Steak-umms are good.

image via

I think that I've mentioned this before but in case you just started reading I'll say it again.  I love the grocery store.  I love to squeeze the tomatoes, smell the melons, and ogle the seafood.  Usually I'm stopping in on my way home from work so I try to restrain myself from spending too much time, but occasionally I still wander around and look for new low carb awesomeness.






A couple of days ago I was having one of those wandering moments and my travels took me to the frozen food aisle where I discovered Steak-umms.  Now, I'm told by several people that I am out of touch and that Steak-umms have been around forever and are not that big of a deal.  I don't know how I am just now finding this wonder food, but I'm glad that I did.

A box of Steak-umms is around $3.00 and has 6 servings of meat, which is a steal if you ask me.  The steak comes out in pre sliced sheets and you can cook it in a frying pan with a little olive oil for a minute or so.  I have been using it to top salads and add to my egg scrambles in the mornings.  I've also been thinking that I might be able to use the meat to make a mean Philly style stuffed pepper (stay tuned).  

At my office we do not have a full kitchen but we do have a hot plate and a couple of frying pans and pots.  I've gotten quite accustomed to using those two little burners to whip up some above average work lunches. So far I haven't branched out much beyond steak salads and steak and egg scrambles, but I'll be keeping you all updated on new developments!

Check out this delicious and low carb Steak-umms and goat cheese salad.  

Do you have any awesome Steak-umms recipes to share?   If so please leave them in the comments field below or email them to me at lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com.  I'll be happy to give them a try and post the results!

Food Journal Sunday, September 30

Brandon LaFell is not a low carb snack.
image via

Back to normal- slept in and skipped breakfast

Lunch
low carb tortilla with roast beef slices and American cheese

Dinner
(out at Golden Sports Bar & Grill to watch football)
10 wings with hot sauce
BBQ on side
blue cheese dressing
celery sticks
3 Miller Lite draft

Snack
hot tea with 1 packet Splenda
carb control strawberry yogurt

Water
didn't keep track- maybe 50 ounces?

Exercise
walked dogs- 30 minutes

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract
one a day multivtamin

Food Journal Saturday, September 29

Life is finally getting back to normal.  I was a little bit crampy on Saturday, but these were more like normal menstrual cramps and therefore manageable.  I did sleep in until around noon but I managed to drag myself into the shower and venture out into the world to run some errands.  I decided to lay off the supplements for one more day just to be safe.  

Breakfast

2 eggs scrambled with cheese

image via

Lunch

I was getting my brakes fixed and buying a new tire at a local auto repair shop, and they told me it was going to take about 2 hours.  I had planned on getting my nails done but there was a lack of nail place nearby so I headed across the parking lot to a local watering hole, Golden Sports Bar & Grill in Catonsville, to grab a beer and a snack while I waited.  I'm so happy I wandered in there because it was awesome!  The beers were cheap, the pool tables were plentiful, and the food was delicious.  This place is kind of dark and out of the way so I probably wouldn't have found it if I hadn't been waiting for my car.  Also, I won $50 on a $3 bet playing Keno while I waited for my car!  It was a good day.    

10 wings dry BBQ flavor

blue cheese dressing 

celery sticks

image via

1 Miller Lite draft

Dinner

(went out with awesome boyfriend to East Moon)

several different kinds of sashimi: spicy tuna, yellowtail, salmon 

miso soup, green salad

Water

still drinking lots of water

Exercise

none today

Supplements

skipped today

Food Journal Friday, September 28

Still recovering from having my awesome IUD inserted yesterday.  Feeling a bit better, but not good enough to shower, go to the grocery store, and cook.  Plus, my tummy is still pretty queasy off and on.  I nibbled all day in no particular quantities or order.  No supplements again today.  I wasn't sure if my stomach could take it.

image via

Food today
more white rice, grilled chicken, green beans leftover from yesterday
awesome boyfriend made me a Tortilla Pizza in the evening- no pepperonis this time, just some mushrooms and peppers
awesome boyfriend also brought home one of my favorite things:
Haagen-Dazs mini ice cream in coffee flavor

LOTS and LOTS of water

So again, a pretty carb heavy day, and no exercise.  Not feeling good is the worst.

