Category Archives: Quick meals on keto
Day 303: Home-made chicken salad
Total weight loss: 41 1/2 pounds
We went to the diner for breakfast, again. I had the usual grilled onion and cheese omelet with bacon.
For lunch at work, I went back to an old stand by. I love Mexican food, and I concocted a simple yummy and quick lunch. Two low carb tortillas (3g each), a handful of shredded cheese in each. This time, I also added 3 dollops of cream cheese, just for the heck of it. I microwaved them (open) for about 1 minute and a half, then added a few sliced jalapeno peppers to each and ate with a sour cream garnish. For some reason, I don’t like the peppers as well when cooked inside the tortilla, so I add them last. Quick, a bit spicy, and low carb. Yum.
I worked late and I was famished, but I didn’t feel like cooking. We passed fast food places and restaurants on the way home, but nothing appealed to me. I really didn’t want a sit-down restaurant meal, but I didn’t want a processed fast food meal, either. As we passed Big Boy, I was tempted to order a buffalo chicken salad to go, then realized that I had all the ingredients at home, and the only cooking required was the chicken tenders. I decided to give it a go.
I thawed a few chicken tenders in hot water, then sauteed them in oil until cooked, then sliced it into smaller pieces. I had one of those big plastic bowls of mixed greens that Costco sells, so I tossed some of that into a bowl, topped with chopped onions and chicken, drizzled buffalo hot sauce on top, then ate the salad with a side of blue cheese dressing. Oh, and I had no crumbled blue cheese, so I used feta instead. It was as delicious – or more – than the restaurant version!
It seems to get easier and easier to come up with quick keto-friendly dishes. I guess when you do something for nearly a year (!), you learn lots of tricks. There is no need to pay $8 or more for the carryout version when this recipe is so easy.
Day 298: Hidden carbs sabotage my meal
Total weight loss: 41 1/2 pounds
Yesterday was Friday. We started the morning at the diner, where I had my usual: cheese and onion omelet with a side of bacon. I was very happy it was Friday, but I knew I had a long day at work ahead of me. Breakfast out was my “pre-treat” to myself.
For lunch, I ate 2 Beddar Cheddars. I had almonds later for a snack.
While I was working, Rick was also working on websites and newsletters. In the afternoon, he cooked up some chicken fajitas and stopped by the grocery store for some low carb tortillas, so I could eat right after getting off work.
I don’t know what I would do without his support. He is supposedly “retired,” but each day is spent working on our web and print design business. He also took care of a million details when closing the house we sold, does the banking, grocery shopping, and most of the cooking. I might cook something twice a week. Anyway, he has been behind me 100% and goes out of his way to buy low carb foods and find me low carb dinner ideas. My husband is one in a million!
So, back to the food diary. I ate 2 servings of the fajitas, and topped them both with avocado slices and sour cream. They were delicious and low carb. The tortillas are just sliced up frozen chicken tenders with a spicy marinade from a bottle. He uses all different kinds, like Lawry’s. Oh my. I just looked at the carb count on the marinade. It says one serving is 4 grams of carbs. Well, that sounds dandy, until I read the details: the bottle contains 24 servings!!! Rick says he uses about a half a bottle, which makes 4 servings when combined with chicken and cut up peppers and onions. That means 12 servings x 4 grams of carbs = 48 total, or 24 grams of carbs if I eat 2 servings, as I did last night. That one meal puts me over carb count for the whole day. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to find some other seasoning for this meal.
There have been a few other incidents like this, where I think I’m eating something just fine, but discover later that the meal was overflowing with carbs. The Taco Bell hot sauce in a packet that Rick adds to my morning egg dish is fine. The Taco Bell verde sauce is not. Guess it pays to be more conscious of those hidden carbs!
Day 293: Trying a new chicken piccata recipe
Total weight loss: 41 1/2 pounds
Sunday morning and we decided to stay in for breakfast. It was a chilly, but sunny day and it was nice to eat in our cozy home. I had a leftover egg/sausage/cheese bowl that Rick had made for my Friday breakfast at work. I didn’t get around to eating it, and it was a perfect easy-peasy breakfast for someone who doesn’t love to cook. I ate that while attempting the NYT puzzle. This week’s was a bear!
On to the busy day: we went for one last clean out at the house we sold. I spent the day washing out the fridge, washing floors, vacuuming, sweeping, and for the grand finale: carrying old boxes, paints, and sundry items out of the basement. It was good exercise, but I was achy when finished.
We took a mid-day break at the Del Taco nearby. I wonder if that’s the last lunch I’ll have there, now that the house is sold. I ordered the macho beef burrito and was eating it without the tortilla, when I realized that it had beans in it. The guy taking our order did keep messing up, so I wasn’t surprised. I decided to eat it anyway, since I already had planned to have a cheat lunch due to the addition of 2 churros.
