Keto/Carnivore...What are your go-to foods?


#1

I thought maybe it might be a neat idea to find out, not just for myself- but also for others considering moving toward a more carnivore diet - what everyone’s favorite “go-to” foods are. I’ve got a few, but there’s always more and better ideas out there.
Steak…dipped in butter.
Roast Beef…dipped in butter
Corned beef, rolled up into snack size rolls
Chicken thighs, grilled
Hamburgers, dipped in butter
Hard boiled eggs with butter and salt
scrambled eggs with butter
I’m not full carnivore yet, but working my way there.
Now, sometimes, I still feel like snacking on non-meat things. Dill pickles, bleu cheese stuffed olives, macadamia nuts or pecans, Cheese sticks…stuff like that. Almost zero carb, but not quite.

So, what are your favorites?


(Full Metal KETO AF) #2

Any kind of meat or seafood, lean or fatty. Bacon, eggs, homemade fermented vegetables and fresh vegetables, and cheese. And whatever I can cook with that which is almost anything! :man_cook:t3:


(Carl Keller) #3

I’m not a true carnivore but I lean heavily in that direction. Besides what you listed, I like salmon, scallops, pork or beef ribs and pork chops. About once a week, I’ve been having paprika chicken. Just take some thighs, season with paprika, garlic powder and S&P. Roast the thighs in a baking pan for about 30 minutes @ 350. Then fill the pan with chicken broth or stock until the thighs are half submerged, cover with foil and bake at 300 for at least 2 hours. The chicken is so tender and flavorful it falls right off the bone.


(Edith) #4

Chicken wings
Pork belly (I cook it and freeze it in individual slices and pull them out of the freezer when I need a snack)
Pulled pork (I freeze it in half pound bags)
Pulled brisket (also frozen in half pound bags)


(Paul H) #5

Hmmm is it carnivore or keto… both would mean carnivore is the limit… hence very few or zero plant based foods… we can do dirty anything… but carnivore is pretty limiting. I m a little confused on the differentiation… I m getting the impression there is none. Please clarify…


#6

I like to add in organ meat in the form of braunschweiger or some chorizo, get get connective tissue in homemade bone broth with chicken backs and livers included. I add broken up pork rinds to a bowl of the broth for even more collagen


#7

Sorry for the confusion there. Let me explain better…I am trying to move towards a more carnivore diet, and just wanted some other ideas for “go-to” foods in order to make the transition less boring. It’s just that simple.

Attaching labels, like dirty carnivore, eating within rigid boundaries, and creating confusion over what is and isn’t “true carnivore” wasn’t where I was heading. I’m in a transition phase of keto to carnivore. Having a large family to cook for, owning 2 businesses, and working another job require that I make a lot of food for a lot of people, along with things I can eat quickly and take to work. Having more ideas/recipes in my arsenal is essential to my success with this WOE. Perfectly obeying the rules of clean carnivore is not at the top of my list. Working towards clean carnivore - if you want to define it that way- is my intent. Losing weight and body fat, along with staying healthy is my goal.

Hope that clears things up a bit.


(Elizabeth ) #8

http://www.zerocarbhealth.com/index.php/2016/04/02/non-optimal-zero-carb-foods-are-ok/.
http://www.zerocarbhealth.com/


(FRANK) #9

@CarlKeller, give this a try:

Chicken Paprika

INGREDIENTS
1 Whole chicken cut up or equivalent in preferred parts
6 cups chicken broth
2 large onions (sliced or chopped)
2 bay leaves
2 TBS Paprika
½ tsp thyme
¼ cup dried parsley
1 clove garlic (chopped or crushed)
1 green pepper (sliced or chopped)
2 small tomatoes (peeled & and chopped)
1 cup sour cream with 1 TBS flour mixed well
1 jar sliced mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Brown chicken with TBLS olive oil & butter (do not cook through); remove and set aside. Caramelize onions with 1 TBS olive oil. Add paprika & garlic, cook for 3 minutes. Add green pepper & tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, mushrooms, chicken broth & stir. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Add chicken. Cover & simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken; thicken sauce with 1 TBS flour ( or Xanthan gum) in cold water. Once sauce is thick, add sour cream & stir well. Add back the chicken & simmer for a few minutes more. Season to taste with salt & pepper (can use cayenne).

Fish out the bay leaves before serving. Great with mashed cauliflower.


(Elizabeth ) #10

Carnivore is animal products only, although no one has a real beef (haha) with tiny amounts of dried herbs, some even have a cup of coffee. But there’s a big difference between a pinch of garlic and two cups of salsa :wink:


(Elizabeth ) #11

I would look for recipes that are entirely animal-based then.try www.zerocarbhealth.com


#12

Thank you, Elizabeth! That was fascinating. Here, I was thinking that easing into it gradually would make it easier. It seems to not be the case.