Food Journal Thursday, September 27

I took Thursday as a vacation day because my IUD insertion was schedule for 10:00 AM.  I decided to go the appointment on an empty stomach because sometimes my tummy does weird things when I get nervous.  After the appointment I was NOT feeling good so this day pretty much went out the window.  Also, I did not take supplements today because I was too busy laying in bed and whining.  

Food Today

(munched on various things all day, no regular meals)

apple juice

white rice with a little soy sauce

2 slices of bread

small piece of grilled chicken with

a handful of steamed green beans

LOTS AND LOTS of water and crackers

Enjoy this funny and cute picture of a sleeping dog.  I promise you that
I am not this funny or cute when I am not feeling good.
image via

Food Journal Wednesday, September 26

sandwich with cheddar and american

Breakfast
low carb high fiber tortilla
1 egg scrambled
1 Kraft single
1 Tbsp sugar free jelly

Lunch
leftover Beef Enchiladas

Dinner
sandwich: deli flat (bread), roast beef, chicken, cheese, mayo, mustard
condensed cheddar cheese soup- made with almond milk instead of regular whole milk
1 serving carb control strawberry yogurt

Water
100 ounces

Exercise
yoga video at home

Supplements
fish oil
caffeine
green tea extract
fiber
one a day multivitamin
Glutamine

Food Journal Tuesday, September 25

Breakfast
low carb tortilla
1 egg scrambled
1 Kraft single
1 Tbsp sugar free jelly

Lunch
salad: mixed greens, cucumber, goat cheese, pecans, Steak-Umms, balsamic dressing

Dinner
Beef Enchiladas
1 strawberry carb control yogurt

image via

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
yoga video at home

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine
one a day multivitamin
caffeine
green tea extract

Food Journal Monday, September 24

breakfast burrito

Breakfast
low carb tortilla with
2 strips bacon
1 fried egg
1 Kraft single
1/2 of 1 tomato

Lunch
salad: mixed greens, steak slices, cucumber, tomato, goat cheese, pecans, balsamic dressing

Dinner
(drove through McDonald's on the way to class)
McDouble- throw away bread
medium coffee with 2 creamers

Water
only about 40 ounces today

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
one a day multivitamin
caffeine
green tea extract
Glutamine

Creamy Garlic Broccoli

Broccoli is kind of a double edged sword for low carbers.  One the plus side, it's versatile, full of fiber, always in season, and relatively cheap.  On the minus side, how much broccoli can you eat before you want to run screaming at the sight of the stuff?  This recipe will help cure your broccoli blues.  It took some tweaking to get the cream sauce right but it was worth it.  I actually made a huge batch of the cream sauce and have been adding it to various meats and vegetables over the course of about a week.  Verdict is that it is good on almost everything.  

Ingredients

1/2 C olive oil

4 Tbsp minced garlic

1 C unsweetened almond milk

1 C heavy cream

2 pounds of broccoli (probably abut 2 medium sized heads)

5 bay leaves

crushed red pepper to taste

salt to taste

Directions

1. Add almond milk, heavy cream, 2 Tbsp minced garlic, bay leaves, and a dash of salt to a large soup pot and stir with a wire whisk until all ingredients are incorporated.  
2. Heat over high until mixture starts to boil.  Boil until mixture is reduced by about half (10 minutes).  
3. Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour mixture into bowl.  This will remove larger garlic chunks and bay leaves.  
4. Add 1/4 C olive oil to mixture and whisk in. Set sauce to side.  
5. While milk mixture is reducing, cut broccoli into 1 inch pieces.  Stems should be a couple of inches long.  
6. Heat a large skillet over medium and add remaining olive oil and garlic.  
7. Once garlic is fragrant, add broccoli and sprinkle with crushed red pepper and salt to taste.  
8. If broccoli appears to be burning or smoking, add 1/4 C water.  
9. Stir with rubber spatula until broccoli is seared and a bright green color.  
10. Add broccoli to serving dishes and spoon several Tablespoons of sauce over top.  
11. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.  

I wish you could taste this sauce.  It's so creamy.  Almond milk is really
low in carbs, so feel free to slather it on.  

before adding water, broccoli was browning too quickly

Added 1/2 C of water, which was a little too much.  Had to strain broccoli
with a colander before serving.  

