Tag: meal prep

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Because sometimes you just need something creamy and cheesy….

This can be made stove top or in a slow cooker. For stove top just keep everything at a very low simmer.

Ingredients:

  • 2lb broccoli (I used frozen)
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 brick (8oz) cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1-2 tsp thyme
  • 2 cups pre-shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum (optional):

Instructions:

  • Mix the broth, cream, cream cheese, butter, and seasoning in the slow cooker and set to high.
  • I used frozen broccoli, so to speed things up I roasted it before adding to the soup. I dumped a bag of frozen broccoli and the garlic on a sheet pan, sprayed with olive oil, and roasted at 400F for 18 minutes. If you use fresh you can skip this step, or you can just put frozen broccoli in the slow cooker and cook for longer.
  • Add the broccoli and garlic to the slow cooker. Cook about 45 minutes, until hot and melty throughout.
  • Add the cheese and cook about 15 minutes more, until cheese is melted.
  • (Optional) add the xantham gum to thicken everything up a bit
  • (Optional) use a stick blender to lightly puree the soup and give it a more uniform consistency. Don’t pulverize it though!

Makes 9, 1-cup servings:

Makes 9x 1 cup servings, 337 calories / 7 net carb (6 if you omit garlic) / 30 fat / 11 protein each.

New Meal Plan!

Hey guys, just a quick announcement…

I’ve just linked a way more updated and super fancy meal plan for you to use! I hope this one is much more user friendly.

It also has options for vegan, dairy free, egg free, soy free, nut free… Etc.

I’ve been working on it for a while and tried to error proof as much as possible, but you know how it is when you’re too close to things… So if you spot an error please let me know!

>>Here It Is!<<

Fathead Flatbread

This flatbread looks super fancy, but really it’s a great weeknight dinner that’s ready in under 10 minutes if you meal prep the fathead bread part first.

It’s just a flatbread with Boursin garlic cheese spread, arugula, 2 fried eggs topped with melted muenster, and pickled onions. Pickled onions are also super easy to make for yourself, and last in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

Fathead Flatbread Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups pre-shredded, low-moisture mozzarella (trust me, you don’t want to use the authentic wet stuff here)
  • 2 oz (4 tbsp) cream cheese
  • 1.5 cups almond flour
  • 2 tsp xantham gum (optional, but gives it that authentic chewy texture)
  • 2 eggs

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Combine dry ingredients, then add the 2 eggs and combine further until you have an even paste.

Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese together – you can use the microwave or do it stove top. You want the mozzarella very melty, so usually I err on the side of over melted and then let it cool just until I can touch it without burning myself.

Knead together the almond flour and mozzarella mixtures. This takes a LOT of elbow grease and you have to work quickly because the mozzarella gets harder to work with as it cools. Your goal should be to eliminate almost all of the marbling appearance so you have a homogenous mixture, but don’t worry if you can’t get it 100%.

Roll out the dough to “pizza crust” thickness (a little under 1/4″, and a bit smaller than a large cookie sheet) between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer the dough, still on a parchment paper, to a cookie sheet.

Bake until browned on top, about 15 minutes.

Allow to cool, and then slice into 8 squares.

You can store these in the fridge for a few days, but they also freeze incredibly well. Just broil on low to reheat.

Macros:

Makes 8 flatbreads. Each is 300 cal / 3 net carb (8 total) / 25 fat / 15 protein

Fun modifications:

  • You can replace 1 cup of the mozzarella for another cheese, maybe cheddar or asiago?
  • This dough makes a great pizza dough, just add toppings before cooking instead of after.
  • Make bagels instead!

Baked Zoodles

This is one of our go-to easy week night meals, ready in well under 30 minutes. My husband’s favorite meal before keto was baked ziti, so this is my attempt to recreate it. It’s also great reheated from the fridge, although ricotta isn’t always amazing from frozen.

This is also a great dish for mixed veggie and non-veggie households. I make a “meat” sauce while my husband makes a Meat sauce, and we’re both happy. Plus, ricotta is a great source of protein even if you leave out the “meat” crumbles at 7g protein per 1/4 cup.

