This week’s meal plan and it’s back to keto

I am either really late with this week’s meal plan, or really early. It’s Monday and I usually publish it on a Saturday! However, since I now tend to shop on a Monday morning – when the supermarkets are quietest – it seemed to make sense to start my plan on a Monday too. 

I have written over the last few weeks about giving up low carb/keto and just avoiding sugar and wheat for a bit. The plan was to see if I could get the same health benefits without the inconvenience of fitting a keto diet into my life, especially as Mr S doesn’t want to eat high fat, low carb. The answer, sadly, seems to be no, so it’s back to keto for me.

The health benefits

When I was eating the keto way I just felt so much better. I have mild fibromyalgia, but giving up carbs improved the aches and pains hugely, as well as almost completely getting rid of the crushing tiredness and brain fog I often experience.

It also pretty much cures the IBS symptoms that seem to go alongside fibromyalgia. 

I am also conscious that, even when you do it on a budget, eating a keto-friendly diet is generally more expensive. In an idea world I would be pretty much vegan, but that diet doesn’t suit my body at all! I tried it and was bloated and tired all the time.

However, now that I can get to Aldi again, the food bill has dropped considerably. Now is the time to get back to keto, and this week’s meal plan reflects this.

I do have some vegetables that aren’t particularly low carb that need eating, so will incorporate those this week, because I don’t like wasting food!

Last time I followed keto, I didn’t bother tracking my intake of carbs, etc. This time I thought I would, so have installed a free app called Carb Manager. This will be interesting!

This week’s meal plan

Monday

I found some sea bass reduced in Aldi, so that will be tonight’s dinner, cooked in a little butter with some broccoli and carrots.

Tuesday 

There were also some pork chops reduced by 30%, so I have kept half  in the fridge and frozen the rest. I will cook them with garlic and rosemary and have them with a big pile of kale and some frozen peas. I am eating with one of my daughters tonight, so she can have mashed potatoes with hers.

Wednesday

More fish tonight, as we already had salmon in the freezer. I will serve this with a creamy lemon sauce and some strips of courgette from the garden, cooked with garlic butter. Mr S can have a baked sweet potato with his.

Thursday

This is a recipe I have made before and it’s delicious – Cajun stuffed chicken. Even though chicken breast is a low fat meat, the addition of cheese adds fat as well as flavour. 

I will have broccoli with this and some grilled tomatoes, both tossed in olive oil.

Friday

Something nice and easy for the end of the working week – a big green salad with halloumi, chopped peppers, olives and maybe a bit of grated carrot if there is some to use up.

Saturday

Steak – on offer in Aldi – with courgette fritters, broccoli and chips for Mr S. We don’t often push the boat out and buy steak, so this is a treat.

Sunday

Cheesy pork chops tonight. Something like this, but without the onions. I might put some Dijon mustard in alongside the mayonnaise. Roast spuds for Mr S, but I will just have kale and whatever other veg there is in the fridge.

I do find keto-friendly cooking very straightforward. Most of these dishes can be knocked up very quickly.

Other food

I tend to eat a lot of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and avocados when I am on a keto regime, either for breakfast or lunch.

I’m not someone who can happily scoff a dinner type meal for breakfast though, as some people seem to do when they are eating low carb. Full fat Greek yogurt with berries is also good for breakfast, dessert or just as a snack.

For other snacks, I bought a lot of different types of nuts in Aldi. They didn’t have any pork scratchings, though, which are another staple for me. 

I have some very dark, 80% cocoa chocolate bars for when I need something sweet, or might make some 90 second mug cakes. There are various recipes online and they all work well with a bit of cream and some berries on top!

Just recently I have got back into the white wine habit. This isn’t low carb and I swear it makes me more achy when I drink wine regularly. It’s a tricky habit for me to break, as I love a nice cold chardonnay! A gin and slimline tonic with lots of ice should be a good substitute.

I do have some occasions coming up now that lock down is easing a bit that will challenge my keto way of eating. We have a big family birthday gathering that had to be put on hold. I have time to plan for that, and will take plenty of things I can eat.

So, that’s this week’s meal plan. I will let you know how it goes with the keto. It is worth persevering with this I think. It does mean being organised, so I will attempt to continue to plan ahead!

What are you eating this week?

I am joining in with Katy Kicker’s meal planning linky. Check out her meal plan this week too. You can see more of my favourite food ideas and recipes here.