Food Journal Sunday, September 23

Weird day today.  Awesome boyfriend had to go to Richmond for work on a Sunday, which I did not like.  I slept in dreadfully late, and met a girlfriend for lunch at Red Robin around 2:00.  The portions there are enormous!  I would have to be really hungry to eat that much in one sitting.

image via

We had some really good spinach dip that I ate with celery sticks and a fork.

I also had a bloody Mary that was spicy and delicious.

This was the kicker, and the reason I will absolutely be returning to this location.  Many years ago there was a menu item at Red Robin called Burger 'n Greens that was a cheeseburger on top of a salad with sauteed onions and mushrooms.  I told the waitress that I was sad it was no longer available, and they made it for me!  I'm not sure if it was the exact same salad or not, but it was burger on lettuce with sauteed veggies so I was happy.

I took half of the burger salad home and ate it for dinner.

Food Journal Saturday, September 22

Make sure to check your carb counts, but some of these
thin sandwich breads have as few as 12 carbs.
image via

Breakfast/Lunch
(slept in pretty late)
egg and cheese sandwich:
1 deli flat (bread)
1 fried egg
1 Kraft single

Dinner
(awesome boyfriend cooked!)
shrimp skewers:
shrimp, peppers, onions, tomatoes, pineapple, some kind of yummy sour cream based sauce
one vodka with soda water and a lime wedge

Snack
Haagen-Dazs mini cup ice cream in coffee flavor

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
yoga video at home

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract
one a day multivitamin

Food Journal Friday, September 21

So, my water heater started pouring hot water all over the basement floor and the repair guy had to come fix it.  Good times.  I used a vacation day to get that taken care of and get caught up on some studying.  

Breakfast

egg sandwich: 

1 deli flat (bread)

1 Tbsp spinach flavor cream cheese

1 fried egg

1 Kraft Single

Lunch

1 chicken cutlet 

roasted in a glass baking dish at 350 for 20 minutes

with 1/2 of 1 green bell pepper and 1/2 of 1 red onion

seasoned with garlic salt and pepper

Dinner

(out at Loafer's Bar and Grill for a friend's birthday)

2 Miller Lite drafts

2 fried pickles

1/2 lb peel and eat shrimp with hot sauce and butter

6 wings garlic Parmesan with 

blue cheese dressing and celery sticks

Water

did okay today, didn't have any at the bar so only about 50 ounces

Exercise

walked the dogs 1 hour

Supplements

fish oil

one a day multivitamin

fiber

Glutamine

caffeine

green tea extract

Food Journal Thursday, September 20

Breakfast

I add these singles to eggs or
low carb bread a lot of mornings.
They're so cheap and easy to pack.
image via

egg and cheese sandwich:
1 fried egg
1 Kraft single
1 deli thin toasted
1 cup coffee with 1 Tbsp heavy cream

Snack
1/2 C peanuts out of shell

Lunch
(out at District Dumpling in College Park)
spicy meatballs
Schezuan style green beans
mixed veggies- cabbage, carrots, in some kind of vinegar based sauce

Dinner
(met awesome boyfriend at the Greene Turtle to watch Thursday night Panthers Game)
10 wings with jerk seasoning
BBQ sauce on side
blue cheese on size
celery sticks
1 draft Miller Lite

Onion Cheeseburger Soup

This soup is pretty easy to make and extremely filling.  Both awesome boyfriend and I were finished after just one bowl.  I actually put the whole crock pot with the lid in the freezer and reheated it right in the crock pot the next day and it was still delicious.  I like meals that don't require me to do dishes.

Top with cheese to serve- yum.  

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound ground beef

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 yellow onion

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1 can chicken broth

1 small can petite diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high.  
2. Once oil is hot, add ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon.  
3. After ground beef is about half way cooked, add chili powder and garlic powder and mix with wooden spoon.  Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.  
4. While ground beef is cooking, peel and chop onion.  
5. Once beef is about 3/4 cooked, add onion and incorporate all ingredients with a wooden spoon.  
6. After onion has become soft and beef is cooked all the way though (no visible pink), drain meat and onion mixture with a colander.  
7. Transfer beef and onion mixture to crock pot.  
8. Add condensed cheddar cheese soup, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes to crock pot and stir all ingredients until incorporated with a wooden spoon.  
9. If beef mixture appears too thick, add more chicken broth to achieve desired consistency.  
10. Cook on low 4 hours.  
11. Top with cheese and hot sauce (if desired) to serve.  

