The Simple and Easy Ketogenic Diet Menu – 5 Minute Meal Ideas

Most of us do not want to spend extra time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. Getting out of the kitchen an also help remove the temptation to snack on foods, which is crucial when you are trying to stick with a restrictive diet or lose weight. I created a Simple and Easy Ketogenic diet menu that gets you in and out of the kitchen in less than 20 minutes per day.

<<Check out the Bacon and Butter Free Keto Cookbook>>

Ketogenic Breakfast Ideas

Keep in mind that a ketogenic breakfast should be high in fat, and low in carbohydrates. You can achieve this with the wonderful ingredient of bacon! I cook mine on a skillet, but if you truly are pressed for time, there is a microwave gadget that can microwave your bacon in a minute or two with little clean up. I will admit it was given to me as a Christmas gift and I passed it along to my sister! She actually loves it.

5 Minute Ketogenic Lunches

I tend to make my lunches and take them to work with me. As a teacher, we only have a 30-minute break for lunch, so it isn’t enough time to go out and enjoy a meal out. Taking my lunch not only saves me time, but it helps me stick with the ketogenic diet. It also saves me money because this particular lunch does not cost much. Most of these are salads. Salads are simple, low in carbohydrates, easy to make and easy to pack. Another time saving tip is to chop up a couple heads of lettuce and cucumber to use as the base for your salad.

  • Chicken Salad
  • Tuna Salad
  • Salad with Salmon
  • Tossed salad with Deviled Eggs
  • Lettuce Wraps

Here’s video proof that you can create a tuna salad for your lunch in five minutes. Getting ready for the day has never been easier!

Ketogenic Dinner Ideas

For my ketogenic dinners, I employ my sauteing skills or the use of my wonderful power pressure cooker! I tend to like to chop up some broccoli and chicken for a stir-fry. Chopping foods into smaller pieces and cooking on high heat enables you to cook the meal in about 10 minutes. With the power pressure cooker, you can prepare the roast in five minutes and get it started at the beginning of the day. The power pressure cooker requires you to plan ahead, but the preparation time is greatly reduced.

Ketogenic Snack Ideas

There are times when you didn’t eat enough for breakfast or you got caught up at work and won’t be home at the usual time. These may be times when you want a snack. Most of the time when you are on the ketogenic diet, your hunger is satiated and you don’t crave snacks, so you shouldn’t have to worry about carrying around ketogenic snacks all the time, but occasionally I find it fun to eat these treats. Ketogenic snacks make traveling easier since you never know when you will be eating when you travel.

  • Pepperoni slices
  • Jello cups (not an optimal item, but zero carbohydrates, so it fits into the ketogenic diet)
  • Cheese sticks, cheese cubes
  • Celery and cream cheese
  • Celery and peanut butter
  • Beef Sticks[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”160″ identifier=”B074WK6TBT” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/619tnZZ3TNL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”158″]

Tips for Faster Meal Prep

  1. Get really good at chopping and cutting. My mother taught me how to chop quickly and I don’t spend a lot of time struggling with getting my foods chopped for salads and stir fries.
  2. Keep your knife sharp. This will prevent cuts and struggling with a knife.
  3. Cook on medium to high heat. Lower temperatures slow down the cooking time and increase the time you spend cooking it.
  4. Make use of your kitchen gadgets. I love using my Power Pressure Cooker and my Magic Bullet blender. These are two items that I could live without, but I don’t want to! They make my life so much easier!

Conclusion

As you become more and more familiar with these recipes and the ingredients that are needed in them, you will reduce the time that you spend preparing them. I recommend selecting a few recipes and mastering them. Then when you start your day or are shopping for your meals, it becomes second nature. You know just what to grab and what you want to use.

If you are starting out on the ketogenic diet, start with the simple to make meals. Don’t stress out about the fancy desserts or faux baked goods. These foods require ingredients and techniques to make non-flour items taste like baked goods. Often you will discover that it doesn’t really match what you remember a bread or cake to taste like. Your taste buds will adapt to the new flavors and eventually cravings for sweets will subside.

<<Check Out the FREE Keto Cookbook>>

 

 

 

How To Make Keto Pancakes | Ketogenic Pancake Recipe

When going ketogenic, sometimes there still is a craving for old breakfast favorites. Pancakes are often one of those cravings. This post will teach you how to make keto pancakes quickly with just two ingredients! These are light, fluffy and taste great. Having a great ketogenic breakfast will start off your day the right way!

This recipe is great for one person! It will make about 2-3 medium-sized pancakes. This is perfect for an individual or two kids. If you need to increase the amount, use a general guideline of one ounce of cream cheese and one egg per pancake!

