Meal Ideas

Good Morning!

Today I thought I'd post some examples of what we eat for our meals. Just remember to plug them into your food tracker before you eat them to make sure they fit your marcos.  You might need to adjust your other 2 meals to get some of them to fit your day

Breakfast ideas

For a Quick and Easy – on the go breakfast.

Fry up a package (or 2) of Breakfast Sausage Links. 

Store them in an air-tight dish in the Refrigerator.

In the morning, just microwave 3 links and enjoy!

Another Sausage Breakfast

You can also fry up a pound of Bob Evans ground sausage. Measure out 2 ounces and store them in little snack bags in the refrigerator. In the morning, just grab a bag (no need to measure) throw it out onto a plate. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and heat in the microwave. (switch it up by adding different cheeses each day)

If those two sausage ideas aren't quite enough for you, pair them with some eggs.

Bacon and Eggs

What Keto breakfast list would be complete if it didn't include Bacon and Eggs? My Keto chef doesn't particularly care for frying bacon, so this isn't one we have very often. We do have it occasionally, but I will be honest, we mostly use bacon to wrap around other meats and cook it that way.

Chaffles

The Chaffles are a treat ~ although my Keto Chef says they are also a pain to make. I would suggest making up a bunch and freezing them – Place them in a freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper between each one. Heat them in the toaster as you would a frozen waffle or pop it in the microwave. I have also eaten them cold, at work.

Basic Chaffle Recipe

1 egg

½ cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese*

1 TBS almond flour (optional, but it does add 3 carbs per serving)

Plug in the mini waffle maker to heat. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork.

Add the mozzarella and stir to combine. Spray the waffle iron with non-stick spray. Pour half of the egg mixture into the heated waffle iron. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove waffle carefully and cook remaining batter. The original Chaffle Recipe doesn't call for the almond flour – that's just something Ed added somewhere along the way.

*You can also change this up by using different types of cheese; Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Swiss or even 2 oz of Cream Cheese

Without Almond Flour:
232 Calories (for both mini chaffles)
    1 Carb
   17 Fat
   20 Protein


With Almond Flour: (both mini chaffles)
280 Calories
   5 Carbs
  21 Fat
20 Protein

Keto Sausage Biscuits

Sausage Biscuits are also a favorite of mine. I think the original recipe called them sausage balls, but they have never stayed in ball form when we have made them. They go flat and look like a sausage cookie or biscuit. But, non-the-less, the flavor is quite tasty. Store them in an air-tight container and reheat as needed.

4 ½ TBS Butter, melted & cooled

1/3 cup coconut flour

2 tbs sour cream

4 eggs

¼ tsp pink salt

¼ tsp baking powder

1 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound cooked, drained sausage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the melted butter, eggs, salt and sour cream. Add coconut flour and baking powder. Stir in the shredded cheese and sausage. Drop 12 spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, or til tops are slightly browned.

Nutritional information

1 biscuit:

270   Calories

2.4    Carbs

11.6  Protein

23     Fat

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Scramble

Also another one of my favorites. In fact, add another egg and this was my OMAD when I was working nights. Between this and my coffee, I was getting my daily calories in this one – very filling meal.

2 eggs

2 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream

3 Johnsonville breakfast sausage links, cut up

1 TBS Butter

Pink Himalayan Salt

Pepper

½ cup finely shredded cheese

Add Heavy Whipping Cream to eggs and mix well.

Heat butter in 12 inch skillet – tilt to make sure it covers the entire bottom.

Pour the eggs in the hot skillet, add the sausage, salt & pepper to taste.

Scramble all. When eggs are done sprinkle with cheese.

For added flavor, allow the cheese to burn just a bit on the edges, then slide it onto a plate and enjoy!

Nutritional information:

Servings: 1 (or 2)
Cal: 734 (or 367)
Carbs: 5 (or 2.5)
Fat: 65 (or 32.5)
Protein: 36 (or 18)

Crepe with Strawberries & Sugar-Free Whipped Topping

(another favorite – almost a dessert!)

