Eight Low Carb Breakfast Recipes for Atkins Induction Stage: Quick, Healthy & Tasty
Why do I focus on breakfast?
Because when beginning Atkins diet, one of the largest obstacles is to create filling yet low carb dishes that has preparation time as little as pouring milk into cereal. And for those who have concerns with high cholesterol content of eggs, avoiding or decreasing the use of eggs in breakfast complicates the problem further.
Worry no more! I borrowed ideas from many friends who did Atkins and then personally tested all the recipes I am gonna share here. They did not interfere with my two weeks of induction stage, during which I lost 5% of my body weight!
Breakfast that makes you feel full seems mission impossible at the induction stage with a daily net carb target of 12g to 15g. One single banana could tip the scale. So we have to be ultra creative and allocate a little bit more time into breakfast-making.
Idea One: Stuffed bell peppers with any meat you like.
Here’s a good recipe with chorizo as filling. Other good options could be bacon, sausage, marinated steak cubes, or even duck confit. Pamper yourself and get enough protein and fat in the first meal of the day.
Prep and cooking time: 1 minute if you make it the night before. You can even make a batch and finish them in two days.
Net carb: 6g
Idea Two: Chocolate hazelnut granola without oats.
Recipe can be found here.
This one is my absolute favorite. You can make a batch on the weekend and save lots of time for the mornings in the following week. Just stir in one tablespoon of unsweetened yogurt. So Delicious makes cultured almond milk and cultured coconut milk, and they are your best friend during induction stage when milk is prohibited. You can generally find them in supermarkets or specialty food stores.
(side note: So Delicious makes many diary free products, e.g. ice cream out of almond milk, coconut milk and soy milk as well. They solved lots of my cravings during Atkins. But check for net carb before purchase!)
Prep and cooking time: less than a minute when all you have to do is to get them out of fridge. Heat them in microwave for five seconds to remove cold. Of course, you would have to spend 30 minutes to make the granolait beforehand
Net carb: 4.3g
Idea Three: Stir-fry some green leaves with sausage, meatball or eggs.
Chard could be a nutritious and filling option! But remember to put enough greens; leafy vegetables tend to shrink and lose lots of water during cooking. Here is a good recipe.
Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes
Net carb: 4g
Idea Four: Low carb hash.
You can substitute potato with cauliflower, turnip, or be exotic, try daikon radish. Use imagination. Dice your chosen vegetable and sauté with onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and spices. And top it with a fried egg, sausage or bacon.
Prep and cooking time: dice onion and your chosen vegetable the night before. Then it’ll only take 10 minutes in the morning.
Net carb: 7g
Idea Five: Salmon Roll.
Mozzarella cheese, smoked salmon, steam asparagus with black pepper
Prep and cooking time: 5 minutes if you steam asparagus on low heat while having shower
Net carb: <2.5g
Idea Six: Protein shake!
Protein shake is a must for Atkins breakfast. 1/3 of banana, avocado, unsweetened yogurt made from coconut milk, almond milk, and protein powder! What to do with the leftover 2/3 banana? Give it to other people in your household…
Prep and cooking time: 5 minutes
Net carb: 8g
Idea Seven: Egg cups
I know I promised to avoid egg dishes and add some variety to your breakfast. But I believe you would welcome eggs are made perfectly tasty. Get a cupcake cup and put in layers of bacon, battered or whole egg, sausage, chopped broccoli, onion, cheese or anything you find yummy. If you'd like to put leafy greens into it, make sure you pat and squeeze them dry. Another tip is to line the cupcake cup with bacon, so after baking the bacon will keep the egg cups in shape. Remember to sprinkle a bit of salt on the egg layer. Heat in oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Prep and cooking time: you can make it the night before or let it cook in the oven during the morning shower. Good thing is that if you get ingredients right, the cup can maintain its shape and you can eat them on the go.
Net carb: 3g
Idea Eight: Pan fried fish or pork steak.
A great way to add variety is to have lunch or dinner dishes for breakfast. Be creative with marinade. If you use pre-made marinade sold in supermarkets, read the label and make sure it does not contain too much sugar (avoid tariyaki sauce). So, dry rub could be a better choice!
Prep and cooking time: 10 minutes. Remember to marinate the fish or pork the night before and it will be flavorful and tender in the morning. Juicy!
Net carb: <2g
Ingredients that are suitable for Induction Stage:
- Any meat or fish
- Lunch meat that does not include too much sugar
- Eggs, omelets, hard-boiled, fried, scrambled, poached, any form!
- Cheese
- Vegetables that are not starchy. Onion, broccoli, mushroom, radish, salad vegetables, celery, cauliflower, and okra are all great options for breakfast.
- Avocado
Let's do a poll:
What is the toughest problem about the breakfast during Atkins diet?
I'm here to help!
If you have an ingredient that you would absolutely love to see it in your Atkins breakfast, feel free to let me know! I’ll try to create a recipe for you. I hope all fellow dieters to achieve maximum results with Atkins while enjoying delicious, uncompromised breakfast. Send me a fanmail or leave a comment.
