Low Carb Spinach, Strawberry, Bacon and Artichoke Heart Salad Recipe

Many of you who read this blog know that I also publish another blog about clean eating. There are many, many different approaches to clean eating, but the basic premise is that the food you eat should be real food. Not something completely altered from a food manufacturer.

This post sponsored by Atkins. All opinions are my own.

 

As the weather gets warmer this year, the fresh produce here in Sonoma County, California is simply stunning. I love going grocery shopping just to see the true rainbow of colors that emanate from the produce area.

One of the main reasons I look forward to this time of year is the fresh berries. We have a local farmer here off highway 12 who grows his berries right there in the same fields where you stop to buy them. He has a little hut there and you can see his family in the fields, picking the berries you are about to buy. Needless to say, that hut is busy from the time it opens to the time it closes. It’s just a really appealing place to stop and buy berries.

While blackberries are the lowest carb berry, strawberries are not far ahead, and they just happen to be my favorite berry. I find myself adding strawberries to many low carb dishes in these wonderful warmer months. Grant it, you can’t go overboard or the carbs start to add up. But a few sprinkled in for flavor are a perfect sweet accent to many low carb dishes.

I have a few other summer time favorites as well that use up summer produce. Dishes such as my Low Carb Stroganoff which I eat with lots of zoodles (spiralized zucchini), and my Low Carb Waffles, which I top with plenty of low carb, fresh summer berries.

While I may be eating a lot more fat these days along with reducing carbs, I can still enjoy lots of fresh summer produce. Dark leafy greens, fresh berries, zucchini, tomatoes, avocados and more! Eating low carb doesn’t have to mean that you only eat meat and fat. Veggies are still a critical part of any diet you choose to attain better health.

There are probably just as many approaches to eating low carb as there are to eating clean. One of the “diet plans” that I was surprised to find myself in agreement with in many areas, is the Atkins Nutritional approach. While I can’t do dairy any longer, I was surprised to see how the Atkins plan encourages the consumption of so many healthy, clean foods. In fact, when I first tried low carb eating many moons ago, it was the Atkins Nutritional approach that I turned to first, and there are quite a few principles they have that I follow these days as well. They really stress eating the right types of nutrient-dense carbs as part of a balanced eating plan to help control blood sugar. Which, as many of you know, is an issue for me. Even as a clean eater, I think the Atkins plan can easily fit into any low carb eater’s lifestyle.

And to prove that veggies are an essential part of a balanced, low carb eating plan, I thought I’d offer up this delicious salad as incentive to eat your veggies!!

It’s delicious and packed with good-for-you nutrients, including good quality fats and carbs. And did I mention it has bacon? I think that’s all I need to say here… You’re welcome.

Nutrition Data According To MyFitnessPal.com
(May not be totally accurate.):