Ham & Cheese Frittata

This is such an easy weekend breakfast, and I like to double the recipe because then there are leftovers for the week! Just warm in the microwave or in a covered cast iron pan with a little water and it’s a quick and easy breakfast that is just as delicious the next day. Low- or fat-free ham (without nitrates or other weird ingredients) is a great way to enjoy high-protein pork without the seed oils that are usually present in pork fat.

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs

1/2 C dairy (preferably raw): milk, yogurt, or sour cream

1 C chopped ham

1/2 C shredded cheese, preferably raw (I like the Emmi gruyere from Costco)

1 T butter

Instructions:

Make sure your 12-inch cast iron pan is well seasoned. If it is not, you can warm it and rub it down with some extra butter before cooking. Preheat the oven to 400. Melt the butter in the pan and warm the ham through on medium heat. Beat the eggs in a bowl with some sea salt and stir in the cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top of the warm ham and turn off the heat under the pan. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are just set but not brown on top. Remove from oven just when a knife comes out clean. Invert the pan onto a cutting board so the frittata stops cooking and let it cool a minute before serving.

Ground Beef and Gruyere Zucchini Boats

This is a fun and super easy dinner that my kids love. It’s honestly one of the only ways I can get them to eat zucchini! You could use any cheese, although I’m in love with the Swiss Emmi-brand gruyere from Costco, which is raw and so delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 large zucchinis, washed and ends cut off

2 lbs ground beef (lean for protein-sparing, or 80/20 for weight maintenance)

8 oz Gruyere, shredded

2 t dried italian seasoning

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seedy insides with a spoon, leaving a little on the ends so the ground beef mixture doesn’t leak out during cooking. Combine the ground beef in a bowl with all of the other ingredients except the cheese and zucchinis. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and place all of the zucchini “boats” on the parchment, filling with the beef mixture, and covering with a layer of gruyere. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is brown and the zucchinis can be pierced easily with a fork. Enjoy!

How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Knowing how to cook the perfect steak is imperative to becoming animal-based! I love using cast iron pans for all of my kitchen cooking. Of course, nothing beats a steak on the grill, but if you want to cook your steak inside in cast iron, here is how!

Ingredients:

1 lb of steak for each person (ribeye for weight maintenance OR filet/lean sirloin/tenderloin for a protein-sparing day)

Butter for the pan

Sea salt

Optional: sprig of rosemary or sage

Instructions:

Make sure the steak is fully defrosted. It can be cold from the fridge or first brought to room temperature. Salt liberally with a high quality sea salt like Himalayan or Redmond’s Real salt on both sides. Place the cast iron pan on the burner and turn the heat to HIGH. Let the pan get good and hot for 1 minute, but not smoking. Add a small amount of butter to the pan, to just lightly cover the bottom with melted butter. Place the optional herbs in the butter, if using, and then push them off to the side of the pan. Place the salted steak in the hot pan as soon as the butter is melted but hasn’t yet browned. Turn the heat down to medium-high for a thinner steak (less than an inch), or medium for a thick steak (1.5-2 inches thick). Cook for 3-5 minutes until the bottom is nice and brown and a crust is beginning to form. Flip the steak and continue cooking on the second side and spoon some of the butter and juices from the pan back onto the steak as it cooks. You may need to continue flipping the steak every 3-5 minutes until it is done.

Optional: use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature. I like to pull the steak out of the pan when the temperature is 10 degrees lower than the desired doneness because it will continue to rise about 10 more degrees. Rare is a final temp of 120, medium rare is 130, and medium is about 140. So, for medium rare, I like to cook my steak to about 120 degrees and it will continue to heat to 130 as it rests for 5-10 minutes on the cutting board. Resting also allows the juices to absorb so that they don’t run out when you cut into the steak. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, make a small incision in the middle of the steak in the pan to check for your desired doneness.

Honey Lemon Curd

Frankly, I don’t want to live a life without desserts like lemon curd. This is one of the reasons why I follow an “animal-based” way-of-eating, and not strict carnivore (zero-carb). Also, eating a little honey helps with electrolytes, sleep, and muscle cramping. I think our ancestors ate honey and fruit. This recipe is healthy and divine, although it is fairly high-fat and high-carb if you are protein-sparing. But what a great treat for a refeed day!