Ingredients (makes 1 serving, multiply by desired # servings):

  • 1 zucchini, spiralized, about 130g*
  • 1/4 cup no-sugar-added sauce
  • 1/2 cup “meat” crumbles (I use Beyond Meat beef crumbles because it’s soy free) (optional)
  • 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta (some brands are higher carb so check the label, the one I use is 2g carbs in the 1/4 cup)
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 1 oz (1/4 cup) mozzarella, divided
  • Plenty of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper

*A note on zoodles: you can find these in the fridge or freezer section if almost every grocery store these days, but a spiralized turned out to be an awesome investment for us because I think the texture is fresher, its cheaper, and takes only a minute to do. You can also totally use sliced zucchini, or sub in any other veggie like brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans, spaghetti squash, or eggplant.

Instructions:

Cook the zoodles and beefy crumbles in an oiled pan over medium heat until tender (we keep the meat and zucchini separate since my husband uses real meat).

In the mean time, combine ricotta, parmesan, half the mozzarella, and the seasoning in a bowl.

Once the zoodles are cooked you might fine a bit of water in the bottom of the pan, I drain that off. Add your sauce to the zoodles, and then spoon on the ricotta mixture.

Top with the remaining half of the mozzarella.

Broil on low until bubbling and golden.

Macros (with Beyond Meat crumbles):

500 cal / 8 net carb / 35 fat / 35 protein

Macros (WITHOUT meat crumbles):

420 cal / 8 net carb / 32 fat / 22 protein

Noatmeal

This might be the single healthiest keto meal of all time. It tastes just as yummy as carb heavy oatmeal, but contains:

  • 4.5g Omega 3s (415% DV)
  • 14.5g Protein (17% of my personal needs)
  • 9g Fiber (37% DV)
  • 7.2mg Vitamin K (80% DV)
  • 1.8mg Manganese (100% DV)
  • 4.3mg iron (24% DV)

…all for only 4.5 net carbs!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 2 tbsp hazelnut meal
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp flax meal
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients and water over low heat. Cook about 5 minutes, just as you would regular oatmeal. You can also cook it in the microwave for about 45 seconds, but watch carefully because it likes to boil over!

I portion these out ahead of time and bring them to work in a pyrex, which is perfect for the microwave method. Just remember that flax and hemp should be refrigerated after opening.

Topping ideas:

  • Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
  • Cocoa powder
  • Vanilla or maple extract
  • Heavy whipping cream or coconut cream
  • Frozen raspberries (add them before cooking so they get juicy) and a spoon of nut butter
  • 1 tbsp cocoa nibs and 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • Butter and cheese for grits style
  • Swap out the hazelnut meal for shredded coconut, or any other ground nut.
  • ??? The possibilities are endless!

This recipe is highly flexible so feel free to substitute basically whatever you want in here (although hemp seeds are a major source of those nutritional benefits).

Macros: 360 cal | 4.5 net carb (10.5 total) | 30 fat | 14.5 protein

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Thanksgiving Spread

This brussels sprout gratin was the ‘main event’ for our Thanksgiving meal this year, and I plan to make it again for regular dinner meal prep! With the flavors of gruyere, and tender but flavorful Brussels sprouts, I honestly think this beats my  traditional carb bomb baked mac and cheese. Plus, it reheated beautifully in a 350F oven.
True story: I had to look up whether it was ‘brussels’ or ‘brussel’ – its Brussels with a capital B, so I was wrong all around.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (1/2 pound) brussels sprouts, sliced
    • or purchase shredded if you can find them
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
  • Olive oil
  • 2oz (1/2 cup) gruyere, shredded
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flax meal
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream (1/2 container)
  • 1/2 tsp thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic and brussels sprouts in olive oil until bright green and wilted.

Cooked Brussels Sprouts

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt butter. Add flax meal and coconut flour and stir until cooked. Add cream and thyme and heat, stirring, until steaming but do not boil. Basically, you’re making a keto roux here.

If you cooked the brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet you can leave them there. If not, place the brussels sprouts in a baking dish (we doubled the recipe and used a 9×13). Top with half the cheese, then pour over cream sauce, and top with remaining half of cheese.

Ready for the OVen

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until bubbly and browned. 

Makes 4 servings. 357 cal / 5 net carbs (8.5 total) / 33 fat / 8 protein each.

Hot and Ready

Note for meat eaters: an excellent version of this involves cooking bacon, removing and then cooking the brussels sprouts in the bacon grease. You can add chopped bacon bits in before popping in the oven.

The inspiration for this dish came from Little Figgy Food: http://www.littlefiggy.com/creamy-brussel-sprouts-au-gratin/