Posted: 11/10/2024 7:05:32 PM EDT
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So, I've been off keto for a good year or so. Mostly due to work schedule and budget (super poor). I've been trying to stick with 1 meal a day to keep my weight down, but the carbs are rearing their ugly head. I have some health issues that are exacerbated with carbs. I strength train twice a week and bike when I can, but my work schedule is shit. I prep the week's meals on Sundays. Are there any bulk cheap keto meals that you could recommend? Eating roasted chicken everyday gets old and expensive. Thanks. I'm 52, 5'8" and pushing 170.. |
Over the years, I've kind of noticed that "keto" means different things to different people. And it's not always being in an actual, measured, ketogenic state 100% of the time. So I always ask clarifying questions now.  Do you have daily or per-meal fat/protein/carb targets or limits? Those would be handy to know, before trying to conjure up recipe or meal ideas. If you only eat once a day, that does simplify things. General principles - if carbohydrate is a macronutrient you just can't abide in other than trace amounts, most of your energy from food is going to come from animals in one form or another. How interesting that meat will taste without you getting bored (like you are with chicken), is mostly a function of how many carbs you'll tolerate. I would describe my own dietary norm as "Mostly dead critter, made culinarily interesting with fruits and vegetables" but I don't have hard limits on carbs to contend with, either. So it's easier to do.
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By Cooper1: I should say low carb. I do well keeping it under 15/day. The fat and protein ratio doesn't effect me as much. So any ideas I might come up with, are going to mostly just be affordable cuts of beef, pork, poultry, eggs and fish...cooked differently. Grilled, smoked, braised, roasted, pan seared...there's only so much I can do here. Chicken is already about as affordable a protein and fat source as they come, but you've mentioned that rotisserie chickens are getting boring (which I understand) and...expensive? I'm guessing you're buying them already cooked? If so, I suppose step 1 would be buying them whole and learning to cook them using various methods (and break them down, if not cooking them whole). But brother man, there are only so many ways to apply heat, fat, salt and pepper. Maybe another way to approach this instead of recipes, is through more of a systems and methods approach. That way the specifics are adaptable to whatever your dietary preferences happen to be. For example, if you break my normal way of eating down, it's basically just an animal protein in one form or another (that's where most of the calories and nutrition are coming from), made interesting with fruits, vegetables, pantry stuff, and technique. In service of that, I tend to just buy whatever meat happens to be on sale each week (and only what's on sale)...and then figure out what I'm going to do with it later. This forces variety (I never know what's going to be on sale - it's a surprise every time)., and saves a bunch of money. Example - I made these the other night:  They're cheap pork chops I picked up on sale, that I pocketed with a boning knife and stuffed with a saute'd mixture diced peach, onion, poblano, bacon and thyme, seared (in olive oil) then baked in an oven for 10 minutes, and drizzled with a reduction of balsamic vinegar and chicken stock (stock that I made a gallon of a month ago with leftover chicken parts, and keep in the freezer) and a little butter. Just stuff I already had. Start to finish (including cleaning up), there might be an hour total in this. "Bulk" cooking would involve me just making a lot of these on my day off, and keeping them in the fridge. It's kinda like that for anything, really. I've actually been tracking my calories (including fat, protein, and carbs) every day for the past couple of months (everything I eat is made from scratch, because I enjoy cooking), so you're in luck - I can actually tell you what's on this plate.  