How To Keto Meal Prep 101

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Meal prep will be an essential building block of success on your keto journey. If you want to learn how to keto meal prep then look no further! 

There are a few ways to do keto meal prep. You can sit down, write out a list of meal ideas, go grocery shopping, and cook each meal as it comes up on the menu plan.

Keto Meal Planning on a Budget

When I make my keto meal plan, I like to sit down with the weekly grocery ads and plan my meals around what’s on sale. You don’t have to do it this way, but it’s going to save you quite a bit of money if you do!

For example, say avocados are deeply discounted this week. I go to Pinterest and find some keto-friendly meals that include avocados.

Monday: Low Carb Avocado Fries
Tuesday: Avocado Breakfast Bowls
Wednesday: BLT Stuffed Avocados
Thursday: Taco Stuffed Avocados
Friday: Avocado Chicken Salad

I wouldn’t really eat avocados for dinner every night of the week, but there are enough keto avocado recipes that you definitely could.

Plan your meals around the items that are heavily discounted (meat, avocados, etc) and find recipes that include only a few other ingredients – or ones you already have in your pantry.

How To Keto Meal Prep Using Staples

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List out your top 10 favorite keto meals. These are going to be your keto “staples” that you rotate through every other week. 10 meals on rotation means you eat the same meal twice in a month, which isn’t bad at all.

You can prep these meals ahead of time (like making a big batch of tuna salad, for example, and portioning it out for lunches throughout the week), or you can take it day by day. You might want to bulk spiralize veg to help prep lunches or use prep containers and make more than one meal at once. 

I personally think meal prepping at the beginning of the week (or on your day off) is best, because it’s going to save you a ton of time and headache throughout the week, while keeping you on track with keto.

If you are tired one day and don’t have anything meal prepped yet, you may be more tempted to eat something easy and non-keto “just this once”.

Lunches are easy – throw a few staples together and you can call it a meal. Dinners can be more complex, but they don’t have to be. Some of my “staple” meal ideas may include:

— Cajun Stuffed Chicken
— Keto Lasagna
— Shrimp Zucchini Noodles
— Chicken Fajita Soup
— Keto Sausage Egg Casserole

Beware of the “bacon” trap — many meals call for bacon, and most keto groups tout “BACON!” any chance they get. The truth of the matter is, that while bacon is perfectly fine to eat as part of a well-rounded keto diet, it’s not something you should be eating all day every day – especially loaded in extra fat.

When you’re listing your top 10 favorite keto meals, take this into consideration.

This way can get boring and repetitive, but some people enjoy it. I have a friend who does keto this way. She eats the same thing almost every day, and rotates just a few meals. Her macros are on point and she looks amazing. The best part is, she loves this type of meal prep! If you enjoy it, that’s what matters.

What Is Lazy Keto? 

I don’t think any meal prep is lazy, but the easiest way to meal prep is to use your slow cooker, Instant Pot, and/or Air Fryer. Browse Pinterest or your favorite blogs for free keto meal plans and piece everything together.

Start by using this Free Keto Instant Pot Meal List.

What’s your favorite way to prep keto meals for the week?