the incredibly lazy collection

low carb / low glycemic / vegetarian

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Hemp Chia Pudding

I’ve come across a million recipes for chia pudding but even the low carb ones typically include added sugar or sweeteners. I don’t eat any kind of sweeteners (even the natural kinds like stevia) for health reasons so cobbled my own simple version together. I would compare this more to a low carb version of yogurt and granola instead of pudding but if you’re okay drinking unsweetened almond milk, then I’m betting you won’t miss the sugars here either. 

I used hulled hemp seeds because they’re nearly carb neutral and high in iron but I think pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be amazing too. 

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (1)

2 tablespoons chia seeds (< 1)

1 tablespoon hulled hemp seeds (< 1)

2 tablespoons natural almond butter (2)

Total - 4 net carbs

Put the almond milk and chia seeds in a container with a very tight lid and shake for a couple of minutes. This is tedious but really helps the texture get to that smooth creamy consistency. Once you’ve finished shaking, put it in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours. I left mine for a full day because I like it to get to the texture of tapioca. Shorter time spans might leave a little bit of a crunch to the chia seeds. 

Spoon it into a bowl once you’re ready to eat it and add your toppings. 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Veggie Burger on Almond Bun

After my first few horrific (and expensive) attempts at finding low carb bread, I was quickly convinced that I would have to accept a breadless existence. I became more hopeful when I started finding recipes using almond flour but never did I imagine that something so quick and easy would actually taste nice. 

The microwave almond flour bread recipe has a few dozen popular variations but the one I linked is the simplest that I found. I like how it tastes right out of the microwave but definitely would recommend grilling it for this. 

This is low carb enough that you can even add sides with it! Or cheese! I went with spinach because this whole vegetarian/low carb combo is a bit of a challenge for iron levels, but seriously could pair this with almost anything for a nice indulgent weekend meal. Honestly excited to try this one again. 

Ingredients

Beyond Burger patty (1)

Microwave almond bread (3)

Shredded lettuce/greens (<1)

Mustard (0)

Total - 4 net carbs 

Make the microwave bread while the veggie patty is grilling. It should be done and cooled by the time the patty is close to finished. I’d recommend making it in a small shallow bowl (about the size of the patty itself) so that you get that nice bun shape. I sliced it in half and grilled it in the same pan right around when the patty was finishing up. Took it to the next level for sure. 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Cauliflower Pizza

The best. Literally the best weekend food.

Ingredients

2 Outer Aisle Italian thins (2)

1/4 cup Rao’s homemade pizza sauce (2)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2)

4 Lightlife pepperoni slices (<1)

Broccoli (<1)

Total - 7 net carbs

Thaw the cauliflower thins overnight and then toast them. Like actually put them in the toaster for a couple minutes. Then put them on a pizza tray (or foil if you’re lazy like me) and add your toppings. Cook at 425 for 15 minutes. The crust will get really nice this way. Trust me, the pre-toasting helps so much.

The toppings can obviously be switched out. Pretty amazing to get two mini pizzas for under 7 net carbs.

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Seed Cracker Plate

Heavenly doesn’t even begin to describe it. I have missed crackers soooo much and was excited to try something that might even come close to satisfying that craving. Oh. My. God. These definitely surpassed expectations!! I had my first bite fresh out of the oven because they smelled so good and I was dancing around my kitchen in glee. The texture definitely improved after letting them sit and cool though so maybe try to be more patient than me.

And while baking your own crackers may fly in the face of my desire to cobble together a bunch of easy low carb recipes for lazy days, I am willing to spend an hour baking once a week if it means I can spend 5 seconds throwing together a delicious lunch on a busier day. 

Ingredients 

8 small seed crackers (4)

1/2 avocado (1)

2 oz smoked gouda cheese (0)

Total - 5 net carbs 

The only changes that I made from the linked recipe were omitting the sesame seeds, doubling the chia seeds, and swapping coconut oil for olive oil. The olive oil did just fine and it’s something I always have in the cabinet, so makes this a total win. These have a really nice crunch if you roll them thin enough. This was my first attempt at making these and I’ll go a tad bit thinner next time. 

