Keto Beginners Guide Part 2

If you missed the first post you’ll want to check out part one of the Keto beginners Guide. It’s just a nice little run down of the basics. Today I thought we’d get into the practical applications. I”M HUNGRY WHAT CAN I EAT?!

I’m constantly adding recipes to my Pinterest board, click HERE. When making meals I try to find recipes that the kids will like or that I can easily adapt. There are some things they just don’t, like spicy curry and Crack Slaw  . Those days I’ll just make them something that I don’t rally want to eat,  breaded chicken fingers for example, they love them and they just don’t really do it for me.  An easy way to plan is just to jot down a list of meals you like to eat and see what you can make into keto (almost everything).

I think to start its good to have a list of the good  Keto foods. I searched high and low and it’s really quite difficult to find a good straightforward list to follow. I found THIS one and I think it is a pretty good one.  I’ll continue searching and add to the board. If I have to I guess I’ll make one. Feel free to send me any recipes and cheat sheets you have and I can try them out and include them. Think of all this as our journey together, my lists are your lists.

Important Questions

What can I eat when I need a snack? This is going to be tough for some of you, I need you to forget everything you learned on other diets. You know how on weight watchers you would fill yourself with 10 sticks of celery and maybe a tiny piece of cheese, that you probably weighed out exactly? No more. I need you to swap all that info around. We’re thinking about ‘net carbs’ now. NOT calories, they’re a factor but for just a minute lets put them aside. You can eat 10 sticks of celery (6 carbs) and a little piece of cheese and probably still be hungry and thinking about food, OR.. what if you had 2 sticks of celery (1 carb) filled with boursin cheese (1 carb) and were super happy with your snack and stopped thinking about food. Keto really is easy, once you get the flow of it. I love to eat vegetables. I did shift which ones I eat more of, I eat a lot of celery, cauliflower, cabbage, basically green vegetables are good, root vegetables are a NOOO. Bye bye potatoes! I still use peppers, mushrooms, carrots, onions but more sparingly, they’re higher in carbs so I slice them thin and sprinkle on or dip in something, that way you still get all the flavours.  I also try to think about ways to make it a little more filling, without adding too much to the carbs. Bacon, cheese, cream cheese, almonds. My go to’s.

Foods found in my fridge

• Celery 1 carb
• Cucumber 2 carbs
• Cabbage (shredded) 2 carbs
• Cauliflower 3 carbs
• Broccoli  1 cup 4 carbs
• Green Pepper 4 (Note* Red Pepper is 6 carbs, and Yellow pepper 8, eek!)

Go to snacks: ham or turkey would be great, with shredded cheese sprinkled on and if you like, a pickle. Bake until it’s melty warm and then roll it up. Cheesy roll up, low carb.

Cheese is good baked or fried. You can make chips, tacos, crispy or soft. I find it tastes so different how you make it and so many types (just make sure you check the label and know what you’re getting)

A couple apple slices and celery with hazelnut butter and sugar free chocolate chips sprinkled.

Russel Stover Sugar Free Chocolates. Yum yum yum.

Food I eat a lot-

Breakfast – I have coffee with cream and a tsp-tbs of MCT oil. I don’t know what it does but it seems to fuel me until lunch. If thats not for you then look into shakes, greek yogurt, eggs, hazlenut butter, berries, cheese, meat, find what works for you.

Spaghetti – sauce only, skip the noodles. I add more meat, more celery, less tomato. Easiest recipe ever, stir fry onions, celery, garlic, add ground meat or meats, sprinkle worchesshire, add in tomato paste, water or stock. Easy peasy. Modify any way you like. Make a big batch and turn it into a chili, just maybe skip the beans…

Curry cauliflower, cheesy cauliflower, cauliflower wings. Cauliflower only has 3 carbs per cup and honestly I can’t eat much more than that. You can easily stir it up with a tsp of curry paste (check the carbs) a little tsp of Pataks isn’t too bad, or toss it with franks hot sauce, smother it in cheese, it also makes great casseroles. Cook it on the stove in the oven or in the microwave.

Keto cooking is actually quite fun. You get to use all those yummy ingredients you steered away from for years, remember our friend butter? Shes back, and going to make you very happy.  I wasn’t sure I liked cabbage enough to eat it on a regular basis, but 1 cub cabbage fried up with butter, salt and pepper…. About 120 calories and 2 carbs. Eat that alone or make it a starter that you can add anything to. Ground turkey, more veggies, whatever you like!

Chicken wings – non breaded wings are available almost everywhere or make at home. Hot, medium, mild, dry buffalo, garlic parmesan, are flavours I’ve found to be pretty friendly. Don’t overdo it with the dip but I definitely dip! Priorities! Just watch the calories don’t go too high.

Fathead Pizza – cannot rave enough

Eggs- I don’t like eggs that much but they’re basically the perfect keto food. Secret: I am so terrible at cooking eggs its almost comical, I will NEVER offer to make you eggs. I will say we have them but then make you cook them.  Fritata, fried, omelet, poached.

Club/Cobb/Shwarma salads – I make an oil vinegar herb dressing. This is also a great go to when you’re out. We occassionally go out for family “mall diner’ and I go to the Shwarma/Donaire spot and get a big salad with all the meat on it. So good.

Sunday Soup: Mushroom, curry bacon ranch, cauliflower/brocoli/cheddar

The biggest question…. Alcohol???? You know I would never ask you to give up alcohol. Wine does have carbs so you need to track it and may need to find another drink if you want to have a few, There are carb free alcohols, gin, vodka. Vodka soda is my go-to! Tito’s, Russian Standard, Kettle One. Excellent choices.

So there you go, a little starter guide. Keep sending your questions and I’ll do my best. Welcome to the wonderful world of keto. I know you’ll love the results.