1,624 calories 96g fat 30g carb 156g protein If I was following your dietary constraints, I'd have not bothered with the peach I diced up (too many carbs). That would have brought the carbs down to 10g (mostly coming from the onion and the poblano). If I didn't have a poblano pepper already, I'd have diced up something else. A bell pepper would have been fine, I guess. Or a jalapeno if I wanted it hotter. Or nothing else. If I didn't feel like being all fancy and pocketing the pork chops to create a little cavity to stuff, I wouldn't have bothered, and then just topped the chops with the veggies instead. Or left them on the side? Or not bothered? If I didn't have any balsamic vinegar, I'd have used something else - like wine, with an acid of some kind (lemons or limes if I had them, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar...don't really care - it all tastes good, just in a different way). If I didn't have homemade chicken stock, I'd have used Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base and water, and a little powdered unflavored gelatin to approximate the mouthfeel and consistency of the real thing. If I didn't have any of the gelatin I wouldn't have bothered. If I had a box or can of "chicken stock" from the store, I'd have used that. If I didn't feel like using stock at all, I wouldn't have used any. Maybe I'd have liked apple cider reduced down instead ('cause pork chops and apple sauce, am I right?). If I didn't have any peaches, maybe I'd have diced an apple. Or not bothered. Getting the strategy yet? Here's a fun idea - you could maybe pick up a pork shoulder/butt and either smoke it (if you have equipment, time and the ability on your day off) or just roast it. Or braise it. Turn it into pulled pork. They're $1.74/lb at my WalMart right now. A 10lb chonker will run you $17.40 (will be different where you live, obviously), and that's...10 effing pounds of food. From there, you can heat it and church it up each day with whatever veggies you want. You won't be making sammiches with them (carbs), but hell - you can make a "pulled pork bowl" with whatever sounds delicious to you. I'd maybe pickle some red onions (one more thing to make on a day off) and mix in some dill pickle slices or something. Maybe whip up a vinegar and mustard BBQ sauce kinda thing, and drizzle that over it. Stuff like that. 
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Whatever's on sale? My grocery store has fixed deals. Monday is half priced bacon. I just cooked a pack. Tuesday, chicken breasts and ground chuck is on sale. Etc. When they have baby back ribs on sale, I buy a bunch. When they have tenderloin on sale, I grab a few. When publix has their yearly discount rib roast, I buy a shitload of those. Same with pork shoulder. Then cook whatever it was you got in bulk. The publix rib roast slices nicely into 10-12 ribeye steaks. A couple times around this part of the year is when they do their rib roast sales. Go ahead and make room in the freezer. I'll smoke a pork shoulder for pulled pork, or a few racks of ribs. When they're done, eat some and vacuum seal and freeze some. You can pull out 1lb of vacuum sealed pulled pork from the freezer you cooked a year ago. Heat it up in a pan of boiling water, and its ready to rock in 5 minutes. Same with the ribs. A tenderloin, I will slice into steaks. The offcuts that are too small or irregular to be a steak, I'll make philly sandwiches/wraps/bowls. Or I'll cover the grill in chicken breasts or burger patties one night. The world is your oyster for all the shit you can do with cooked chicken breast. With low-carb wraps, you can do wraps, tacos, and quesadillas. |
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Crack Slaw (aka eggroll in a bowl). We usually do ground pork sausage, but this version is beef. https://www.tasteaholics.com/recipes/video/easy-crack-slaw-video/ ETA - not sure how, but that recipe skipped the ginger. Fresh ginger is the highlight - grate some (Tbs. or two or five) and add it with the garlic. |
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I’ve been doing low carb/ sort of keto x about 4 months, although my morning ketone levels remain pretty low, less than 1 millimole/liter, despite having fasted for 16 hours or longer since the previous day. Goals: I’m largely trying to lose belly fat, and because of concern about insulin resistance. I feel better, have a better mood, sleep better, have fewer symptoms of heartburn, and have lost 16 pounds so far. My morning/fasting glucose levels are coming down- from a baseline of slightly over 100, to the 80s at present. Breakfast: Bacon or Canadian bacon, eggs, coffee. Only 1/2 slice of sprouted multi-grain toast with butter and tiny bit of low sugar strawberry preserves. No more waffles, pancakes, etc for now. A2 casein cow milk yogurt and/or goat milk yogurt with selected nuts/seeds added: walnuts, hazelnuts, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and raw sunflower seeds. No more raisins- they are loaded with sugar. Afternoon