Ingredients:

2 eggs and 4 egg yolks

1/4 C honey, preferably raw

2 T butter, cut into small pieces

2 t lemon zest, finely grated

1/2 C lemon juice (about 2-3 large lemons)

dash sea salt

Instructions:

Mince the lemon zest with a food processor or a sharp knife. Cream the butter in the food processor, or use a hand mixer or whisk. Add the zest, honey, lemon juice, salt, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into a small saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly until the curd coats the back of a spoon (just before a simmer) or reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the heat, add the butter pieces, and stir another minute. Pour into small custard cups and refrigerate until cool. Enjoy!

Photo by James Trenda on Unsplash

Swedish Meatballs

These are delicious, extremely healthy, high-protein, and can be made in 15 minutes. Serve with zucchini noodles stirred into the sauce at the end until they are warm, or sourdough pasta if you tolerate it!

Ingredients:

3 pounds lean ground beef

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

3 large zucchinis, spiraled into noodles or thin sliced, or Sourdough spaghetti if you tolerated

1 C milk, preferably raw and skim

2 t sea salt, or to taste

1 egg, beaten

2 t Worcestershire sauce, optional

Instructions:

Combine raw beef, egg, and 1 t salt and form into meatballs. Brown these in a dutch oven or large cast iron pan until the outside is cooked (optional to butter the pan). Add dairy, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce, if using and bring to a simmer. Place a lid on top and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. I like to stir in the zucchini noodles just until warmed through (don’t overcook or the water will come out and make the sauce too watery). Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Beef Casserole

I saw someone post something similar on one of my carnivore groups this week and I immediately thought it was such a good idea! I made it right away and all 3 of my kids ate it up, so I knew it was a success!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 T melted butter

Sea salt

2 pounds ground beef

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 C cream, preferably raw

1 C parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1 C shredded cheese, preferably raw (I like Costco’s raw gruyere)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Rub the melted butter all over the inside and salt liberally. Place inside-down on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes. When they are cool enough, use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” from the squash rinds.

In a sauce pan, warm the raw cream to 120 degrees and stir in the parmesan cheese with a little salt and the lemon zest.

Brown the meat with salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Stir the spaghetti squash, beef, and alfredo cream sauce together in a large bowl and spread in a glass baking dish. Top with the shredded cheese and place under the oven broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is just melted. Serve and enjoy!

Salmon Poke Bowls

These are super easy, delicious, and versatile. Set out little bowls of all of the ingredients, and let your guests or family build their own! Top with tamari and pickled ginger and enjoy!

Ingredients:

Sushi-grade raw salmon, chopped

Julienned or sliced English cucumbers

Shredded carrots

Sliced avocado

Chopped mango

Chopped pineapple

Shredded nori

Wheat-free tamari sauce

Pickled ginger

White rice, if desired

Coconut Thai Curry Chicken

This high-protein meal is perfect for a chilly fall day. It can be modified to be protein-sparing by using light coconut milk. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 T coconut oil or butter

1 can organic coconut milk with no gums - I like Native Forest

1 C bone broth

2 C chopped carrots

1 t fish sauce

1 T wheat-free tamari or Braggs coconut aminos

1 t garlic powder

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced, or 1 t ground ginger

1 t onion powder

1 t ceylon cinnamon

1/2 t turmeric powder (optional)

1 T dried cilantro leaves (not coriander seed)

1 t fish sauce (gluten free)

1 T dried Thai basil

Directions:

Heat a large cast iron pan on medium-high. Add the coconut oil or butter, chicken breast chunks, tamari or aminos, and ginger. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through and onion is soft. Add all other ingredients and stir well. Simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20-25 minutes and serve.

