long as possible. Add water when needed and to maintain the consistency you prefer. This makes a simple chicken broth like soup. The free range chicken gives it a noodle like consistency. Remove the bones and spice to taste before serving with sun dried tomato cheese scones and salad.

Cheese Scones:

3/4 Cup Almond Flour or Meal

1/2 Cup Milled Flax seed

2 tsp Baking powder

6 Pieces Sundried Tomato, finely chopped.

2 Eggs

6 Tbsp Melted Butter

6 Tbsp Milk

1/2 Cup Grated Cheese

Method:

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients and cheese. Mix into the dry ingredients. Don’t over work the batter.

3. Bake in a muffin pan for 15 – 20 minutes, or till scones are brown and firm. Knife test.

4. Serve warm with butter.

Sides:

These are so easy fun and delicious! You can add any julienned veggie to the beans – be creative.

Ingredients:

Packet of fresh young Green beans.

1/2 Yellow pepper, Sliced into strips

3 Red Spring onions

Parma Ham strips

Garlic (Roasted in the pan with beans)

Salt & Pepper

Mustard Cream Sauce:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 Cup Cream

Some of the roasted garlic left in the pan

1 Roasted Spring Onion, chopped

pinch of Salt

pinch of Xylitol

Method:

1. Trim tops and tails of the green beans and stir fry the veggies and garlic in a pan with Coconut oil.

2. Make into little bundles of peppers, beans and spring onions (cut in half length wise) Tie by wrapping the parma ham around it.

3. Mix the sauce ingredients together and scoop a spoonful over each bean bundle.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups cubed Pumpkin (More or less)

1 Large Brinjal, cubed

8 Sun dried Tomatoes, sliced

1/2 Red Pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 Yellow Pepper, roughly chopped

8 Cherry tomatoes

Pumpkin seeds, for garnish

1 Can Coconut Cream

Spice mix:

1 tsp mild curry

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom (optional)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp crushed coriander

Chili flakes (optional)

1 Tbsp Xylitol

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

5 Lemon leaves

Salt & Black pepper to taste

1 Satsuma orange sliced into segments to squeeze over the veggies per serving and /or fresh coriander leaves (optional)

Method:

1. In a pot, char – fry the veggies (not the cherry tomatoes) in some coconut oil.

2. Mix all the spices and sun dried tomato into the can of coconut milk. Mix well.

3. Add all the ingredients to a single casserole dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for about 40 minutes. The pumpkin must be soft and the coconut cream fairly reduced. Then add the cherry tomatoes and grill the dish for a bit till nice and brown.

4. Dish and garnish.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Green Beans, sliced

4 Yellow patty pans, sliced

1 Packet of Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 Red Pepper, diced finely

1 Large Onion, thinly sliced

1 Cup of cream

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Parmesan (optional)

Ground Black pepper

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tbsp Lemon zest

2 tsp Garlic, crushed

Method:

1. Fry onions in coconut oil or lard till very crispy. Sprinkle with the parmesan or just a pinch of salt, scoop into a separate dish and set aside.

2. Stir fry veggies, garlic, salt and black pepper in the pan you just used for the onion. You can now stop here and just grate some lemon zest on and serve with some crunchy onions or you can add the butter and cream, allow to simmer and thicken for the full experience.

Casserole serves 6

Brinjal Bochini Bake:

Ingredients:

2 Big brinjals, cut into 5 mm thick, slices. (Round shapes in other words)

1 Can of whole tomato in sauce

1 Packet Bacon rashers / Parma ham strips

Minced Garlic to taste

1 tub of bochini mozarella balls or 1 cup grated mozarella

Pitted Olives (optional)

Sliced Spring Onion

Yellow Pepper strips

Mixed herb salt and or mixed fresh herbs to taste. (thyme, oregano, etc.

Parmasan cheese

Black pepper.

Method:

1. Prepare your brinjal rounds with a bit of salt and let it drain for 30 minutes.

2. Bake your brinjal rounds on a flat sheet pan for 20 minutes turning at least once.

3. Pack them like taco shells into 2 banana loaf pans.

4. Stuff each brinjal with cheese, veggies, garlic and dress them tomatoes, herb salt and pepper.

5. Sprinkle Parmesan and fresh herbs and bake for 20 – 30 minutes.

Drain any extra fluids and serve!

Brinjal Bochini serves 4

You can serve these raw or cooked. Use your imagination as far as fillings go.

I prefer it cooked. The best part is the char – grilled spring onion! It’s not just merely a garnish. You tear of a strip and ad it to your little roast pepper. Devine!

Ingredients:

Baby Sweet Peppers

Feta cheese

Pitted Olives

Fresh Basil leaves

Red Spring Onion

Coconut oil for frying.

