A practical keto recipe resource I now use as the foundation for our quick, healthy family dinners.
My husband and I lead busy lives and until recently we rarely shared a weeknight keto dinner. This summer we decided to prioritize family meals at the table each evening. The challenge was finding simple, satisfying keto dinners that our whole family would enjoy.
I quickly ran out of fresh keto dinner ideas. After trying several approaches, I discovered Ricardo Cuisine, a recipe site full of straightforward family dishes. Many recipes include dairy or higher-carb ingredients, but most can be adapted easily to fit a whole-food, ketogenic approach. Their recipes use simple ingredients, clear instructions, and many can be ready in about 30 minutes. With a few ingredient swaps they become keto-friendly and family-approved.
Rather than inventing a new keto dinner every night, I use Ricardo Cuisine recipes as templates. Swap in full-fat coconut milk for cream where appropriate, replace high-carb vegetables with low-carb alternatives, and adjust sweeteners. These small changes transform a conventional family recipe into a keto meal, saving time and creative energy—while still keeping dinners varied and delicious. (And yes, Kevin does the cleanup—an excellent trade.)
If you struggle like I did to find easy keto dinners that please the whole family, this resource can be a big help. Ricardo offers much more than chicken recipes—there are beef, duck, and game options to explore, too.
From Ricardo’s collection of chicken recipes, here are a few that inspired keto-friendly adaptations I tested and liked:
- Smoked Chicken Burgers – Turn these into a keto meal by serving the patties in large romaine leaves instead of buns. For a lower-carb coleslaw, I used apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar.
- Spiced Chicken Skewers on Avocado Puree – The marinade is flavorful and adaptable. I substituted a teaspoon of xylitol for sugar and replaced sour cream with full-fat coconut milk plus a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for the same tang and creaminess.
- Berbere Spiced Chicken – I swapped potatoes for three bunches of roasted radishes and piled on bold spices. I served it with a generous scoop of avocado mayonnaise over fresh greens for a filling low-carb plate.
- Grilled Chicken with Celery and Coconut Gremolata – I increased the gremolata quantity because the original amount felt too small for four servings. This dish is mostly keto-friendly except for the honey in the sauce; I kept a small amount of honey when I used this recipe on a planned higher-carb night paired with mashed sweet potato as part of an adrenal-supportive keto protocol.
I also contacted the Ricardo team to arrange a special giveaway for readers.
Enter to win
Win a signed copy of the Ricardo Slow Cooker Favorites cookbook. To enter, browse Ricardo’s chicken recipe collection and then come back here to leave a comment naming a recipe that caught your eye.
Giveaway open to Canadian residents only. Giveaway closes September 10, 2015 at 11:59pm EDT. Winner will be randomly drawn and contacted via email. If no response is received within 24 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.
I’m looking forward to seeing which Ricardo recipes interest you and how you adapt them for a keto, low-carb, or family-friendly meal plan. Happy cooking!