7 Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking Tips

Quick & Easy Ketogenic Cooking

Cooking while on the ketogenic diet does not have to be difficult! Below, you'll discover seven of our best Konscious Keto cooking tips to help you out in the kitchen.

We’ve even included some healthy recipes that are ketogenic and easy enough for anyone to make.

Tip 1: Follow the 70/20/10 Rule

To put your body into ketosis, you have to calculate and watch your macronutrients (macros)!

Macros are:

• Fat
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fiber
• Water

“Macros” refer to the fat, protein, and carbs included in your daily food intake. However, fiber and water are essential to your diet too!

For ketosis to occur, most people have to follow the 70/20/10 rule:

• 70-80% fat
• 20-25% protein
• 5-10% carbs

Reducing the carbohydrates in your diet to 5-10% of your overall calories leads to lower blood sugar levels and lower insulin production.

This reaction causes your body to produce ketones, an alternative source for regulating energy and fat storage.

Tip 2: Eat Healthy Fats & Oils

If fat is supposed to be where 70-80% of your daily calories come from, how can you healthily consume fat?

To put it simply, there are three main types of fat:

1. Trans fat - These are considered very unhealthy. Trans fats are human-made by hydrogenating oils into solids.
2. Saturated fat - This type is found naturally in foods, and in fact can be beneficial. Saturated fats are found in red meat, dairy products, and coconut oil.
3. Unsaturated fat - Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the healthiest alternatives to other fats. You can find them naturally in vegetables, fish, and nuts.

When cooking, avoid using trans fats like margarine. It’s okay to use full-fat and grass-fed butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil as alternatives.

Try to replace your cooking fats with these healthier options instead:

• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil
• Vegetable oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Natural nut butter

Tip 3: Choose Protein & Healthy Fats

Perhaps you think you’ve hit two birds with one stone when you munch down on a piece of bacon; it has protein and fat!

Oily fish is a protein you should include in your quick and easy ketogenic cooking every week for a healthy heart.

To round out your meal, you can include healthy fat in the form of:

• Avocado
• Low-carb nuts and seeds
• Olive oil
• Full fat dairy

Tip 4: Cook with Full-Fat Products

Healthy fats are necessary for your body to adapt to ketosis. Dairy is a quick and easy ketogenic cooking staple that typically keeps your carb-count low.

In the past, low-fat dairy products have been generally assumed as “healthier” than full-fat products because they include less saturated fat.

However, you’re not getting the full nutritional value of the product when you choose low-fat.

When you’re cooking with high-fat products like dairy, choose whole milk, heavy cream, full-fat cheese, natural butter, and full-fat yogurt with no added sugar.

Not only will you fulfill your fat macro for the day more efficiently, but your cooking will taste better too.

Tip 5: Use MCT Oil

For quick and easy ketogenic cooking, you can supplement your diet! Instead of trying to add calories and doing the math, supplements can help maintain your ketosis.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) can be supplemented through MCT oil. This oil boosts your easily-digested fats. MCT oil is useful for those who exercise regularly.

If you don’t need to add fat to your diet, you may need help in other nutritional areas like protein, sodium, or hydration.

Other keto-approved supplements you may want to try are:

• Creatine
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Exogenous ketones

Tip 6: Utilize Keto Fruits Sparingly

While many berries are accepted in the keto diet, all fruit has a level of carbohydrates that should be monitored.

The USDA food database can show you the nutritional value of any raw food you may want to include in your cooking.

Enjoy (in moderation) these fruits while going keto:

• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Tomatoes
• Lemons

Although you may not be able to cook with fruits on a regular basis, you can use fruit as a treat. Top off yogurt or a keto-dessert with your fruit.

Enjoying whole, fresh fruit by itself can also help squash any sugar cravings you may feel, especially at the beginning of your keto diet.

Tip 7: Meal Prepping Saves Time & Money

This may be the most useful tip while on your ketogenic diet. Preparing your meals in advance can save you hours in the kitchen!

If you work the typical 9-5, Monday-Friday work week, you may find that prepping your breakfast and lunch in advance, makes sticking to your ketogenic diet much more manageable through the week.

Quick and easy ketogenic cooking can be applied to your breakfast as well. Add a half scoop of Keto Activate to keto coffee, and you'll get hunger-suppressing sugar-craving beating benefits all day long. 

Check out the simple recipes we’ve provided below in this guide to help you get started on the basics of meal prepping.

Quick & Easy Ketogenic Cooking: Meal Plans

If you are unsure of where to start with your ketogenic meal plans, you’ve come to the right place for some suggestions!

Below are five recipes we’ve put together that make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time a breeze.

All of the recipes listed below are ketogenic, and you can use them for meal prepping.

Simply store your extra meals for the week in Tupperware containers or containers made explicitly for meal prepping.

