There are a number of keto recipes for beginners out there but before you start, Understand what is ketogenic diet before you proceed for anything.
The ketogenic diet is one of the most effective low-carb diet ever. This diet helps to reduce the number of carbohydrates consumed on a daily basis. When this is done, there is a shortage of carb and the body then uses the stored fat as energy.
Keto diet involves the conversion of fats into fatty acids and ketones which in turn helps in weight loss. The process of converting stored fats and using it as a primary source of energy is known as Ketosis.
The biggest change with the ketogenic diet is, of course, the almost complete removal of carbs from your daily eating routine.
By eating fewer carbs and more fat, your liver begins producing energy molecules known as ketones. Essentially, the body begins using fat as an energy source instead of the energy molecule (ATP).
While this can be a daunting thought to overcome, having an appropriate food list should help you establish the ultimate keto diet lifestyle. As interesting as this may sound, keto diets have both positive and negative effects.
The positive effects include:
- Fast Weight Loss
I know it is hard to believe that you can lose as much as 30 pounds in a month while on this diet. It is absolutely possible if you do it right.
- Increased Energy
- Reduced Cravings and Hunger
Keto diets help to reduce the rate at which you eat and crave such that your body adapts to the new mode of eating. Simply start with curbing off sugar and carbs. You will feel more energetic than ever.
- Beautiful Skin
You are what you eat they say. The skin has a way of letting people know how healthy or unhealthy you have been eating. Keto diets help you to eat healthy, hence a glowy and beautiful skin.
Negative Effects Of Keto Diets:
- Inadequate Sleep
During the first few weeks of switching to a ketogenic diet, you might experience poor sleep. This is because it is a low-carb diet and high sugar and carbs intake help the body to relax thereby enhancing good and restful sleep. For this, there are supplements that can help for as long as it lasts, but it is a short period of time.
Keto meals often lead to a significant loss of water during its early stages. This is because carbs convert to glycogen in your body, which stores in water within the muscles and liver. Your body disposes of water as you reduce stored glycogen. This is a huge part of the initial weight loss during the first few weeks of ketosis.
Keto Diet Meal Plan
Before you think about going on a keto diet, it is important to have a meal plan. This is important in that when you are on a keto diet, you have a limited choice of foods. Having a plan begins with deciding when and how to start, stocking up your pantry, getting all the necessary things that will be needed on the journey, and above all, a determination is necessary.
Before you can get the desired results on a diet, you have to make up your mind that this is what you want to do because it is easy to fall off! You know how tiring and boring it can get when you have limited food choices to make? To make it easier, imagine what you would look like at the end of your diet plan- toned arms and legs, and an overall fit body.
We know being a beginner at keto diet can be a bit overwhelming. That is why we are here with 8 of the best keto recipes for beginners. These recipes will make your journey through keto a simple and interesting one.
8 Keto Recipes For Beginners That Will Make You Lose Weight
If you’ve recently committed to the ketogenic diet, there are tons of low-carb recipe options that are easy to prepare. We’ve rounded up everything from breakfast items to meat-based entrées and salads to maintain variety in the kitchen while keeping meal prep to a minimum.
1. Keto Baked Fish With Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Half a teaspoon of pepper
- 2 150 grams of white fish fillets
- 1 teaspoon of garlic paste
- A bunch of broccolini
- 100 grams of butter
Directions
- Prepare a baking dish by lining it with baking paper and preheat oven to 22o degrees Celcius.
- Grate the lemon rind finely and cut half of it into bits.
- Season the fish with salt and pepper and lightly drizzle olive oil and half of the lemon rind over it.
- Transfer into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
- Steam the broccolini until tender, drain excess water and set aside to dry.
- Now melt the butter in a frying pan set over medium heat for 4 minutes and add the lemon rind.
- Also, add garlic and cook for a minute. Add in the lemon bits and steamed broccolini.
- Serve with broccolini and lemon sauce with cauliflower mash.
2. Garlicky Lemon Mahi Mahi
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of butter- divided into parts
- 3 cloves of garlic- minced
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- One tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley. You can keep more on the side to garnish.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 4 4-oz of mahi-mahi fillets
Directions
- Melt a tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the mahi-mahi and season it with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until it turns golden. Remove from heat and transfer onto a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet and add the minced garlic.
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the parsley.
- Place the mahi-mahi fillets into the skillet and stir with the sauce.
- You can garnish with more parsley, serve and enjoy.
3. Salmon Meatballs With Dijon-Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground wild caught salmon
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon of organic coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
- One large organic or pasture-raised egg
For the Lemon Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of butter, or coconut oil
- 4 cloves of garlic- minced
- 2 cups of coconut cream or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 1 medium lemon- zested and juiced
- 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped chives
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and in a small skillet over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in butter until soft. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients for the meatball with cooked onion mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Mold into meatballs and bake in a silicone muffin pan for about 25 minutes or until cooked as preferred.
