Meal Idea: Meatloaf

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It is generally not my practice to discuss meals or recipes. Concentrating on food is, in my opinion, counterproductive to the benefits derived from following the ketogenic protocol. That is, release from the tyranny of constant and intrusive thoughts of food is liberating. Trolling the web, YouTube, websites, and cookbooks for images of, recipes for, and meal plans make food precisely what we don't want it to be: the center of our lives. "A cast-iron skillet, some reserved bacon fat, a hunk of meat, and it's dinner! Now, move on to the rest of life!"

Whenever people suggest that I write a cookbook or make cooking videos, my usual response is that it would have to be titled Casey, the Lazy Cook, Cooks Keto. I'm not an adventurous or even an interested cook. And the idea that instructions on how to cook a simple meal made me shake my head. "Who doesn't know how to roast a chicken?"

How very arrogant of me, I'm embarrassed to admit.

A friend gave me some feedback after I casually disparaged people who had to research how to make scrambled eggs. "You know, there are families who rarely have a meal that doesn't come from fast food or a convenience store. Not everyone knows how to cook, even the basics."

Color me chagrined and humbled.

Having made my resistance to food videos, posts, and recipe books clear, let me share with you an ironic twofer - a recipe and meal idea. This one comes from an off-hand comment made by My Lovely Mate a couple of months ago. He recalled how my late mother, who lived with us for about ten years, would happily prepare meals for our busy household. Both of us worked, three active children, a couple of dogs and cats, and we really appreciated her efforts. (Not only that, she'd often have a cocktail waiting for me when I came home at the end of the day. Score!)

"I miss your mother's meatloaf," he said while scrolling through news items on his iPhone. 

Note: the sAUSAGE WE USE IS BREAKFAST SAUSAGE (JIMMY DEAN BRAND, TO BE SPECIFIC) THANKS TO A READER FOR asking the question! 😉

Note: the sAUSAGE WE USE IS BREAKFAST SAUSAGE (JIMMY DEAN BRAND, TO BE SPECIFIC) THANKS TO A READER FOR asking the question! 😉

"Uh, okay." 

I don't know that he realized he said that. It was more like a thought that slipped out without him noticing. We haven't had meatloaf since Mom lived with us.

The next day I put together a real-life, old-fashioned, home-made, rib-sticking (can I squeeze more hyphenated words into this sentence?) entrée. It is dead simple, keto-friendly (Yay! Another hyphen!), and satisfying. Meatloaf is a forgiving dish, so play around and get things to suit your taste.

I use Rao’s Marinara Sauce and a Pyrex loaf pan. But, again, work with what you have.

We get about 6 good-sized servings (it’s hyphen-city today …) The approximate per serving nutrition numbers, based on my calculations are: 340 calories; 21g protein; 37g fat; 3g carbohydrate (total, not net 😉)

One of the great things about this protocol is that the food is basic and truly simple to prepare. And the best choices are often the most economical. So, experiment. Jump in. Don’t be afraid. Grab your own cast-iron skillet (or air fryer, grill, or campfire), throw a fatty source of protein in the mix, and enjoy!


Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor, researcher, or Ph.D., but instead, I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths, and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments, and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to affiliate links, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through those links. Thanks!

Keto Meal Idea: Egg Drop Soup

There are many good sources where one can find recipes, videos, and photos of food. This blog is not generally one. “Casey is a lazy cook” is an oft-repeated phrase around our house. And, as a rule, my recommendation is to step away from images of food, to recognize that our lives shouldn’t and needn’t revolve around eating. One of the great benefits of the ketogenic diet (burning fat for fuel rather than sugar) is that one’s appetite is naturally suppressed, freeing us from intrusive thoughts of what we’ll eat next. Food is no longer the boss of us. (Hey, that sounds like a catchy slogan for a shirt.)

But ultimately, we do need to eat. So preparation that is fast and straightforward is key, because, you know, lazy.

This soup fits the bill and is really delicious to boot. The ingredients are whatever you like. A little more of this, a bit less of that. The main idea is warm, tasty broth with eggs dribbled in. I usually add scallions and chicken but change it up depending on what I have on hand.

Give it a try!

Here's a quick and easy meal in a bowl. Add or leave out ingredients that you prefer. Basically, this is eggs dribbled in to warm broth. Let the experimenting begin! For more information on the ketogenic diet, see below.


Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor, researcher or PhD but rather a I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all.  I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to affiliate links, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through those links. Thanks!







A Few Keto Meal Ideas

These are a few examples of the meals we enjoy around our house. You’ll notice there’s more the same about them than there is different. Namely, cast iron skillet, lovely types of protein and their attendant fat - or some bacon thrown in if the protein is on the lean side (beef liver, I’m looking at you) - and maybe a handful of vegetables. One skillet. Fast, simple, nutritious.

Here’s a short video describing the various dishes.

Here are a few examples of the #ketomeals we enjoy. You can see that the #ketogenic diet is far from restrictive. A skillet and some imagination is all it takes! Enjoy! For more information on the ketogenic diet, see below.

Our Week in Food (3.26.2017)

Here's our week, food-wise. You'll see liver (deep fried in bacon fat), egg drop soup, shrimp & broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, bok chop, cream cheese pancakes and lots of ribeyes. Even homemade cheese crisps. The one shot of a large bowl of homemade bone broth is a teaser for an upcoming 'how to' video on making your own. Spoiler alert: You let bones simmer for a couple of days. Done. :)

All this food is keto friendly, easy to prepare and really satisfying. Don't let anyone tell you this diet is about deprivation 'cause, well, it's not! 

Disclaimer: I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all.  I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links. Thanks!

 

Keto Super Bowl Wings

Sports, Friends, Food & Drink. But No Carbs

Apparently there's some kind of sporting event happening on Sunday. Is that correct? Some kind of team thing where people gather round the tube as an excuse to have delicious food? Yeh?

Well, here's my contribution to that great cultural happening known as Super Bowl Sunday: hot wings.

The way we do them around here is pretty simple. You take un-breaded, frozen chicken wings, put them in a cast iron skillet, pour hot sauce on top. Voilá! Hot wings!

There's really barely more to it than that. Make sure the wings you purchase are indeed zero carb (ours come from Costco - the other great unifier of society) and that the sauce has no hidden sugars. We like Frank's Redhot Sauce. The cast iron skillet isn't mandatory, but it helps. Even better if it's about 50 years old, like ours. 

Here's a short demo of how we roll in the Durango household. BTW, we save the bones in a bag in the freezer to make bone broth. That story will be coming soon.

Here's how we cook hot wings around here. No carbs, lots of heat. Yum! For more information on the ketogenic diet and links to items mentioned in this video, see below.


Disclaimer: I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all.  I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to amazon.com, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through my affiliate links. Thanks!