Is anyone else exhausted from cooking?

#45

I like to cook a couple pound of bacon in one go. Spread in large roasting tin and put in the oven. I then store it in the fridge

(Sandra Lachance) #46

I was like that at the beginning. It caused me to stop keto at my first attempt. I was on a meal plan conceived for one and we are 5 in my family. Plus, the meal plan sometimes called for leftover for subsequent meals. For 1 or 2 portions, it could have been ok, but x5, it was an awful lot. I had the impression that all I had the time to do was cooking. And let me say that cooking always been my forte! I had once a caterer service and make wedding cakes to buckle the month! I was so exhausted and depressed that I quite keto for a while.

My advice? Begin with easy keto. Don’t bake, don’t do breads, waffles, desserts and elaborate dishes. Just learn what you can and cannot eat, be confortable with that. Easy keto, it’s meat or other animal protein + keto friendly veggies + fatty sauce or dressing. For exemple, steak, broccoli (with butter) and herb butter, or salmon, salad (with oil and vinegar dressing) and hollandaise sauce (begin with commercial), or chicken leg with skin, cauliflower rice (already chopped at Trader Joe or Walmart) and mushroom and cream sauce (mushrooms sautéed in butter, then heavy cream and let reduce a bit).

After a little while, add one elaborate entree a week, then add another… Up to the point where you still feel on top of your game but not overwelmed. That way you control your kitchen time and it’s easy to follow even if your significant other and/or your family is not doing keto.

If you have a keto friend nearby, you can exchange some dished. For exemple, I made keto bread and my friend made fatbombs. We exchange half our recipes and had both that week.

It’s the way I managed to get back on keto, stay on it up to now, a year later and lose 50 pounds.

#47

Yup, takes up what little time I have when I get home to play with the kid BUT… that’s how it’s SUPPOSED to be (cooking actual food that is), I keep telling myself that. Except tonight, dodging tornado’s so homemade ketochow it was. Tomorrow back to my regularly scheduled MEAT!

#48

I also cook for a large family, I do the same, I make a meat, a vegetable with fat and then have rice or other side dish always around for the non keto family. I mostly make simple food, chicken on the bone, hamburgers, meatballs, chicken coated with almond flour. Not a fan of the pre riced cauliflower so I do a cauli mash instead Brenda Zorn has a good recipe on here that is pretty simple. I have been keto 17 months and went through the fancy stage, made a lot of keto evangelist recipes, I also like dietdoctor.com

https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/keto-low-carb-cinnamon-rolls-sugar-free-almond-flour-free/

http://www.wickedstuffed.com/

None of these are that quick but it means I really have to want the bread taste to bother. I have as yet to make fat bombs, one day soon

(Running from stupidity) #49

#cosign (the kids used to say that back in the day)

(Katie) #50

I have needed to stay in hotels for extended periods of time, and I do not like eating at restaurants. I also cook at home just for myself, so here are the kitchen ‘hacks’ I have developed:

I purchase meats, cut them into pieces (I prefer bite-sized), and store them in the refrigerator in a glass container. Then, in a jumbo-sized coffee mug, I put a portion of already-cut-up meat, spices I like, and water/broth (about an inch or so, or enough to cover it; depends what I am in the mood for), and cover it with a microwaveable lid. I cook it in the microwave, usually 3-4 minutes, depending on the meat. This is a great way to poach the meat, and the texture does not come out rubbery. I really enjoy it. I have also experimented with about 1 tbsp of oil at the bottom of the mug, spices, and meat to kind of fry the meat; it works as well.

I can also cook vegetables in the mug, frozen or fresh. Eggs I do as well, either poached, scrambled, sunny side up, etc. I have gotten creative with doing ‘boiled’ eggs by microwaving water to about boiling point (careful), pouring it into an insulate coffee cup/thermos, and putting the eggs into that for about 15 minutes. All of this takes some experimentation, but it is great for cooking just for myself. I also do not have to wash a lot of dishes because there are no pots/pans, and I like to eat out of the jumbo mug.__

(Blessed with butter ) #51

Fat bombs are really good. I only use them when I am trying to fast. I know it breaks the fast but it will keep me going for another 12 hours

#52

OK… I am trying to make it simple … kinda… I think my issue is I want to make yummy stuff that makes me want to stay keto vs. cheating etc… If I can make a pumpkin bread for a treat or my cheesy cauliflower that I love… that = happy… tonight I am making smothered pork chops in instant pot mac and cheese for kids, veggie for me and salad… one night I did chicken fajitas we could all eat etc… I am learning!! But, I did make some breads too. My friend across the street is doing it by she doesnt cook much but it would be great to trade… !!

