There is a myth of “negative-calorie foods.” These foods supposedly require more energy to digest than they provide your body. Celery is the most commonly cited food when talking about this theory. Celery has only 14 calories per cup and contains a lot of fiber and water. While it is hard for your body to break down, there is no proof that it has negative calories. However, as food goes, it’s as close to “calorie-free” as you can get.
It’s National Celery Month. We like this crunchy, slightly peppery veggie. It’s excellent in salads, stir-fries, pasta meals and so many more dishes. We still enjoy one of our favorite snacks from childhood: ants on a log. Raw celery spread with either peanut butter or cream cheese and topped with raisins is always delicious! Strangely, it’s not as common of an after-school snack nowadays as it was when we were kids. To us, it’s still a tasty way to enjoy healthy peanut butter without the carbs of a cracker!
A cup of celery has three grams of carbs but two grams of fiber while also containing 37 percent of your daily vitamin K! It’s a great vegetable for anyone concerned about their blood sugar. So, we are sharing four delicious recipes for you to enjoy!
This recipe is almost like a more grown-up version of ants on a log! These delicious stuffed celery sticks are so easy to put together and then bake until they have become tender. They aren’t mushy; they just don’t crunch. It’s an excellent side for a cold night. It feels decadent without actually being bad for you! A serving has only 57 calories and one gram of net carbs! Get the recipe.
We are suckers for creamy soups, especially on gray or rainy days. This soup has an earthy flavor from the mushrooms that we love at this time of year. While we wait for spring to arrive, we’ll enjoy tasty meals like this! Like all creamy, smooth soups, you will need either an immersion blender or to pour this soup into a standard blender, but it’s well worth the work. A serving has 150 calories, four grams of carbs and one gram of fiber. Get the recipe.
This is a sort of homey side that we really like. It was new to us, something we hadn’t heard of before. It might be regional, or it could be something the person who shared the recipe’s family made up on their own. We couldn’t find many variations on it when we looked. But it sounds delicious! It’s a mix of celery, cheese, condensed soup and some breadcrumbs. Because it’s not many breadcrumbs, they don’t impact the carb count too much. Obviously, using low-carb bread will cut the number of carbs in the dish overall. Also, we suggest using a low-sodium soup to cut some salt from the recipe. As it’s written, a serving has 89 calories, seven grams of carbs and two grams of carbs. Get the recipe.
Here’s a second delicious soup. This soup would traditionally use potatoes as a thickener. However, in this low-carb version, the consistency is achieved with cream cheese. The basil and celery flavors go so well together that this soup is sure to brighten up your kitchen. It is another one that requires blending, but it’s worth it for the result! A serving has 155 calories, 7.1 grams of carbs and two grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
We hope these recipes help you enjoy National Celery Month and that they become regulars in your kitchen. And we hope you enjoy the leftover stalks as ants on a log!
