Low cost low carb meal plan

What are we eating this week? As I am continuing with my keto diet, it will be low carb. However, in line with my goals for March, as outlined on Instagram, I need to rein in my spending on food. I need a low cost low carb meal plan!

Keto on a budget is possible – I just need to focus on some cheaper forms of protein. I also need to consider that Mr Shoestring is not doing keto and doesn’t want to eat lots of fat. The meals have to be able to suit us both somehow!

I am still enjoying the food and the challenge of thinking of new things to eat. As I am keeping my grocery bill low, I am focusing a lot on cheese and eggs this week. I love that we are eating so much fresh, frozen, raw and cooked veggies. We always ate a lot but, because I am filling my plate up with them instead of eating carbs, I think we are eating even more.

My weight loss has been steady and painless, losing two-three pounds each week, without getting hungry at all. I even treated myself to a couple of gin and slimline tonics this week as both are very low in carbs. It’s good to know I can have alcohol if I fancy it, although I am generally drinking a lot less than usual.

I have had the odd small craving for something sweet, but eating fresh berries (mainly blueberries, blackberries and strawberries with a dollop of full fat Greek yogurt and a small sprinkling of stevia seems to satisfy that craving.

So, without further ado, here is my low cost low carb meal plan.

Low cost low carb meal plan

Saturday

Halloumi with pesto with a large salad. They go really well together – I will just smear the pesto on and then grill or fry the halloumi. I put all sorts in my salad – lettuce, spinach, olives, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, toasted nuts and seeds, peppers, pickled gherkins and whatever else is at hand! Mr S will have sauteed potatoes with his.

Sunday

We have friends coming over for lunch in a few weeks who are vegan, so that is a challenge for me! Nut roast is the obvious choice and I have found a recipe that is both low carb and vegan here. I thought I would try it just on ourselves first.

I will cook some roast potatoes in olive oil for Mr S and just have veg with mine. The veg will be kale, broccoli and carrots (although I won’t have the carrots as they are too high in carbs).

I need to crack a recipe for keto gravy and will do something similar to this.

Monday

Cheese and ham omelette with fries…. not potato fries, though, as they are too high carb. I have half a swede in the fridge that needs eating so I shall attempt to make fries with this. I can’t imagine them tasting anything like as good as potato chips, but worth an experiment I think.

I bought a large box of wonky mushrooms in Aldi, so I will fry some in butter to have alongside.

Tuesday

Beef, spinach and mozarella one pot bake with steamed broccoli. As part of my mission to make a low cost low carb meal plan I think minced beef is a good option.

Wednesday

Chicken and vegetable stir fry. I will chop up cabbage, celery, a few carrots (I have a bag that needs using and they’re not massively high carb), runner beans, courgettes and beansprouts for this. Mr S will have some rice noodles but I will do without and just have extra veggies.

Thursday

Pork chops with melted cheese and cabbage. It’s amazing how much flavour a bit of grated cheddar makes! Mr S will have apple sauce with his rather than cheese though, to keep his fat levels down a bit.

Friday

Hard boiled eggs with tuna mayonnaise and a large salad. Canned tuna will help keep the costs down here. This is also a super easy, unfussy dinner for a Friday night.

Other meals

I have found that, because I often make enough for three or four people in the evenings, I often have enough leftovers for my lunch the next day. If I don’t, home made soups, eggs and bacon and salads are my go to lunches.

I have found that cream cheese on celery sticks is a good, refreshing snack if I fancy one. It’s also good to have a couple of hard boiled eggs in the fridge if I get the munchies!

I never want much for breakfast, and find that berries, yogurt and coconut milk made into a smoothie keeps me going until lunch.

As with any eating regime, it’s all about being organised, which is why meal planning helps!

So, that is my low cost low carb meal plan. I know some of you are also on keto, so please add your budget recipe ideas below in the comments!

As usual, I am linking up with Katy Kicker for her meal planning linky. For more of my frugal food ideas see here.