How I raised my children on a Keto-Carnivore Spectrum diet and the results we experienced.
My advice regarding feeding the littles is easy and will do a lot more than help nourish them, it will ensure they are grounded to their circadian rhythm and that will ensure a robust endocrine system and optimal immune system and you will notice your children will become more docile, focused and will operate in more clarity and less chaos and you will find your relationship with each of them strengthen in ways you will never imagine would have been possible.
When our kiddos were iddy bitty’s I did something very simple, consistent and with almost no variety day to day.
It made visits with grandparents and extended family far more of a treat and holidays even more special.
Here is the very basic thing I did day to day:
TWO MEALS DAILY – we were very strict with the timings day to day and allowed for more of a natural hunger to lead us on vacations.
I didn’t call the meals “breakfast, lunch and dinner” and we did not “snack” at all. We only ate MEALS.
Meal 1 was normally around 10am-11am range and included:
- beef patties (take 1# of our beef thawed and break in half and then thirds. Roll into meatballs and then press out on to a bar pan. My bakeware is all pampered chef earthenware. This matters because those patties will crispen up and eat better, but you can do everything in the oven without making a huge mess and or having to clean up or watch the food too hard when its cooking. I would make the balls and then grease the outside of the balls with bacon grease or lard generously and then press them into the bar pan. MAKES 6 MINI PATTIES – I made two pounds for me, Kavi and Jaya. You can also do this with bulk sausages or ground pork or any ground meat. Adding the bacon grease or pork lard matters a lot. I used to heat up the bar pan and then load on my stove top so the meat could SEAR on the earthenware. Bake one side 6-8 minutes and then flip for 4-6 minutes depending on the calibration of your oven. These “handheld mini patties” to dip into ketchup and mustard were a daily staple item every single day.
- Taters were the side dish all the time and here is how you can do taters more easily – Wash, peel, cube then toss them in warmed animal fat of your choice in bowl and then spread them out on the stone bar pan or in a cast iron skillet and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. I’d start the taters first and then work on the meat, so everything was done at the same time.
Meal 2 was normally around 5pm-6pm range and included:
- Some sort of seafood baked in ghee, lard, bacon grease etc. – shrimp was popular and any and all of it was served with my homemade tartar sauce (see the resources tab on the CSA store) or baked chicken (spatchcocked was most often the solution here – our split birds work great for this). When making the chicken I slathered with lard or animal fat of your choice, salt and pepper on and under the skin then coked in greased cast iron or earthen bar pan at 450 for 40 minutes uncovered. You can do this to a Boston Butt but you would wrap it in parchment paper – tightly and bake for 45 minutes from ROOM TEMP ALL DAY IN A BOWL SLATHERED IN FAT COVERED WITH PRESS_N_SEAL WRAP to “fat marinade at room temp”. after 45 minutes wrapped bake time, uncover, and put back in oven for 15 minutes to brown and then slice and serve. FINALLY- this was sometimes a beef arm or chuck roast. FATTY Pork chops or pork chops were and still are a basic staple here. I don’t cook less than 6 chops at a time and leftovers are easily cut into bites and sautéed in grease to enjoy with scrambled eggs or a quick meal anytime of the day. They are great in a Ziplock bag for a “snack for kids as well”.
For my family I was cooking 3 halves chicken, 1 lb. seafood or a full Boston Butt or Arm, Chuck Roast – you might need to double this for your family and then use the leftovers in bone broth for afternoon snacks or DAD’s LUNCH BOX. IF THE KIDS EVER WANTED A SNACK – it was in the way of stew, soup or MINI-STEW-SOUP lunch in a coffee mug. Normally – Daddy finished all these leftovers.
- Same taters were used for side dish, or I’d make a crab dip, fish salad, or chicken salad, egg salad.
- I also would bake a sweetheart ham and always keep slices or cubes in the fridge to use for Dad’s lunches and or to add to our first meal or carry on the run if our schedules were disrupted. Chicken tenders baked plus this ham was ALWAYS the food we traveled in the car with. I never went to a playdate without having that first meal at home and then we would leave the house. That first meal set the day up no matter what we were doing and so it could happen earlier in the day should that be required with chicken and ham or bacon to carry in car until the second meal of the day. *NO SNACKS & NO FOOD AFTER 7pm* as a basic routine. We only ate later if we were on vacation – holiday time or chaos days. Those were very few and far between.
THIS WAS ALL WE ATE day to day and still basically do just eat this.
I get fancy on the weekends if we have company or around holidays but cowboy diet of meat and potatoes like these changes improved EVERYTHING. This routine ensures the best sleep, the best play, the best demeanor. It doesn’t promote addictions, energy crashes, meltdowns, or fights. NO SUGAR or grains are involved or junk food in any way shape or manner. No grocery store ingredients required. It saved my pocketbook and my sanity.
- My children NEVER had congestion, runny noses, croup, or any coughing, and barely had 1 fever each year for not more than 24-36 hours.
- We never missed work and they never missed homeschool programs or any extracurricular activities due to illness.
- No major injuries (Kavi broke his wrist once playing soccer on concrete but learned risk assessment and then never took such risks again) or rashes, no digestive issues EVER.
- Their mental clarity and development academically was always advanced with their intentional focus and was only lacking if they were bored or not applying themselves fully due to lack of interest.
- RAW Milk was served in a half cup portion with meals.
- Yogurts and cottage cheese or raw cheeses were served as a garnish, dip, or on a party platter - never alone or as a meal.
- Distilled Water was all they ever drank with the occasional Indian style tea or coffee in the morning with grandparents and or on vacation.
I hope this is useful to someone out there. I am an extensive cook and can and still do cook elaborate meals on occasion – but the boring mundane schedule here is what we still follow day to day. I do not feel bored or mundane at literally all.
Bacons are also incorporated into the meals which I did not mention above, eggs are too – mostly as baconnaise (sometimes made with pork lard) that I make fresh as needed.
We do enjoy eggs but not without the meats and always with the yolks or just the yolks, but never just the whites unless we are making a meringue which I would actually serve as a crustless dessert that I flavored with a little vanilla paste and sweetened by drizzling light honey or maple on top.