Maybe you're a strict keto'er following the 75-15-5 rule—that's when you get 75% of your calories from fat, 15% from protein, and 5% from carbs—maybe you've hit the maintenance mode and aren't tracking your calories and macros as closely, or maybe your version of keto is living a low carb life, and avoiding those obvious and hidden carbs. No matter what kind of keto'er or low carb person you are, we all have busy days and need easy go-to recipes that won't involve us spending hours in the kitchen after a long day in the office or living life.
So, here are five easy dinners for people living low carb lives, low carb dieters, those lazy keto people, or busy strict keto people. These are quick recipes, and the carb count is based off MFP or FitBit Tracker calculations. Be sure to add them using the ingredients you use to whatever you use to track your calories and macros for more accurate nutritional information.
5 Easy Dinners for Lazy Keto
1. Chicken Caprese
I love how this 2-ish net carb dinner is filling, low carb, quick, and makes you look a little fancy. I don't know about you all, but I definitely feel like I'm still a kid sometimes so this is one dinner that makes me feel like an adult making adult dinners doing adult things. Oh, yes, a Saturday shopping for new duvet covers sounds splendid. Side note: what exactly is the point of a duvet cover?
Anyway, for this dinner for 2, you will need:
Chicken (we use 4 chicken thighs)
1 heirloom tomato
some fresh mozzarella
basil
olive oil (we're not big balsamic people, plus that has some sugar)
Quick and easy instructions:
bake that chicken at 375 for 40 minutes (flip halfway through)
*Tip: you could also pan-fry the chicken, but we were feeling lazy and didn't feel like standing over a pan
Slice the tomato
*Tip: if you want to skin the tomato—first, score (cut an X) on the bottom of the tomato, bring water to a boil and boil the tomato for 1-minute. Immediately cool in or under cold water and then the skin should peel right off.
Slice the mozzarella.
Assemble—I like chicken, then tomato, then cheese, then basil with the olive oil drizzled on top.
We use a wild mushroom and sage olive oil we bought from a local shop. Slice up some avocados for the side, and you have yourself a whole meal. Of course, the avocado will add some extra carbies, but it also adds some delicious, healthy fats. So, dealer's choice.
2. Chicken Nugs and Avocado "Fries"
The me that still feels like a kid, still loves some comforting chicken nuggets. So low carb chicken nuggets are a dream come true. Whoever the first person to realize pork rinds could be used as a breading was, was a genius. Since you'll already be frying might as well bread some avocados—maybe you have some left over from when you made the chicken caprese—and fry those up too.
*Tip: If you don't want to fry in oil, you could use an air fryer if you have one of those. Josh has a whole rant about air fryers basically being convection ovens, but that's a rant for another day, for him to give.
All the carbs for this dinner—which we're talking probably less than 5—come from the avocados, so again be sure to log your food in your tracker for accurate numbers.
For this dinner for 3-4, you will need:
2-3 bags of pork rinds
4 chicken thighs
2-4 eggs
2 avocados
oil for frying
Quick and easy instructions:
Smash the pork rinds into dust and place in a bowl. I use a blender, because, have I mentioned I'm lazy?
Cut the chicken thighs into little nug size chunks.
Slice the avocado.
Whip eggs in a bowl.
Take an avocado slice dip in egg and roll in pork rinds, set aside.
Once oil is heated to 350, fry them up and set them aside.
*Tip: we place a strainer in a bowl and use that to let fried foods drain off any extra oil, but you can also just set on some paper towels/napkins.
Now repeat with the chicken. Dip in egg, roll in pork rinds and fry.
*Tip: Josh prefers the roll method, I prefer the shake method. The shake method is when you put the pork rind breading in a bag, dip the chicken in egg, then shake it in the bag to cover. Who is to say which method is better? His. Probably his.
Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. Just note, that while you could reheat these and enjoy the next day, they won't be crispy. Still good, but not as good.
3. Pan Fried Flounder with Garlic Cauliflower Rice
I love seafood, I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. This recipe could be switched up for multiple kinds of fish. You could have flounder, tuna, salmon, or tilapia ... the possibilities are endless. Well, figuratively. At some point, you'd run out of types of fish. So, really, there are like 24-ish possibilities.
