Meal Planning/Meal prep

(Insert witty quote here) #1

Hi all - I’m an on again off again ketoer, and I’d really really like to be a full time ketoer. I’ve gained weight from all of the back and forth, and the whole family is eating like crap as a result, too. I really need some structure. What do you guys do to meal plan? Do you meal prep for the whole week? How long does it take you to plan/prep, and how do you remember to actually cook it? I will often buy ingredients to cook, and then forget they are there, or forget what I was going to make with them. :frowning: I’ve got a family of 4 to prepare food for, including two small boys. They are not keto, but I’m hoping to nudge them in this direction. I’ve dried Diet Doctor’s website, but you can’t customize any of the meals, I tried emeals, but even their low-carb meals are not keto low.

Help, please! I’m on my way to eating like I used to, and I really don’t want to do that…

Thanks.

(Christopher Bingel) #2

I think it’s in the Reddit somewhere, but someone made a Keto basics grocery list that might be helpful.

What my wife and I do is go grocery shopping on Sundays (when it’s not Easter, anyway) and start in the meat section, figure out 4 or 5 main dishes, then head over to produce and figure out sides, then go through the rest of the store to get staples and other ingredients.

Another option is to go to a warehouse store like BJs, Sam’s, or Costco and stock up on meat, Keto veggies, cheese, butter, etc, and freeze them in meal-sized portions. Then each day you can go pull out the necessities for that day. I think Carl and Richard have often mentioned recipes that make more than they can eat and freeze well cooked.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

(eat more) #3

i keep it super simple and pick a couple of proteins for the week and add whatever fats and sometimes veg sounds good for whatever meal i’m having.

you can do the same with family meals…pick a protein…add fats for yourself and veggies for the fam.

fathead pizza, bacon cheeseburgers, etc

i have ribs in the pressure cooker and bacon in the oven right now
rotisserie chicken
eggs

i do quite a few hard boiled eggs in various forms (deviled, egg salad, with salt)
i also do salami, cheese, avocado, bacon (super easy grab and go)

it really doesn’t have to be fancy or gourmet just edible and enjoyable :blush:

(Christopher Bingel) #4

One of my favorite Keto meals is what I call Keto mash.

  1. Bacon grease in pan. Melt.
  2. Green veggies in pan. Saute.
  3. Meat in pan. Cook. (Also add salt and other seasonings)
  4. Cream cheese in pan. Melt/mix.
  5. Meaty cheesy goodness in belly.
(Insert witty quote here) #5

Thanks all. These are really helpful to get started. :blush: I really like the idea of starting in the meat section.

#6

Your freezer is your friend. Don’t let food go to waste. Put in freezer before they go bad. Night before, take them out, put in fridge to thaw.

#7

Most weeknight meals in my house consist of some form of meat with green veg cooked in lots of butter. I’ll mix and match vegetables but meats end up being so similar from week to week that my partner looks forward to Wednesday nights for pork night. At the weekend we’ll mix things up and have more fun with cooking - as we do our weekly shopping at the weekend, it’s easy to factor in new recipes and special ingredients get used immediately.

#8

A FB friend of mine does meal planning with the whole family so gets everyone involved in choosing what they have. She steers her kids as much into keto as possible and giving them a say in choosing the menu helps a lot, especially when things like pizza are on the list!

From that you can obviously draw up your list but you also have your meal plan to remind you what you are having. I think she has a chalk board or something in the kitchen. If you have an evening or part of the weekend when you have some spare time you could do some prep ahead of time for busier days maybe. You could also double up the size of some things and freeze for another week so you have a bit of a stash that is easy in the freezer.

As far as meal ideas go, I would build yourself a scrap book online of recipes you find - Pinterest or bookmark webpages, that kind of thing. Or print them out and stick in a folder. Build up a favourites folder of things that are easy and popular in your family that can be repeated often, maybe with a twist to change them up.

(Togipeidia) #9

I sit down every Saturday and plan out what I’m going to make it’s usually recipes I found interesting from the week on Sunday I go out and get my groceries and then make my lunches for the week. I usually plan to have at least 3 meal as Crock-Pot​ meals. If I’m super busy I’ll make a freezer meal plan and make 2 weeks or more of meals that I can throw into the Crock-Pot In the morning every day.
Last week I made keto eggroll in a bowl for my lunch and separated it into container and left it in the fridge. And for dinners I made a mushroom chicken, fathead pizza, creamy mustard pork chops, and 2 evening out. Mornings I usually fast.
This week I made sausage and saurkraut casserole for lunches. My dinners this week are steak, pork chops in a white gravy, leek and mushroom chicken, chicken enchilada bake, and a roast ham.

(Insert witty quote here) #10

All of that sounds delicious!:grinning: