Lazy keto meals…..is that possible? You bet it is! And with the stereotypes that the Keto lifestyle carries with some….that the diet is “too extreme” or “too complicated,” lazy Keto meals can make it attainable for everyone to achieve ketosis! There are dozens of amazing Ketogenic cookbooks out there, and I love many of them, but cooking Keto doesn’t have to be complicated or as time consuming as one might think. The intimidation of “fancy ingredients” and substitutions might make the Keto lifestyle feel unrealistic, but keep it simple, make the decision to start, and read on for some lazy Keto meals everyone can enjoy!
Avocados are a staple healthy fat for lazy Keto meals.
Lazy Keto Meals Take Minutes
I love my kitchen, and I spend HOURS each day playing with food. There are days, though, and sometimes many in a row, that I don’t want to or have time to be anywhere near my kitchen. If you have kids, you know the chaos that weekdays can bring. Once those precious children walk through the door from school, it’s on like donkey kong! Homework, soccer practice, unexpected melt downs, feed the kids, bathe the kids, and….oh wait, my hubby and I need food too??? Those are the days that have produced many lazy Keto meals for me and my husband that I want to share with you….AND the beauty is, that these lazy Keto meals can make meals easy for your entire family! Throw together an easy additional side for the kids (and I’m talking fresh fruit…super quick and easy), and your lazy Keto meals can nourish your entire home of humans.
Since I began writing last month about my Keto lifestyle, friends and family members have been coming out of the woodwork asking questions and expressing a desire to jump into the Keto world….but they have been overwhelmed with how time consuming it appears to be. Without being an expert, I have put together some pearls of wisdom that I have learned in my year and a half of research and experimentation with the Ketogenic diet. I’ve included the many amazing products and tricks to stay in Ketosis wherever I am and no matter how busy I become (these will be published in a separate article). I have shared this information with the people that have asked for it, and they are all seeing tremendous results and learning more everyday about how much time they are able to invest in delving further into the Keto lifestyle. THE NUMBER ONE TIP I can give is to keep it simple, especially in the beginning. The Keto diet can be as involved as you allow it to be. Especially when you begin, find the lazy Keto meals that you enjoy and the products that work well with your body. This article is about what has kept it simple for me and the many people I have shared my experiences and discoveries with, and it can work to make your Keto transition and journey a less daunting and time consuming affair.
Eggs and avocado are versatile keto staples that can be eaten 1 million different ways to prevent boring meals
Lazy Keto Meals to Maintain Ketosis
Ketosis is the state of your body primarily using fat for fuel instead of glucose. In order to get into ketosis and stay there, you must almost eliminate carbs and added sugars and ensure that you are consuming nutrient dense fats as the highest percentage of your diet. “Strict Keto” requires tracking of your macronutrients and testing the blood, urine, or breath to ensure that ketones are present, which indicates your body is in fact using fat for fuel….is that enough of an overwhelming deterrent to entering into the amazing Ketogenic lifestyle??? Don’t let it be! While I believe in strict Keto and have practiced that way for months, I have also gone through busy seasons that have forced me to take a step back and make some lazy Keto meals, comprised of mostly healthy fats. Keto is a very personalized journey and you have to do what works for you. If lazy Keto meals sound like a good fit for you to dive in and get “ketofied,” just do it!
“Laid back keto” is a wonderful way to learn to navigate through your transition into the ketogenic lifestyle. Taking a less strict approach allows you to worry less about the nitty gritty and more about learning what works for your body. You can use these ideas for your first few weeks to get into ketosis and get adjusted to the restriction of sugar and carbs, or seasoned ketone-filled folks can use this for suggestions for meals and snacks on your busy days.
See below for detailed instructions for lazy keto meals in this menu. Add one snack each day as needed for satiety.
Lazy Keto meals can be as simple as topping a salad with some protein and a healthy portion of healthy fats, like avocado, and a creamy and delicious blue cheese dressing.
Tips and Tricks
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Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep! My husband and I cook every weekend so during the week, we can just throw easy meals together. Our staple proteins are grilled chicken thighs and cooked ground beef. We pair it with a healthy fat and voila! AND our kids love it too! I also make a batch of deviled eggs to keep in the fridge. They go great with meals or as a snack by itself and has the perfect macronutrient ratios!
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Trade breakfast for a bulletproof coffee. It has the fat you need, will keep you full until at least 11am, and takes away one whole meal that you have to prepare each day. This is basically “bulletproof fasting” and will help you to get into ketosis more quickly in addition to being super easy.
