The best keto cookbooks provide a balance of education, simple recipes that cater to all cravings (sweet, salty, savory), and affordable ingredients. After all, who wants to spend hours in the kitchen and $60-plus in ingredients to make a single recipe? But for some reason, this trio is surprisingly hard to come by. So, when we found Simply Keto, we were thrilled to find that this is the kind of book we’ve been searching for.
About the Author
Author Suzanne Ryan’s journey started like so many of ours. She was overweight, tired, and her self-esteem was at an all-time low. After a lifelong struggle with her weight, she turned to the ketogenic diet and lost over 120 pounds in one year. She started sharing her journey and the details of her transformation on a blog , YouTube channel, and Instagram page called Keto Karma. People were inspired!
What to Expect
Anyone new to keto will appreciate her simple explanations of the ketogenic diet, what to eat, how much to eat, how to track/calculate, the role of ketosis, and the effects of sugar in your diet. You’ll even find a thorough list of keto foods that helps take the guesswork out of food shopping. It’s not a heavy scientific read, but it does offer some insight into the metabolic process of ketosis as well as how your body works on a cellular level.
You’ll also find over 100 recipes (each one complemented with with beautiful color photography), a 30-day meal plan, and an allergen index at the end of the book identifying which recipes are egg-free, nut-free, and dairy-free!
What About those Recipes!
Suzanne believes keto can be done without supplements, powders, and gimmicks–just real whole foods and tracking–and she shows us how with a range of tasty recipes, most of which can be made in under 30 minutes!
You’ll find recipes for familiar dishes sectioned into breakfasts, appetizers/snacks, main dishes by protein source (beef/pork/chicken/seafood), soups and sides, and desserts and drinks. We tested recipes from each section (The Broccoli, Bacon, and Cheese Egg Muffins; Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls; and Chocolate Chip Mug Cake were among our favorites!) and found them to be incredibly easy to make with staple keto-friendly, whole ingredients found at most supermarkets. We also did pre- and post-prandial (pre and post eating) tests for both glucose and ketones with our Keto-Mojo meter (yes it does both!), and none of the recipes negatively impacted our numbers; this is worth noting because this is not always the case with recipes claiming to be keto.
Summary
We love Suzanne Ryan’s Simply Keto for anyone starting their keto journey or a keto pro looking for some new recipes. The information is easy to digest, the recipes are easy to make and flavorful, and the author is relatable and honest. You can purchase the book here for $18.95 (paperback).
