My Recent Higher-Protein, Low-Carb/Hypercarnivore Meals
Here is a look at some recent meals. This is a part 2 of my last post discussing eating higher protein than fat as a low-carb, hypercarnivore over fifty female.
Meal prep through the week is super easy if you can spend a little time during the weekend roasting a whole chicken and/or a beef roast, or perhaps some meatloaf as shown below, or grilling up an entire pack of chicken breasts/tenders, or steak.
I personally enjoyed all of what we prepared without reheating, but if you prefer, cover and place in a counter top oven on a lower heat for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken/meat reaches the desired temperature. If you have skin-on chicken breast, reheat uncovered to retain the nice crispy skin.
Below is a whole chicken plus two separate split chicken breasts roasted on a recent Sunday ~ both purchased for great prices as seen in the related shopping haul video below. This lasted the entire work week. It certainly made it easy for me to grab what I wanted ~ the leaner chicken at one meal, plus some meatloaf as needed later, while Don could grab what he preferred ~ some meatloaf at one meal, and the fattier chuck roast at our second meal.
Meal prep through the week is super easy if you can spend a little time during the weekend roasting a whole chicken and/or a beef roast, or perhaps some meatloaf as shown below, or grilling up an entire pack of chicken breasts/tenders, or steak.
I personally enjoyed all of what we prepared without reheating, but if you prefer, cover and place in a counter top oven on a lower heat for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken/meat reaches the desired temperature. If you have skin-on chicken breast, reheat uncovered to retain the nice crispy skin.
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| The chicken came out fantastic. I seasoned w/ salt, Real Salt, and a little bit of a barbecue seasoning, then put some tallow that rose to the top of a previously slow-roasted beef underneath the skin in a couple areas. I also added a little bone broth to the pan. Roast at 450º for about 15 minutes, then turn low, and roast at anywhere between 175-250º, depending on your timing, and your oven. |
As I have had a few different health issues on and off for much of my life, I've developed a sort of mental triage as to what is a priority for me ~ whether it is logical, or not, as it's a 'mental' thing.
It pretty much goes like this:
- Maintaining blood sugar stability, especially referring to feeling 'right' in my brain, and avoiding low-blood sugar dips, dizzy spells, and mini seizures ~ I used to have a sensation of blood/liquid dripping down my brain when having a low-blood sugar spell.
- Maintaining appropriate flow of the pipes, avoiding lower belly bloating and abdominal distention discomforts ~ on and off constipation and a regular irregularity being such a long-term source of discomfort.
- Vision and eye health + hair health ~ keeping it on my head, rather than falling off in clumps every time I run my fingers through, which was happening while plant-based, but has also happened a little even more recently while increasing fat, and decreasing protein.
- Healthy weight/body composition ~ it's a desire, but the discomforts mentioned above tended to take precedence.
Because I've been so driven to 'have my (food/energy) needs met', I began to consider fat my fuel to replace deriving energy from carbs, something that is highlighted in ketogenic diet circles. What I am referring to is less of about the science of burning ketones, and more about my own internal thought patterns, which, as one with history of such drastic reactions to blood sugar swings, is more fear-based. As in, "Better make sure I never run out of fuel, or bad things happen to my brain."
I'm deeply introspective, so this is a process that is occurring at a deeper, subconscious level that I thankfully have the wherewithal to consciously recognize.
Why is that so important?
To make the best choices possible based on appropriately receiving and interpreting the instinctual and intuitive needs of my body, rather than choosing out of fear ~ to avoid a discomfort ~ or because of old beliefs and/or programming about what I think/believe is healthy. We have to get to a healthy base-line before we can really begin to flow with a trust your true nature approach, which is very liberating.
Why is that so important?
To make the best choices possible based on appropriately receiving and interpreting the instinctual and intuitive needs of my body, rather than choosing out of fear ~ to avoid a discomfort ~ or because of old beliefs and/or programming about what I think/believe is healthy. We have to get to a healthy base-line before we can really begin to flow with a trust your true nature approach, which is very liberating.
