Meal prep is one of the most tedious yet effective ways of keeping track of your diet, especially if it is keto. The Keto diet involves consuming enough macros for your body to enter ketosis. In layman’s terms, it is when you consume fewer carbs and more fats. This is where keto meal prep ideas come into play.
The keto diet isn’t easy on anyone and when it comes to meal preps sometimes the recipes can get too boring or stale. That’s why it's always advisable to mix things up to keep your body motivated. Anything too flavourless and boring can make you drop the diet altogether. If you want more information on what the keto diet is all about, read our blog here.
Many people aren’t aware of meal prep burnouts. Yes, it’s a thing! We have devised a list of keto meal prep ideas to spice things up for you. A lot of keto meal prep ideas require vigilance and organization because some of the grocery list items aren’t readily available and you would have to order them online or in advance.
Once that is out of the way, you can start with bringing your keto meal prep ideas together. Before we dive into keto meal prep ideas and recipes, let’s get down to the basics.
Steps for Keto Meal Prep Ideas
Preparing or cooking your own food is hard enough, then add keto and meal prep into the equation, you need some serious dedication and time to follow through. This is where we come in with our keto meal prep ideas, tips, tricks, and hacks. If you follow our plan, it will be easier for you to stick to your keto diet.
You don’t have to be a professional chef or a seasoned cook to get this right. The steps below are great for newbies in the kitchen. The entire process of making keto meal prep ideas into a reality should be fun and easy, rather than making you pull out your hair by the end of the ordeal. Also, these steps can be useful for any type of meal prep. So, here it goes.
- The first step to making your keto meal prep ideas journey successful is choosing the right recipes and shopping for the right ingredients. Before heading out to the grocery store, make sure you go through the recipe ingredients and list them down.
- The second step is mise en place. Mise en place is a French process of preparing or organising all the ingredients needed to cook. This makes things incredibly easy in the kitchen and prevents any cooking disasters in the process.
- The last step is getting your hands on good-quality containers to store your food in. If you are preparing meals for seven days of the week, then make sure you have seven top-notch quality meal prep containers that are compact and leakproof.
Food Items for Keto Meal Prep Ideas
Now that we know how to go about preparing for keto meals, we are going to list down the foods you can and can’t include in your keto meal prep recipes.
Foods You Can Eat- Seafood
- Low-carb veggies
- Avocados
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Nuts and Seeds
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Berries
- Coffee or tea, unsweetened
- Cocoa powder and dark chocolate
- Flavoured or sweetened yogurt
- Fruit juices
- Syrup, sugar, or honey
- Any type of baked goods, including gluten-free
- Crackers or crisps
- Starchy vegetables
- High-fructose fruits
- Grains
4 Keto Meal Prep Ideas
Now, it’s time to explore 4 keto meal prep ideas packed with flavour, nutrients, and energy needed for your body to thrive.
1. Italian Sausage Bowls
Meal prep bowls have to be part of your keto meal prep ideas because they are filling, dynamic, and full of deliciousness. Italian sausage bowl is perfect for meal prep because they are easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find.
Ingredients- 17 oz spicy Italian sausages
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 large broccoli
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- Preheat your oven to 232 degrees and then line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cut the sausages into small pieces and then place them on the baking pan. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together yellow mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.
- Remove the sausages from the oven, add veggies and then pour the mustard mixture and then combine thoroughly.
- Put the sausages and veggies back in the oven and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Divide the sausages and veggies into meal prep containers and store in the fridge.
2. Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 large eggs
- 1 onion, small and finely chopped
- 2 tsp salt and pepper
- 2/3 cups parsley, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- Preheat your oven to 204 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add almond flour, salt and pepper, parmesan cheese and mix together.
- Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and pour them into the almond flour mixture.
- Add garlic, onion and parsley in the mixture.
- Now, add turkey and mix together until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop out the meatballs with a 1 ½ inch scoop and then place them on the lined baking sheet.
- Place the meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes or until slightly firm.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
- If you want to freeze the meatballs, allow them to cool completely before putting them in a freezer bag.
3. Chicken Ranch Soup
Ingredients- 2 pounds of chicken breast, roasted, sliced, or diced
- Ranch seasoning, one packet
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 8 pieces of turkey bacon, fried and crumbled
- 1 cup almond milk
- Green onions, sliced
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- Preheat your soup pot to medium heat.
- Add 1 tsp of olive or avocado oil and sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pot, add the ranch seasoning and mix all the ingredients together.
- Bring the stock to a boil and then add almond milk and allow it to simmer to medium heat.
- As soon as the soup starts bubbling lower the heat.
- Add the chicken and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese cubes and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the shredded cheese and combine until incorporated.
- Sprinkle turkey bacon before serving.
4. Greek Chicken Bowls
Ingredients- 1 pound of chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 10 oz zucchini, sliced
- ½ large onions
- 1/2 pound grape tomatoes
- ½ tbsp dried parsley
- ½ tbsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- Preheat the oven to 204 degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with foil paper. Spray the foil with cooking oil.
- In a large bowl, add water, and 2 tbsp of sea salt, and stir until the salt completely dissolves.
- Add the chicken to the saltwater and allow it to sit in the brine for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the veggies, add them to the bowl and add all the dried spices.
- Once the chicken is done brining, pat dry it and place it on the baking sheet.
- Lather the chicken with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Add the remaining dried herbs mixture and rub the chicken until completely coated.
- Toss the veggies with a little bit of olive oil and layer them on the baking sheet next to the chicken.
- Roast the chicken and veggies for 20 minutes. Once done, allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving with a sprinkle of feta cheese.
Key Takeaway
Staying consistent with a keto diet requires a lot of effort. One of the most effective ways of being consistent is going for different keto meal prep ideas. It is especially easy for those who have a full-time job and other responsibilities.
Thinking about keto and what you can and can’t eat is perhaps the last thing on your mind at the end of the day with your busy schedule. This is where we come in with our keto meal prep ideas hoping to lend you a helping hand when it comes to your weight loss journey.