Method:

Stuff your peppers and simply pop them and the whole spring onions in a pan with Coconut oil. Char grill them. They are ready when the filling starts to melt and the peppers are nice and charred all round.

Peppers: One serving veggies = 2 poppers

1. CHICKEN PANANG CURRY (Orange Thai Curry paste)

Ingredients:

Duck fat for browning

6 – 8 Chicken pieces

1 Can Coconut Cream

5-7 Lime Leaves

1 tsp minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Panang Curry Paste

Veggies consisting of…1/4 Cabbage sliced, Yellow peppers, Red peppers, Green peppers, Baby marrows, 1 Onion, Cilli (optional) A Good few Cauliflower florets.

Herb flavoured salt and Black Pepper.

METHOD:

1. Spice Chicken with Herbed Salt and brown the Chicken in Duck Fat.

2. Add Lime Leaves, Garlic, Panang paste and Coconut Cream. Let it simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.

3. Add all your veggies, put lid on pot and let it simmeron low heat, steam and reduce till veggies are either still crunchy but cooked or softly sauteed. Add a sprinkle of salt & pepper and Kawasaki! (Sounded Thai for “there you have it”, to me)

Ingredients:

1 Cauliflower head -broken into florets

1 bag of baby spinach

2 Tbsp of butter

Salt & Black pepper

Method:

1. Steam Cauliflower and spinach in a little water till soft.

2. Pour off excess water.

3. Add butter and spices and mash till a fine consistency.

Mushroom Cream sauce:

Ingredients:

1 Packet of mushrooms – sliced

1 Cup of cream

1 tsp Garlic

1/2 Cup of Cheese

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Method:

1. Saute Mushrooms in a small knob of butter or coconut oil.

2. Add spices and garlic

3. Add Cream and cheese. Stirr often and allow to simmer at a low heat.

4. Scoop a spoonful over a steak or chicken breast and enjoy!

Italian Meatballs:

Ingredients:

500 – 700 grams of steak mince, rolled into ping -pong sized meatballs

Mixed herbs, salt and pepper

1 can of whole tomatoes in juice.

1 Tbsp Garlic

1 Tbsp Xylitol

1Tbsp Vinegar

50 ml cream

1 cup grated cheese

3 Tbsp Coconut oil.

Method:

1. Fry the meatballs in the coconut oil in a deep dish pot. Spice the meatballs in the pot.

2. As soon as the meatballs are browned on most sides, add the can of tomato, garlic and mixed herbsXylitol and vinegar.

3. Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the sauce infused all the meatballs. Add a bit of water if it cooks dry too fast.

4. Add the cream and simmer for a bit longer.

Scoop over ribboned baby marrows, shredded cabbage, cauli – mash or creamed spinach and top with cheese.

Sauteed Cabbage:

Ingredients:

1/2 a Cabbage head, shredded roughly into wider strips.

3 Tbsp of butter

Salt or mixed herb salt and Black Pepper

Method:

1. Saute the cabbage in the butter at high heat. You want it to caramelize in the butter.

2. Add the spices

3. Serve more crunchy if you use this as a pasta replacement. Cook a bit longer if you want to serve it as a side dish.

4. Add bacon bits to jazz it up a bit for a more smokey flavoured side dish.

Thai Chicken Curry:

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts – skin on, deboned and cut into strips or chunks.

1/2 Yellow pepper – cut into strips

1/2 Red pepper – cut into strips

1 Cup mushrooms of choice – sliced

1 Handful of Mange touts

5 Baby marrows – sliced

1 tsp Garlic

5-6 Lime leaves – dried

1 Can of Coconut cream.

1 Tbsp Green Curry paste/ Red Curry paste/ Pangang Curry paste

Herbed salt or salt & Black pepper.

Method:

1. Stir fry the chicken bits in coconut oil. Add spices.

2. Add all the veggies and saute

3. Add the coconut cream, lime leaves and curry paste

4. Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes on low heat.

5. Take out the lime leaves and chop up some fresh coriander leaves or spring onion and garnish after you dished it into a deep bowl.

6. Eat as is or on a bed of sauteed cabbage or green beans.

7. I sometimes a add a cup of water with the coconut cream and serve this dish as a soup.

8. You can exchange the meat for all kinds of meat cubes and vary veggies and curry bases to your hearts content.

This makes an awesome prawn curry too!

Mini Cheesecake:

Serve without the berries. Yields 10 mini cheese cakes.

2 Minute Chocolate Mousse:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cream

1 Tsp Cacao

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Xylitol

Method:

1. Blend together all the ingredients with a stick blender or whisk till stiff.

2. Yields 4 portions

Serving size 1 brownie

Peanuts and Peanut butter are not recommended on a low carb lifestyle.

Shopping lists:

IMPORTANT:

Pointers for your journey:

1. Take a good multivitamin, a tablespoon of Coconut oil, and if you can handle it a bit of turmeric in water, each morning.