(Laurie) #53

I moved this month, and I’m done with cooking. I’ve given away my pots and pans, and I almost never go in the kitchen; that way I don’t get rooked into cleaning anyone else’s mess.

I do have a microwave in a different room, and I use that. I’ve discovered I can even use it for cooking frozen salmon patties (no dirty frying pan, no smoke), ground beef (loose, not patties), and Italian sausage. For bacon I use the precooked, precrumbled bacon from Costco.

You don’t have to cook much, if at all. And yes, a piece of cheese or a small bag of pork rinds can be a complete meal! Why not?

More ideas here:

#54

same over here sometimes and my kid isn’t a huge fan of leftovers! I started freezing stuff… day 2 no one wants it, in the freezer it goes going to pull out in few weeks for new dinner!! I am sick of things wasting… these are dishes I can’t eat… I hear ya on the bread… what bread recipe do you use? I have not found one I like too much yet… one that had great reviews is like a sponge… the other one I tried didn’t rise… I am still looking… I ordered some off some website… think slim something like that… sample pack… it was ok, nothing to write home about.

#55

Nothing is perfect but these are not bad although to me they are more like nan than tortillas

This bread is not bad but it will not rise much either https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/low-carb-bread-recipe-almond-flour-bread-paleo-gluten-free/

Then dietdoctor.com has decent rolls

There is something called oopsie that I have never made but is supposed to be good I would try google

#56

GI make a lot of food in the oven= a lot less grease and work. The food cooks it self while I can do other things.

My kids loves chicken breast, we wrap them in bacon (mustard on the bacon is really good) and pop them in the oven. There is nothing wrong with chicken breast, there are som much good fat you can serve with it; avocado, cheese sause made of a base of cream and some cheese you like. Melted butter on the veggies, yum.
There are so much food you can make in the oven.

And I usually eat left overs for breakfast(or lunch) .

I don’t have a greasy kitchen, and I don’t clean to much. Since I have miderate/severe ME/cfs I don’t have energy to waste for cooking. Most dinners involves max. 10 min. of work.
Yesterday we hade oven puff pancake; baked bacon in a dish in the oven, put a good coulple handfulls of cheese over and poured over a mix of 8eggs, 4 dl cream (40%) , 2tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp psyllium husk and 1cup ground almonds. Popped in in the oven, I could lay down on the sofa and listen to music while the food made it self. It took me 5 minutes of work. No grease on the countertop, but lot of fat and a happy family.

After a while you learn how to cook as little as possible. Make it easy.
Keto food is actually just normal food without the carbs and a bit more fat.

(Tina Emmons) #57

That’s debatable. Some purists say not a “clean” fast even tho most agree it would take several hundred calories to actually break a fast. Others allow pure fats like full fat cream, bone broth with butter or ghee. Carl even does straight coconut oil on a spoon during fasting days sometimes. If you start to toy with fasting make sure you get lots of fats before! Sooo much easier!:heart:

(Chris) #58

I do the majority of my cooking on Sunday. I prep large buckets of beef for my meals for the week, dinners for the wife and kids, etc. Leaves me free to not worry about it for 6 days straight. Obviously not everyone’s schedule is the same, but really who said keto shouldn’t be boring?

(Becky) #59

I batch cook once a week, and freeze the SAME day. Freezing the same day keeps food tasting fresh and provides variety.

I use the oven to cook chuck roast, turkey sausages, any family pack of meat and a pound of bacon, and pack it up in portions to freeze.
I boil a dozen eggs, they keep for weeks, shred a costco rotisserie chicken and freeze, buy sliced cheese and cold cuts.

Then, for the rest of the week, I can heat up any meat I want, add cheese, if I choose, and be eating fresh food within 5 minutes!