Strawberry topped Crepe

1 TBS Butter

2 eggs
2 oz Cream Cheese
2 pkg Stevia Pyure

Topping:

1 Strawberry, thinly sliced

Sugar-Free Whipped Topping

Melt butter in 10-inch skillet. While butter is melting, whip together 2 eggs, 2 oz Cream Cheese and 2 packages of Stevia. Pour in hot skillet, tilt to cover entire bottom. Fry – as you would a pancake. Carefully Flip and fry the other side. Slide out onto a plate.

Filling:
1 oz Cream Cheese
1 pkg of Stevia/Pyure

While the Crepe is frying, mix 1 ounce of Cream Cheese and 1 package of Stevia. Whip it until it is light and fluffy. Then spread on half of the cooked Crepe. Fold the Crepe in half.

Top with 1 thinly sliced Strawberry and Sugar-free Whipped Topping.

Nutritional information:

Servings: 1
Cal: 567
Carbs: 9
Fat: 50
Protein: 19

Omelet

Omelets are also a great Keto Friendly breakfast dish. You can switch it up by adding different ingredients. One of my personal favorites is the Mexican Omelet. Fill it with leftover taco meat. Top with Sour Cream, Salsa and guacamole.

Versions: Mexican

Denver

Western

Ham and Cheese

Cheese

Lunch ideas

Brats

Ask my co-workers and they will tell you. Johnsonville Better Cheddar Brats have been my go-to for lunch the past year. However, I have vowed to make a change for 2020. I will still eat them, don't get me wrong. Just not every day! I will probably use them as a fall-back on days we don't have leftovers to pack in my lunch. They are so quick, simple and yes, they fit my marcros! Not all Brats are Keto Friendly though. You do need to read the label to make sure they don't have hidden fillers. If they have more than 1 to 2 carbs per serving – they are not Keto Friendly.

Leftovers

Yes, this is a given. But I had to throw it in. One of the easiest lunches ever.

Salads

Another easy lunch that can easily be changed up each day. Add leftover diced chicken, diced ham, leftover taco meat, crumbled bacon, slice up a brat ~ the options are endless. You can add shredded Cheddar cheese one day, Mozzarella another, then Pepper Jack, etc. If you aren't a one dressing kind of person, you can also switch that up each day. Walden Farms has a pretty good selection of 0 sugar, 0 carb salad dressings!

Mug Pizza

The mug pizza reminds me of a deep dish pizza. The recipe says prep time is 3 minutes and cook time is 2 minutes. However, my Keto Chef says it takes longer than that as there are several ingredients to measure out. I think it's still quicker than popping a frozen pizza in the oven and waiting for it to cook!

1 TBS Butter

1 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream

1 TBS Almond Flour

1 TBS Coconut Flour

1/8 tsp Baking Powder

1/8 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, beaten

4 TBS Shredded Mozzarella cheese (reserve half for top)

2 TBS Tomato Sauce (reserve half for top)

8 pepperoni rounds cut into quarters (reserve some pieces for the top)

Melt the butter in a 16 ounce Coffee Mug. Then add the heavy whipping cream, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, Parmesan Cheese and egg. Mix well. Then add half the mozzarella cheese , 1 TBS of tomato sauce, and the cut-up pepperoni (remember to save out a few pieces for the top). Cook on high in your microwave for 1 minute and 45 seconds. Remove mug and top with remaining sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Pop back in microwave for another 20 seconds – or til cheese melts.

Serves 1:
487 Calories
 11 Carbs
 40 Fat
 21 Protein

Chaffle Pizza

As you can see, we haven't yet invested in the Mini Waffle Iron. We just use our regular waffle iron and make bigger Chaffles. It works great for pizza! The mini would be better for hamburger buns and sandwiches though. If you have a mini-waffle iron, you will probably want to make at least 2 mini-chaffle pizzas.

Just spread tomato sauce (or a low carb marinara sauce) on a cooked chaffle and top with whatever pizza ingredients you want. Bake until the cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information will vary depending on the toppings you put on it.

Chaffle Sandwiches

The options are endless. Grilled Cheese, BLT, Peanut Butter & Jelly (Natural Peanut Butter, sprinkled with Sugar-Free Jello), Cheeseburger , Ham & Cheese …. just to name a few ideas.