As for meats, I am all about the beef. One of the businesses we own is a farm- raising grass-fed beef cattle. I love the beef, and have what seems like an endless supply. When time permits, I’ve also raised and butchered chickens and turkeys. (Just not this year.) But, in addition to the meats, I enjoy fish as well, so it may take me some time to get over the variety thing. (We live right off Lake Superior, so have a plentiful supply of lake trout, whitefish, walleye, etc.) Oh yeah, venison is big here too.

The primary issue, for me anyhow, is the fact that I am still surrounded by all the other foods everyone else in the house eats. I feel like, if I don’t have some other non-zero carb food variety- like crunchy dill pickles or tangy bleu cheese stuffed olives- that I might fall off the WOE. (Of course, I’d like to think I am stronger than that.) So, I am trying to be patient with myself, and stay the course. I’ve only been at this since March, and had one cheat week in there - and learned from it. So, the bad foods are not something I wish to have again. It feels like I am dipping my toes in the water, so to speak, but not quite ready to fully jump in. And, that is what I need to work on.

I’m sure to re-read this article multiple times for encourgment- and thank you so much for posting it!


#13

I keep forgetting about cream cheese! Damn. I have 3 days off starting tomorrow, and that cheesecake is on my to-cook list asap! Thank you again!!!


(Edith) #14

I did a carnivore trial for over a month. Eating only meat totally took away any cravings for foods with carbs.


#15

Good to know, and very encouraging! I’ve only managed two days, with meat, butter and (unsweetened iced tea or coffee).
Now, fasting I can do without much difficulty- which you’d think would be more difficult. Go figure.

All I’ve been able to reason out - that makes any sense to me - is similar to the pattern of eating I was raised with. Dealing with the Pavlovian-like signaling from the clock- 630=Breakfast; Noon=lunch; 6=dinner, etc… - I had a super-difficult time learning how to eat intuitively, that is when I am hungry - only.
Likewise, maybe I was conditioned to eating for so many years with the meat, the starches,the veggies, the salad, the dessert, etc…and that could possibly be the reason that I find going completely carnivore so difficult or daunting. Does that make any sense?

I’m just really encouraged to know that you, and others here, have been able to do that! I’m really thankful for everyone sharing their experiences. Maybe I can do this afterall!!!


(Edith) #16

I also have a much easier time intermittent fasting with carnivore. On straight keto, it was very challenging.

We just returned from vacation where I ate keto for the most part with a few indulgences. It was vacation, after all.

I definitely was hungrier. I am making the transition back to what I call keto carnivore. Appetite is already down.


(Donna ) #17

At the beginning of the week I cook a big pot of ground beef with garlic powder, salt, and red pepper. Once It’s cooked, I add cheese and sometimes also cream cheese. I mix it up and this is what I eat when I get home from work Monday-Thursday or sometimes even on Fridays. Sometimes I have scrambled eggs. I drink black coffee with butter during the day and in the evening make myself a whipped cream from heaving whipping cream. On the weekends I’ll have bacon and if we go out I’ll either have hot wings, brisket or ribs, or a steak. Occasionally I’ll have shrimp or lamb. That’s my week/month/year in a snapshot.

Carni - dirty carni - whatever you want to call it - for over a year.


(Paul H) #18

@SecondBreakfast Thanks for clarification. I asked because I am considering going Carnivore and it’s good to know I can just go more Carnivore without being being so strict. I am concerned with more protein being I am T2D and we know it has more of a insulin response then fats. But I love all meats and would need to be innovative not to get the protein spike and yet get satiated without adding some plant based items.


(Todd Allen) #19

I’m not carnivore but a go-to carnivore dish I frequently make is taking a variety of meats such as a chuck roast, a beef heart, some cap fat, etc. and putting them through the food processor to chop/grind and mix. I also usually add in liver but I prefer to coarsely hand chop it as it purees easily in the food processor. I always add a generous amount of salt and sometimes other seasonings. I press the mix, typically 4 to 6 lbs, into a sheet cake pan and bake at my oven’s lowest setting of 170F for roughly 3 hours. With a bit of practice I get fairly consistent results of a texture I like while still being quite rare in the middle. This could be done even easier starting with ground beef but I prefer the control over texture and fat balance gained by chopping it myself. I prefer a generous proportion of fat ground coarse so a minimal amount renders out while baking. I let it cool and cut it into rectangular burgers. I’ll put some in the fridge and some in the freezer for longer keeping and for travel. I can pack a frozen one in the morning and it will be thawed and ready to eat for lunch. This takes minimal effort and turns a variety of inexpensive meats into ready to eat convenience food.


#20

Got the cheesecake in the crock pot as I type. Waiting ever so patiently for a nibble. Tomorrow. =)