See below for links to previous meal plans
So, dessert... is it even possible if you follow a low carb way of eating? Sugar is out, flour is out, and most fruits are out. (Of course, you do you -- you can eat fruit and still stay fairly low carb but if your goal is to be very low carb, you won't be able to eat most fruit, other than berries.) For the first month, the only sweets I had was 3 oz of a protein shake in my coffee in the morning and a cup of "hot cocoa" in the evenings. (The hot cocoa is cocoa, no-carb sweetener, some cream, and hot water.) I am very addicted to sugar, and I was afraid any sweets would bring my sugar monster back to life, when I had worked so hard to beat back the cravings the first week or two. Over time I've added in low-carb sweets but I try to keep it to one treat a day. Rebel Ice Cream is an excellent ice cream that's very low in carbs and delicious; Market Basket carries it. I also often make an infinitely flexible recipe called "90-Second Bread" -- mix 1 egg, 1 tbsp melted butter, 3 tbsp almond flour, and 1/2 tsp baking powder and microwave for 90 seconds -- and turn it into a dessert by adding a generous amount of no-carb sweetener (monkfruit, Swerve, allulose, or stevia), some low-carb chocolate chips (Lily's brand), unsweetened coconut and/or unsweetened crunchy peanut butter. I usually get 3 servings out of one recipe, for only a few carbs each, and it's sweet and satisfying.
There are also quite a few cookbooks for keto desserts. I've tried pumpkin cake/muffins, zucchini muffins, butter pecan cookies, brownies, and a vanilla cake. Sadly, I haven't been able to find a recipe that creates a good chocolate recipe like brownies. They all just turn out terrible, so I don't bother anymore with chocolate-based recipes. But the zucchini and pumpkin muffins are great, especially with a cream cheese frosting. These Butter Pecan Cookies from All Day I Dream About Food are amazing, especially when served with Rebel Butter Pecan ice cream.
Gotta have a good meatloaf recipe; it's one of the few recipes that most of my family will eat. (My youngest hardly eats anything, so he doesn't count.) This great recipe from the wonderful Wholesome Yum website uses flaxseed meal instead of bread crumbs. I do occasionally make meatloaf with bread crumbs still but I just take a small portion. I've been eating very low carb for so long that I can tolerate some higher carb days with no effect.
Serve this with plenty of low-carb green vegetables -- broccoli, green beans or brussels sprouts -- and mashed potatoes for the carb eaters.
Chicken Cacciatore (from the excellent book The Complete Low-Carb Cookbook by George Stella)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken leg quarters (leg and thigh). If you prefer to use boneless breasts instead, be sure to flatten them with a kitchen mallet to tenderize them.
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on chicken and add to skillet, browning well on both sides. Remove from pan.
- Add peppers, onion and garlic to pan and saute 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and liquid, vinegar, parsley, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Return chicken to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and simmer for 15 more minutes uncovered. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with cauliflower rice, or regular rice for carb eaters.
Tuscan Sausage Stew
1.5 lbs smoked sausage (such as kielbasa), sliced in thin "coins"
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz frozen chopped kale
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups beef broth (I recommend Better Than Bouillon)
Grated Parmesan cheese
- Brown sausage in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven until cooked.
- Add peppers and onions and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and liquid, frozen kale, Italian seasoning and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle Parmesan on each serving.
Chicken Pesto
2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Montreal seasoning
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
8 oz fresh mozzarella
Small jar prepared pesto
- Trim tendons off chicken breast and cut each breast into 3 smaller portions. Place each chicken piece on cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound flat with a kitchen mallet.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute chicken breast pieces quickly, just 3 minutes per side, sprinkling with Montreal seasoning. Remove from pan when done and set aside.
- Saute grape tomatoes in skillet, scraping up cooked chicken bits. When mostly done, add balsamic vinegar and saute for another minute.
- Serve 2 pieces of chicken accompanied with 2 slices fresh mozzarella and a portion of cooked tomatoes, drizzled with pesto. Serve with green vegetables for low carb eaters, or pasta for carb eaters.
Fathead Pizza from Wholesome Yum
Pizza?? Yes, pizza is possible on a very low carb diet! This recipe uses "fathead dough", which is a dough made of mostly mozzarella cheese. It takes a little bit of work to make the dough and then pre-bake it but it really is delicious.
I usually mix a teaspoon of Italian seasoning into the dough. Place a piece of parchment on a pizza pan, the dough, and another piece of parchment. Roll out the dough until thin (between the parchment, so it doesn't stick), remove the top parchment and then pre-bake for 8 minutes. Pull out of the oven, put the piece of parchment back on top, and then flip the whole thing. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes and the end result is a really delicious pizza crust. Add sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings and bake for 8-10 minutes, and your pizza cravings are satisfied!
Shopping List
2 lbs ground beef
4 chicken leg quarters (or boneless breasts)
1.5 lbs smoked sausage, such as kielbasa
2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1 can tomato paste
1 small jar pesto
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
Better than Bouillon beef base
Coconut flour
Minced garlic
2 onions
2 green peppers
1 red onion
8 oz mushrooms
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
4 eggs
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
12 oz shredded mozzarella
8 oz cream cheese
1 bag frozen chopped kale
3 bags frozen cauliflower rice
From the pantry:
Flax seed meal (great to have on hand to add fiber to baked goods for the kids, like muffins, pancakes, etc.)
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
Ketchup
Italian seasoning
Balsamic vinegar
Parsley
Red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Montreal seasoning
Red wine vinegar
White rice
Pasta
Links to past weekly meal plans:
Oct 18-24 Meal Plan: Introduction, low-carb recipes and shopping list for Chili, Baked Salmon, Chicken Fajitas, Shrimp Jambalaya, and Ham, Potatoes & Beans
Oct 25-31 Meal Plan: Staying motivated plus recipes and shopping list for Roasted Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Soup, Zucchini Lasagna, and Shrimp Scampi
Nov 1-7 Meal Plan: Carbs in healthy vegetables plus recipes and shopping list for Beef Stroganoff, Basil Coconut Curry Shrimp, Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables, Instant Pot Beef Pot Roast and Chicken Parmesan
So, does a keto diet really work? Even with eating all that additional fat? It does, if you're committed and willing to stick with it. I feel like it's important to show the results, even though I don't normally like to post photos of myself!
This is me, on the right, in October 2018 | And in October 2020  |
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