2. Make friends with healthy fats. You are going to have to embrace this to fuel your metabolism. You will also see from my meals and meal plans that you don’t eat chunks of it, but the bottomline is; fat = energy. Even if it is a teaspoon of olive oil or the yellow fat on the 5 carvings of biltong, that bit of fat will switch on your brain, curb cravings and supply energy. We don’t eat gobs of fat! We don’t eat gobs of protein either. Your body will (maybe for the first time ever tell you exactly what it needs) Just know, that this might take a few days to fully make the switch.

3. Picture yourself now going from being a car that was fueled by petrol, (Sugar and carbs) to a car that is now fueled by diesel (fats, low carbs, fibre & healthy protein intake) DO NOT MIX THESE SYSTEMS. This WILL result in massive weight gain.

4. Eat till you feel satisfied! Don’t go limiting yourself in the beginning. If your body suspects that you are trying to starve it, it might hold on to fat and not burn it. If you feel hungry, you might get tempted to grab some easy fast food consisting of carbs! Carry your biltong with you. Keep veggie sticks and boiled eggs or meatballs with you. Have nuts as a snack. But I would suggest in the beginning, rather snack on a drumstick or a piece of cheese. Snack on nuts maybe just a few times a week or save it all together for your little baking project. This way you eat a smaller portion too. Be aware of how far that piece of bacon and egg will fuel you, but grab the piece of salami and cucumber sticks when you feel the first hunger.

5. Start your day with a glass of water. Follow every cup of coffee with a glass of water. Drink water…please. Your first week is a detoxing week. Just be kind to your body. Drink WATER! Also make some Buchu tea, or Ginger tea, Vanilla Rooibos tea. Black tea, Green Tea… Make them and chill them! You can make lovely ice teas! My daughter makes a different combo – blend every day. Her favorite is the lemongrass – ginger – vanilla -pomegranate mix! No problem with creativity there! Try to drink cream in your coffee if you tend to drink more than 3 cups.

100 ml of milk =6 grams of carbs. 100ml cream= 3grams of carbs

6. Dance while you mop! Climb the stairs instead of the elevator, go power weeding! Be aware of the times you can get your heart rate up. If you can change your approach to getting the heart pumping in more creative ways, your body and soul will experience this as kindness! If you are an avid athlete…awesome! There are more ways than the treadmill at the gym. Mine is dancing to two funky eighties hits in a row. ALONE off course. Change your outlook from I must … to I want to be kind to myself.

7. You will not always have the same appetite. This is why you need to listen to your body. Some days I suddenly want to devour an entire 200g steak, but some days I just graze and snack a few times without eating a big conventional meal.

Food is fuel… not routine procedure.

8. Most of the carb count in a meal is the veggies and not the meat. Eat enough veggies. My recipes will give you an idea. This is a good source of fibre too.

9. Drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of psyllium husks twice a week or so. This cleanses and promotes a healthy digestive tract.

10. Watch out for boerewors or breakfast sausages. Read labels… they add lots of stabilizers and cereals to them. This can stall weight loss. Don’t eat fruit every day… see it as a treat. Use it in a smoothy or as a desert topping. Careful for double cream yoghurt. Unfortunately they add about 6 grams of stabilizers. Eat a bit every now and again, but be cautious.

11. Create awesome one pot wonders by using one of these 3 ingredients:

1 Tin Coconut cream (5 grams carbs per serving), yields 4

250 ml Cream (2 grams carbs per serving), yields 4

1 Tin Canned tomatoes (5grams carbs per serving.) yields 4

Add your choice of veggies, (5 grams carbs per serving) and your meat (0 grams of carbs.)

So this is a good 10 gram carb rule of thumb for a curry, italian tomato meat dish or a creamy bacon and cauliflower soup.

{ITALIAN MEATBALLS ON SHREDDED CABBAGE}

12. Every body loses fat at a different pace. Don’t get stuck on how much you lose, as long as you lose. We have found that sometimes the scale shows no results for a week or two, but our clothes are looser fitting. If you only have 4 kilo’s to lose, weight loss will not be as dramatic as the person needing to lose 20 Kilo’s. Your body knows where to stop losing all and all. Stress sometimes slows down weight loss…look at the bigger picture. You are a whole being. Just remember that a stall in weight loss can mean many things. Just keep doing what you are doing, up the fat and drop the carbs a bit and see if that does the trick.

13. Check Marinades and spices. Loads of sugar hide in them.

14. Red Wine can cause a weight stall for some people.

15. Don’t eat if you are not hungry. You don’t need to snack after a few days on this meal plan. I substitute a meal with a snack most days. It’s ok to have a mid morning meal, dinner and a snack for example. We really eat more than we really need to simply because we are used to it. Keep this in mind.