Reap the commendable benefits of a Low Carb diet to curb the mounting pounds and shed off the inches from your waist. Low Carb diets have become a dogma and people are jumping on the bandwagon to adopt the fad.  Studies have proven that sticking to a high-Protein-low-Carb diet augments weight loss and helps you glean a coveted slim body. When you gorge on carbohydrates, your body converts those carbohydrates to glucose. Glucose is, essentially, a sugar that your cells assimilate in order to fuel activities within the body and allow you to breathe, grow, and think.

Consuming less Carbs devoid your body of its continuous flux of glucose and it resorts to degenerating protein to replenish its supply of energy, transferring the proteins you eat into glucose through several extra steps in the liver. This, in turn, burns extra calories. Your body must further transfer fat into ketones, which is far more beneficial for the kidneys, some parts of the brain, and the heart, than the common glucose molecule. In addition, your body also looks to stored fat in the body to fuel itself, thus allowing you to lose weight fast. Thus, a Low Carb lifestyle is indispensable to healthy and effective weight loss.

Incorporating Beef into your Low Carb diet is imperative to rev your metabolism and satisfy your daily nutritional needs. Succulent beef, diligently cooked in a slow cooker to extract its goodness, packs a punch of flavors. Create the scrumptious Beef Stroganoff, French dip, a delectable beef stew or even some low Carb Quesadillas and delve in a mouthwatering fare that actually helps you realize your fitness goals.

Beef is bursting with nutrients, including Vitamins A, D, B12, B6, and B3, Zinc, Iron, Selenium, and a host of other important vitamins and minerals. Beef is also found to be rich in Creatine, which forms an energy reserve in the muscles and brain and is found only in animal foods, and Carnosine, which functions as a powerful antioxidant and grants protection against many degenerative processes. Iron in red meat aids in the production of hemoglobin that absorbs and transports oxygen to different parts of your body, selenium breaks down the fat and chemicals in the body, and zinc helps in tissue formation and metabolism.

Beef is a dense source of protein, which is not only essential for proper development of the major structure and functional systems in the human body but is converted to glucose by the liver to produce energy in the aforementioned process. The vitamin B, packed in beef, elevates the metabolic cellular reactions in your cells, which works to kick start your metabolism and burn up the calories you send into your body. This helps your body maintain a steady weight. One of these B vitamins, niacin, works to refute cancer growth in your cells, thereby promoting an overall health of your body.

Whoever said you had to starve your body and devoid yourself of everything scrumptious, could not have been more wrong! Bid adieu to calories, glean enviable abs, a trimmed down waist and a coveted body with these nutritive and lip-smacking recipes:

Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Recipe Makes 15 Servings

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving: 148 calories, 3.5 grams net carbohydrates, 9 grams fat, 12.5 grams protein

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Stew beef
• 12 ounces bacon
• 5 ounces canned organic diced tomatoes, juice drained
• 2 tbsp. organic tomato paste
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 cups organic beef stock
• 4 ounces mixed bell peppers, chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

 

Directions:

Fry bacon in a pan until crisp and crumbled. Set the slow cooker on low. Place a large skillet over medium heat and sear the beef in olive oil, until well browned on both sides. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bell peppers, fried bacon, salt, pepper, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, garlic, garlic powder, oregano, celery, and onion powder to the cooker. Cover the lid tightly and cook for 6-7 hours.

Coffee Braised Brisket

Recipe Makes 7-8 Servings

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving: 229 calories, 7.2 grams net carbohydrates, 8 grams fat, 36.9 grams protein

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground coffee
• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 – Pound boneless beef brisket
• 2 large onion, finely sliced

 

Directions:

Combine together salt, pepper, paprika, ground coffee, brown sugar, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Trim fat off the beef if necessary, and thoroughly rub the brisket with the spice mix. Place the brisket in the slow cooker and top it with sliced onions. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and brewed coffee over the top and cover the lid of the cooker. Cook on a low heat setting for 10 hours and transfer the meat to a cutting board and remove the onions from the cooker with a slotted spoon. Slice the meat across the grain and serve it with the cooked onions.

Portobello Beef Burgundy

Recipe Makes 6 Servings

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving: 471 calories, 9 grams net carbohydrates, 17.5 grams fat, 38.7 grams protein

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 ½ tsp. thyme, fresh or dried
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ¾ tsp. minced fresh marjoram
• 2 pounds beef sirloin tip steak, cut in to 1” length
• 2 bacon strips
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup Burgundy wine (can be substituted with beef broth)
• 1 tsp. beef bouillon granules
• 1-pound baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

In a sealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme and marjoram. Add beef strips and shake hard to coat evenly. In a large skillet, fry bacon till crisp and remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon, and dice finely. In the same skillet, add garlic and sauté beef strips for 1-2 minutes, and drain. In the same skillet, add wine and beef bouillon granules and bring to a boil, stirring continuously to loosen browned bits from the skillet. Transfer beef strips to a slow cooker and drizzle the boiling wine mixture on top. Top with bacon and cover the slow cooker. Cook for 7-8 hours on low heat setting and add mushrooms. Cover and cook for an additional hour, or until the sauce thickens considerably. Serve hot.

Green Chili Beef with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower

Recipe Makes 5 Servings

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving: 374 calories, 7 grams net carbohydrates, 11.3 grams fat, 50.4 grams protein

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

 

Ingredients:

Green Chili Beef Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 8 oz green chilies
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne

Cilantro Lime Rice (Cauliflower)

• 1 head of cauliflower – “riced”
• 1/4 cup broth (from the slow cooker)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 limes, plus zest
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro – leaves only
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cho onions finely and toss into the slow cooker along with the chicken broth. In a bowl, combine together lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Coat the beef thoroughly in the spice mix and add to the slow cooker. Top the beef with green chilies and cover the lid. Cook on the low heat setting for 7 hours, until the meat is well tender. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cut across the grain into individual servings.

Chop a head of cauliflower and toss it in the blender. Blend until its particles start resembling rice. In a pan, add the cauliflower rice and add the drained liquids from the slow cooker, along with the garlic powder. Stir occasionally until the rice is cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice, zest, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Serve hot beef over the bed of “rice”. Grilled peppers can also be added as a delicious side.

Paleo Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Recipe Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Breakdown per Serving: 476 calories, 7.1 grams net carbohydrates, 29.5 grams fat, 23.5 grams protein

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1-pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp. of hot pepper relish
• 6 cloves garlic, whole
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Italian seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Thyme), to taste

Directions:

Toss the tomato sauce, hot pepper relish, garlic, olive oil, and the Italian seasoning into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the two squash halves face down into the slow cooker. Roll the ground Italian sausage into small balls and place carefully into the slow cooker. Cover the lid and cook on the low heat setting for 5 hours, until tender. Using a large fork, pull the squash “spaghetti” out of the cooker and place it on to a serving dish, Top it with the meat balls and sauce, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.