<< Click Here for a FREE copy of Bacon and Butter Cookbook >>

Ingredients:

You will need 2 eggs and 2 ounces of cream cheese.

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Tools Needed:

  • Blender (I use the Magic Bullet Blender)
  • Spatula
  • Skillet (You can use a cast iron skillet. I have been using a copper skillet for convenience and because it is non-stick.)
  • Stovetop
  • utensils – fork, knife

 

Instructions:

In a blender, mix together the eggs and the cream cheese until smooth. You can warm up the cream cheese to help it blend better, however this step is unnecessary.

In a skillet on medium high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Slowly pour in the cream cheese and egg mixture. Wait for about a minute as the batter cooks. Watch for bubbles to form in the batter. Carefully, slide a spatula under the pancake and flip it. Be careful, as without gluten binding this together, it will tear easily! However, it still will taste great even if it does tear!

Cook on the other side for about 30 seconds to one minute.

Remove from heat.

Serve!

Ketogenic Topping Ideas for Pancakes

I have been just topping my pancakes with a bit of butter and eating them plain. However, there are a few options that you can use to top ketogenic pancakes.

  1. A low carbohydrate syrup can be an option if you are on a ketogenic diet
  2. Blueberries – You can add blueberries to the pancakes or put them on top.
  3. Strawberries – These are a low carbohydrate fruit that fits well into the ketogenic diet too!
  4. Whipping cream made with stevia or your favorite zero carbohydrate sweetener.
  5. Berries and whip cream.
  6. Butter – it is zero carbohydrate and tastes great.
  7. Make them savory by topping them with bacon, cheese, chives or even salsa!

Conclusion

Having an option like pancakes for breakfast makes adjusting to the ketogenic diet so much easier! With only two ingredients and about two minutes of cook time, these pancakes come together in a snap!

This recipe only makes enough pancakes for one person (about 2-3 pancakes). Adjust the recipe for more people and servings.

The ketogenic diet is excellent for treating people with epilepsy, diabetics, individuals with Alzheimer’s and helps people lose weight quickly.

 

<< Click Here for a Free Ketogenic Cookbook >>

 

 

My Sample Keto Diet

Before starting the ketogenic diet, I really thought that it was all lettuce, mayonnaise and heavy whipping cream. I had no idea what I could put together that would taste good and sustain me throughout the day. Not only that, but my neurologist told me that the ketogenic diet wasn’t right for me. It wouldn’t work for me. Of course, as a teenager, it was far easier to take the anticonvulsant that the doctor was prescribing. After all, it provided instant results and the side effects were tolerable, or so I thought! As the years wore on, I realized that I couldn’t improve my health as long as I was taking an anticonvulsant. It would be constantly working against my liver. So, after a couple decades, I took the plunge and went keto. This page is a sample of the things that I am eating on the keto diet.

Get the recipe for this chicken stir fry
You don’t need bread! A lettuce wrap with tuna fish and tomatoes is great!
Lunch can be salads with deviled eggs! It is great!
Berries are a low carbohydrate fruit and a great way to make a smoothie!

As you can see, this sample keto diet demonstrates that there are a wide variety of things that you can add to your menu. Berries are great for breakfast smoothies and as a side dish or dessert! There are lots of different vegetables that you can eat and combine with other vegetables to make them taste great! A hamburger does not require a bun and can be jazzed up with sauteed onions and mushrooms or served with a slice of cheese for added flavor!

 

Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce

While doing the ketogenic or very low carbohydrate diet, I have been missing pasta, but not so much the pasta, but the sauces that go along with them. I love spaghetti sauce! It is so delicious! I love the combination of tomatoes, olive oil and basil.

Today, I made a low carb spaghetti sauce and put it on top of spaghetti squash. While the spaghetti squash is a healthier option than noodles, it doesn’t really replicate the noodle texture all that well. However, it does provide a great base for the sauce, which is where all the flavor in a dish of spaghetti is anyways!

Here is my Low Carb Spaghetti Sauce Recipe that I created today! (I’m all about throwing things in a pot. Every time I make something it is a new recipe.)

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sausages
  • 32 ounces canned tomato sauce
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 stalk of celery (not the whole bunch, just one piece)
  • 4 mushrooms
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

On medium heat, saute the sausages, onion, garlic, celery and mushrooms for 1-2 minutes. Add in the canned spaghetti sauce and seasonings – Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil.  Let simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Today, I used the Kirkland brand of tomato sauce, which actually did have some added sugar, but the carbohydrate count was pretty low, so it still fit into my macros. I decided to search online for a better option and discovered that Hunt’s has a no sugar added canned pasta sauce, which would probably be a great option. It is zero carbohydrates and the added mushrooms, onions and sausage that you add would make it taste great if it doesn’t already! [easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B005OSRUU6″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31KxQ79gFbL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”137″]The other thing that you may want to purchase is a nice Italian seasoning. [easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”B001PQREOI” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51rNfo9Qf5L._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″]

 

 

 

Check out my ketogenic chili recipe! For ideas on the best ketogenic snacks click here!

