Day: May 9, 2023

The purpose of this meal plan is to show what a week’s worth of keto-friendly (and totally Primal) meals could look like. This is how I eat day in and day out. Since I’ve been eating Primally for many years now, it’s second nature for me. But for folks who are new to this way of eating, I realize this might seem like a lot of work, or just completely foreign. Rest assured, planning and preparing a keto menu becomes simple once you’re in the habit of preparing healthy recipes like the ones provided here. Don’t fret if these specific meals don’t appeal to you. By no means are you required to follow this plan to a T. It is meant to serve as an example—a “week in the life of Primal/keto.” If you want to try it, feel free to swap out meals that don’t appeal to you. I have said before that I usually keep things pretty simple—lots of Big-Ass Omelettes and Big-Ass Salads for me. You can do the same. I know plenty of people who prefer cycling through the same three to five favorite meals over and over, and there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as the meals are well-balanced and contain adequate nutrients, there’s no reason to complicate things. However, if you’re a person who enjoys cooking more elaborate meals, you can absolutely do that, too. There are basically limitless options for delicious, enticing, Primal- and keto-friendly dishes. Look for meat, egg, and veggie dishes with interesting preparations, seasonings, and sauces. Remember, real food tastes better! Keto Meal Prep Tips A good meal plan starts with good preparation. Spend some time perusing keto-focused blogs and cookbooks that appeal to you. Whether you’re a keep-it-simple kind of home cook or a culinary wizard, food should be enjoyable. Eating healthy, nourishing fare is one of the great pleasures in life. Don’t shortchange yourself here. Once you have a plan in place, make a shopping list and hit the store and/or farmer’s market. I also like to shop online for pantry staples. You can make busy weeknights less stressful by doing some meal prep on the weekends. Look ahead to the recipes you’ll be cooking that week. See if there are steps you can do on Sunday that will save you time during the week, such as: Washing and chopping raw veggies Pre-cooking meat that you can warm up and toss into recipes Hard-boiling eggs Thawing anything that needs thawing This is totally optional but can make your life a little easier, especially if your mornings or evenings tend to be a little hectic. 7-Day Keto Meal Plan: Sample Week Day 1 Breakfast: Big-Ass Omelette (see below) Lunch: Primal Salmon Spread with sliced raw veggies and handful of nuts Dinner: Unstuffed Cabbage Bowl Day 2 Breakfast: Turmeric Scrambled Eggs, side of sugar-free sausage, sliced avocado Lunch: Big-Ass Salad (see below) Dinner: Kefir Marinated Chicken with cauliflower rice Day 3 Breakfast: Bacon Pancakes, sliced avocado, serving of berries Lunch: … Continue reading “Keto Meal Plan”

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This tofu scramble is fast, flavorful, and a wonderful egg-free savory breakfast. Made with spinach, curry powder, nutritional yeast, garlic, and onions, this is the version we’ve been making for years!

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Every once in a while, you run into a toddler who enthusiastically chows down on a huge dinner salad or side of ratatouille. Most parents, though, struggle to get their kids to eat more vegetables. If you’re raising a picky eater, join the club. That can be frustrating for you as a parent, but it’s not a sign that you’re doing something wrong.  Young kids, especially, are supposed to be picky. They are hard-wired to reject new foods and foods that taste bitter or otherwise “icky” to them, a phenomenon known as “neophobia.” Experts believe this is an innate survival mechanism designed to keep dangerous plants out of their mouths. Your child doesn’t know that Brussels sprouts and mustard greens aren’t trying to kill them. Although kids start to outgrow neophobia as they hit school age, most parents of older kids and teens will tell you that it’s still not easy to get them to enjoy vegetables.  So what are parents to do? On the one hand, we want our kids to eat diverse, colorful meals that deliver the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals that promote strong, healthy bodies. On the other hand, the constant rejection of our hard work in the kitchen is exhausting and demoralizing. Mostly, we don’t want mealtimes to be miserable. It’s not easy to expand your kids’ palettes, and it might take longer than you’d like, but it can be done. It boils down to two things: getting the kids’ buy-in and making veggies as appealing as possible. Here are some creative ideas to help kids develop a taste for vegetables. Tips for Getting Kids (And Picky Eaters of All Ages) To Enjoy Vegetables Give them choices. Your kids will never truly enjoy vegetables if you force the issue. Kids respond better when they feel like they have some control and agency in any situation. Give them some choice in the matter… but constrain them.  Instead of, “What do you want for dinner?” ask, “Should we have broccoli or asparagus with our dinner tonight?”  Instead of, “You need to eat your vegetables before you can leave the table,” try, “Would you rather have three bites of cauliflower or two bites of cauliflower and one baby carrot?”  Serve lots of options. Everyone loves buffet-style food. Try: Taco or nacho bar, burrito bowls (tomatoes, salsa, onions, green onions, various peppers, cilantro, avocado—which yes, is technically a fruit) Baked potato or sweet potato bar (chopped broccoli or cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, chives)  Poke bowls (shredded carrots and cabbage, diced cucumber, diced or shredded radish, edamame, seaweed, avocado) Salad bar (anything!) This also gives kids choice, and it’s more fun than a pile of vegetables plopped on their plates. As they assemble their meals, encourage them to take one bite of something new. Sure, it’s a little more work up front to chop up a bunch of vegetables, but just think of it as meal prep. You can use leftovers to make omelets or salads the next … Continue reading “How to Get Kids to Eat More Vegetables”

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