Supper Ideas

Steak

Probably one of the easiest meals ~ would be steak. We tend to have either Ribeye and/or Pork Steak about once a week. Add a frozen veggie with some Gordo's Cheese Dip and you have our meal.

Chicken Alfredo – Instant Pot Recipe

Before Keto, Chicken Alfredo was always one of Ed's favorites. We still enjoy it, we just omit the pasta now.

1 pound of diced chicken breast (boneless - can be frozen)

4 cups of hot water

8 cubes of chicken Bullion

1 jar Alfredo Sauce (Check label – select one with 2 or less carbs per serving)

Place diced chicken in Instant Pot. Add hot water and chicken bullion. Pressure cook for 30 minutes. Release and drain. Then add sauce. If desired, you can add steamed broccoli in place of the pasta.

If you don't have an Instant Pot – you can cook the chicken in a skillet.

Servings: 5
266 Calories
    5 Carbs
   16 Fat
   21 Protein

Chicken Parmesan

4 thin chicken breasts

2 eggs

2 cups finely crushed pork rinds

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

1 ½ cup marinara sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Italian Seasoning

preheat oven to 350.

Crack eggs into a shallow bowl. In another bowl, add pork rinds, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to combine.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then into the pork rinds – be sure to coat well.

Place the chicken on a parchment lined baking dish. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and spread marinara sauce on the chicken ~ sprinkle with mozzarella Cheese and Italian Seasoning. Place back in oven until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information

serving size: 1 breast

728  calories

9.5   carbs  

42    fat         

62    protein 

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

This is probably one of my most favorites! In fact, we have had it enough that Ed no longer needs the recipe.

1 pound ground beef

1 cup crushed pork rinds

1 large egg

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon oregano

6 ounces mozzarella,, cut into 12 small cubes

1 cup marinara

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the ground beef, pork rinds, egg, heavy whipping cream, water, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.. Separate the meatballs into 12 separate chunks and form each piece into a small patty. Place a piece of Mozarella cheese in the center of each patty and carefully fold the edges up around the cheese to seal it in. Place the meatballs in a 9x13 glass dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove meatballs from the oven and spoon the marinara evenly over each meatball. Sprinkle with parsley, Shredded Cheese and Parmesan Cheese just before serving.

Serving size = 3 meat balls
Calories:  580
Carbs         9
Fat           34
Protein    56

Bacon Wrapped Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breast

3 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt divided

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

1 ¼ cup chopped broccoli

4 ounces cream cheese softened

¼ cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 clove garlic minced

12 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cut a pocket into the side of each. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir well to combine then stir in the broccoli. Spoon the cheese mixture into each chicken breast evenly. Wrap each breast with 2 slices of bacon then place them in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Hint: Make a double batch of the broccoli stuffing and serve it as a side. That stuff is so yummy!

Serving size 1 breast  (or 1/2 breast)

Calories   688                  (or 344)
Carbs       6.7                   (or 3.3)
Fat           45.2                 (or 22.6)
Protein     61.4                 (or 30.7

Grilled Burgers, Brats & Chicken Breasts

Sometimes you just want a quick meal – Just fire up the grill and cook your favorite meat and pair it with a bag of frozen veggies. Make it gourmet by topping those veggies with Gordo's Cheese Dip. Just remember when selecting Brats and Hot Dogs to check the carb count. Sometimes they have added fillers. If they have more than 1 to 2 carbs per serving, they are not a good choice.

This is just an example of some of the things we have been eating the past year, As you can see, this lifestyle really is not hard to follow. You do get plenty to eat and you really do not miss those foods you are no longer eating. (The ones we thought we'd die without!)

In order to get your Macros on target, you might need to eat 2 smaller meals in order to save up your carbs for your big meal. And a rule of thumb. If you are hungry – eat protein. Most meats have no carbs and it will satisfy you much more than a fat bomb or a handful of pork rinds. Another quick – go to snack is Cheese. Cheese sticks are so handy!

Anyway, I hope this list will help give you some ideas of your own.