 

 

My Hunger Crushing Ketogenic Berry Smoothie

Some mornings, you just don’t have time to cook, but you don’t want to leave the house on an empty stomach. For these mornings, I make a coconut kefir berry smoothie.

Coconut milk has fewer carbohydrates than regular milk and fermenting it to turn it into kefir adds probiotics to help you digest better as well as reduces the carbohydrate count as the bacteria eat up some of the sugars in it.

The berries are a fun flavor. You can swap them out for some vanilla if you prefer. Because berries are a little tart and kefir can be a bit bitter, I mix in a teaspoon or two of zero carbohydrate sweetener, like swerve.

The health benefits of coconut oil are immense. Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides that will help you boost ketones and get into that fat burning zone.

 

Coconut oil is a good source of medium chain triglycerides. Medium chain triglycerides are converted in the liver into ketones that can be used by your body as fuel instead of glycogen. Your body uses them for immediate energy rather than storing them. Research has demonstrated that MCTs are thermogenic and therefore great fat-burners.

Try this coconut berry smoothie as one way to incorporate coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides into your daily ketogenic diet.

Here’s my ketogenic berry smoothie recipe:

  • 1 cup coconut milk kefir
  • 1/2 cup frozen berries
  • 1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (for healthy fats and energy)
  • 1 teaspoon Swerve

Blend it together in a blender for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it looks smooth. Enjoy!

You can adjust the coconut oil up if you are trying to hit your macros and need more fats. I’ve added as much as 3-4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil before and it still tasted great, although more coconut flavor than I prefer. Also, you can skip the swerve or add more to your taste. 1 teaspoon is just where I like the sweetness. The net carbohydrates for this drink come in about 8. Two carbohydrates for the kefir and six for the frozen berries.

Time saving tip: I use the Magic Bullet Blender to blend up my smoothies. The blender cups can be used to drink out of saving me time washing the containers!

 

The Best Ketogenic Snacks For A Busy Lifestyle

On the ketogenic diet, you may discover that you really don’t need to snack! All the fats that you consume will provide plenty of energy to keep you going throughout the day. However, there are times when you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. Traveling and road trips are times when it is better to have a ketogenic snack handy because you don’t know if the next restaurant you will be at will have much more for you than a simple chicken salad.

Here are some of the best ketogenic snack ideas that you can make that travel well and can tide you over until you can prepare a wonderful ketogenic meal for yourself!

HOMEMADE KETOGENIC SNACK IDEAS

 

  • Celery sticks
  • Cucumber slices
  • Pepper sticks
  • Olives
  • Dipped in cream cheese
  • Deviled eggs
  • Make fat bombs

 

ON THE GO KETOGENIC SNACK IDEAS

[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”500″ identifier=”B01ECY8I1W” locale=”US” src=”https://getfitandhealthyathome.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/51oftHNiVcL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”280″]Sometimes, you don’t have time to pack your own snacks, but there are some wonderful pre-packaged options out there that are still yummy and ketogenic!

  • Seaweed snacks (very low carb, salty and almost like a potato chip)
  • Meat sticks
  • Beef jerky (check the carbohydrate count, many are made with sugar)
  • Protein bars (check nutrition label to make sure you stay within your macros!)
  • Fat Snaxs cookies[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B07573P4TW” locale=”US” src=”https://getfitandhealthyathome.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/51lrla5GHAL.SL160.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″][easyazon_image align=”left” height=”500″ identifier=”B019VHR8CA” locale=”US” src=”https://getfitandhealthyathome.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/41Lmfew282L.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”210″][easyazon_image align=”right” height=”118″ identifier=”B01LXXACU0″ locale=”US” src=”https://getfitandhealthyathome.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/51tS10rYfJL.SL160.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″][easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B01N6X5M5D” locale=”US” src=”https://getfitandhealthyathome.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/09/51KVstQoCeL.SL160.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”120″]

 

 

 

The Better than Coffee Chocolate energy bars have 8 grams of carbohydrate, which can fit well into a daily ketogenic diet as long as you aren’t consuming more than 12 grams of carbohydrate for your other meals. Many people are able to do this by focusing on proteins and leafy green vegetables, so when they do need a snack, they can indulge with an energy bar!

