September 30th, 2017
Tips for Keto Meal Planning
Peruse Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
I love turning to Pinterest and Instagram for keto-friendly meal ideas. I’m continually saving posts to my “to make” collection on Instagram and I have a few boards on Pinterest where I pin keto recipes (follow me at alessaelizabeth!). When it’s time to plan my week, I’ll look back at what I saved and do more targeted searching on Pinterest if I have an idea of what I want to make. I’ll also look back on my own Instagram and remake some of my favorite meals.
Stop and think what foods sound good to you or your family
I know some people don’t have cravings on keto, but I do! I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. I love food and trying new recipes, so I’ll listen to cravings. If my husband or I am craving pizza, I’ll plan a keto-friendly pizza or incorporate more Italian ingredients into my grocery list. To see what is on my grocery list, check out #ketoalessagoesshoppin on Instagram!
Think how ingredients can be reused across multiple meals
My most successful weeks are when I stick to one cuisine because ingredients don’t go to waste! I’m not one for bulk meal planning so I think of ways that I can reuse ingredients in multiple meals. For example, I bought one package of basil and used it in ricotta stuffed chicken one night, then blended it into pesto for an Italian meatloaf the following night.
Be flexible: in case an ingredient goes bad, you forgot something, or the original meal doesn’t sound good to you at the moment
I’m a graphic designer as my day job, so I’m used to problem solving so I bring some of that into my meal planning. I’ll outline a general idea for the week but I rarely stick to it completely. Things come up, I may have a new ingredient I want to incorporate, or produce will go bad.
Consider life and how much time you realistically have to prepare meals
For those of us with a full-time job, spending hours in the kitchen every night can burn you out. Think of how you can save time so meals come together more quickly. Whether that is pre-prepping ingredients (shredding a whole block of cheese at once, dicing vegetables, etc) or choosing less complex recipes for your busier nights. This is a tip I could follow more myself! Sometimes I am over ambitious and we don’t eat dinner until 8 or 9pm.
Plan for leftovers to make easy lunches or for busier nights
During the week I try to plan for meals that make good leftovers for lunches. Things like casseroles and soups are usually even better reheated, while some don’t fare as well. Other foods are gone completely if my husband loves it! Some nights I’m not home so leftovers are easy for my non-cooking husband to reheat.
Peruse Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
I love turning to Pinterest and Instagram for keto-friendly meal ideas. I’m continually saving posts to my “to make” collection on Instagram and I have a few boards on Pinterest where I pin keto recipes (follow me at alessaelizabeth!). When it’s time to plan my week, I’ll look back at what I saved and do more targeted searching on Pinterest if I have an idea of what I want to make. I’ll also look back on my own Instagram and remake some of my favorite meals.
Stop and think what foods sound good to you or your family
I know some people don’t have cravings on keto, but I do! I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. I love food and trying new recipes, so I’ll listen to cravings. If my husband or I am craving pizza, I’ll plan a keto-friendly pizza or incorporate more Italian ingredients into my grocery list. To see what is on my grocery list, check out #ketoalessagoesshoppin on Instagram!
Think how ingredients can be reused across multiple meals
My most successful weeks are when I stick to one cuisine because ingredients don’t go to waste! I’m not one for bulk meal planning so I think of ways that I can reuse ingredients in multiple meals. For example, I bought one package of basil and used it in ricotta stuffed chicken one night, then blended it into pesto for an Italian meatloaf the following night.
Be flexible: in case an ingredient goes bad, you forgot something, or the original meal doesn’t sound good to you at the moment
I’m a graphic designer as my day job, so I’m used to problem solving so I bring some of that into my meal planning. I’ll outline a general idea for the week but I rarely stick to it completely. Things come up, I may have a new ingredient I want to incorporate, or produce will go bad.
Consider life and how much time you realistically have to prepare meals
For those of us with a full-time job, spending hours in the kitchen every night can burn you out. Think of how you can save time so meals come together more quickly. Whether that is pre-prepping ingredients (shredding a whole block of cheese at once, dicing vegetables, etc) or choosing less complex recipes for your busier nights. This is a tip I could follow more myself! Sometimes I am over ambitious and we don’t eat dinner until 8 or 9pm.
Plan for leftovers to make easy lunches or for busier nights
During the week I try to plan for meals that make good leftovers for lunches. Things like casseroles and soups are usually even better reheated, while some don’t fare as well. Other foods are gone completely if my husband loves it! Some nights I’m not home so leftovers are easy for my non-cooking husband to reheat.