Doing the whole low-carb thing can be a pain if you spend your time constantly thinking about all the chips, pasta, bread and tortillas that you're missing out on, but it can actually be way easier than some other diets.
If you do it right, and you realize how amazingly delicious -- and sometimes downright naughty -- your meal options are, you'll find that it's super easy to commit to that diet of yours, whether it's paleo, keto, Atkin's or what-have-you.
Note: Most of these recipes most closely match the keto diet requirements, but many also apply for other popular ones, though sometimes a little tweaking is needed. Oh, and here's how to make paleo cashew "cheese" if you need it.
1. Low Carb Nachos
By no stretch of the imagination are these nachos balanced or low calorie (they're made out of keto-friendly crispy cheddar cheese "chips"). But if you're craving something a little naughty, these should do the trick without derailing your ketosis or other low-carb diet. Alternatively, if your diet allows for legumes, you can get thyself to the store and grab a bag of black bean or lentil chips instead.
2. Keto Pesto Chicken Casserole with Feta Cheese and Olives
It's hard to explain how tasty this creamy, rich, zesty chicken dish is, but one thing's for sure: you'll get hooked on it! It's also easily adaptable to lower-calorie fare by making your own low-oil pesto and nixing the whipping cream in favor of a few hearty dollops of plain yogurt toward the end of the cooking process.
3. Low Carb Steak Fajita Roll-Ups
While you might be used to enjoying fajitas with tortillas, the corn or white flour discs are totally inessential to this tasty, filling dinner, making it a great way to get your taco fix without the processed carbs. The best part is that you can pretty much load these up with whatever veggies you like.
4. Loaded Cauliflower
Missing some good old-fashioned starchy comfort food? Mash up a head of cauliflower for a surprisingly convincing, creamy dupe and top it with all your favorite potato fixings. If you're finicky and doing low-carb but not no-carb, you can mix in a potato or two to make the veggie aspect extra sneaky.
5. Skillet Sausage and Shrimp
This saucy 30-minute dish is filling and flavorful, and it's absolutely beautiful over your favorite grain substitute, like spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.