My Not-So-Secret GLP-1 Recipes and Food Combos

Confession time: I have NEVER been a good cook. I've been lucky enough to always live with good cooks, starting first with my parents, and then, with Anthony (who has cooked for us since we first started dating more than five years ago). I always found myself anxious in the kitchen, and relegated myself to cooking plain pasta most of the time.

Once I started Wegovy and changing the types of foods I wanted to eat, I knew that I had to get creative. I could no longer live on all carbs, all the time. I also knew that while protein shakes are great, I could not live off them exclusively. I am a foodie without food noise. I always want to enjoy what I am eating.

Alternative foods (including the foods I listed in my previous post about my new favorite foods) have truly come in clutch. A lot of those foods work great on their own, while others are the building blocks for recipes. It was time to try my hand.

Some of these recipes (or variations of them) come right from my GLP-1 hero, Amy Kane (as always, @amyinhalf on Instagram and TikTok). Others are creations of my brain or of ideas I've had. Please note, I do not know exact calorie and protein counts on these, but they have all served me well -- you can take my word for it! I also don't have photos of every dish, which is why the photos I do have are included in the header above!

Get ready... here come the recipes!

Burger Bowl I've seen burger bowls on Instagram for a while, but a phone call with my cousin where she informed me she was having a burger bowl for dinner inspired me to try my own. I looked up a recipe but ended up developing my own version of the burger bowl! I cook a package of ground beef in my air fryer, to remove as much grease and fat as possible. Once the ground beef is cooked, I put it in a bowl and stir in Sir Kensington's Special Sauce (which is Keto-certified!) -- it tastes a lot like one of my old favorites, Big Mac special sauce. Next, I add fresh chopped tomatoes, low-fat/part-skim shredded cheddar or a Mexican cheese mix (I use whatever we have in the fridge), and chopped pickles. Feel free to use any cheese or pickle brand you choose. I don't normally add lettuce, but if you want to have the feeling of a burger with lettuce and tomato, go for it. I don't normally mix everything together because I like to take photos of my burger bowls, but once I start eating, I end up combining all components. The burger bowl gives you the feeling of a burger without the heaviness of a bun. Fair warning, I never finish an entire burger bowl -- it's one of the more filling recipes I like to make!

Cheesy Bread No, this cheesy bread is not the type you find at Domino's. In fact... I think it's better! And it takes less than ten minutes to make. This recipe is inspired by Instagram, but does not use the same ingredients of other versions I've seen. Take one Mission Low-Carb Flour Tortilla. Lie it flat on a plate. Drizzle it with olive oil. Cover with shredded low-fat/part-skim mozzarella. Drizzle again with olive oil. Season with Italian seasoning. Place face-up in air fryer. Check it after five minutes to see if cheese has melted. If you prefer crispier cheese or pepperoni, keep in air fryer for an additional five minutes or until your preferred level of crisp. Cut into pieces with a pizza cutter, or break apart by hand if extra crispy. Eat your heart out, Domino's.

Mock Pasta Alfredo This one is an Amy Kane specialty! I've modified it slightly based on what I have available at home, but Amy gets all the credit here. Cook your pasta first -- and I would undercook it a bit because it will be cooking again once it's mixed with the sauce. I use gluten-free, whole wheat, or Barilla Protein Plus Pasta mentioned in my post about favorite foods. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and be sure to get rid of as much water as possible. Put the pasta back on the stove on a low setting. Add olive oil, the smallest pat of butter you can manage, as many scoops of plain Greek yogurt as you'd like, garlic powder or other garlic-based seasoning (I use the Melting Pot's very own seasoning), Italian seasoning, and shaved parmesan cheese. Stir until it all melts together, but the key here is to go fast -- I've had too many experiences with this recipe where the sauce curdled on me.

Greek Yogurt with PB2, Honey and Chocolate Another Amy favorite, and the second recipe here that uses Greek yogurt! Scoop as much plain Greek yogurt as you'd like to have into a bowl. Add and mix honey, and then, add and mix PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (or any brand of powdered peanut butter). Once all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, melt chocolate chips in a bowl (dark chocolate chips are a healthier option, more on that later). Take the melted chocolate and drizzle on top of yogurt in order for it to harden. Sometimes I don't feel like melting the chocolate chips, so I will throw in the chocolate chips on their own. Enjoy your protein-rich dessert!

Raisin Bran and Dark Chocolate Chips This combo is exactly as it sounds. Scoop 1-2 cups of your preferred raisin bran cereal into a container. Add dark chocolate chips. Close container and shake. That's literally it. I bring this combo to work with me on the reg. Pro tip: If you prefer a lot of chips and fewer calories, use chocolate chips with higher cocoa percentages. You can eat 17 chocolate chips that are 60% cocoa for 80 calories! Start carrying this snack to the office -- and believe me when I tell you, it's the GOAT if you have a sweet tooth and appreciate dark chocolate.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad Nothing more than chopped tomatoes (I was lucky enough to use my mother-in-law's garden-fresh yellow ones), chopped fresh mozzarella, olive oil, a little salt, and Italian seasoning. Make sure to put your tomatoes in a bowl first, that way the juices will have oozed out and into the bowl as a base once the other ingredients come to join the party. Mix together as each ingredient is added.

Turkey Pepperoni and Shaved Parmesan Cheese Another office snack that's exactly as it sounds -- only this time, it's savory! Combine as many pieces of turkey pepperoni as you'd like with shaved parmesan cheese in a baggie (I use Bel Gioioso Shaved Parmesan which is good for 20 calories per tablespoon). The pieces of cheese need to be large pieces, the combination won't work with shaved parmesan that looks like shredded cheese. Eat the same way that you'd eat chips, and be sure to pick up a piece of pepperoni with a piece of cheese at the same time. You'll thank me later.

Turkey Pepperoni Roll-Up I found myself looking for something extra one night for dinner, and I threw it together partially inspired by the aforementioned cheesy bread. Take one egglife wrap (included in my post on new favorite foods), top with low-fat/part-skim mozzarella or other shredded cheese and then with turkey pepperoni, drizzle with olive oil, and cook face-up in your toaster oven. Be careful not to cook it for too long, as crispy isn't the point here. I cooked the wrap with the cheese and pepperoni for less than five minutes before I took it out of the toaster oven and rolled it immediately. The egglife wraps have a dough-like, malleable texture, so I was able to pinch the wrap closed once I rolled it up. I broke it in half for maximum cheese pull! Again, be careful not to cook the roll-up for too long; it literally won't roll if it's too crispy.

Please let me know if you try your hand at any of these specialties! I'd love to hear your experiences!