Tired of meat, cheese and eggs? 8 keto dinners that aren't
Somewhere around week three, keto turns into the same three foods. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, a burger patty and cheese for lunch, steak for dinner, and string cheese in between. It works, until you're so bored that a sandwich starts to sound like a reasonable trade for a week of progress.
Boredom is one of the quietest reasons people quit keto. It doesn't feel like a craving. It feels like I just can't look at another egg, and then you're ordering takeout.
The fix: put fish and vegetables in the rotation
You don't need a new diet, just a few dinners that don't taste like the last twenty. A simple rule that works: two fish nights and one vegetable night a week. Here's one to start with. It tastes like takeout and it's on the table in about half an hour, marinade included.
The recipe
Sesame Soy Salmon with Cauliflower Rice
4.6g net carbs22 min39g protein459 kcal · serves 4
Per serving, calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless salmon fillets
- 4 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 550 g frozen cauliflower rice (about 4 cups)
Steps
- Whisk the aminos, shallots and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Add the salmon and turn to coat. Marinate in the fridge at least 15 minutes, up to 1 hour.
- Oven to 400°F. Put the salmon on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake 10–12 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork.
- While the salmon cooks, heat the cauliflower rice in a skillet or in the microwave per the package directions.
- Serve the salmon over the cauliflower rice.
Seven more
Grilled Lime Cajun Shrimp
Twenty minutes in the marinade and two minutes a side on the grill. Thread them on skewers so none fall through.
1.9g net carbs30 min24g protein
Salmon with Lemon Dill Sour Cream Sauce
Five-minute sauce, one pan, no side required. Sour cream and lemon cut through the fish.
2.5g net carbs18 min36g protein
Baked Cod with Tomato and Capers
Cod, tomato and capers baked together in one pan. The capers bring the salt, so there's nothing else to season.
4.6g net carbs35 min32g protein
Sole Curry
A quick tomato curry with sole poached in it. It's a light bowl and done in under 30 minutes.
7.5g net carbs35 min23g protein
Spicy Fish Stew
Load the slow cooker and leave. The fish goes in at the end so it holds together.
6.5g net carbs5 hr 50 min47g protein
Instead of restaurant rice risotto
Creamy Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto
Grated cauliflower cooks down like rice in a creamy mushroom sauce. All the comfort, none of the rice.
6.9g net carbs30 min6g protein
Instead of flour tortilla burritos
Avocado Cauliflower Rice Burritos
Low-carb tortillas stuffed with cauliflower rice, salsa, sour cream and avocado. It eats like a burrito for a lot fewer carbs.
7.5g net carbs18 min8g protein
If you only try one, make the cod. It's one pan, the capers do all the seasoning, and it works with whatever white fish is on sale.
The MyKetoCravings app has 36 fish and seafood recipes and 45 vegetarian ones, and you can filter by what's already in your fridge.