Anyway, assuming you're going with flounder, for this dinner for 2, you will need:
4 flounder fillets (we buy frozen from Wegman's, and they are thin, so you'll want 2 each, trust me)
2-4 tbsp butter (2 tbsp for frying, and 2 tbsp for a lemon pepper butter sauce)
garlic
cauliflower
lime (for garnish)
Quick and easy instructions:
Check out this recipe (both written out and with a video) for instructions on how to make garlic cauliflower rice.
Fish instructions:
Heat a tbsp of neutral oil in a nonstick pan (technically, since it's nonstick you don't have to do this, it's just good insurance for really thin fillets)
Pan fry fish until cooked through (thickness will dictate how long you cook, we aim for internal temperature around ~130 degrees F. We like to live dangerously according to the FDA).
Lemon Butter Sauce instructions:
When you're done frying fish, melt ~4 tbsp of butter and heat until it gets foamy (milk bits start to brown).
Juice a lemon and pour it slowly in the butter (in case it splatters). Salt and pepper to taste. Or in the spirit of lazy keto, instead of all of that, use a tsp of lemon pepper.
4. Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir-fry
Don't let how ugly this dish is, fool you. It is delicious, and one of the more "lazy friendly" options. When we make this meal it comes out to be roughly 3-4 net carbs per serving. We like to make ours a little spicier, so we add extra spices, but remember some spices have tiny carb amounts so be sure to account for all that when tracking your meal.
For this dinner for 2-4, you will need:
1 lbs ground beef (the fattier, the better)
1 bag of shredded cabbage and vegetables (be careful since this will change the number of carbs per serving depending on what type you buy)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup vinegar (we use apple cider)
*optional red wine for cooking - be careful with this though, since it could add upwards of 3 carbs for 2 tablespoons
Quick and easy instructions:
Brown that meat in a large pan or stir-fry pan (then drain off some excess liquid).
Add the bagged veggies and sauté.
Add the vinegar and stir. This is also when you'd add the red cooking wine if you're into that.
Season to your liking. If you're feeling a little spicy you could throw some red pepper flakes in there, or Sichuan seasoning.
Serve, and enjoy. You can also pack some away since this reheats well the next day.
5. Dry Fried Chicken and Leeks
Okay, this dish is one of my favorites and one of our go-to meals. Not sure what we want for dinner? Chicken and leeks. Had a busy day? Making chicken and leeks. Need lunches for the week? Chicken and leeks it is. This recipe is amazing, and I think everyone should know about it.
However, it is one of the more carby options and not as quick as the others. That's why, as much as it breaks my heart, I've bumped it down to number five. This dinner is roughly 10 net carbs, and that's not including the optional fermented black beans. If you include that, you're looking at roughly an additional 2 carbs per serving. It also takes about 45 minutes to prepare and cook. Frying the chicken takes the longest time but subsequent steps in the cooking are very fast.
For this dinner for 4, you will need:
1.5 lbs chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup of a neutral/frying oil
2-3 leeks, white/light green parts only, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp sichuan peppercorn
8 dried chiles
1 tbsp chili bean paste
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Xiaoxing)
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt to taste
*Optional* 1 tbsp of fermented black beans
Quick and easy instructions:
Fry chicken until it's dry and brown.
While chicken fries, grind the sichuan peppercorn and dried chiles to a powder.
When the chicken is brown, there should be some oil in the middle when you make a well in the pan. Put the spices in the well and fry until fragrant (don't mix into the chicken yet) . Add the bean paste and mix in the middle until paste is dissolved. Add soy sauce and chinese cooking wine and mix everything.
When everything is dry and oily, toss in and cook leeks.
This is another dish that pairs nicely over garlic cauliflower rice, but you can also eat it by itself.
BONUS: "Brinner"
Never underestimate the value of breakfast for dinner. Okay, so, who decided what is considered breakfast and dinner food? If you are short on time and craving eggs and bacon, then live your truest life and make a delicious 2 egg omelet with fresh mozzarella—maybe you still have some left over from the chicken caprese—fry up some bacon and some garlic cauliflower rice on the side and enjoy. You're looking at a dinner around 5 net carbs, 350-ish calories, and best of all, filling.