Most people believe that you’d be eating bland & boring if you went keto. While some foods are clearly irreplaceable there are many other ways to add variety back into your diet. Use the following recipes to kickstart your Keto meal prep. Here are some lip-smacking dishes you could begin with:

Chicken n’ Coconut Curry

Ingredients: 2 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil, 8 chicken thighs/ breasts boneless, diced into 1” cubes, 6 small shallots halved, 4 Zucchini thickly sliced, 1 2 large cloves of garlic finely minced, 1 tablespoon curry powder (cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom ground up), ½ tea spoon red paprika, 2.5 oz thick coconut milk, 2 large tomatoes chopped into large chunks, 2 sprigs coriander/ cilantro and unrefined salt.

Instructions:

1. Pour the oil into a pan and keep it on a low flame for about 2 minutes. Add chicken to the pan and stir until it starts going brown. Move out the chicken into another container while retaining the oil in the pan. 2. Add the shallots, zucchini, garlic, curry powder, paprika and salt. Saute this for 30 seconds.

3. Put the chicken back into the pan, pour coconut milk and bring it to a boil.

4. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Add the tomatoes just 3 minutes before you turn off the gas.

5. Serve this curry in a bowl along with a topping of minced cilantro.

Thai Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce

Time: 30 minutes; Serves 4 people

Ingredients for the satay and marinade: 1 pound skirt steak or flank steak, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 2 tablespoons cold pressed coconut oil.

Ingredients for the peanut sauce: ¼ cup peanut butter, ⅓ cup thick coconut milk, 1-2 teaspoon garlic-chilly sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon red curry paste.

Instructions:

1. Beef Satay: Dice the flank/skirt steak into 1-inch strips making sure that the grain of the meat goes horizontally across the strip. Skewer these strips allowing extra space to handle them while eating. Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce and honey in a vessel making sure to coat all sides of the beef. Sprinkle some coriander on the meat and rub it in. Let this mixture marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the grill and begin with the peanut sauce.

2. Peanut Sauce: In a small microwave-safe bowl, warm the peanut butter just for a few seconds. Add the garlic-chilli sauce, honey and red curry paste. Add the coconut milk to the mixture while mixing them all up with a whisk.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over the beef and coat all surfaces well. Remove the beef from the marinade and place it on the grill for cooking. Make sure to use some foil under the handles of the skewer while cooking it on the grill. Grill both sides of the meat until it’s done.

4. Serve this beef satay with the Peanut Sauce and a herb salad with your favourite Asian dressing.

Chicken Stew in a Crockpot

Time: 2 hours, Serves 4 people

Ingredients: 2 cups chicken stock, 2 large carrots finely chopped, 3 celery sticks, 1 onion diced, 30 ounces chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced into 1” cubes, 4 garlic cloves finely minced, ½ teaspoon each of thyme, rosemary and oregano, 1 handful of fresh spinach, ¼ teaspoon thickener such as psyllium husk or xanthum gum.

Instructions:

1. Pour the chicken stock into a 3-quart crockpot and add the carrots, onions, chicken thighs, rosemary, garlic, thyme and oregano into it. Cook this on low flame for about an hour and a half before checking to see if the chicken is done. If not continue until done.

2. Add the spinach 3 minutes before turning off the gas. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Sprinkle the thickener to achieve consistency of your choice, whisk and cook for another 15 minutes.

Avocado Smoothie

Time: 15 minutes; Serves 2 people

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups thick coconut milk, ½ ripe avocado/butter fruit, 1 tablespoon almond/cashew nut butter, 1 tablespoon chia seeds soaked in about 3 tablespoons of water for 15 minutes, 2 teaspoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil, finely powdered cinnamon for topping and 1 cup water if needed.

Instructions:

1. Add all of the contents except for the cinnamon into a high-speed blender and blend until you get a thick smoothie.

2. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder to taste.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter, ½ onion diced, 6 cups chicken broth, 1 pound chicken pre-cooked, pulled, and chopped, 1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and parsley, 2 big chayote squashes, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot with the flame set to medium heat. Pop the onion and celery into the pan and saute it until the onions become translucent.

2. Pour the chicken broth into the stockpot along with the one cup water, the chicken, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to reach a boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. You could use a spiralizer to grate the chayote into noodles. Once the soup has simmered for about 10 minutes, add your green noodles to the mix. Let them simmer together for about 10 minutes before turning off the flame.

Beef Stir Fry with Napa Cabbage

Instructions for the beef:

Cauliflower is one vegetable that can be used in multiple ways to replace starchy grains in our meals.

Ingredients: One large Cauliflower, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 large onions chopped into one inch sized pieces, 4 cloves garlic minced, ½ cup each of carrot, yellow bell pepper and red bell pepper diced, 4 tablespoons of soya sauce or coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, half pound chinese sausage sliced, ½ cup frozen peas, 3 large eggs, chilli flakes and salt

Instructions:

1. Rinse the cauliflower in brine thoroughly and dry it. Remove all the green sections and cut it into 4 quarters. Use a box grater, with medium sized holes or a food processor with an attached grater to grate the cauliflower. Make sure to grate it into rice-sized bits, and leave out the tough stems behind. Transfer the grated cauliflower onto a paper towel and press it gently to remove any excess moisture. Extra moisture could make your dish turn out soggy.

2. Heat a large pan over a medium flame. Add one tablespoon butter, the onions and the garlic. Saute this mixture for about 2 -3 minutes.

3. Add the rice cauliflower, coconut aminos, sesame oil and chilli flakes into the mixture. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes. Add the Chinese sausage and peas. Stir-fry for another 8 minutes.

4. Now push all the ingredients in the pan to one corner and break the eggs onto the other side. Lightly scramble the eggs and slowly start mixing it with the rest. Add salt to taste and serve it hot.

Cheese Eggplant Rolls

Ingredients: 1 large eggplant approximately 1 pound cut into thin slices lengthwise, 1 ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 egg beaten, ½ cup each of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning,½ cup fresh chopped basil, 2 cups marinara sauce.

Instructions:

1. While you prepare the eggplant, go ahead a preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the eggplants onto a cooling rack over a baking sheet and sprinkle some salt over it. Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes before baking it for 15 minutes. Make sure to bake the eggplants until they are soft and bendable.

2. Let the eggplants take their time cooling down. Meanwhile take a bowl and mix up the rest of the ingredients. Pour 1 cup marinara sauce into another baking dish dish. Place the eggplants into the dish and add 2 tablespoons of the filling onto each slice. Roll up the eggplants placing seam down onto the sauce in the baking dish. Pour the other cup of marinara sauce on the tops of the roll-ups.

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.