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Be prepared! You more than likely will have cravings for the things you normally crave and are excluding from your diet. Have Keto-friendly sweet, chocolate, and salty substitutes waiting for you in your cupboard so when the temptation hits, you will not dive off the Keto-edge!
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Make a plan and stick to it. While you are freshly turning your body into a fat-burning machine, stay the course with your meals. You are feeding your body for a huge purpose. That purpose has to be stronger than your inner, sugar-craving voice. Veering away from your planned foods in the beginning can make it very easy to go back to old habits. Save the spurt-of-the-moment experimentation for a few weeks in.
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Switch up the typical “breakfast” foods for “dinner” foods. Lazy keto meals can be eaten anytime of the day. I often will eat leftovers for breakfast or breakfast for dinner….whatever is easy and fits in your schedule.
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When you cook, cook a lot! I always make enough of what I’m cooking for leftovers for at least the next day. Having quickly accessible meals in your fridge is key for when life throws you a loop. With kids, dogs, and jobs alone, loops are pretty frequent in our household!
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Pack leftovers into individual-sized portions so it is easier to grab and go. You will be a lot less likely to pull out multiple Tupperwares of bulk leftovers to make a quick lunch than you are to grab something already portioned out.
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Keep a rotisserie chicken in the fridge for quick eat protein to pair with something with healthy fats and something green
Lazy Keto Meal Ideas
“Laid back keto” is a wonderful way to learn to navigate through your transition into the ketogenic lifestyle. Taking a less strict approach allows you to worry less about the nitty gritty and more about learning what works for your body. You can use these ideas for your first few weeks to get into ketosis and get adjusted to the restriction of sugar and carbs, or seasoned ketone-filled folks can use this for suggestions for meals and snacks on your busy days.
- Bulletproof Coffee – Mix one packet with 8-12 ounces of coffee for a keto meal replacement that will keep you full until lunch
- 2 scrambled eggs, diced avocado, and 2 bacon strips
- Cheese omelet with sour cream and salsa
- Brussel sprouts “hash” (roasted in olive oil with bacon) topped with over easy fried eggs. (Leftover brussels are the best for this to save time)
- “Baked eggs” – in an oven safe small pyrex, add 2 tbls butter melted butter, two eggs (be careful not to break the yolks!), add spinach, bacon, leftover taco meat…anything you have lying around and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until egg whites are cooked through (Thank you Stacy for this gem!)
- Bento Box Pepperoni or diced rotisserie chicken, sliced hard cheese, boiled egg, pimento cheese or guacamole, and a few olives
- 4 oz smoked salmon with 2 tbls mayo mixed with 2 tsp dill and capers to taste
- Any type of salad, hold the carrots, croutons, fresh or dried fruit, top with blue cheese dressingand a small portion of protein (grilled chicken thighs, canned tuna,roasted salmon, leftover taco meat, etc)
- Lettuce wrap turkey sandwich with sliced turkey, bacon, mayonnaise, and a palm sized portion of almonds
- Cobb salad with boiled egg, shredded cheese, chopped cooked bacon, sliced turkey or ham, blue cheese dressing
- Rotissarie chicken salad – Dice or shred the chicken, mix with mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper and serve over a bed of greens or in a lettuce wrap
- Leftovers of any and everything!
- Grilled chicken thighs with squash, zucchini and onions sautéed in butter
- Grilled steak with onions and mushrooms sautéed in butter and Green Giant cauliflower rice (freezer section)
- Grilled or sautéed Italian sausage with Green Giant zucchini noodles (freezer section) in pesto sauce
- Wedge salad with blue cheese dressing and bacon crumbles, with or without a protein
- Bunless burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado, pickle, sauteed mushrooms and onions, precooked bacon, swiss cheese, and mayo…yum! Add some olive oil-roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon
- Keto Chili- Make your normal favorite chili recipe and leave out the beans and any sugar or beer….the leftovers are amazing! Top with sour cream and shredded cheese
- Quest chips or Whispsand guacamole or pimento cheese
- Choczero Keto friendly chocolates
- Full fat Greek yogurt (no sugar added) with almonds and blueberries
- Deviled eggs – Make a big batch to keep in the fridge. Start with 10 boiled eggs. Mash cooked egg yolks with 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tbls mustard, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and spoon into cooked egg whites.
- Celery with 2 tbls jalapeño cream cheese (or any other sugar free flavor)
- Chomps beef sticks
- Epic Beef Jerky
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