Sticking to a Lazy Keto, Strict Keto or even Dirty Keto diet is much easier when you have essential ingredients on hand to use during meal times. There’s nothing worse than deciding to make something and then realizing that you are missing things. This just leaves the door open to returning to old habits.
I am a true believer in being prepared. The small amount of time it takes to do a little prep work on the front end saves me tons of time, energy and aggravation on the back end. With that in mind here are some of the items that I ALWAYS keep on hand in my Lazy Keto kitchen.
Eggs
EGGS:
You can’t go wrong with keeping a dozen or two or even more eggs on hand. They can be used in so many ways. Eat them as they are in an omlet, quiche, scrambled, poached, hard boiled and more. They can be used in an amazing range of recipes from meatloaf to keto cheese based bread (like these keto bagels) to muffins, desserts such as egg custard and so much more!
CREAM CHEESE:
Similar to eggs….you can’t go wrong with keeping a block of cream cheese on hand. It also finds its way into just about every type of dish you can make….keto bread, main dishes, soups, desserts and more.
CHEESE:
I always keep a variety of cheese on hand. Sliced cheese, blocks of cheese, shredded cheese, crumbled cheese and cheese sticks. Sprinkle some cheese on your salad, top a burger with a slice, wrap some sandwich meat around a cheese stick or add a bit to your favorite soup. There’s just an amazing number of things you can do with cheese. Shredded and crumbled cheeses freeze great and I stock up whenever there’s a sale.
Salad Greens
Salad greens (mixed greens, spinach, romaine, arugula, etc) and bagged coleslaw mix:
Salad greens can be used as a base for a filling salad, it can help bulk up your favorite low carb rollup sandwich and it can even be added to hot entrees and soups. Not only do they taste great, add lots of fiber and other nutrients to your diet but they provide that crisp crunch to meals. While gooey cheese is delicious there are just some days that I enjoy the crisp texture that salad greens add to a meal.
Frozen Vegetables
Frozen vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli and more):
I use fresh veggies in my salads but frozen in most other things. Not only do they provide a great value (16oz of frozen sliced tri color peppers are $2.50 and go on sale for $1.50 per bag in my local store, fresh are $1.50 to $2 EACH!) but they can quickly find there way into most meals.
Bonus for not having to cut and chop a single thing before using them!
Cauliflower plays a big role in my meal plan each week – Hello faux mashed potatoes!
But lets not forget broccoli florets, chopped spinach, peppers, mixed veggies, zucchini and more. There are also several varieties of premade veggie noodles and riced cauliflower that I now see in the frozen food section. These make sticking with Lazy Keto even easier.
Chicken
Chicken:
I keep chicken of every variety on hand. Watch for the sales and fill your freezer. You will not be sorry.
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Grill it
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Bake it
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Saute it
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Toss it in soup
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Throw it in the crockpot
There’s got to be thousands of ways to use chicken on a keto diet.
Beef/Ground Beef
Ground beef:
Yet another item that I watch for sales and then stock up my freezer so there is always some on hand. Brown it and make tacos, grill a burger and top with your favorite toppers. Or, even better, create a burger bowl and load it up!
Bacon
Bacon:
If you’re going to be making burgers than you need some bacon. Actually it adds flavor to so many things.
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Add crumbled bacon to your salad
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Toss it in soup
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Add it to your favorite sandwich
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Serve it with eggs
No Calorie Sweeteners
No calorie sweetener:
I keep Splenda and Swerve on hand not only for my morning coffee but for any low carb/keto baking I might be doing.
Almonds
Almonds:
I keep whole almonds on hand to snack on and ground almonds to use in baking. I buy the ground almond/almond flour in bulk, divide it up into quart freezer bags and store in the freezer. It keeps it fresh for a long time.
If you keep the flavored almonds on hand keep an eye on the carbs. Some of the more sweeter ones, such as the chocolate or cocoa coated variety, have sugar in the coating so they are higher in carbs than you would expect.
Coconut Milk:
Coconut milk can be added to soups, drinks or used main and dessert dishes. It adds a creamy taste and texture to your cooking. I use it in place of milk in lots of recipes.
Heavy cream or half and half:
Just like coconut milk it can be used in making main dishes, creamy soups, desserts, drinks and more.
Keep these 12 items on hand and your keto meal making will be so much easier.
Looking for some fast and easy lazy keto recipes?
These check out some of these:
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8 Fast and Easy Keto Breakfast Ideas
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12 Keto Freezer Meals You’ll Want To Make
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9 Lazy Keto Meals That Save You Time
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12 Keto Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
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Keto Chaffle Round Up
If you are looking for other low-carb/keto recipe ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of low-carb/keto recipes!
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