Our quick & delicious 7 day sample keto menu

By The Low Carb Clinic, 21 May 2019 - 926 words (5 minutes)

A ketogenic lifestyle and intermittent fasting means you can spend a lot less time in the kitchen – between only needing one or two meals a day, and no calorie counting, keto can be quick, easy, and super nutritious – simple cuts of meat, and seafood, dairy, vegetables and eggs can be super-fast!

Of course, if you like to cook, there are endless interesting recipes all over the internet – just be sure to pick recipes that are based on real foods (not powders and artificial sweeteners) to ensure you get the most nutrients possible on your plate! Remember food should nourish, not harm. Simply try searching for whatever you feel like eating, plus the word ‘keto’ – lots of fun and creative options will appear!

Remember that you don’t have to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If one or two meals a day keeps you satisfied, you’re probably doing keto right – humans were made to go long stretches of time without food, that’s why our liver makes us ketones for fuel!

Keto meal ideas are endless – and by incorporating healthy fats into your diet (that you have probably avoided in the past), you’ll find yourself eating more delicious meals than before.

Remember not to box yourself in to set meal names and times. If you’re finding yourself grabbing at snack foods or grazing through the day, ask yourself why – are you eating out of habit, or boredom, or because somebody else is eating? Or are you really hungry? If you’re finding yourself hungry just a couple of hours after food, try increasing the protein content of your main meals (in order to keep you satiated for longer). It cannot be said enough: if you’re not actually hungry, there is no need to eat.

Our 7 day sample meal plan

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Two eggs cooked in butter with a slice of bacon	A can of sardines with added olive oil on top of a salad with shaved parmesan	Salmon cooked in coconut oil accompanied by sautéed spinach with garlic and ricotta cheese.
Tuesday	Mashed avocado with feta and lemon	Omelette with mushroom, ham, and cheese	Slow cooked beef, shredded. Cauliflower mash with butter and cream
Wednesday	Coffee with 2 teaspoons cream	Zucchini Bolognese: go easy on the canned tomatoes, and add cream at the end to make it saucy	A selection of cheeses and leftover cold lamb
Thursday	Mini frittatas made with eggs, tuna, spring onion and cream cheese	A mix of macadamias, pecans, and seeds	Chicken curry with coconut cream, served on top of zucchini noodles
Friday	Chia, cream and egg pudding	Smoked salmon and mayonnaise on spinach	Hamburgers with roasted broccoli, bacon and sour cream
Saturday	Zucchini and cauliflower hash browns cooked in butter	Prosciutto-wrapped chicken skewers	Slow cooked duck with roasted brussell sprouts
Sunday	Sliced chorizo sausages with mushrooms	Shepherd’s pie with cauliflower and cream mash	Liver with sautéed onions and cabbage, topped with dijon and sour cream

Try to avoid snacking – your higher-fat meals should be satiating enough to prevent you from ‘needing’ to eat several times per day. For busy schedules or for times when you do want a snack, try:

A container filled with pieces of cheese, olives, and cold meats
Home-made trail mix with macadamias, pecans, seeds, cocoa nibs, cinnamon and ginger
A spoonful of tahini or macadamia butter (the carbohydrates in almond butter add up quickly)
Some low-carb berries with cinnamon
Pre-made chia and coconut cream puddings
Full fat, unflavoured yogurt (with ginger, nuts, seeds or mint)
A can of tuna, mackerel, sardines or salmon with oil
Make your own keto seed crackers (with parmesan and herbs!)
Celery or capsicum coated in butter, or stuffed with avocado, sour cream, cheese or nut butters
A cup of bone broth (with the fat melted through)

Some other tips for keto-meal prep:

Invest in decent food storage containers for grab-and-go lunches (and make sure they hold liquid so nothing spills in your bag!). Get a variety of sizes for the fridge, and smaller ones to take to work.
Invest in some small squeeze-bottles for mixing your own salad dressings – with olive or avocado oil, herbs and spices, and vinegar.
If you’ve got a food processor, grate or cut up vegetables at the start of the week, to easily add to week-night dinners and lunches
Try out a slow cooker: you can put big pieces of meat in them and basically leave them alone for up to 24 hours – you’ll have meat, stock and fat for the entire week
A vacuum sealer can be really useful for buying in bulk and storing food. At the market, you can buy large or discount cuts of meat, and at home you can cut them up into portions and vacuum seal – it's super space-and-cost efficient. You can even freeze some cheeses, cooked vegetables, and any meals you’ve prepared that don’t have much liquid in them.

One final word on keto-meal prep – while keto treats and desserts might satisfy your sweet tooth, these are best kept to a minimum… they’re more-ish, often have expensive ingredients, and are usually made with added sweeteners and flavours – even though they are ‘keto’, they often don’t taste like real food, and you’ll be tempted to over-eat.

Happy cooking!