Coconut Curry Shrimp

This is a fun and quick weeknight dinner, super flavorful and colorful. You can use full-fat coconut milk if you’re at your goal weight, or light coconut milk on a weight-loss protein-sparing day. Other kinds of seafood can be substituted for the shrimp, like fish, scallops, clams, or calamari. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Ingredients:

Shrimp:

2 pounds of medium shrimp

1 T coconut oil

dash sea salt

Sauce:

1 can coconut milk, no gums - I like Native Forest

1 T fish sauce

1 T tamari sauce

1 t garlic powder

dash onion powder

2 t minced fresh ginger or 1/2 t ginger powder

1/2 t ceylon cinnamon

1/2 t turmeric, optional

3 T chopped Thai basil, optional

lime slices for serving

Instructions:

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat up the coconut oil a large cast-iron/stainless steel/copper pan on high until hot. Add the shrimp and the dash of sea salt, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, a couple minutes. Pour in the sauce. Stir until hot and well combined, and remove from heat. Add more fish sauce and/or tamari to taste, for saltiness. Sprinkle herbs on top. Serve immediately with limes on the side.

Perfect Boiled Eggs

I’ve recently fallen in love with boiled eggs. They are perfect for protein-sparing days because they don’t need to be cooked with butter or other fat in the pan like with omelets, scrambed eggs, and fried eggs. All you get is the super-healthy fat in the yolk, which is 4.5 grams/egg. And with 6 grams of super high-quality protein each, they are super filling, delicious, and done in minutes! This recipe is choose-your-own-adventure, depending on whether you prefer your yolks runny, medium, or hard! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fresh eggs, soy- and corn-free (how many depends on the size of your pan: not more than will fit in one layer in the bottom of your pan, with some space around them)

Instructions:

1. Boil 3 inches of water in a medium sauce pan, being sure it’s not more than half full so there is room for your eggs after the water boils.

2. Lower fresh cold eggs into the rolling boiling water with a large spoon so they don’t crack on the bottom of the pan. Work quickly so that they don’t start cooking much before you get the timer set. Keep heat on high.

3. Set the timer immediately. Runny yolks = 7 minutes. Medium yolks (my fave) = 8 minutes. Hard yolks = 10 minutes.

4. When the water comes back to a roiling boil, lower the heat to medium, making sure that there are still simmer-bubbles in the water.

5. When the timer goes off, immediately pour out most of the hot water and add cold tap water to fill the sauce pan. Dump that water and fill it again with cold tap water to stop the cooking.

6. Peel, season with sea salt and pepper, and eat warm! Leftovers can be stored in the shell in the fridge for up to one week and eaten cold.

image: Photo by Anton Nazaretian on Unsplash

Salmon Greek Salad

This is one of my favorite salads ever. You can really use any kind of meat or fish you want but I love it with grilled or sauteed salmon. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 large wild-caught salmon fillets, 6-8 oz. each

1 tablespoon grass-fed butter

8 eggs

4 C zucchini noodles (or thin slice)

1/2 C kalamata olives

1/2 C feta cheese

2 C chopped cucumber

1/8 C super high-quality extra virgin olive oil

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 t each dried oregano, parsley, and dill

Optional: a few cherry tomatoes, if you tolerate nightshades (not recommended)

Directions:

Salt the salmon fillets and fry them in a hot buttered cast iron pan for a couple minutes on each side, so they are still rare in the middle. For the soft-boiled eggs, start with boiling a few inches of water in a medium pan until there is a roiling boil. Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a large spoon and immediately set a timer to simmer for 8 minutes. After the timer goes off, pour out the simmering water and fill with cold tap water to stop them from cooking. Peal and quarter the eggs. Plate the zucchini, cucumber, salmon, feta, eggs, and olives. Drizzle the dish with o.o. (olive oil), balsamic, herbs, and sea salt. Yum!

Beef Larb Salad

These are fun, easy, and absolutely delicious. Even my kids will eat them - in fact, they gobble them up! Double or triple the recipe for more than one hungry person.

Beef Larb Salad:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 t sea salt

1 t garlic powder

1 t ginger powder

2 scallions (green onions), sliced, both white and green parts

juice and zest of one large lime

2 T fish sauce

2 T low sodium/ wheat-free tamari OR Braggs liquid aminos

2 T rice vinegar

1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and basil (thai basil or regular)

For serving: julienned English cucumber (skinny cucumber with thin skin, wrapped in plastic).

Directions:

Brown the beef in a cast-iron pan with the ginger, garlic, and sea salt until cooked through. Turn the heat down and stir in the sliced scallions, tamari, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and lime juice and zest, and warm through. Sprinkle some of the herbs on top to serve, and plate the remaining herbs, and cucumber on the side. Serve the beef larb in bowls, topped with cucumbers and herbs, and enjoy!