Beef and onion cooking, seasonings haven't been added yet.
You can see the condensed cheddar soup off to the side.  

Food Journal Wednesday, September 19

Breakfast
1 slice low carb bread with
1 Tbsp cream cheese
1 egg scrambled with cheese

Lunch
mushroom soup- 1/2 cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 beef broth to keep total carb count low
salad- mixed greens, cucumbers, goat cheese, tomato balsamic dressing, pecans, Steak-umms

Dinner
Tortilla Pizzas:
one with pepperoni, and one with tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
walked the dogs- one hours

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
one a day multivitamin
Glutamine
green tea extract
caffeine

Food Journal Tuesday, September 18

image via

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water
1 scrambled egg
2 slices bacon
1 slice low carb bread with 1 Tbsp cream cheese

Lunch
(met a friend at La Madeleine in Columbia)
spinach quiche- at the filling, left most of the crust
unsweet tea with Sweet'N Low

Dinner
(out at sorority alumnae meeting)
snacks- lots of cheese, broccoli salad, a couple of crackers, several deli meat slices, a couple of strawberries
one glass champagne

Water
not much today because I was in the car for a lot of the day and I hate having to stop

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
one a day multivitamin
fiber
green tea extract
caffeine
Glutamine

Food Journal Monday, September 17

half day at work, slept in until about 11

Breakfast/Lunch
mushroom soup:
1/2 cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 beef broth makes a much lower carb mushroom soup

Snack
(drove through McDonald's on the way to class)

image via

McDouble- no bun
large unsweet tea with 1 packet Sweet'N Low

Dinner
Smothered Chicken
1/2 of 1 Dole Caesar Salad Kit

Water
lots of water today, forgot to keep track

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
one a day multivitamin
fiber
green tea extract
caffeine
Glutamine

Food Journal Sunday, September 16

This was a throwback to the old days.  Awesome boyfriend and I slept in until something like 12:00 then we got up in a rush to try to make it to the sports bar for a 1:00 kick off.  We ended up staying to watch the 4:00 football games and even the night game because we both took a vacation day the next day.  Holy beer and chicken wings, batman!

Breakfast/Lunch
(drove through McDonald's on the way to the Greene Turtle)
McDouble- threw away bread, eat burgers, cheese, lettuce, onions, ketchup with a fork

image via
Poison of choice.  Skip
the margarita mix- it's
loaded with sugar.  

coffee with cream

Second Lunch
6 wings with jerk seasoning
blue cheese
celery sticks

Dinner
(still at Greene Turtle)
Cowboy burger: BBQ sauce, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, cheese, no bun
french onion soup, no crouton, instead of fries

Several Miller Lite drafts and several tequila shots throughout the day.  Don't worry- we took a cab home!

Water
actually didn't do to bad on drinking water- had several large plastic glasses during the day

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
one a day multivitamin
caffeine
green tea extract
Glutamine

Food Journal Saturday, September 15

Breakfast/Lunch
(slept in pretty late)
2 Tortilla Pizzas: one with pepperonis and one with peppers and onions

Snack
several slices of jack cheese

Dinner
stopped at Subway to pick up a salad:
spinach, onions, banana peppers, pepperoni, salami, ham, oil and vinegar, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, salt and pepper
large unsweet tea

Snack
(at the Bengies drive in movie theater with awesome boyfriend)
hot dog no bun with ketchup, mustard, onions, relish
diet soda

Water
50 ounces

Exercise
walked the doggies- 1 hour

Supplements
caffeine
green tea extract
fiber
fish oil
Glutamine
one a day multivitamin

Food Journal Friday, September 14

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water
1 slice low carb bread with 1 Tbsp cream cheese

Lunch
leftover Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Dinner
Beef Soft Tacos

Water
100 ounces

Exercise
walked the dogs- 45 minutes

Supplements
fish oil
one a day multivitamin
caffeine
green tea extract
Glutamine
fiber

Taste Gourmet Foods

You can see why we wandered in.
The store front is very inviting.
image via

Yesterday I put up a post about the wonderful weekend that awesome boyfriend and I had in Urbanna, Virginia.  We ate lots of delicious food and slept in shamefully late both days.  One of the highlights of the trip for me came about as kind of a surprise.  We were ambling down one of the shop lined streets and wandered into Taste Gourmet Foods.  We ended up spending close to an hour in this shop, chatting with the owner and sampling everything.  There are lots more pictures of the store on their Facebook page.