Eating the cheat lunch didn’t stop me from trying out a new keto-friendly dinner recipe. I think I am getting the hang of being balanced about this plan. I used to be so “all or nothing” that I would have just eaten a lot of carbs for the rest of the day since my lunch consumption was far from perfect. After more than 9 months on keto and nearing the 50 pound mark (woohoo!), I have learned to jump back on the wagon right away.
Chicken piccata ingredients include chicken (duh), garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and capers. I added mushrooms to make it similar to the meal I had at Angelo Brothers a few nights ago. Rick kindly shopped for the ingredients, and even cut the chicken and pounded it flat with a mallet. After that, the whole recipe took me less that 20 minutes to complete.
I sauteed the chicken in olive oil and butter, then transferred to a plate. Then I sauteed garlic and mushrooms, added wine and lemon juice, then added capers. I let this simmer.
I had some leftover cauliflower mashed potatoes and those made a great side item, since the soaked up the delicious gravy.
All in all, it was pretty good, but I need to work on it. I was tired from a long day, and didn’t feel like cooking, but it was a really nice and quick meal. I’ll attempt it again next week and see if I can get the proportions right, then I’ll post the entire recipe on the blog.
Day 285: Yummy steak with onion blue cheese sauce
Total weight loss: 41 pounds [I like typing that]
Saturday morning breakfast at the diner – cheese/onion omelet with a side of bacon
We worked on emptying and readying the house we [finally] sold. We packed and cleaned for a few hours. This stuff seems to multiply. Afterwards, we went to Del Taco. I had the usual macho beef burrito and opened up and ditched the tortilla.
My 2 pounds weight loss yesterday morning buoyed my spirits. I’m sometimes tempted to “reward myself” with some kind of cheat meal, but realized it would be better to save that for when I’m not losing, to perhaps shock my body into responding to the diet. So, I didn’t have a cheat meal, but my compromise was eating 1 1/2 cinnamon churros. I have to admit they were good. Now I will look at the carb count…..egad – 21 carbs per churro. So much for being in ketosis. Sigh. So, I had approximately 32 extra grams of carbs yesterday. Not good.
Oh, another tip: carry a “real” fork with you. I carry one in my purse and it comes in handy when I order things like this burrito, or a burger with no bun. I HATE using a plastic fork, and some of those burgers actually break them.
Dinner was legal and delish. Rick grilled steaks. I made the accompanying blue cheese onion cream sauce and some cauliflower mashed potatoes. Before dinner, I cleaned the house, put the tv/pc back in order (the old hard drive had failed), and generally spruced up the place. While cleaning out the sold house earlier in the day, I had grabbed Brandon and Lindsey’s lamp set, which they aren’t currently using, and I put one on each side of our Ansel Adams print next to the table. It looked warm and elegant, so we ate our gourmet dinner using cloth napkins and each had a glass of cabernet. I had one more glass out on the deck [oh, what the heck? I already ate 30+ carbs of churro earlier – bad attitude, I know].
Dessert was the usual choco/peanut butter low carb treat.
Day 282: Back in the saddle again
Total weight loss: 39 pounds
Well, I’m getting back in the swing of things. Here’s yesterday’s recap:
Breakfast – Rick and I went out to a diner! Yes, mid-week, which is highly unusual. We’ve been under a lot of pressure selling our rental house, money leaving our pockets faster than we can make it, working on a few client sites all at once, and then both of us got the flu. usually, I go to bed late, wake up late and shower and fly out the door. On Wednesday morning, I just wanted to relax a bit before rushing off to work.
We went to a diner we hadn’t tried before. The only omelet choices had hash browns and toast with them. They also only had cheese, and I wanted to add grilled onions. I am NOT a morning person, and I had a difficult time conveying what I wanted. The cheese omelet special, add grilled onions. Hash browns also with onions, but to-go (for Rick’s next breakfast). No toast. Side of crispy bacon. This really perplexed the waitress.
My meal came: a huge plate of cheese and onion omelet, with a giant portion of hash browns and toast and a side of bacon (that was “middling” crispy). SIGH. I ignored the hash browns and toast, and enjoyed the omelet and bacon.
We probably won’t go back. There weren’t a lot of patrons, which is a sign that it isn’t a real popular breakfast spot. It seemed pricy and didn’t have a lot of options. However, my NYT crossword was completely finished in a half hour and I was relaxed and ready to greet the day.
We had some running around and paperwork to attend to on lunch, so I had lunch out, too. This time, we went to Bigg Burger. You know, I’m not a real meat eater, but when you order a burger and the bun is gone, there isn’t much left on the plate. I was really really hungry (breakfast was at 7:30, and by now it was 2:30!). I ordered a TRIPLE cheeseburger, no bun. They have lots of free toppings to choose from, so I chose mayo, grilled onions, and grilled mushrooms. They served up a great-looking presentation and I was really full when done. (where’s the picture? I AM out of the blogging habit – I forgot!). Here’s a simulated picture. LOL. Wait, you KNOW I didn’t eat that bun!