- Make your meatballs while the meatballs are baking by sauteing garlic in butter in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add dijon mustard and lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
- Now whisk in the heavy cream and leave to simmer until thickened to preference while stirring occasionally.
- Remove the cooked meatballs from the oven and place into the sauce.
- Serve meatballs with cream sauce and garnish with chives.
- Enjoy!
4. Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons of avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 yellow onion- thinly sliced
- 4 pork chops
- Zest of one orange- grated
- 1 apple- halved, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 head of purple cabbage- cored and finely shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinaigrette
- Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Directions
For the Balsamic-Braised Cabbage
- Heat the avocado oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add onions and a pinch of salt.
- Saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Now add the honey and cook some more.
- Add in the apple slices and the Balsamic Vinaigrette and increase the heat to medium-high. Remember to scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to remove the browned bits.
- Bring the mixture in the pan to a boil and add the hard cider followed by a cup of water.
- Season generously with salt and pepper while the content of the pan comes to another boil.
- Reduce heat immediately to medium-low and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the cabbage into the mixture using tongs, making sure they are well covered.
- Cover the frying pan and cook for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally until the cabbage begins to wilt.
- Remove lid from the pan and cook for an additional 30 minutes until it is tender and most of the liquid is gone.
- Check for seasoning and add if needed. Now remove the pan from heat and stir in the grated orange zest.
- Transfer the cabbage to a warmed bowl and serve immediately.
For the Pork Chops
- Marinate the pork chops in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette for 30 minutes and grill till done.
- Serve and enjoy!
5. Low Carb Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 6 cloves of garlic- minced
- 1 lb of breakfast sausage
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 3 cups of broccoli- cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese- divided
Directions
- Place a greased skillet over medium heat and cook the minced garlic until fragrant.
- Add the sausage and cook for about 10 minutes until brown while crumbling with a spatula.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On the side, blanch veggies in boiling water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Run cold water over to stop the veggies from cooking, drain and pat dry.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, parsley, sea salt, half of the cheddar cheese, heavy cream and black pepper together.
- Grease a casserole dish and arrange the crumbled sausage neatly at the bottom.
- Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and sprinkle the leftover cheddar cheese over it.
- Bake until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted. This should take approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
6. Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of butter- divided into parts
- Juice from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb of medium shrimp- peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons of dry white wine. You can use water instead of this.
- 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves of garlic- minced
- Fresh parsley- chopped to garnish
Directions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt one tablespoon of butter and olive oil.
- Add the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, shrimps and cook for 3 minutes or until shrimps turn pink.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter, white wine, parsley, and lemon juice.
7. Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- A quarter cup of sour cream
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella- divided into parts
- One 14-oz can of artichoke hearts- drained and chopped
- 1 10-oz of packaged frozen spinach- drained, thawed and chopped
- 6 oz of softened cream cheese
- 2 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken
- 4 assorted bell peppers- cut in halves and seeded
- Extra virgin olive oil- to drizzle over
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 2 cloves of garlic- minced
- Fresh parsley- chopped to garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place bell peppers on a large rimmed baking sheet with their cut ide facing up.
- Drizzle olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add spinach, cream cheese, chicken, artichoke hearts, Parmesan, sour cream, mayonnaise, half a cup of mozzarella and garlic.
- Add more salt and pepper to season and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Scoop the chicken mixtures into the peppers and add the remaining mozzarella. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melty and the peppers are well cooked. This should take roughly 25 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
8. Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
- One and a half cup of shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 lb of chopped bacon
- 2 cloves of garlic- minced
- 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lb of butternut squash- peeled and cut into an inch pieces
- Kosher salt
- Fresh parsley- chopped to garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and ad olive oil to a large ovenproof skillet.
- Toss butternut squash in it, add thyme, and garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper then add the chopped the chopped bacon on top.
- Bake in the oven until the squash is tender and the bacon is cooked through. This should take about 25 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and add Parmesan and mozzarella over top.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty.
- Add parsley to garnish and serve warm.
Conclusion
When people first get introduced to the ketogenic diet their main concern is that they will be limited on food options and that simply isn’t true.
What it really comes down to is understanding what you can eat and then get creative with it. In addition to healthy eating such as these keto recipes for beginners, keep in mind that weight loss does not happen overnight, it requires consistency and dedication.
Do you want to lose weight apart from a ketogenic diet? Check it here how to lose weight without any exercise or pill.
References
- www.womenshealthmag.com
- www.dietdoctor.com
- www.delish.com
- www.wholesomeyum.com
- www.primalkitchen.com
- www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com
- www.aussieketoqueen.com
