Choosing what to eat is one of the most influential health decisions you make each day. Your well-being depends on a balanced diet with plenty of healthy fats, proteins, and essential nutrients.

A nutritional keto diet like the one we use here at ShiftSetGo provides you with optimal nutrition and a clear path to meet your health goals.

But, life is busy, and finding time to create delicious meals morning, noon, and night can be daunting. Lazy keto meals to the rescue! You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to feed yourself well and get all the benefits of a nutritional keto diet. All you need are the right tools, tricks, and shortcuts to make healthy meals fast and easy.

Here are eight phenomenal ways to make lazy keto meals a reality.

Make one meal a day a convenience meal

Yes, fresh, whole foods are essential to a keto diet. But to make keto work for you, it’s ok to lean on convenience meals to keep you on track. One healthy, high-quality convenience meal a day can keep you on track while reducing the burden of food preparation.

Some of our favorites include:

• High Protein Orzo Pasta
• Lentil Curry Soup
• Vanilla Ready-To-Go Drink
• Apple & Cinnamon Oatmeal

Cook once, eat twice

When it comes to lazy keto meals, leftovers are your best friend. Whether you’re cooking for one, or a large family, always double the recipe. Pack up the extras for lunch or freeze in individual portions for a quick meal another day. It’s not rocket science, but it does require you to get in the habit of thinking ahead.

The payoff is not having to cook every single day.

Keep lazy foods on-hand

Making lazy keto meals is easy if you have the right foods in your fridge and pantry. Instead of thinking of each meal as a home-cooked production, relax and know that it’s ok to pull together a variety of easy, inexpensive foods to make a simple, tasty meal.

Here are some good options to keep stocked in your fridge and pantry:

• Rotisserie chicken 
• Canned tuna 
• Pre-chopped vegetables and greens 
• Containers of mixed greens 
• Canned olives 
• Sliced and shredded cheeses 
• Pre-spiralized vegetable noodles 
• Pre-made keto-friendly sauces 
• Nuts and sugar-free nut butter 
• Hard-boiled eggs 

Get the most out of your slow-cooker or Instant Pot^®

It’s no secret that an Instant Pot^Ⓡ or even an old-fashioned slow cooker is your best friend when it comes to lazy meals.

A lot of us have more energy first thing in the morning. This is the time to be doing the work for lunch and dinner. Throw ingredients into your slow cooker early in the day and enjoy a lazy evening with no food prep required. An Instant Pot^Ⓡ can come in handy when you’re short on time and just want to toss some ingredients in, set it, and forget it.

Foods like chili, large cuts of meat, casseroles, and meatballs are great choices for these cooking methods.

Meal prep one day a week

Ok, this is not the laziest of tips, but it’s a great way to consolidate your effort and make lazy keto meals possible on all the other days of the week. Pick one day—usually a weekend—and spend an hour or two prepping whole foods into quick, easy meal ingredients. Some ideas include:

• Baking, sautéing, or pressure-cooking meats for easy meal add-ins. 
• Chopping and portioning keto-friendly vegetables for meals and snacks. 
• Roasting a large tray of broccoli and cauliflower (or your favorite veggies). 
• Making a big pot of soup or chili. 
• Whipping up keto sauces or dressings for salads and dinners. 
• Hard boiling eggs. 
• Making an egg casserole or keto pancakes for quick breakfasts.

Invest in a set of meal containers

Whatever you can do to make lazy keto meals possible will benefit you in the long run. Even something as simple as having the right containers around to prep, store, and transport your food can make a difference.

Get yourself a set of meal-sized storage containers—enough for a whole week. Bonus points if you find some that are colorful, fun, and make you want to fill and eat from them. We like these:

• Reusable Bento Lunch Boxes
• Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers
• Glass Meal Prep Containers With Lids
• Goodful Stackable Lunch Box

Create a meal plan

You’ve probably heard the saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Nowhere is it truer than in your kitchen. Without a clear plan, you create a situation where figuring out what to eat is a daily, time-consuming task. That is the opposite of lazy keto meals.

Making a plan at the beginning of the week will save you time, money, and effort. It also allows you to plan for when you will be lazy! Put super easy meals on the calendar and set yourself up for success.

Working with a weight loss coach can help if you’re new to meal planning. They know all the tools and tricks that make meal planning easy and sustainable.

Have the right tools

Lazy keto meals are easier with lazy keto tools. This doesn’t mean you need to invest a lot of money in ultra-fancy equipment. But many keto recipes utilize a few unique tools that can simplify your life. Check at a thrift store or talk to your friends to see if they have these gadgets and aren’t using them. They also make great gifts, so put them on your wish list!

• Vegetable spiralizer
• Immersion blender
• Food scale
• Large cast-iron skillet
• Meat thermometer

Become A Better Lazy Keto Cook

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a full-time job. A little planning means you can work smarter, not harder, while still enjoying delicious food and your free time.

It’s ok to have lazy days. In fact, you should plan on it.