FAT BOMBS AS A KETOGENIC SNACK

One thing that you can do is make fat bombs. I’m not particularly skilled at fat bombs. I’ve tried my own recipes a few times, but haven’t quite found my groove with fat bombs. Sometimes they are so yummy, I want to eat all of them at once. Other times, I just leave them in the freezer and forget about them. However, they are great at increasing your fat intake for the day and providing you with the energy that you may need. There are lots of recipes for them online as well! Check them out and try your hand at fat bombs. They just may become your next ketogenic obsession. The great thing is that there are sweet and savory options when it comes to fat bombs! I like to melt some cheese in the microwave and eat it. I call it a fat bomb, but it really is just melty cheese!

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Ketogenic Chili Recipe

Fall is here and it is time to whip out the crock pot or power pressure cooker and whip up some comfort meals! Chili is a fall favorite. It goes well with football season and can be very nutritious, but can be very high in carbohydrates. This recipe swaps out the high carbohydrate beans for low carbohydrate vegetables while at the same time retaining the wonderful flavor. You’ll love this ketogenic chili recipe! It is easy and simple and makes quite a few servings.

Side note: I am not sure how many servings it makes, probably about 8-10 servings. I fill up my power pressure cooker with vegetables and then enjoy chili meals for about 2-3 days. If you have a family, it will probably be one meal and one meal of leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • 5 mushrooms chopped
  • 1 bell pepper chopped
  • 2 cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1 lb. grassfed ground beef
  • 4 tablespoons chili pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (I tend to season it more after it is cooked. I’ve made the mistake of over salting before!)

<<Click Here for the Bacon and Butter Cookbook>>

Directions:

Chop the vegetables. In an electric pressure cooker, combine all ingredients. Set it to cook for about 40 minutes. If you are using a slow cooker, set to cook on medium for 2-4 hours. Once it has cooked, allow it to cook for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Fun low carb toppings for low carbohydrate chili:

  1. grated cheddar cheese
  2. chopped green onions
  3. sour cream and green onions
  4. Avocado slices

Great ketogenic chili side dishes that you can serve:

  1. Tossed salad
  2. Steamed spinach
  3. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower
  4. Sauteed zucchini, mushroom and onions

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For more ideas on how to make quick and easy ketogenic meals click here! 

Healthy Salad Ideas and Keto Salad Dressing

Salads are staples on the ketogenic diet. We tend to like a bit of variety in our diets and it can be easy to get sick of the same old salad especially if you are just using the regular iceberg lettuce and cucumbers. When you are on the ketogenic diet, you want to eliminate the high carbohydrate vegetables and salad toppings. Therefore, you will want to find some substitutes for your favorite croutons.I keep salad ingredients handy in my kitchen and tend to mix and match them up. Here is a list of some of the regulars that appear in my salads:

  • Romaine lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Chopped red onions
  • Deviled Eggs
  • Peppers
  • Frozen peas (small amount, they can be high in carbohydrates)
  • Grated carrot (higher in carbs, so use sparingly)
  • Red onions
  • Avocado

Other healthy salad ideas that you can incorporate if you are doing the ketogenic diet:

  • Sprouts
  • Different lettuces – endive, red leaf, green leaf
  • Kale
  • Broccoli
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Kalamata olives
  • Olives
  • Spring onions
  • Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes
  • Chopped celery
  • Radishes and radish leaves
  • Mushrooms
  • Zucchini

Healthy Protein ideas for your salad:

  • Tuna fish
  • Canned Salmon
  • Slices of leftover pot roast
  • Bacon
  • Boiled Eggs
  • Deviled Eggs
  • Chopped Ham
  • Diced chicken

Ketogenic Salad Topping Substitutes for Croutons:

  • Slivered or sliced almonds
  • Chopped walnuts
  • Hemp hearts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Blue Cheese crumbles
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Pine nuts

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Keto Salad Dressing Options

For my ketogenic salads, I tend to use a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Then I sprinkle salt, pepper and parmesan cheese over my salad. It brings out the flavor of the salad ingredients and isn’t high in carbohydrates. There are a lot of salad dressing options that are still relatively low in carbohydrates. Just make sure that you are reading the nutrition label to ensure that you don’t use too much for you daily carbohydrate intake.

Some great options for keto salad dressings include:

  • Blue cheese
  • Ranch
  • Newman’s Italian Dressing
  • Cesar Salad Dressing

Most of the bottled salad dressing options come in about 1 carbohydrate per serving, so it fits well into the ketogenic diet, but you may still want to consider making your own salad dressing to avoid soybean oil or added ingredients that are often added to preserve foods.

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