Since I took a long lunch, I didn’t get home from work until late. I was barely hungry after the “pounds” of meat I consumed at lunch, and also didn’t feel like cooking. I grabbed 4 thin sliced pieces of ham, put about 1 tbsp of cream cheese in the center of each and rolled them up. I tossed some chili lime almonds on the plate and called it a meal.
For dessert, I had 2 squares of 70% chocolate with Smucker’s natural peanut butter on top.
Day 192: Pizza lunch and some new lo-carb Indian food
Total weight loss: 31 1/2 pounds
Yesterday the entire work force got together for an emergency “fire” meeting at my boss’s house. On the way, I downed a quick low-carb yogurt and drank lots of water (I always seem to forget the importance of that).
At lunch, we were served some delicious pizza and salad. Oh yes, I forgot I DID have 2 mini donettes for a snack. It was not a good choice, but it was way way better than eating all the other bad choices that were being offered.
Back to the pizza. It was a chicken, pepper, very low sauce type, not sure what it was, but it was very good and the toppings were thick. I didn’t feel deprived not eating the crust.
I also had a small salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It was 7 grams of carbs per tbsp, so I ate very little.
After the meeting, Rick picked me up and was feeling poorly. He had a really high temperature. We headed home, where I had an almond snack and worked a bit. It sure is nice not rushing over to work on the rental house.
For dinner, I had 2 beddar cheddars and some of the leftovers from Rick’s meal. He made basmati rice (which I skipped), and tried a new kind of Indian food that was very low carb. It was Passage to India brand, Korma simmer sauce, and it was very good, even all by itself in my little bowl.
Dessert was the usual fake peanut butter cup.
Day 174: Almost perfect keto day
Total weight loss: 31 1/2 pounds
The day started well when I put on last year’s bathing suit. It used to be tight, but no longer! In fact, it’s a bit loose.
I am feeling really good about the keto plan. It’s not quick, but it is the absolute best plan I have been on in years. I just passed the six month point, so at a 31 1/2 pound weight loss, I’ve only averaged 5 pounds per month. However, that’s fine and I’m happy. I can stick to this plan, and it is now an ingrained habit. I have a long way to go, but knowing I will probably have 60 pounds off by the end of the year is something more to look forward too. A year from now, it could be 90 pounds off. It just gets better and better.
So, back to the journal…after Saturday’s carb coma, I jumped back into keto full swing on Sunday morning.
Breakfast was at home on the deck. Being the loving and dedicated wife that I am, I made Rick a couple of dozen blueberry pancakes to go with his eggs and sausage, but didn’t touch a one. I made a grilled onion and cheese omelet for myself, and nuked 4 pieces of bacon to go with. The NYT puzzle was pretty easy, and I followed breakfast and puzzle with an hour in the pool.
In the afternoon, we got to work on the house, painting, cleaning, etc. etc. Cindy and Taylor helped and they also ran out to get some Del Taco for lunch. I ate the macho beef burrito with no tortilla. I did indulge in 3 chips with salsa.
We were tired and dragging at the end of the day. We didn’t get home until 8 pm. I was mulling over what we could eat that wouldn’t take much effort. Rick was in the mood for pizza, but wasn’t married to the idea. I finally remembered that we had some kielbasa and sauerkraut in the fridge. They’ve both been there for awhile, but were still good. I threw the kraut in a pot, chopped up the kielbasa and started them to boil.
I found some frozen cauliflower and cooked it in the microwave for about 5 minutes, then put it in the food processor with 6 oz of cream cheese and a tbsp of butter. I had my faux potatoes ready, then made Rick some “real” mashed potatoes from a packet I found in the larder.
That was easy. When the food was cooked, I put a lid on it, and joined Rick on the deck. I drank a Michelob Ultra and we chilled a bit. Afterwards, we ate our meal and the faux cauliflower mashed were hardly any different than the regular when paired with the kraut and keilbasa.
Now for the flaw in the day…I was out of 70% chocolate, and I wanted something. I ate a DONUT. sigh. I can’t believe it myself. I have no excuses. It’s done.
Cheez-its? Taco shells? I’m all set, thanks.
I’ve never been a big bread eater, but chips are another thing. I love nacho chips, not for their own sake, but because they are such a convenient way to transport various dips into my mouth.
I was wondering how I would handle not having snack foods on the keto plan. I’m the type who often orders an appetizer as a dessert. I love cheesy artichoke dip, salsas, guac, and all those yummy good things that can’t just be eaten with a spoon.
Then I remembered trying this idea years ago: drop grated cheese into several small mounds on parchment paper and bake in the oven. Well, I don’t even have the patience for that, so finding this recipe on the “Sin or slim” website helped buoy my spirits. Just nuke the cheese!
Even more exciting was finding that provolone slices can be heated in the microwave (again, on parchment paper) and folded in half after heating makes them the perfect shape to use as taco shells!
Credit should be given to the reddit.com “keto” subgroup: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/. The redditors are so supportive of fellow keto noobies, that most of my questions were answered just through their comments.
More about pulled pork tacos later.