Recipe 1: Ultimate Breakfast Roll-ups

You get five breakfast roll-ups from this recipe - one for each weekday!

Ingredients:

• 10 large organic eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 5 slices bacon, cooked
• 5 patties breakfast sausage, cooked
• Grass-fed butter or ghee

Directions:

1. Whisk together 2 eggs, add salt and pepper. Add butter to pre-heated skillet. On medium-low heat, add eggs and cover with lid.
2. Cook for 1 minute until egg is almost cooked through and then sprinkle cheese, 1 strip of bacon and a sausage patty broken in half (or scrambled sausage).
3. Fold over the two sides of the egg over the middle half, so it looks like a burrito. Repeat these steps four more times.

Recipe 2: Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps

Make these bunless cheeseburgers as an easy lunch. They even come with a special keto sauce!

Instructions:

• 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 slices American cheese
• 2 bunches romaine lettuce, rinsed then dried
• 2 organic tomatoes, sliced thin
• small red onion, sliced thin

For the Dressing:

• ¼ cup keto-friendly mayo
• 3 tbsp ketchup, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp dill pickle relish, no sugar
• dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Mix beef, salt, pepper and oregano in bowl and divide into 6 sections. Roll each section to a ball. 
2. Press flat and shape into patties.
3. On medium heat, cook each patty for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your desired temperature.
4. Put each cooked patty over a bed of lettuce, with dressing. Add tomato, onion and other ingredients as you like. Wrap the patty with lettuce and dig in!

Recipe 3: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

If you need to meal prep your dinners as well, a large tray of sheet pan fajitas will pull you through the week!

Instructions:

• 1.5 lbs organic chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• olive or avocado oil
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 3 bell peppers sliced
• 1 onion sliced thinly
• 2-3 key limes
• avocado
• ¼ tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a large rimmed baking sheet
2. Slice chicken into strips and season with taco seasoning. Drizzle seasoned chicken with oil
3. Chop all veggies into strips. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Bake chicken and veggies at 400ºF until chicken strips are cooked through, and vegetables are tender about 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and squeeze fresh lime over.
6. Combine avocado, garlic salt, and lime and mash well
7. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and fresh pico de gallo or salsa

Recipe 4: Matcha Coconut Fat Bombs

Fat bombs are a nutritious snack that is easy to make in bulk for meal prepping.

This recipe has a ton of coconut flavor!

Instructions

For the bomb:

• 1 cup firm coconut oil (solid, refrigerated overnight)
• 1 cup coconut butter
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (chilled overnight)
• ½ tsp matcha green tea powder
• ¼ tsp ground organic cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract

For the garnish:

• 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder

Directions:

1. Add all the bomb ingredients to a large bowl. Mix on high speed until fluffy, then cool in the refrigerator for 60 minutes or until more firm
2. In another bowl, combine the shredded coconut and matcha powder in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Once chilled, form or scoop the "bomb" mixture into 30-32balls, about the size of a half-dollar and roll them to the perfect shape.
4. Drop each ball into the coconut/matcha mixture and roll them around until thoroughly coated.
5. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and let them warm up about 10 minutes before snacking.

Recipe 5: No Bean Whole30 Keto Chili

Bonus recipe! For those days when you don’t have time to cook, an instant pot recipe will do the trick!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, divided
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• ½ cup celery sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp

• Smoked organic paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ⅛ tsp ground allspice
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (14oz)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz)
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

1. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil in your Instant Pot and turn it to saute mode. Once hot, saute the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the remaining oil, along with the beef and cook until it begins to turn brown, about 3-4 minutes. Drain the excess fat.
3. Add in the chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and allspice and cook until the beef is brown and no longer pink about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, and stir until well combined.  Cover the Instant Pot (make sure it's set to sealing) and turn it to manual mode (it should immediately be set for high pressure) set it for 10 minutes. Once cooked, let it steam release naturally.
5. Once the steam is released, remove the lid and turn it to saute mode. Cook for 2-4 minutes, frequently stirring until some of the water is evaporated.
6. Stir in the parsley and devour!

Summary

Hopefully, these tips and recipes for quick and easy ketogenic cooking have helped you get on your feet!

Losing weight on the keto diet doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or expensive.

Listed here is a summary of our keto cooking tips:

1. Follow the 70/20/10 rule
2. Replace trans fats with healthy oils
3. Choose marbled proteins and add healthy fats
4. Cook with full-fat products
5. Use MCT oil or another keto-approved supplement
6. Utilize keto fruits sparingly
7. Meal prepping saves you time and money

You’ll be amazed by how a few small changes in the kitchen help you lose weight and stay healthy.

If this sounds overwhelming, a simple hack you can use is to add a half scoop of Keto Activate in your morning keto coffee. You can get the recipe here. This is an easy and delicious way to beat cravings and enhance ketosis.