meal/supper- try to finish by 4 pm; I rotate between these: Pork chops- grill 4 to 8 at a time, cool, then wrap individually and freeze. Ground beef/hamburger patties- 4 ounce size- same as for the pork chops- grill 4-8 at a time and then freeze individually. Polish sausage- ditto. Bratwurst- ditto; can eat for breakfast also. Sardines: quick and easy, and I enjoy them. Eat them straight out of the can. I like the grilled sardines from Trader Joe’s; or plain sardines in water, with yellow mustard or capers added. Add salt to taste. In the Mediterranean, they mix sardines with chopped onions, diced hard boiled eggs, maybe olive oil and maybe some other things, but I haven’t tried that yet. Good fish for keto- lots of omega-3 fatty acids- canned fish is fine: sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, and salmon. Veggies: Brussels sprouts- see current thread. I posted my quick recipe there. Other veggies- romaine lettuce with grated Parmesan, Romano, and or Asiago cheese. This goes well with sardines or anchovies. Sauerkraut- see the current thread- obviously, goes well with sausage or pork. Spinach- salad; or cooked- rinse, place in a bowl, add salt, microwave in a minute allow to rest, add apple cider vinegar. Iceberg lettuce supposedly has low nutritional value; I avoid it entirely. Avocados with green salsa or lime juice and salt- great for breakfast, or later in the day. I try to have one daily. Fruits can have lots of carbs, so watch out- apples can have 20 grams of carbs each; oranges can have 10 grams each; I try to stick with limes and lemons, added to veggies or fish. I’ve cut out beer entirely for the time being- any beer that I like has too high of a carbohydrate content. I limit alcohol consumption to red wine or tequila in moderation, and that’s pushing hard core ketogenic diet- the liver metabolizes alcohol before it metabolizes fat into ketones. |
“War is a racket….”
Smedley D. Butler, Maj.-Gen., USMC
Smedley D. Butler, Maj.-Gen., USMC
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I'm down to 155. 5 to go. It's just a number, but it's something I can work with in terms of where I am. I'm keto during the week. I should be honest and say 0 carb. Not necessarily keto. I've always found it hard to get more fat than protein. Anyway, today we took the kids to a Japanese festival and I'm home with a bottle of Espolon and a grilled cheese
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I started keto about 2 weeks ago, and am enjoying the results. I didn't weigh myself before I started, because I didn't want to know, but after a week I did weigh, and I was at 223. 5' 9". I was probably in the 228 range. This morning I'm down to 215. My goal is 185, but honestly I think I can stay on this diet indefinitely. A decade ago I weighed 163 pounds and looked like a Greek god. I have ZERO temptation to cheat, which I wouldn't have believed possible a month ago. I love potatoes, bread, and pasta like nobody I've met, but I have virtually zero craving. For breakfast I eat bacon or breakfast sausage, 2 ounces of cheddar cheese, and a handful of peanuts. For lunch I have a big piece of meat, either sirloin, roasted chicken, salmon, or something else, and a medium sized lettuce and cucumber salad with feta cheese and vinaigrette. For supper I usually have a sausage burger patty or hamburger patty with mustard or horseradish, some more cheese and nuts, and two strawberries for dessert. If I need a bedtime snack, it's one ounce of cheddar and a pickle. I believe I can continue this for as long as I continue to see results. If I hit a wall, I will reassess, and probably cut the cheese and nuts in half, and eliminate the berries. I don't have a hard carb limit nailed down, but my general idea is under 20 grams. Again if I hit a wall, I will cut it to 10g carbs and actually count every single one. I started biking about 2 months ago, and didn't really see any results. Now during keto, I am continuing to bike 6-8 miles a day, sometimes up to 10. The fat is melting off my face. I'm down a belt notch. Onward we go. |
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Good job! I did an 84 hour fast last week followed by keto since. I'm down maybe 8 pounds. I am dying for some bread like never before. I have some keto wraps left over, but am hesitant to eat them. I was before because I believed that net carbs were what to focus on. But, to be honest, I'm not sure anymore. |