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #60

I generally start with what meats are on sale or priced attractively. From there, I plan meals. Smartphone is a huge help, because you can find the cheap stuff, then see what you can do with it, and what you need for that.

By starting with the meats, I do a few things.
1- prioritize protein
2- reduce the inifite options of what to cook down to a smaller subset of infinity, like “what to cook with chicken thighs or beef chuck or pork loin. These remain nigh infinite, but if we then keep it keto or LC or paleo or whole30 compliant, or low fodmap or whatever is our bend we’ve trimmed infinity down quite a bit.
3- controlled cost. As an enthusiastic home cook, if I go to the store with recipes that are appealing to me, I can spend a fortune. If I go with a plan to hunt bargains and figure it out, much better.

In my search to be something of a paleo dilletante, and leverage my Amazon Prime account, I start with Whole Foods. I buy NOTHING there that is not on sale.

Here’s the process. I go to the Whole Foods app. Current meat sales are:
Beef Chuck Roast or Stew Meat $3.99/lbs (animal welfare rated)
85/15 ground beef $3.99 (animal welfare rated)
31-40 cooked shrimp $9.99/lb (resp. Farmed… I don’t buy shrimp at WF as I have a fish monger who has the best and most responsible shrimp from the Gulf… WF are from Argentina, which feels less responsible)

The burger is a bit lean for me, but the Chuckies are culinary wonderlands.
Off to the google.

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I know how to cook one of these, but I may buy three and do three recipes. Chili, IBIH’s Balsamic, and maybe a smoked pulled beef. Don’t have to look for instant pot.

Check the recipe, mental inventory of pantry, buy anything exotic at the grocery, and cook. That’s my Saturday. I do the same at the grocery, but I don’t buy pork at the grocery, because I’m invested in the welfare of the animals I eat. Not enough to not eat them, but enough so they taste better.

(Joanna Parszyk ) #61

For me day without cooking is a sad day!
But l do appreciate some extra time on my hands when l do some fasting.
Cooking in batches safes a lot of time. When l shop for food l usually already know what l’ll planning to do from it in an upcoming week (l’m cooking Keto for myself, “normal” for my better half and sometimes Keto for clients).

(Carl Keller) #62

I’m a sous chef so I cook for 50 hours a week. It used to be that I would be exhausted when I got home so I would usually order pizza or chinese or anything fast. But since I have been doing keto I have a lot more energy and I often look forward to cooking something healthy to eat… even if sometimes “cooking” is just making a good salad.

#63

Yes, that definitely happens to me. I am not one of these people who enjoys cooking every day, at all…

My own personal shortcuts for those days:
-Eat cold cuts, cheese and pickles (or something else that doesn’t require cooking)
-When I cook, I cook big (usually on a weekend day) and freeze leftovers for good easy reheatable meals
-Grab a rotisserie chicken from the nearest grocery and have a salad or microwave some vegetables
-Get a keto friendly meal to-go from a restaurant
-Pick up a ready-prepped throw in the oven meal from the grocery store (Wegman’s has great options in my area)
-Cook the easiest items in my fridge, usually eggs and bacon or similar

(charlie3) #64

I work long hours, long commute, live alone, wasn’t a cook in the sugar days. In those day it was 3 meals plus two snacks X 7 days = 35 times eating. Now it’s 2 meals for 6 days, nothing on one day so 12 meals a week. So on Saturday shop the veg market, costco, and may be walmart after half day of work. Sunday is food prep. I make bacon and eggs for a breakfast, 5 lunches for work, a week supply oil and vinegar dressing for my nightly humongous dinner salad and cut the veggies for sunday and monday dinners. So on sunday I’ve made 8 of the 12 meals I’ll need for the week. On Teusday’s and Thursday’s I cut vegetables for 2 dinners. This leaves just enough time for exercise (80 minutes 5 times a week of brisk walking on breaks and lunch time at work, 3-5 40 minute cardio sessions on the Airdyne at home, and 3 40 minute lifting sessions at home). When work slows down or I have the nerve to retire I’ll get more elaborate with actual cooking.

Those 12 meals a week have a lot of calories. I like the food, I like being hungry when it’s time to eat, very full when a meal is done, and still have my highschool waist line and less than 12% body fat.