Keto On A Budget – Grocery Shopping List and Meal Planning Ideas with recipes and tips for cheap low carb meals for the whole family or for one.
Keto On A Budget
When you first think of the Keto Diet, you probably think of steak and expensive ingredients. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. In this post you’ll find tons of inspiration to show you it’s possible to follow Keto on a budget, without spending a lot of money.
My first piece of advice is to keep your ketogenic diet meals simple. You don’t need to try and recreate every single old carby favorite with expensive ingredients and substitutes.
Start by shopping at somewhere like ALDI, where you’ll find all your staples on a budget and just keep it simple with keto-friendly foods to combine together in cheap keto meals that will help you achieve your health and weight loss goals.
Keto On A Budget Tips
When you’re wanting to stick to a tight budget, the first tip is to cook fresh produce and whole foods that are in season, which tend to be more economically friendly and in abundance.
For example, when Brussels Sprouts were in season recently and only 49 cents a bag, I made brussels sprouts breakfast hash, gratin, soup and more to take advantage of the bargain produce.
Get to know when your local grocery store reduces produce, mine often reduce items at around 10am and then 3pm and then just before closing.
So, if I’m in the area I try and do my shopping around those times and often find a good deal such as produce reduced by 50% or more because it needs to be used in the next day or so.
For example, in the above pictured haul, I found produce reduced to as low as 5 cents. (Ridiculous I know!) All because it needed to be used that day. So, I threw a lot of it into a soup (like this one) which lasted the better part of a week and cost barely a Euro!
Next in my money-saving tips is an easy way to make your low carb diet foods last longer. Simply raid your fridge at regular intervals and use all nearing their best keto foods in a big soup or stew to reduce food waste and help you put off that next grocery shop by a day or two.
Keto Budget Shopping List
Regardless of the season, here are some budget friendly items to include on your Cheap Keto Grocery List.
- Ground Beef Mince – for example in homemade bunless burgers or egg roll in a bowl (get the recipe here)
- Sausages (read carefully for carbs)
- Cheaper cuts of meat such as slow cooking stewing meat
- Whole Chicken – to roast and then enjoy as leftovers for days
- Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Wings or Chicken Thighs – to enjoy in my best ever chicken bake, paprika chicken bake, oven baked chicken thighs or chicken soup with wings.
- Eggs – to enjoy for breakfast fried, scrambled, in an omelette or poached
- Cabbage – budget friendly and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways on Keto
- Whole lettuce or cabbage – to use in soups, stews or even to replace burger buns
- Bulk Dairy – butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, cream cheese and cottage cheese – to bulk up meals with vital healthy fats
- Peanut butter, nut butters, peanuts and seeds such as pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Frozen Produce – frozen vegetables and berries are often cheaper than fresh and mean you’ll always have an option waiting for you in your freezer
Keto Budget Meal Plan
Now that you have a list of foods that are low carb and budget friendly. Here are some ideas for meals to include in your Keto Meal Plan.
Breakfasts – enjoy eggs any way, fried with plenty of olive oil, coconut oil or butter, along with vegetables and you could add cheese or sour cream for extra flavor and healthy fats.
Another favorite is to have an easy breakfast casserole. (Here’s the full easy recipe.) Simply fry up mushrooms, onions, broccoli, spinach or any other low carb vegetable.
You could also fry up some bacon, sausage or other breakfast meat. Then pop it all into a casserole dish, top with whisked eggs, cream and cheese and then bake until done to your liking. You could even prepare the casserole the night before and have it ready and waiting to go into the oven in the morning.
Remember that breakfast doesn’t have to equal breakfast foods. You can just as easily enjoy last night’s leftovers for this morning’s breakfast.
Lunch and Dinner – I personally intermittent fast (read more about intermittent fasting) so have a second meal of the day which is usually a combination of lunch and dinner. Here are some ideas for meals.
Roast Chicken
Roast a chicken following your go to method and then not only will you have a budget friendly meal, but you’ll also have leftovers for days.
My favorite meal with leftover roast chicken is to cook up some mushrooms, heat a portion of leftover roast chicken and then add a generous portion of cream. Let it bubble away for a few minutes and you have an irresistible Creamy Chicken and Mushroom dish. You could also cook cauliflower rice or green beans for a quick keto lifestyle friendly meal that’s low in net carbs.
Another great way to use up leftovers is in a chicken salad or heat up the chicken with some mushrooms or other vegetables in an omelette for breakfast.
Keto Ground Beef Mince Meals
We often enjoy beef mince in a variety of recipes. Here are some of the best ways to enjoy low-carb meals with beef mince:
- Bunless Burgers – shape the beef mince into burgers, add your seasoning of choice and cook until done to your liking. Serve in lettuce cups instead of burger buns and enjoy with your favourite burger toppings. Mine is usually loads of cheese and mayo or sour cream.
- Cheesy Bolognese – cook bolognaise using the lowest carb tomato pasta sauce you can find. Serve in a bowl topped with heaps of grated cheese. (As pictured above.)
- Egg Roll In A Bowl – enjoy beef mince with cabbage, tamari and sesame oil. The ultimate budget friendly comfort dish. (Click here for the recipe.)
Sausage & Cabbage
This is an extremely cheap low carb meal made with simple ingredients. Find the lowest carb sausages you can and cook, together with sliced cabbage, garlic and onions.
You can serve with sauce such as tomato sauce or sour cream and also enjoy with a handful of grated cheese too.
As you can see, there are loads of ways to enjoy Keto on a budget, it’s not only doable but you can enjoy tasty meals that are low in grams of carbs too.
** Edited to add – I regularly update this post as I come across more Keto On A Budget Strategies. So, be sure to pin, bookmark and save to come back to for more low carb on a budget tips.
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Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
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