Desi Vegetarian Keto Meals

January 15, 2020

This is by far the most requested post from me since I started doing ‘Keto Sprints’ over a year and a half ago. I am hoping that this will be the start of an ongoing share that I put together to help you achieve your weight loss goals as I have for the first time in ten years. See my initial results here.

Although I am not a vegetarian, I have been asked time and time again for a menu that will work for vegetarians. Although it was not easy, I have compiled these meal ideas for you.

Before we get into what you can eat, let’s talk about Keto.

What is the Keto Diet?

“Ketogenic” is a term for a low-carb diet (like the Atkins diet). The idea is for you to get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates. You cut back most on the carbs that are easy to digest, like sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread. So although it may feel odd at first to be eating so many fats, there is science behind this.

When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day, your body eventually runs out of fuel (blood sugar) it can use quickly. This typically takes 3 to 4 days. Then you’ll start to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight. This is called ketosis. It’s important to note that the ketogenic diet is a short term diet that’s focuses on weight loss rather than the pursuit of health benefits.

— Source: WebMD

You will love the burst of energy you feel when depriving your body of sugar. Carbs are addicting and without them you will feel the difference in your appetite as well as mood.

Carb Counts for Traditional Indian Foods Can be Found Here

Things to Remember

-Magic numbers: 35-50 g Carbs Daily, Protein 20% daily diet intake , Fats 75% daily diet intake, you need a LOT of fat in your diet when you eliminate carbs therefore cheese and avocados are now your best friends.

-Count NET CARBS (Carbs MINUS grams of Fiber for Net Carbs)

-You can actually eat anything on Keto (cookies/pizza etc.) just watch your numbers and when you are out of carbs, make a different choice. I definitely eat things like pizza from time to time, but I consider those numbers in my daily count. With pizza I sometimes just eat the cheese – its actually really satisfying not eating the WHOLE piece.

-Fats are your friend, eat butter/avocados/pistachios/almonds liberally.

-Limit fruit intake. Bananas have 12-15 carbs, grapes are approximately 1 carb each! Stick to berries in ¼ cup portions.

-Total Carbs per day should stay under 35-50 grams TOTAL, it is important to keep count, if you don’t know, google it. Here is an incredibly helpful link with carbs for ALL INDIAN foods.

Some of My Favorite Low Carb Finds

What to Expect

If you are doing this right, after about day three you should not feel hungry. The combination of protein and fat in your diet should keep your satiated.

After Three Days: Check to see if you are in ketosis, I use these sticks.

After One Week: You should start seeing some weight loss.

After Two Weeks: You will see a difference in your body.

I hope you found this post to be helpful. The Keto Diet has changed my ability to manage my weight and my outlook on food completely. If you would like to see more meal options, drop me a comment and I will start working on a follow up.

Your Chick,

Rina

5 Reasons Why NOW is the Right Time For You To Buy An Instant Pot

I love to cook, and even more so after I had kids. I wanted to be the super mom that made fresh home cooked meals for her kids. Let’s be real though cooking is – messy and time consuming. The easy way out sometimes is to pull something out of the freezer. BUT buying an instant pot was life changing.

I bought the instant pot last summer only because it was on sale. I had no clue how to use it and frankly speaking it sat in the box for 4 months because its intimidating! I would look at it and say to myself, “that thing looks way too confusing, and I don’t have time to figure it out.”I was so wrong. It is the most convenient and efficient cooker I have EVER used.

Time

It has saved me so much time (like tons). Once the meal is in there and you have set the time – you can walk away. The meal then cooks and switches to keeping the food warm or turns off depending on what you have chosen. The instant pot cooks 70% faster than a slow cooker. If you’re Indian and are comparing it to our mom’s Indian pressure cookers: IT IS 100% safer (those things are crazy).

6 Quart Instant Pot (My Recommendation) | Instant Pot Cookbook | Accessories for Steaming

Nutrients

The instant pot cooks with high heat which comes in handy in thoroughly cooking your food. The temperature is between 239 degrees F to 244 degrees F, it kills toxins that slow cookers may miss. In addition, vegetables and other foods will maintain their nutrients by being cooked at higher temps.

Scent Free Cooking

I like to make Indian food, and Indian food aroma can spread throughout the house. My dear husband would walk into the home and be bombarded with the smell of onions and masala. I’ve switched a lot of my Indian meals to instant pot meals. Not only has it saved me time, but my house doesn’t smell like a restaurant anymore!

Neat and Clean

Using the instant pot reduces the amount time you will spend cleaning your kitchen. There is only one pot to clean in the Instant pot. No stove messes at all. The is a WIN WIN in my book. I dread kitchen clean ups.

Healthier Meals

Whatever your work schedule consists of I promise the instant pot is going to make your life easier. It’s so easy for everyone to use. With a little bit of planning, you can have your instant pot meal all ready for you the moment you walk in the door. So you can have “fast food” that is far more healthier. The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Cookbook was a great buy for me to get started. I’ve been able to keep things ready and my husband will come home and just dump it in the instant pot and start the IP.

I initially had bought a 3qt instant pot but real quickly realized that the 6qt was way more handy dandy plus had more functions.. I did a lot of research and bought this one. It is the most efficient for me: Indian food, baby food, snacks, homemade yogurt, and even ghee!

Pro Tip #1: For larger beans like Rajma (Kidney Beans) or Chole (Garbanzo Beans) you will need to up the cook time to 90 minutes instead of the pre-set 30 minutes. Smaller beans will cook just fine with the default setting.

Pro Tip #2: For those of you with young children like me, the Instant Pot Duo has a sterilize feature that can be used for baby bottles and breast pumps – such a convenient feature!

Pro Tip #3: Want to make Daal Makhani or Biriyani in your Instant Pot?? Follow us on Pinterest for Indian Instant Pot recipes!

Invest in one- you won’t regret it!