The holiday season can be the hardest time for people on a new ketogenic diet. Rather than focus on what you can’t have, though, think of all the great foods you can pile on your plate. Here are five amazing ideas that will fill you up this season, so much so that you won’t even miss the mashed potatoes!

Keto Stuffing

Stuffing seems like the last food you should be able to have on keto, but you can easily substitute the bread for keto bread! After that, follow the recipe using almost all the same ingredients and directions you would find in a conventional sausage stuffing recipe. The result is practically indistinguishable from a high-carb stuffing. Your non-keto friends and family won’t be able to tell the difference!

Keto-Friendly Gravy

Gravy is traditionally made from rendered fat and flour or starch, and this means it can throw you off ketosis. You can still make a delicious gravy with a flour replacement like coconut flour, almond flour, and flaxseed meal. Many keto chefs believe that xanthan gum, a common food additive in gluten-free baking, makes the creamiest gravy, though.

Xanthan gum thickens, emulsifies, and binds ingredients in gluten-free baking and cooking. A little goes a long way, and only a half a teaspoon of xanthan gum thickens three cups of gravy!

No Mac Holiday Mac-And-Cheese

Macaroni and cheese has many delicious healthy fats: whole milk, butter, and lots of cheese. It’s a real shame that one of the main components is pasta, but some great substitutes don’t sacrifice one bit of the flavour you love. One of the best replacements is cauliflower, and you can use two heads cut into florets for the “mac” of your mac and cheese.

To make, toss the florets in oil and salt, spread on a baking sheet, and roast them at 375° for forty minutes, or until golden. Prepare the rest of the recipe in the manner you normally would, and bake the final product in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish for 15 minutes.

Green Beans And Bacon

It’s such a simple recipe, but the result is a delicious side. Start by cooking three cups of washed green beans in the microwave for five minutes. Fry up four strips of bacon; when they’re done, toss the beans in the pan. Cook them until they begin to brown, then crumble the bacon back into the pan. Take out your mixture and put it in a baking dish, crumbling parmesan cheese on top for some extra flavour. 

One cup of green beans has roughly 4 g of net carbs, which is fairly low for such a large serving of a vegetable.

Buttery, Garlicky Brussel Sprouts

Another delicious holiday veggie side with plenty of buttery goodness. Start by halving your sprouts length-wise. Melt one-and-a-half tablespoons of butter and oil each over medium-high heat. until butter is foamy. Reduce heat to medium, add smashed garlic and cook until lightly browned. Remove the garlic and add sprouts cut side down. Cover them and cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes without stirring, or until tender when pierced with a knife.

The cut sides of the sprouts will take on a marvellous crunch that the garlic only improves. Top the dish with freshly grated parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste. You can add some cut-up some sausage or bacon for a little extra filling!