Staying on track with the keto diet requires rethinking the way you do lunch. It’s actually not that difficult, but because cooking with fat requires a different set of skills than cooking with carbs does, you’ll have to challenge some of your basic habits when it comes to meal prep. For keto lunch ideas, you can’t default to sandwiches, and ordering in pizza isn’t typically an option.
Photograph courtesy of Tasteaholics, Inc.
What you’ll find, however, is that when you begin cooking intentionally with an eye toward health, not only will your nutrition take a noticeable turn for the better, but you’ll start to experience a much higher premium on taste. Unfortunately, most people settle for a boring, bland, less-than-healthy lunch at work, almost as if it’s something they have to endure rather than enjoy. That isn’t the case with keto-friendly foods.
This lunchtime recipe passed some rigorous tests: It keeps you on your macros, is filled with healthy ingredients, is easy to prepare initially, and is just as simple to enjoy in a restricted work environment.
One of the most important criteria of a successful keto meal is the taste, though. Fat adds a lot of flavor to food, and after just a little bit of adjustment, your taste buds will no longer crave the over-preserved carbs that used to fill your midday meal and you’ll actually prefer the delicious, varied, rich flavor of fat-filled foods.
Also try Steak Tenderloin with Crispy Kale.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large zucchini, cubed
12 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 ounces sliced pepperoni, divided
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish.
Cook the chicken thighs in an oiled skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken with the zucchini, the ricotta cheese, half the pepperoni, the garlic, the salt, and the pepper.
Spread the mixture in the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan, and then top with the remaining pepperoni.
Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Per serving: Calories 631 (From Fat 418); Fat 47g (Saturated 20g); Cholesterol 205mg; Sodium 1,052mg; Carbohydrate 9g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Net Carbohydrate 7g; Protein 44g.
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