We found out that this shop hosts tastings every Saturday, which means that all kinds of yummy things are out in bowls for you to try. There were lots of different dips ranging from sweet to salty to spicy.  Some were cream cheese based and some where sour cream based.  There was also a huge pot of meatballs in a tangy orange sauce that was so delicious we ended up buying a bottle.  It says shrimp sauce, but clearly it's good on lots of things.







My favorite thing in the store, by far, was the olive oil.  I love olive oil.  I use it in all my cooking, in dips and spreads, and sometimes even plain on a slice of low carb bread.  Taste Gourmet Foods has many varieties of olive oil including some unexpected flavors like truffle and cucumber.  I wish we could have taken them all home.

Olive Oil is good for you, and delicious.
image via

chocolate flavored balsamic vinegar

In addition to the olive oil, Taste Gourmet Foods also sells several varieties of balsamic vinegar.  Again, there are unexpected and powerful flavors.  After tasting them all several times we finally decided to purchase a chocolate flavored one.  I know it sounds crazy, but is is so good.  A few nights ago I cooked up some peach slices with a little butter and the chocolate vinegar and it was sweet and tangy and perfect topped with a squirt of whipped cream.





If you are in the area this shop is definitely worth a drive/stop.  We're going to have to plan a special trip just to get more olive oil and vinegar.  We didn't even delve into the seemingly endless supply of seafood spices because we were too busy sampling all the other yummies.

Food Journal Thursday, September 13

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water
1 slice low carb bread with 1 Tbsp cream cheese

I love to read Rachel Ray during lunch when I
get the chance.  

Lunch
leftover Pizza Casserole
1 strawberry carb control yogurt

Dinner
(stopped at 7-eleven on the way to class)
1 Buffalo Chicken Taquito
(20 carbs, not the best choice)
1 large sugar free Cherry Limeade Slurpee

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
none today, class

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
one a day multivitamin
green tea extract
caffeine
Glutamine

Food Journal Wednesday, September 12

Breakfast

Normally I use the apple sausage but it is a littler bit higher
in carbs so I tried this kind.  I have to say that I really
missed the sweetness of the apples in this dish.  Next
time I'll be back to basics.  

2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water
hot flax cereal

Lunch
leftover Roasted Italian Lemon Chicken
leftover Broccoli with Lemon and Onions
1 carb control strawberry yogurt

Dinner

yummy

1/2 of 1 Dole Southwest Salad Kit
Sausage with Peppers and Onions

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
Shrink a Size in 14 Days- haven't switched over to something new yet

Supplements
caffeine
green tea extract
fiber
fish oil
one a day multivitamin
protein post workout
Glutamine

Work Out Wednesday, September 12

Still doing the "Shrink a Size in 14 Days" workout even though I'm officially done.  I haven't taken the time to research what comes next, to be honest.  This workout is actually great for increasing core strength and great to do even if you aren't trying to lose weight.

image via

I love this GIF.  Seriously though, you
should check out this Medicine Ball
Workout.  It looks challenging and
may be what I tackle next.  

Strength Training
Hip Drop: 3 sets of 10 on each side
Beach Ball Hug: 3 sets of 10 on each side with 7.5 lb weights
Full Body Roll Up: 3 sets of 10 with 8 lb medicine ball
Breast Stroke: 3 sets of 10
Read the Paper: 3 sets of 10 each side with 3 lb weights

Cardio
Power Walk:
1.25 total miles
incline level 4.0
5 min warm up, 20 min fast walk, 5 min cool down

New Infographic: The Paleo Revolution

If you've been keeping up then you know that I am loving all these emerging infographics.  Low carb diets have a lot of science behind them that is confusing and boring, even for me.  These graphics help explain things in a quick and interesting way.  This particular one was submitted by a wonderful reader and comes to us courtesy of Medical Billing and Coding.  Many thanks to the reader who forwarded this information.

