Sample Meal Plan

So, a friend of mine asked me if I had a meal plan for doing keto. I really do not. I decided if I was going to do a blog about keto, a meal plan would probably be a good idea to help people understand just how to eat clean keto. Now once you get to the point where you understand how keto works you can branch out and add a little "dirty" keto to your menu if you like. I've been doing keto for about 6 months now and have added in things like keto-approved meal bars and snacks or keto-approved bread. These things are a nice treat, but they are expensive. 

And now for a few ideas for an average keto day.

Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee (1 Serving)

Add 16 ounces of your favorite coffee to your favorite mug.

Add 1 tsp. MCT Oil

Add 1 Tbls. Heavy whipping cream

Mix well with a frother or blend it in a blender

Enjoy.

Net Carbs: 0

Calories: 89

Protein: 0

Fat: 10g

This is to be used as a meal replacement for those of us who don't eat breakfast. But if you are a breakfast eater you can have black coffee with a keto approved sweetener if you like sweetened coffee. You don't want to use up all your fat macros just on breakfast so do not use heavy whipping cream if you follow this sample daily meal plan.

Easy Crustless Keto Quiche (Serves 8)

8 Ounces Mushrooms

4 Ounces. Chopped Peppers

4 Ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese

8 Large Eggs

1/2 C Heavy Cream

1 tsp. Hot Sauce

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch

pie dish. Coarsely chop the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms, peppers, and cheese to the pie dish. Whip the eggs, cream and seasonings, pour over the veggie mixture. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the center doesn't jiggle. Let the quiche sit for a few minutes to cool. Slice and serve.

Net Carbs: 3g

Protein: 12g

Fat: 18g

Calories: 228

You can make this your own by adding whatever veggies you like. Use your favorite cheese. Add fresh herbs, change the spice profile. By using your Carb Manager app, you can add all the ingredients to the app then using a calculator divide the total by 8 to get your macros for your own quiche. 

Let's Do Lunch Now:

I'm a big one for salads. I love salads. Simple salads. Elaborate salads. Sandwich salads. Wait. What? Sandwich salads?? What's a sandwich salad, you ask? Well, a sandwich salad is a salad that is typically a sandwich but has now been turned into a salad. One of my favorites is a BLT Salad. I tend to make lunch my biggest meal of the day that way I don't go to bed with a full stomach.


BLT Salad (1 Serving)

2 Ounces Mixed Greens

2 Ounces Roma Tomato
2 Ounces No Added Sugar Bacon
1/8 Cup Mayo
1 Tbsp. Whole Grain Mustard
1Tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream

Chop and cook your bacon in a heavy skillet until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Save your bacon fat to cook with at another time. It makes food taste amazing. Chop your mixed greens, if needed. Chop your tomato. Mix the mayo, mustard, and heavy whipping cream. If your dressing is too thick you can add a little water. Put all your veggies in a large salad bowl. Add the bacon. Pour the dressing over all and mix well. Lunch is now ready. If you want to take this to work with you, just put the dressing in a small container and dress your salad when you're ready.

Net Carbs: 4
Fat: 46
Protein: 24
Calories: 553



So, what's for Dinner?

Now that I've logged all my food for the day I can see how many macros I have left for dinner. I see that I'm pretty close to my fat grams for the day. I'm still good on carbs, but I'm a little low on protein, so I know I need a lower fat higher protein dinner. I decided on pan seared salmon and pan charred  Brussels sprouts. This is a one skillet meal, so cleanup is easy.

Salmon and Brussels Sprouts (2 Serving)

8 oz. Fresh Atlantic Salmon cut into 2 steaks

8 oz. Fresh Brussels Sprouts
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop all the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, trim the ends if necessary, and place in a large bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the Brussels sprouts and add salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Heat a large cast iron skillet and pour all the Brussels sprouts into the hot skillet and give it a good stir. Let the Brussels sprouts cook for about 5 minutes on a low flame or setting stirring occasionally. You want to see a good char starting, but you don't want them to burn. After 5 minutes give them another good stir and put a lid or cover over the skillet. This will help the Brussels sprouts cook through by steaming them. Give them a stir as needed. Once your Brussels sprouts are fork tender remove them from the pan and cover to keep warm. Turn the heat back up to high add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Once your skillet is hot add your salmon skin side down to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the salmon releases from the pan. Flip the salmon over and cook on the other side for about 2 or 3 minutes longer or until the salmon flakes easily. Plate and serve with pan charred Brussels sprouts and a lemon wedge.

Net Carbs: 5
Fat: 28
Protein: 28
 Calories: 394

So let's take a look at our total macros for the day. Notice you did not go hungry and ate three very healthy meals. In order to keep the fat from going over for the day I used chopped mushrooms in the quiche. They take on the characteristics of meat for those in your family who may want meat for breakfast but without the fat since the quiche is high fat from the heavy whipping cream and cheese. Lunch was a hearty salad that's easy to prepare and to take along if you take a lunch to work. I always have chopped cooked bacon on had to use in dishes as needed. I bake my bacon instead of frying it in a pan all the time. More on that in another post. Dinner is a full meal, but not heavy. Here are the daily totals for this sample meal WITHOUT Bullet Proof Coffee, which is a meal substitute.

Net Carbs: 12
Fat: 92
Protein: 64
Calories: 1175

My daily macros, according to the Carb Manager app, are set at:

Net Carbs: 14
Fat: 87
Protein: 71
Calories: 1402

As you can see I stayed below all my macros but they were still well balanced.  Your macros will be different than mine if you use the Carb Manager app. Each macro set up is individualized just for you. When you first open the app it will ask you a few questions. Just answer them and then put 20 NET carbs in the appropriate space. The app will do the rest. You will need to change your net carbs as you progress on your keto journey. But it's really simple to do. They are still about 5% net carbs, 20% fat and 75% fat. The Carb Manager app has a Pie Chart which helps you visualize what your daily percentages are. I highly recommend downloading and using it. There is a free version, which I use and a paid version that comes with lots of perks if you want to spend the money.

I hope this meal plan helps you to see what an average day looks like.

Blessings,
Debbie G