Chicken Kebabs with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

I grilled these up for some friends last night, and multiple people told me it was the best meal they’d had in months. The kebabs and yogurt sauce can be made in advance, so all you have to do is grill them up and serve!

Kebabs:

4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 40 2-inch chunks

2 sweet potatoes, cut into large slices

4 zucchinis, cut into large chunks

1 pineapple, cut into large chunks

Marinade:

1 Cup sour cream

1 t garlic powder

2 Tablespoons Herb de Provence, dried (or 4 Tablespoons fresh herbs)

zest and juice from 2 lemons

1 Tablespoon sea salt

Yogurt Sauce:

3 Cups Plain Greek yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

1 t garlic powder

salt to taste

1 onion powder

Optional sides:

Mixed Greek olives, pitted

feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour 2/3 of it over the chicken to marinade for 30 minutes. Also soak the wooden kebab sticks in water for 30 minutues so they don’t catch fire on the grill.

The other 1/3 of the marinade can be poured over the “veggies” after the kebabs are prepared. I like to position the potato and chicken toward the middle of the kebab since the middle of the grill is often the hottest and these parts need to cook more.

To prepare the yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk. Serve the yogurt sauce as a dip for the kebabs, with feta cheese and olives sprinkled on top! Enjoy!

Bobotie (Curry Beef Custard)

This is one of my favorite dishes. Its from South Africa and is quite popular there. It’s a unique combination of flavors, but it’s magical how they all come together. It’s also easy enough for a quite and hearty weeknight dinner. Sometimes it is dressed up for weekends or holidays by cooking it in a hollowed-out pumpkin!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef, preferably grass-fed

1 T beef tallow or butter

2 t sea salt

2 T nightshade-free curry powder (2 t ceylon cinnamon, 2 t turmeric, 2 t ground ginger)

2 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

8 eggs

1 can coconut milk or 2 C raw milk

1/4 C raisins

1/4 C chopped apricots

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Optional: 5 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Saute ground beef, tallow or butter, and salt, and break it up until well cooked. Add all spices and turn off the heat. It should be a little too salty at this point, as the custard will absorb the saltiness. Combine eggs and milk/coconut milk with an immersion blender or regular blender until well mixed, and pour it into the beef/spice mixture. Stir well, adding the raisins, apricots, and chopped apple. Lay the bay leaves on top in a decorative pattern. Bake (in a cast iron pan, dutch oven, glass baking dish, or hollowed pumpkin!) in the oven for 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Do not overcook. Serve warm.

Taco Meat for Burrito Bowls

Taco Tuesday! Pile on top of shredded lettuce with your toppings of choice: sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado, cucumber, olives, and lime juice.

Ingredients

Per pound ground beef: (I like to make 1 pound per person and there will likely be leftovers)

1 teaspoon paprika, if tolerated

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, if tolerated

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 - 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Brown the ground beef in a cast iron skillet with a teaspoon of bacon fat per pound of beef. When it’s cooked halfway through, add the seasonings and stir well, breaking up the beef and salting to taste.

Chimichurri

Next to herb garlic butter, this is my favorite topping for steak. I like to double the raw garlic and cayenne if I feel a cold coming on, but then my kids think it’s too spicy and won’t eat it. Although, that just leaves more for me!

Ingredients:

I large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

1 large bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed

juice of one lime

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T finely chopped oregano

dash cayenne

dash cumin

sea salt and pepper

1/2 C melted butter

Directions:

Place all ingredients except olive oil into a food processor. If you don’t have one, an immersion blender works or you can fine chop the herbs and stir in all other ingredients. While machine is running, drizzle in the melted butter in a thin stream to emulsify. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Egg Custard

A super easy and delicious dessert. Can also be made into a pie, using an coconut flour crust and topped with whipped cream.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 C heavy whipping cream, half and half, OR milk

1/3 C raw honey OR 30 drops Nunaturals liquid vanilla stevia

pinch salt

couple dashes of nutmeg, preferably fresh ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients using a whisk or immersion blender. Pour into custard cups placed into a glass baking dish and add warm water to fill the baking dish halfway, this is called a “bain marie” or water bath, and helps the eggs to cook slowly and not scramble. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

🍓 Creamy Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

Light, luscious, and melt-in-your-mouth dreamy.