The Paleo diet has quickly come into fashion and is a good mid step for someone who wants to cut their carb intake but isn't ready to go all the way.  It has a lot of similarities to the Atkins diet including a reduction in dairy, sugar, and alcohol.  It focuses on eating the way our hunter/gatherer ancestors did: incorporating low sugar fruits, leafy vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats.  The Paleo diet has also been recommended as a way to break through a weight loss plateau.

If you have questions feel free to send them to lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer them, or to direct you to some additional resources.  Happy eating!

Food Journal Tuesday, September 11

Breakfast
hot flax cereal
one cup coffee with 1 Tbsp heavy cream

yummy dinner

2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water

Lunch
(out at Marathon Deli in College Park)
gyro meat
cucumber sauce
greek salad on side

Dinner
Roasted Italian Lemon Chicken Tenders
Broccoli with Lemon and Onions
1 Miller Lite bottle

Water
80 ounces

so handsome

Exercise
walked the dogs, 45 minutes

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine
one a day multivitamin
caffeine
green tea extract

Groceries Tuesday, September 11

purchased from Giant Food on Centre Park Drive in Columbia, MD

• String cheese: this is one of my go to low carb snacks
• broccoli crowns: for lemon broccoli recipe 
• chicken breast tenders: i love to cook a whole pack of these and eat them all week on salads and in wraps
• cinanmon: keep on hand, use in hot flax cereal
• olive oil: keep on hand
• lemon: for lemon broccoli recipe
• yellow onion: for lemon broccoli recipe

Food Journal Monday, September 10

image via
Julian Bakery will ship anywhere in the continental US.  

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in 12 ounces water
hot flax cereal

Lunch
1 slice low carb bread
topped with 1 Tbsp cream cheese
1/2 serving of Hot and Sour Soup picked up at East Moon

Dinner
(drive through Burger King on the way to class)
grilled chicken patty, lettuce, tomato, mayo
large unsweet tea

Snack
Flackers with peanut butter

Water
60 ounces

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
one a day multivitamin
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract

New Infographic: We eat too much sugar!

It's time for- you guessed it- another awesome infographic.  This time the subject matter is sugar consumption among Americans.  Now, the low carb diet obviously calls for a cease to all sugar consumption.  I think it's important to mention that there is no diet on this planet that doesn't require the same.  You will find diets out there that do allow sugar in moderation, but even the ones that claim to let you eat dessert when you want it will have you cut way back on your sugar intake.  Sugar is slowly killing us through obesity, diabetes, and other scary things, and it's time to quit.  Enough is enough.

Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com

On the Go Lettuce Wraps

Low carb is a tricky beast because it is much harder to eat on the run.  Most things that you would grab at a drive through include two slices of bread, or just aren't that good.  One of the big challenges about my low carb diet is changing the way I think about convenience food.  Before I started eating low carb I would pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bag of pretzels in a heartbeat, but that isn't a good option anymore. These lettuce wraps do have to be refrigerated so they're not appropriate for all situations, but they are one of my grab and go work lunches.  I've prepared them here with turkey and hummus but you can really throw anything on there that the lettuce will hold without falling apart.  Experiment and figure out what you like.

Ingredients

2 slices romaine, Bibb, or other leaf lettuce

4 Tbsp hummus

6 slices deli turkey

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 C crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Wash your lettuce leaves and remove the white stems.  
2. Dry lettuce leaves and lay flat on a plate.  
3. Top lettuce leaves with 2 Tbsp each hummus.  
4. Top hummus with turkey.  
5. Sprinkle feta cheese, paprika, salt, and pepper.  
6. Roll up and serve.  

The kind of lettuce you choose is crucial.  Iceberg will fall apart when you
try to tear it off the head.  A heartier green can hold more filling
without tearing when rolled up.  I prefer Bibb lettuce, but it can get a little
expensive so sometimes I use romaine or kale.  

I like turkey, but you could also use ham, roast beef, or some other deli
meat here.  

Two of these roll ups are generally enough to fill me up, but you can have
more if you are hungry.  Just make sure to count carbs from lettuce and
from the hummus.