Do you want to start the keto diet but are not sure how you are going to handle dinner time with picky family members? Or, maybe you are the picky one! This guide will help you prepare dinner meals the whole family will love.
Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
I think the biggest hangup with modern meals is that we are conditioned to believe meals should contain breads, pasta, and starchy carbs to be complete.
But these foods are nothing but filler foods that lack nutrients.
It really is best to remove them from the daily diet and provide your family members with hearty and filling meals that are full of nutrition and not empty calories.
If you think about it, we cover all of these starchy foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread with flavorful sauces, fats, and meats. If you eat them plain, they really aren’t that delicious!
HATE TO COOK OR HAVE NO TIME?
So I’m going to be mean here and tell you that you really need to learn to love to cook a little if you want to be successful. Convenience foods are filled with salt, bad fats, and carbs. This is why it is so hard to lose weight!
If you are short on time during the week, then you can set aside some time on the weekend to prep some meals ahead. All of these will keep in the fridge for the week.
I have a list of some of our favorite family dinners below
But be sure to check out my entire list of keto dinner recipes because most are family friendly!
DINNERS THAT ARE NUTRITIOUS AND FILLING
I love lasagna, and what are the most filling and nutritious components of lasagna? The meat and cheese! The pasta is just there as an unnecessary layer. This lasagna recipe is cooked in the air fryer as written, but there are also oven instructions.
Chinese takeout is so convenient, but this recipe for sweet and sour chicken can be made in the time it takes to order your takeout. It is so easy and picky eater friendly. I like to serve mine with cauliflower rice but if you don’t like cauliflower rice, you could eat it by itself.
If your family likes green beans, you could serve this with garlic green beans or stir fried baby bok choy is delicious!
My recipe for keto shrimp and grits is out of this world. My picky family love it! The grits are made of cauliflower but the cheese masks the cauliflower taste and no one will ever know.
This recipe for Keto Sloppy Joes is one of my families favorites so we make it regularly. If your kids are totally against any vegetable, you could leave out the red bell pepper. I like to serve this recipe with my 90 second microwave bread made in a ramekin so it looks like a hamburger bun.
Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are perfect for families if you like things a little spicy. This is another super easy recipe and really, most people wouldn’t even realize it’s keto. Some side dish suggestions would be mashed cauliflower (would you be opposed to adding one potato to the mix? This really gives it that potato flavor your family may be used to.) You could also see if they would like cauliflower Mac and cheese.
Air Fryer chicken tenders are breaded in pork rinds instead of panko. They are so flavorful! I love to use this “breading” for pork chops and chicken nuggets as well. The are great dipped in a sugar free BBQ sauce (I love G. Hughes brand) and you can serve them with jicama fries.
Do you have a pizza night? I love fathead pizza crust and you can top it with your favorite pizza toppings. I actually like this pizza crust better than traditional flour crust and my kids love it too!
My Keto Teriyaki Chicken recipe is another takeout favorite in our house. You can serve this one with the same sides as the above sweet and sour chicken, or maybe see if your family will try cauliflower fried rice.
My recipe for ground beef stroganoff is so delicious and easy! It is perfect for picky family members and I like to serve it with cauliflower rice sautéed in a hot skillet with butter. The rice gets browned and flavorful!
For a quicker keto pizza option, I like to make my meat lovers pizza casserole for my family. It is filled with sausage, ground beef, pepperoni, and of course, cheese.
Will your family eat taco salad? I like to use cheese chips as the crunch element on top of my keto chicken taco salad. You could also use the seasoning in this recipe to make a ground beef version. Taco Tuesday still lives!
How about some seafood? Creamy lemon garlic salmon is perfectly cooked salmon filets in a lemon garlic cream sauce. I like to make burnt broccoli as a side which is amazing! It is basically broccoli that is cooked until the edges start to burn. I think the more burned the better but not everyone agrees, lol.
Quesadillas are always a hit and you can stuff them with any keto friendly ingredient you like. I like to use any of the carb smart tortillas that are found in the grocery store. I wouldn’t make these regularly as the tortillas are not the best option, but occasionally is fine.
Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup? I use my 90 second bread to make a grilled cheese sandwich, or you could use this bread recipe for a whole loaf. For the tomato soup, I like to mix a 24 ounce jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce with 1 cup of heavy cream.
My family loves steak tips (or any steak for that matter) and they are perfect served with mashed cauliflower and salad.
Our absoulute favorite family meal is this keto chicken parmesan. I coat the chicken breast in parmesan cheese and then fry it in a skillet. Top each one with marinara and mozzarella and you have a winner!
Sherry says
I can’t get the tamale pie recipe and I won’t love to try it. Help!!!
Sherry L. says
I think Jennifer Banz has some of the easiest & best recipes online, and I love all of her YouTube videos. I’ve only bought 1 cookbook on line & was very disappointed. I think I may check out buying herd!
jenniferbanz says
Thank you Sherry!