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Originally Posted By Cooper1: Good job! I did an 84 hour fast last week followed by keto since. I'm down maybe 8 pounds. I am dying for some bread like never before. I have some keto wraps left over, but am hesitant to eat them. I was before because I believed that net carbs were what to focus on. But, to be honest, I'm not sure anymore. ) that keto is just one of many strategies for reducing calories, without feeling overwhelmingly hungry all the time (in the right people) - and without literally counting the calories. Some people find it much easier to do, than others. They tend to be the huge cheerleaders for it. Whatever works is whatever works, and whatever you can sustain for the rest of your life without too much hassle, is whatever you can sustain. I don't get too hung up on any of it, because I think there are a gazillion ways to get to the exact same place, and stay there indefinitely, in terms of body fat. The one that's easiest to sustain, is probably closer to the right one. For you. Don't feel pressured to be dogmatic about it - there's no need to be. Everybody's different. Personal opinion again (that you still haven't asked for and don't really need) - the people who find it really easy to do (whether it's keto, or some other diet variation that worked), often "back-engineer" it to make it seem "correct", like they've stumbled on something more universally applicable than it actually is. They find it hard to admit that it's just one of a gazillion other strategies that worked - especially if they find it effortlessly easy to do. Where they screw up, is when they go "...and so should you, and here's why". |
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
| I do not like keto. But, it is what works for me. I have a very unhealthy relationship with food )All the way back to childhood). My mom was a phenomenal cook and always made sure we cleaned our plates. I was slated to be a chef, but that didn't pan out. Although I have always been an in shape athlete and never too overweight, I struggle. Every waking moment I am planning the next meal. No matter what plans there are, I focus on what food we will be eating, restaurants, etc. My wife and daughter are the opposite. As long as they eat something they don't care. They don't get excited about food. For me, it's literally all I think about. |
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Originally Posted By ELittlefield: We're working on a keto ish chicken curry and cauliflower rice. I believe it should clock in around 7 carbs for a big serving. Anyone done cauliflower rice before? I buy cauliflower “rice” from time to time. Its ok. I was never a big rice eater so I just go without rather than replace things. I tend to eat meat, some veggies, and some days in the morning I eat fruit like blackberries or blueberries. One every few weeks, or maybe a whole weekend, I “let loose and eat all kinds of fruit. |
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Originally Posted By ELittlefield: We're working on a keto ish chicken curry and cauliflower rice. I believe it should clock in around 7 carbs for a big serving. Anyone done cauliflower rice before? Chicken curry and cauliflower rice was a huge success. With a strong flavor like curry, the cauliflower just tastes like nothing filler, which is exactly what I wanted. Carbs ended up being 10 grams per serving, so I just skipped my peanuts for the day. |
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I get the 3 pack of grass fed ground beef at costco. 1 3 pack is 12 patties. 24 flat of their organic eggs is $7.50. sleeves of yellow wrapper no mercury tuna is $12. 43g protein a tin. 3 pack of organic chicken thighs. ~$30. 6lb lamb roast ~$25 flat of lab chops ~$25 but currently $4 off per I eat a handful of celery daily. I get it at costco too. |
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Originally Posted By Cooper1: Celery.. I've been killing pickles lately. Just something to eat since I'm hungry. Hit my goal weight 150. Nice job. |
Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Charles Reade
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Its not keto but , it is cheap and bulk ; Ground turkey at $2/lb ( vs hamburger at $6/lb ...half steak price ) 15lb bag of potatoes $5 1 gallon sauerkraut ( cost of 2-3 heads of cabbage ) I dice up 1 potato in a bowl an nuke it while simultaneously browning 1/2 lb hamburger ... then combine in bowl with 3 tablespoons of sauerkraut. Potatoes can be cooked and then refrigerated over night to convert to resistant starches with lower glycemic index than rice . It makes a good base meal for me as its quick , cheap , and nutritious. |