Melissa McAllister

4 High-Fat, Low-Carb Quick Meal Ideas To Keep You Energized And Feeling Your Best

What do you think of when you hear the word “fats”? Does it make you want to scream and run in the other direction?

Listen — that’s understandable, but there are good fats that give our body the energy it needs to get us through the day. It would be pretty much impossible to be a functioning human without them.

There’s a nice little list of “healthy fats” found in some whole foods that you can add to your diet. Here we can take a look at some HFLC meals that won’t take up your whole day, ditch the added carbs, and give you a good zip of energy!

Avocado Tuna Salad

Creamy avocado is a great substitute for traditional mayo and is a great source of healthy fats. This paired with olive oil and tuna makes for an incredibly healthy lunchtime meal.

Check out the recipe ⬇

Ingredients:

  • 1 5-ounce can tuna, preferably packed in olive oil, drained
  • 1/2 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup minced celery
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Two Steps To Deliciousness:

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix with a fork, mashing the avocado and breaking up the chunks of tuna as you go, until the ingredients are well combined.
  2. Add more oil or salt and pepper if necessary, serve on your favorite whole wheat toast.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Talk about adding a little jazz to your day! Packed with flavor and full of nutritious value, this meal is easy to make and is a great HFLC option.

Check out the recipe ⬇

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tahini Green Goddess Dressing recipe
  • 1 Persian Cucumber or ¼ English cucumber sliced
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 baby bell peppers, sliced into rings
  • 1 to 2 green onions, trimmed, whites and greens chopped
  • ½ cup Basil leaves, cilantro, or parsley
  • 8 to 10 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 head butter lettuce or other artisan lettuce you like

Wrap it up:

  1. Make the tahini green goddess dressing
  2. Prepare and slice the vegetables and set them aside.
  3. Pat the shrimp dry and toss it with kosher salt, the garlic powder, and dried oregano.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until just pink and no longer grey. Immediately squeeze the lemon all over the shrimp.
  5. Assemble the lettuce wrap. Take one lettuce leaf (or you can overlap two leaves if you’re using smaller lettuce leaves) and arrange some of the veggies and fresh herbs on top. Add 1 to 2 shrimp. And finish with a drizzle of the green goddess dressing.
  6. Serve the lettuce wraps with a bit more of the green goddess dressing on the side.

Healthy Egg Salad

Eggs, small but mighty! This twist on a traditional recipe is a tasty and guilt-free option to add to your lunch prep.

Check out the recipe ⬇

Ingredients:

  • 4 hard cooked eggs plus 2 hard cooked egg whites
  • 3/4 cup diced celery about 3 medium stalks
  • 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Easy Peasy Steps:

  1. Peel the eggs and cut into a rough dice recipe
  2. Place in a large mixing bowl, then add the celery, Greek yogurt, mustard, salt, pepper, and dill. Stir to combine.
  3. Serve egg salad on toasted bread with tomatoes and arugula, or enjoy atop greens for a healthy salad.

Avocado Pesto Zoodles

Those who say that zoodles can’t replace noodles haven’t tried this recipe. Delicious, nutritious, and full of ALL the good stuff.

Main Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
  • 4 medium zucchini squash, spiralized
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Avocado Pesto:

  • 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast, optional
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Just give it a couple stirs.

Avocado Pesto:

  1. Add the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor and process until creamy.
  2. Add more lemon juice, garlic, and/or sea salt to taste

Zoodles:

  1. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the spiralized zucchini noodles and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the spinach, cover the skillet, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
  4. Remove the cover and continue cooking until zucchini noodles reach desired doneness.
  5. Add the avocado pesto to the skillet with the zoodles and stir well to combine. Serve zoodles with lemon wedges and toasted pine nuts.

HFLC

Getting in those healthy fats and eating well doesn’t have to be a stressful event. There are lots of options when it comes to simple, delicious recipes. Be sure to try these out and share them with your friends!