Once I had the chicken and meatloaf prepared, I could have chicken at one meal, meatloaf at the next. I filled in as needed with either yogurt, cottage cheese, and/or eggs.
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| This slow-roasted chicken, also shown above, came out super moist and tender. |
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| Eggnog, usually made w/ 2 eggs, and 12 oz. milk, to which I sometimes may add a splash of heavy cream (~ 1 tbsp.) and 1-2 oz. leftover coffee, as shown here. Occasionally, if I want extra staying power, I do also add 1 tbsp. coconut oil, which makes a big difference, however, I don't regularly consume any type of oil anymore, incl. olive oil. I prefer the animal fats. |
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| Leftover meatloaf tastes great after just letting it come up to temp briefly from the fridge, but if reheating, cover, and heat on a low to medium-low heat. It's a great dish to make ahead of time because it keeps so well. |
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| Nice and frothy eggnog, w/ only the eggs and milk. |
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| Homemade yogurt to go above, with added strawberries, below. |
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| Cottage cheese is high in protein. I may have 1/2-1 cup every few days. I like that it is slightly salty, and can help me keep my total protein levels higher when in need, such as if we only had some slightly fattier meat available. For those who don't like it cold, cottage cheese is really good alongside a cooked meal, such as with Italian Sausages ~ creating a near lasagna-like tasty decadence. |
One day I managed to go from around 9:00 AM until 3:00 after having only had an eggnog. I did happen to add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and a splash of heavy cream to that particular eggnog, not something I typically do. I also had a skinny piece of cheese, and a little bit more fat added to coffee prior, so I enjoyed my allotment of fat for the day in the morning, and went pretty lean at my next meal, which included about 300g of chicken breast, which is chock full of protein, some fermented cabbage, 1c cottage cheese, and a few grape tomatoes, not shown.
I had not planned on not eating for hours, but since we got busy at work, I was glad I added the extra fat, as I felt amazingly fine for hours.
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| Grilled chicken tenders w/ fermented cabbage, and 1 cup 4% cottage cheese. A few grape tomatoes were eaten afterwards, but missed out on the photo shoot! |
One morning, I had the cottage cheese with berries and a sprinkle of cocoa powder first thing, just to see how long that would sustain me.
If having cravings for something sweeter, try the cottage cheese with cinnamon and/or cocoa powder and a sprinkle of stevia.
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| Cottage cheese w/ strawberries, 1 tsp. cocoa powder, and a tiny tiny pinch of stevia. |
I don't mind doing this sometimes, but I find that I either prefer a full on protein-rich meal to start my day, or if not wanting that, I may be fine with a lighter meal, which for me would be 1-1.5 pcs. bacon, 25g of cheese, and 2 eggs, like I had this morning, along with some bone broth, which was very enjoyable. I only had black coffee prior, and a small piece of 100% bakers chocolate afterwards. And, I mean a small piece of about 5-7g.
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| Bone broth is a great alternative morning beverage, or accompaniment to your breakfast, or other meals. |
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| Pressure cooking bones creates a really delicious and collagen-rich bone broth. |
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| 1.5 pc. thicker bacon, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 25g cheddar cheese (great source of calcium) along with the bone broth. I did have a little 'dessert' coffee afterwards w/ some heavy cream. I ate again 5.5 hours later. I did have my 'snack/treat' in between, mentioned below. |
I did, however, make a run to Trader Joe's about 2 hours post meal, and enjoyed a coffee sample with half-and-half. Or, rather, a half-and-half sample with a splash of coffee to warm it up. So good. Puts me in my happy place! As did this:
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| These just screamed for me to take home ~ a splash of fall color that I miss living here in the desert. I look forward to living in a more temperate, 4-season climate where I can witness the changes of Nature, especially the fall colors. |
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For those interested, here is a look at Don's recent blood test after about 16 months eating a low-carb/hypercarnivore diet.
Not sure how you feel about eating a low-carb/hypercarnivore diet? Take The Hypercarnivore 30-Day Diet Challenge and find out! It's easy, and I show you how! Just subscribe to www.strongspiritwoman.com, and receive your free copy!
