That said, anytime you make a “healthy” version of something that’s delicious and high-calorie, you will almost certainly end up sacrificing some flavor. To compensate for that, instead of reducing or removing things (like a traditional dough) that give delicious flavors, we’ve replaced them with something that will produce a delicious flavor all on it’s own. So while these keto-friendly pizza pies will never replace a classic large from your favorite hole-in-the-wall up the road, this will make contest prep a hell-of-a-lot easier. At the end of the day, it’s nice to know that you can diet and prepare for a contest without needing a traditional “cheat meal” or the extra calories that come along with it when you can have a delicious low carb version that will satiate you until the contest is over and you can splurge again!

This is our first pizza-entry and for sure we will try out different versions. If you have any similar low carb or keto pizza recipes you’ve enjoyed, or have an idea on how you would modify this one feel free to leave a comment and tell us about it!

The post Seriously Good Keto Pizza appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

This protein packed keto Christmas recipe is exactly what you need to make it through the holidays.  Chicken can be boring, but we’ve taken it to a whole other level with this twist on the classic muscle meal staple.  We’ve taken a Chicken, which is low in calories and high in overall protein, and packed it full of highly nutritious things like Almonds and Hazelnuts, which are full of good fats, and full of Cranberries which are full of healthy vitamins and provide a great holiday flavor!

The end result is a highly satisfying protein packed flavor bomb that will leave you full for hours!

BULKING TIPS

If you are bulking, need, or want to add calories to this amazing Christmas keto chicken dinner, you can mix the stuffing ingredients with cream cheese.  This will change the flavor profile somewhat, but the cream cheese will be full of great calories (protein and fats) while also positively complimenting the flavors that are already present.  I would add 4 ounces and fully mix it with the stuffing, and you can easily add a few 100 calories.  You can add more or less to taste and depending on your own personal nutritional requirements.

CUTTING TIPS

If you want to still enjoy this dish and cut some calories, there are some ways you can do it, but it will lessen the flavor.  You could start by halving the amount of almonds and hazelnuts and cranberries that go into the stuffings.  This will save you significant calories in the fat and carb department.  If you needed to go lower, you sacrifice losing a bit of protein by switching from Chicken bone broth, to a regular Chicken broth, and while you will lose some calories in the process, you will maintain your flavor.

The post Christmas Stuffed Chicken Legs appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

One of the toughest things to deal with at Thanksgiving and Christmas is the trays of sweets: puddings, cookies, fudges, the list goes on.  For someone on a low-carb diet, or someone looking for keto-friendly Thanksgiving side dishes or keto-friendly Christmas desserts, having something to cure your sweet-tooth when the desserts start being passed around will be critical to surviving your diet over the holiday season.

This Keto Holiday Pumpkin Mousse is the answer to your sweet-tooth prayers, and also gives you a chance to savor the flavors of a fall Holiday classic: Pumpkin.  With hints of chocolate, this low-carb mousse can almost feel too decadent, but trust us — we ran the numbers, have tested many batches, and works out!

Bulking Tips

Your bulking, why are you eating keto foods?

Cutting Tips

Want to cut extra calories?  If you are okay with sacrificing flavor, you can switch to a low fat cream cheese, or you could also swap your heavy cream for half and half.  Both will sacrifice flavor, but you can shave off several grams of fat.  In my opinion though, if you are making this for a holiday dish, it’s already keto-friendly, so just enjoy it the way it was intended!

The post Keto Holiday Pumpkin Mousse appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to make, which means it’s very low risk and easy to experiment with.  The puree’d cauliflower acts as a vehicle for just about any flavor that you’d like.  Try a version of this recipe with a pinch of nutmeg, and then try this keto-friendly cauliflower puree recipe with a pinch of cayenne, onion, or anything else you’d like to match whatever flavor your looking for.  If you try a version of this recipe that blows your mind, tell us about it in the comments and we will add your notes with full credit officially to the recipe!

Bulking Tips

If you’re bulking and doing keto because you’re some kind of crazy person, then you can add calories by swapping heavy cream for creme fraiche.

Cutting Tips

This recipe is already pretty lean, so cutting calories anywhere would be tough without making huge sacrifices to flavor.  Perhaps you could use some kind of butter substitute, but why?  If you are using this as a low-carb Holiday option, then it’s already healthy and delicious as-is!  Enjoy it.

The post Keto Cauliflower Puree appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

Turkey is the star ingredient that transports us to Thanksgiving and holiday dinners, and it’s a fantastically lean meat remarkable for its mild flavor and succulent, almost creamy texture.

Of course, while this is a Holiday staple, you can enjoy it year round.  After all, do we limit cheese or dark chocolate to just one day a year? Do we limit red fruits or crunchy almonds?

