Lunch may be one hundred percent predictable – always in the office, at the same time. Or one hundred percent unpredictable – you eat what you can when you can. But a keto lunch has its own set of challenges. Namely, the challenge of giving your bodyplenty of fat while keeping carbs to a minimum.
A diet of mostly fat and carbohydrates at 5% (roughly 15 – 30 grams of usable carbs) pushes your body into a state known as ketosis. During ketosis, your body burns fat for fuel, making weight loss easy. But do any amount of dabbling in ketogenic dieting, and you quickly realize that most foods are carb-heavy: chips, crackers, bread, cereals, and potatoes. Standard lunch fare is no different…makingit difficultto eat within the keto diet frameworkand meet your personal goals.
Enter meal planning.
A little keto lunch meal plan goes a long way to ensure that you have all you need to stick to the rules of a ketogenic dietwhile loving each and every midday bite. What’s more, keeping a packable keto lunch means that –if necessary – you can make your food ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
Not sure where to starton your keto journey? We feel you. Here five drool-worthy recipes to inspire your week.
Monday: Avocado chicken salad
Quick and easy to prepare. Cilantro leaves and lime juice keep things herbaceous andbright while avocado holds this chicken salad together. When packing yourlunch up, store salad greens separately until you’re ready to use them.
Click here for the avocado chicken salad recipe.
Tuesday: Beef barbacoa bowls
A tough cutof slow-cooked meat has a knack for hanging around for a few days. Wondering what to do with all those leftovers? Beef barbacoa is a quick and delicious fix.
Note: Plan ahead. If you also want to eat cauliflower rice with Thursday’s Indian beef curry, make extra now and stash it in the fridge. Likewise, if you plan on eating this beef barbacoa away from homeand need totake avocadowith you,keep cut avocado green by storing it with a few slices of red onion.
Click here for the beef barbacoa bowls recipe.
Wednesday: Nicoise salad
Easy on the eyes and hailing from France, salad nicoise is a composed salad of tomatoes, tender green beans, olives, and hardboiled eggs. Don’t forget the perfectly seared steaks of ahi tuna.
If you like the yolks of your hardboiled eggs on the tender side, try steaming them in a steamer basket – rather than boiling water. Then let your eggs swim in a bath of ice water for fifteen minutes.
Click here for the Nicoise salad recipe.
Thursday: Indian beef curry
Full bodied and filled with warming spices that stoke your digestive fire, Indian beef curry is the kind of thing you can make for dinner and eat leftovers for lunch. As seasonings go, both onion and ginger are relatively highin carbohydrates. Reduce the amount of carbs in this dish by replacing whole onion and ginger with their concentrated cousins –onion and ginger powder.
If you made extra cauliflower rice earlier in the week, use it to sop up all that delicious curry sauce.
Click here for the Indian beef curry recipe.
Friday: Coconut chicken nuggets
Iscasual Friday is your jam? Keep things fun and easy with this yummy batch of coconut chicken nuggets. Breaded with coconut flour and shredded coconut, these nuggets contain a touch of fiber without a massive amount of carbohydrates.
Don’t forget to dip! Homemade or purchased at your local market, ranch dressing givesyour nuggets the fatty edge youneed tomaintain fat-burning ketosis.
Click here for the coconut chicken nuggets recipe.
Your keto lunch meal plan (get the PDF here)
Monday: Avocado chicken salad
Tuesday: Beef barbacao bowls
Wednesday: Nicoise salad
Thursday: Indian beef curry
Friday: Coconut chicken nuggets
Your timeline
Sunday night
- Defrost the chicken breast, if frozen.
Monday
- Defrost the beef brisket, if frozen.
Mondayafternoon
- Prepare the avocado chicken salad.
Monday night
- Start beef in slow cooker.
Tuesday
- Prepare the beef barbacoa bowls.
- If desired, make extra cauliflower rice to eat with Indian beef curry.
Wednesday
- Prepare the Nicoise salad.
- Defrost the beef stew meat, if frozen.
Thursday
- Start Indian beef curry in slow cooker.
- Prepare the Indian beef curry.
- Defrost the chicken breast, if frozen.
Friday afternoon
- Prepare the coconut chicken nuggets.
Saturday morning
- Hit your local farmer’s markets and shops to pick up necessary ingredients for the week.
Your keto lunch shopping list
Produce
avocados – 5
baby salad greens – 8 ounces
cauliflower – 1 head
cilantro – 2 bunches
garlic – 3 heads
ginger – 1 inch
green beans – 6 ounces
green onions – 6
kale – 1 bunch
limes – 3
mint – 1/4 cup
mixed greens – 4 ounces
onions – 3
red onion – 1
spinach – 1 pound
tomatoes – 4
Meat and seafood
bacon fat – 4 tablespoons
beef brisket – 4 pounds
beef stew meat – 2 pounds
chicken breasts – 3 1/2 pounds
tuna – 1 pound
Spices
bay leaf
chipotle powder
coarse sea salt
garam masala
garlic powder
ground black pepper
ground cloves
ground turmeric
onion powder
Vinegar and oils
apple cider vinegar
coconut oil
extra virgin olive oil
ranch dressing
red wine vinegar
Bulk
shredded coconut – 1/2 cup
Eggs and dairy
eggs – 6
Alternative flours
coconut flour – 1 cup
Canned and jarred goods
coconut milk – 1 cup
Dijon mustard – 1 tablespoon
Nicoise olives – 3/4 cup
