Meal ideas for the carb-conscious.

Well, my friends. Today marks day one of the 17 day diet. Back to old faithful to combat the lovely eating habits I've picked up in the past month. Holidays, I can't say I'm sad to see you go.

Diets can be challenging, especially if you do the same thing for too long, and find yourself eating the same foods day in and day out. However, for some people, they make sense. I find that I lose weight when I'm sticking to a very regimented diet. The minute I stop thinking about what I'm eating, I tend to gain easier. So for me, the 17 day diet is a great choice, and even better when paired with tools such as My Fitness Pal. Keeping track of what I'm eating holds me accountable.

Since I will still be in phase one (primarily no carbs, aside from fruit & yogurt twice daily, and lean white meat) for a few weeks while student teaching, I've been brainstorming various low-carb breakfast & lunch ideas. My cooperating teacher has a mini fridge and microwave in her classroom, so I won't have to rush off to the teacher's lounge to grab my lunch or heat it up. Great time saver!

Eating low-carb is tough, especially outside of the house. This diet really requires some creativity, but I think that if I plan accordingly and pack the night before, I should be fine.

Some ideas (many found on Pinterest):

Breakfast:

- Egg muffins (perfect thing to whip up on a sunday night and grab in the mornings)

- Breakfast casserole (another thing to make sunday nights and portion out for a few days)

- Smoothies (I've been pretty intrigued by green smoothies lately, as well as using Greek yogurt for the added protein)

Lunch:

- Salads (possibilities are pretty much endless. I have tiny tupperware containers for dressing, or I could always buy a few single-serve packets of dressing for ease & portion control)

- Soup (I plan on making a big batch of soup/stew/etc. every weekend so I can take that a few days a week)

- Low fat turkey or ham roll-ups

- Tuna (I love tuna on its own, but it's also great on a bed of lettuce)

- Leftovers of dinner ideas posted below

Dinner:
- Taco lettuce wraps (I seriously love taco salads and this is a fun take on that)
- Zucchini turkey burgers (sans bun, of course)
- Grilled zucchini "pizza"
- Noodle-less lasagna (I usually use eggplant, but zucchini would be great, too)
- Loaded baked potatoe-less soup

I have to stop, because my stomach is growling. At 11:50pm. That's never good.

What are some of your favorite meals that don't include tons of carbs?