Beyond delicious and filling when paired with some tasty cheese and avocado. I can see myself making these again and again. 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Roasted Broccoli and Veggie Sausage

I’m forever baffled by the different carb counts you’ll find for the most simple foods like broccoli. I tend to have a “round up” philosophy but honestly my bag of broccoli florets say 1 net carb per cup and googling says 3-4 net carbs per cup and I am just not mentally prepared to buy a food scale so... going with 4 carbs for now! Either way, an incredibly filling meal that doesn’t send my blood sugar sky rocketing. 

Ingredients

1 cup broccoli florets (4)

2 Beyond Sausage Brat Original (4)

1 tbsp olive oil (0)

1/2 tsp salt (0)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (0)

Total - 8 net carbs 

Chop the broccoli and toss in the salt and 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes on 425 degrees. 

Slice up the (thawed!) veggie sausages before cooking to get them really crisp on the outside. You’ll need a sharp knife to not smush them to bits. Put the rest of the olive oil in a frying pan and heat to medium. Now these veggie sausages have plenty of fat included so you could definitely skip the olive oil in the pan and do fine but it gives them such a nice fried taste if you add it. Add the smoked paprika to the pan right before you take them out. 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Broccoli Frittata Muffins

These freeze so well for quick breakfasts. Wrap them individually before freezing and put them in a big freezer bag. They keep for about a month that way. I make a batch of these on the weekend and then eat two for breakfast before work. They microwave in about 1 minute. 

Ingredients

12 large eggs (4)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (1)

1 cup chopped broccoli florets (4)

1/2 tbsp olive oil (0)

1 tsp salt (0)

Total - 1 net carb each (12 servings)

Cook these in a standard muffin tray. Grease the muffin tray with olive oil and drop in an equal amount of chopped broccoli into each one. Whisk the eggs, almond milk, and salt together. Fill each muffin cup almost to the brim. They fluff up but don’t spill over so don’t get too worried about overfilling. Bake them on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until completely set. 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Avocado Salad

There’s a lot of salad mix out there that’s surprisingly high carb. Okay, that might be an exaggeration but when you’re trying to make a meal out of a salad, you’ve got to save the bulk of your carb limit for the toppings. The ruby reds mix is the lowest that I’ve found and still tastes a bit more exciting than plain spinach. Those little cheese crisps make excellent crouton replacements. They soak up the vinaigrette for a burst of flavor but stay crunchy.  

Keeping the main ingredients super low carb allows me to add in the crowning jewel of the whole meal - an entire avocado - without breaking 5 net carbs. 

Ingredients

3 cups Tender Ruby Reds Salad Mix (1)

1 tbsp Ken’s Simply Vinaigrette Olive Oil and Vinegar (1)

Medium avocado (3)

7 Bunker Hill gouda cheese crisps (0)

Total - 5 net carbs

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Eggs and Veggie Sausage

I’m lucky that eggs are one of my favorite foods because they’re almost carb free and breakfast is the hardest point in the day to control my blood sugar. The biggest challenge for me has been giving up toast though. This was the first replacement that almost filled that void. You could definitely make lower carb versions of this but these little veggie sausage patties fry up so crisp and let me dunk into the egg yolks like I missed so much.

Ingredients 

Three eggs (1)

Olive oil (0) 

Two Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties (4)

Total - 5 net carbs

Fry up the eggs in some olive oil and microwave the patties for about 45 seconds while you’re doing that. They should be just cooked enough to slice in half then. Put the four halves into the pan with the eggs and fry them until they crisp up a little. Add a little salt and pepper or other seasonings (chives are lovely on eggs). 

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Veggie Omelette

I pick the “build your own” omelette option at Denny’s and ask them to replace the toast/potato with a side of the sauteed zucchini and squash. This technically isn’t one of their approved substitutes but I’ve never been charged extra considering you’re replacing two sides with just one. 

Ingredients

Omelette base (2)

Spinach (< 1)

Mushrooms (< 1)

American cheese (1)

Sauteed zucchini and squash (2)

Total - 6 net carbs

[lazylowcarbcookbook]

Iced Coffee

This hardly counts as a meal or a recipe (is it a dessert? it feels like a dessert?) but definitely one of my favorites when I’m in need of a little boost.

Ingredients

Large black iced coffee (0)

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (1)

Total - 1 net carb

Almond Breeze makes little 8 oz containers of unsweetened almond milk that are shelf stable so you can carry them in your purse or bag.