5 Tips for a Keto Low-Carb Friendly Summer Cookout

How do you make summer happen?? My favorite way is having friends and family over for a Cookout! Whether you’ve gone Keto (or your friends/family have) having a summer cookout and keeping it low-carb doesn’t need to be confusing. With my 5 Tips for a Keto Low-Carb Friendly Summer Cookout you can celebrate without stress and all the food will still be delicious!

What is a Keto Diet?

In a very basic explanation, a keto diet (or ketogenic diet) is a type of low carb diet that focuses on high fat, moderate protein and low carb that induces a state of ketosis. Ketosis is where the body switches from getting its energy from carbs to fat (both dietary and stored fat) For most people it is roughly 75% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbohydrate, but there is some individual flexibility to attain ketosis.

Keto diets are adopted for a wide variety of health reasons. In children it’s used as a treatment for epilepsy, adults use it as a weight management tool and to address a whole host of wellness concerns.

Carnivore Diets are similar to keto diets and are becoming more popular, where people focus their eating on meat first, thus strictly reducing their carbohydrate intake or eliminating it entirely.

#1 It’s all about the MEAT at a Keto Low-Carb Friendly Summer Cookout!

When it comes to Keto, Low-Carb and Carnivore eaters, you can’t go wrong with serving the up an assortment of grilled meats!! These main meats will be the foundation of a keto friendly plate of food, keeping your guests full and giving them plenty of options to ‘meat’ their taste & dietary preferences.

But let’s be honest no cookout is complete without Hot Dogs!! Right?!?!

Here’s some of my Keto Cookout Favorite Meats:

• Ball Park® Beef Franks – Made with 100% Beef / or Angus Beef with BOLD flavor and made for grilling!
• Hillshire Farm® Beef Smoked Sausage – Farmhouse quality meats, flavorfully smoked, expertly crafted. Fully cooked and made with traditional spices to deliver exceptional flavor!!
• Aidells® Chicken & Apple Smoked Chicken Sausage – Thoughtfully unexpected flavor combinations of high quality, all natural, no artificial ingredients, no nitrites, chicken raised without added hormones!
• Tyson® Trimmed & Ready® Fresh Chicken – Chicken raised with no antibiotics ever, ready to season and toss on the grill! I love marinating chicken in my Homemade Italian Vinaigrette overnight before grilling for so much juicy delicious flavor!

 

#2 Ditch the Buns at your Keto Cookout!

If you’re avoiding carbs, it’s a no brainer to pass on the buns. And even then, some of your guests may have gluten intolerance or celiacs, so they’ll need a better option too! While I’m perfectly happy with my meat on a plate, my hubby prefers to wrap his in lettuce!

And serving your meats on a platter of lettuce also looks super fancy too, right??!?!

BUT if you are seriously craving bread, try my Easy Keto Bread made with Psyllium Husk,  Everything Bagle Low-Carb Keto Bread or my Amazing Keto Italian Hoagie Biscuits! 

#3 Sturdy Plates are a MUST at a Keto Cookout

When you’re not relying on buns to hold the meats, you’re going to need to be certain your paper plates can stand up to the job. That’s why Chinet® Classic White™ Dinner Plates is the Best option for Keto Cookouts!

Chinet® Classic White™ plates offer premium strength to serve the heaviest meals in style, perfect for serving all of your grilling favorites! Not to mention they are made in the USA and an Eco-Friendly compostable material.

#4 Keep the Sides Simple at a Keto Cookout

Ditch the potato and macaroni salads, instead opt for low carb vegetable salads. My favorite is keto friendly salad for cookouts and BBQs is my Copycat Cole Slaw, it’s cool and creamy without the carbs. Another great option is my Creamy Broccoli & Cauliflower Salador Creamy Bacon Pea Salad.And don’t forget you can always serve up a simple vegetable tray with Homemade Low Carb Ranch dip!

And when it comes to sweet sides & desserts, simple berries are all you need to serve. Depending on how many carbs each individual allows into their diet will determine if they indulge in a treat however berries are the healthiest and lowest carb option.

If you want to step it up a little whip up my Homemade Cool Whip for a dipping!

When it comes to beverages, just stick to serve basic water, sparkling water and unsweetened ice tea for family friendly beverages, add fresh lemon for flavor. For cocktail options you can’t go wrong with vodka, it’s zero carbs.

Last but not least, don’t forget the condiments!

Dill relish instead of sweet relish, mayonnaise and mustard are naturally low carb and look for low sugar or sugar free ketchup.

#5 Shop at Target for all your Keto Cookout Supplies

Having all your Keto Cookout favorites available at Target makes shopping so easy!

Every Friday morning part of my self care routine is heading to Target and take an hour to browse their aisles and pick up everything on my list. Including all my favorite Keto Cookout Supplies!

Now that you’ve learned my 5 Tips for a Keto Low-Carb Friendly Summer Cookout, are you ready to Make Summer Happen??!

What are your favorite Keto, Low-Carb foods to serve at cookouts and BBQs?

Yours in Health,