Turkey, beyond being high in protein, is nutrient rich in iron, zinc, potassium and B6, it is low in fat and it can help lower cholesterol levels.

The recipe represents the very best of the festive menus that works excellently as a side dish or as a pre-meal appetizer, it’s easy to prepare and requires essentially no-cooking!

Keep the holiday spirit, and spend more time with your family, all while hitting your macro goals.

Fill, wrap, eat.

Freezing:

If you’ve lost your hand when buying turkey ham slices, you can freeze them perfectly.

The cheese is not suitable for freezing, because it loses its texture and creaminess. Therefore, do not freeze the rolls when already formed.

B U L K I N G TIPS:

For extra calories, sub the low fat cream cheese for whole fat cream cheeses

Cutting Tips:

To cut calories, you can swap your low fat cream cheese for no fat cream cheese. You can also substitute nuts for peanuts or pumpkin seeds, which have a lower fat and protein content.

The post Keto-Friendly Holiday Turkey Wraps appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

This is a delicious and nutritious twist on a classic dish that will add a ton of variety to your diet.  Also, it stores very well, making this an ideal choice for a multiple day meal-prep, and it can also serve as an excellent high-protein side dish for holiday meals.

In general, venison is a fantastic protein source alternative to beef or chicken because it’s low in fat calories, meaning you can eat more of them and fill fuller longer, with the bonus of giving yourself extra protein to fuel your recovery.

Bulking Tips

If you want to add calories, feel free to sub a minced beef in place of venison.  Obviously this changes the point of this recipe tremendously, but sometimes calories are more important.

Cutting Tips

If you want to cut calories, try using a lower calorie sour cream.

The post Venison Meatballs appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

Casseroles are any serious meal-preppers staple for keeping themselves fed through out the week. There (usually) easy to make, they store well, and best of all: they make for easy clean up since you are usually doing the bulk of your cooking in one dish, the same dish you will use to serve your meal.

While our recipe is more basic, this goes great with added vegetables.  If you would like to add more vegetables while keeping it keto-friendly, roasted shredded Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, or roasted zucchini would be great additions to this dish.  Though, if you are okay with it not being Keto, you could add a variety of other delicious vegetables to it that would kick up it’s flavor.  You’re only limited by your imagination!

Tips for Bulking:

1. Swap out coconut milk for whole fat for extra calories and flavor
2. Increase cheese for extra calories and flavor

Tips for Cutting:

1. Play around with different cheese amounts and types.  You can cut down the amount of cheese you use, use a lower fat cheese and have more, etc.

The post Keto Pork Breakfast Casserole appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

While it does have a decently sized ingredient list, don’t let that intimidate you.  This recipe is rather simple and almost impossible to mess up.  It’s high protein will keep you full longer, and give you the energy you need for your workouts and recovery.

Recipe Note: This recipe is great for meal prep is extremely easy to make in bulk, and microwaves very well. Make ahead of time and divide among 4 air tight containers with a serving of cauliflower rice, lightly steamed broccoli and topped with fresh cilantro. This will keep in the fridge if stored correctly up to 4-5 days or will freeze perfectly well also.

Bulking Tips

If you are bulking up and adding muscle, and need to add calories to this recipe, adding a 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of yogurt is a fantastic way to ramp those calories up.

The post Easy Keto Chicken Curry appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.

I like to pair my high protein teriyaki chicken with broccoli, as it’s high on fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  With as much meat as we like to get in every day, it’s incredibly important to keep your fiber up.  The fact that broccoli tastes delicious paired with teriyaki chicken is an added bonus.

This meal is great for post-workout, lunch, or dinner.  It’s got the nutrients required to begin repairing and aiding your body, and to begin refueling your body for your next workout.

Cut Calories

You can cut extra calories from this by completely removing the brown sugar, which will shave off roughly an extra carb per serving.

You can also cut calories by going completely with chicken breast, instead of half-thigh meat.  This will save you 80 total calories and 10 grams of fat over the whole dish.

Lastly, you can easily cut calories by cutting the amount of broccoli served with this.  I like broccoli because it’s high in fiber and it’s a great energy source, but if you’re going keto, you could easily cut the broccoli in half or all together and potentially shave off 400 extra calories.

Add Calories

You can add calories by going full thigh meat.  This will add a considerable amount of fat to your meal, which if you’re bulking, may be exactly what you need.

You can add calories and a ton of flavor by adding an extra tbsp of butter to the final dish sauce.  This will add a ton of extra flavor, and a ton of extra calories.

The post Keto-Friendly Teriyaki Chicken appeared first on Muscle Meal Time.