This might be my all-time favorite dessert. It’s simple, elegant, and deeply satisfying. Gently sweetened with honey or maple, infused with vanilla, and topped with juicy, fresh berries, this gelled milk dessert delivers all the indulgence with none of the heaviness. Think: protein + calcium + collagen support wrapped up in a summer treat. ☀️

Perfect for warm days, easy on digestion, and totally pro-metabolic.

✨ Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 2 cups skimmed raw milk (or any high-quality milk you tolerate)

• 1 packet unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2 ½ tsp)

• 3 Tbsp honey or 5 Tbsp maple syrup

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1 cup fresh berries – raspberries or sliced strawberries are divine

🥄 Directions:

1. Bloom the gelatin: Pour 1 cup of the milk into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let it sit for 3–5 minutes to hydrate.

2. Warm and dissolve: Add honey or maple, vanilla, and salt. Stir gently over medium heat until the mixture is steaming (but not boiling) and the gelatin is fully dissolved.

3. Add cold milk: Remove from heat and stir in the second cup of cold milk to cool the mixture down.

4. Chill and set: Pour into custard cups, ramekins, or wine glasses. Chill in the fridge until set—about 1 to 2 hours.

5. Top and serve: Spoon fresh berries on top right before serving. Optional: drizzle with extra honey for shine and sweetness.

🌿 Tips & Variations:

• Want a creamier version? Swap half the milk for raw cream or use whole milk.

• Add lemon zest or lavender to the milk while heating for an herbal twist.

• This pairs beautifully with herbal tea or a small square of dark chocolate for a dreamy after-dinner moment.

Keto Sushi Handrolls

This is one of my favorite meals. Adding seafood to our diets is essential, and I highly recommend wild caught seafood whenever possible to minimize toxins and maximize nutrients. Seafood has long-chain fats that cannot be found in any other food, including DHA and EPA, and is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B2 (riboflavin), as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Seaweed paper (called nori) is also highly nutritous, containing as much protein as some meat, as well as high levels of iodine, an essential mineral.

Keto Salmon Handrolls:

1 lb wild salmon, seasoned with ground ginger and soy sauce, and sauteed in butter until medium rare

a few ounces of salmon roe (fish eggs), optional

1 package nori (seaweed paper)

1 hothouse cucumber, julienned

1 carrot, grated fine, optional

1 red or yellow bell pepper, julienned

2 ripe avocados, julienned or sliced fine

4 scallions, sliced fine

one jar of pickled ginger

wasabi

tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

Instructions:

Take a nori seaweed wrap and lay a slice of salmon down diagonally, adding your desired julienned vegetables and toppings, and roll up, pinching the bottom and adding roe, tamari, and wasabi to the top. Enjoy, with bites of ginger before and after!

Barbacoa Beef (Instapot)

My family eats this for dinner about once a week, it’s our main staple. I can’t get my kids to eat plain pot roast because they think it’s too boring, but they inhale my Barbacoa Beef on “taco salad night”. Hope your family loves it too! (This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled and makes great leftovers, too.)

Barbacoa Beef (Instapot)

Ingredients:

2 T butter

2 lb beef chuck roast

1 C beef broth

Juice of one lime

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 T tomato paste, optional

1 T chili powder, optional

1/2 t cumin

2 t oregano

1 T sea salt

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

Instructions:

1.     Cut beef into large chunks. Either place on a cookie sheet, salted, under the broiler, flipping once, until brown; or saute in the Instapot with the butter until all sides are browned and then press cancel.

2.     Combine lime juice, vinegar, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a lidded mason jar and shake.

3.     Add the mixture to the Instapot with the browned beef.

4.     Secure the lid on the Instapot, closing the pressure valve. Press the “manual” button and set the timer to 30 minutes. Afterword, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 20 minutes, releasing the pressure valve at this time if it hasn’t released on its own yet. Remove the lid, transfer the beef chunks to a bowl, and shred the barbacoa beef with two large forks, stirring in enough of the remaining liquid/fat so that the beef is saturated and moist.

5.     Serve the barbacoa beef in bowls with various toppings of your choice: shredded lettuce, sliced olives, sour cream and cheese, chopped avocado, lime juice, etc.