Keto Meal Planning made E.A.S.Y.
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#1 Question Asked…
I swear the MOST asked question I get is how I do Keto meal planning. Honestly, I never really gave much systematic thought to my Keto meal planning…until I didn’t have anything planned.
When the hangry villagers come at me and I have nothing planned then I’m in trouble! And there’s nothing like a massive panic when I’m starved and there’s nothing to eat!
NO MORE Short Order Cooks!
When my kids were little I was basically a short order cook. That was not productive for anyone. I was running ragged in the kitchen. Cooking multiple meals at EACH meal time.
Not to mention the massive amount of dishes to wash from all the cooking. Ugh!
I have never been one to limit myself to what is listed on a sheet I put together a month in advance for Keto Meal Planning. Who knows what I want to eat 3 weeks in advance?
Also…who knows what is going to be on sale or in season at the market? Who knows when I’m going to be called to a meeting at the last minute? Not me!
Let me just say that Keto Meal Planning does not have to be an elaborate excel spreadsheet.
eMeals.com
This is a great website I use that basically does the work for you. eMeals is $5 a month for a 12 month plan. There is an entire section of Keto AND Low Carb meals.
You can even add kid friendly, Paleo or 30 minutes or less meals for the non-keto people in your family.
Here’s the deal with Keto Meal Planning with eMeals…
- Wide variety of KETO meal planning and recipe ideas
- A full break down of Macros is provided
- Pick how many people you’re cooking for
- Plan for a day, week or month at a time
- Pick the meals and recipes you want to make
- All the ingredients are automatically added to a grocery list
- Edit and send the grocery list to Instacart, Amazon Fresh or any grocery delivery service that delivers right to your house
- Or….be like me and take your list to every grocery store in town like it’s Christmas shopping time
- Follow the recipes of the Keto Meal Planning you put together using the groceries you had delivered
- Serve yourself or your whole family healthy low carb meals
- Easy Peasy!
I swear…emeals kinda just does all the work for you…..(except the cooking and the clean up).
WHO is eating?
First… I query anyone in my house about what their plans are for the week. I start my mental Keto Meal Planning there. There is no use shopping and cooking for a bunch of people that won’t be home to eat.
Just cooking for yourself? I’m all for that easy life!!
Assess your work, workout, sleep and social schedule for the week. Plan a little for yourself. You do not want to be in a panic as you search the empty fridge at 8pm for dinner.
WHEN do they need to be fed?
My people need to be fed at all different times. One child may have rehearsal while someone else may have a late meeting. Does someone need an early afternoon meal to get them through practice?
What also needs to be assessed for Keto Meal Planning is when I do (or do not) WANT to be cooking. Cooking involves shopping and clean up, too. It’s a lot of work and I do not always have the time.
Freezer meals are great to have on hand for those times when everyone is home, but you don’t necessarily have the time for an elaborate cooking session.
WHAT do they feel like eating?
If I’m by myself I get to pick whatever my lil heart desires to eat in the moment. However, if I make salmon for dinner and 2 out of 4 of my people don’t want salmon then I’m screwed.
Don’t fall into the trap of being a short order cook.
You MUST cook one thing for the whole table. ASK THEM BEFOREHAND what they want to eat. When you get everyone involved in the Keto Meal Planning process you will have better success that everyone will eat what you are serving.
PLUS….by inquiring about what other people feel like eating you will spark Keto Meal Planning ideas for this week, next week, and next month!
A general idea if people want or feel like Italian food, Mexican food, Chinese food or maybe a soup. It always helps guide me when I know what my people are feeling like eating.
Its a great feeling knowing I will actually serve something for dinner that they will actually eat.
Shop Your Fridge to save money
I’m as frugal and budget conscience as the next gal. Plus…wasting food is an HUGE pet peeve of mine.
Once I know what my Keto Meal Planning is shaping up and food desires are for the family have been expressed I shop my fridge.
What needs to be used? What inspiration can I get from what I already have?
When emeals spits out my grocery list I can then go to my fridge and see what I already have. No use if buying canned tomatoes or almond butter if I already have them in my pantry.
Cook Once Eat 2-3 Times
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to cook. I do NOT love washing dishes or emptying the dishwasher (Peter and Piper’s jobs). Plus I always feel a little more prepared when I have options in my kitchen.
Part of my Keto Meal Planning is batch cooking or batch prepping. Soup recipes get doubled for freezing and easy reheating. When I make my Ham & Egg Cups I bake a dozen at a time.
Large casserole (or that dozen Ham & Egg Cups) that will be dinner for at least 2 nights. If I make too much I’ll freeze half for a later day.
Staples
You know those winner meals? I know everyone LOVES my Cheeseburger Casserole. It’s a WINNER! We all love it, it’s easy to make, and leftovers are great.
This is what I’m talking about when I talk about your meal staples.
Don’t worry…… eMeals.com has so many WINNER keto meal planning ideas. They have all sorts of recipes if you have no idea where to start.
My Basic Chicken Salad is also a staple in my fridge. This recipe staple fits perfectly into my Keto Meal Planning because it’s easy to make, I always have it on hand, I can make it into a full meal or just have a few bites in the afternoon.
You may have to try 100s of meals before you find your staples. Lord knows I have had many garbage can worth meals.
One more note about finding your staples for your meal planning…your staples do not have to be main meals. Maybe your go-to is a deli roll up or egg salad, or olives, cream cheese and celery sticks.
It does not really matter how fancy your meals are as long as you have items in your Keto Meal Planning that are easy and delicious.
Basic Chicken Salad Simple ingredients
Everyone Gets Involved
It’s a lot more work to cook your own meals than it is to pull up and app and wait 30 minutes for your food to arrive.
I get it…Life gets busy. Cooking at home can seem like a huge time suck, but I’m telling you it is the NUMBER ONE THING that keeps the weight off and saves me money.
Keto Meal Planning is not just cooking meals for yourself. There are many jobs involved in feeding yourself and your family.
- planning (Kellie’s job)
- shopping (Kellie’s job)
- lugging all the food home (Kellie’s job)
- putting the groceries away (Peter and Piper’s job)
- cooking your meals (Kellie’s job)
- setting the table and serving the food (Peter’s job)
- cleaning it all up (Peter’s job)
- storing all the leftovers (Kellie’s job)
- EMPTYING THE DISHWASHER!!! (Piper’s job)
Using the tools like emeals.com or my basic meal planning template will get you started. The key to all those jobs is to get EVERYONE involved and helping.
It takes a village to feed all the hungry mouths coming at you. It can feel overwhelming when entire burden of Keto Meal Planning falls on your shoulders.
All of the WHO, WHEN and WHAT of Keto Meal Planning (and emeals) pulls together that help you need to get dinner on the table.
Keto Meal Delivery Service
I get it. Not everyone wants or likes to cook.
If you don’t want to cook for yourself or you just need some meals to supplement your Keto Meal Planning there are a few pre-made meal delivery services available.
EatToEvolve.com will make fresh individual meals and deliver them right to your door if you want. They also have pick up locations all over the country if you want to order and pick up.
Or just google “Keto meal delivery” in your city to see what is available. Plenty of chefs would love to cook keto food for you. Heck…use eMeals to plan the meals and then give the grocery list to a hired person to do it for you.
MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.