This. This Low Carb Steak Fajita Caesar Salad is legit. It’s perfect for keto dieters and non-keto dieters alike because it’s quick, easy, customizable, and freaking delicious!
Hello family and friends! I’m coming at you this week with a lip-smacking, Low Carb Steak Fajita Caesar Salad! This salad is not only refreshing, it’s oh-so-satisfying and appetizing! You can munch on this bad boy for lunch or dinner. It comes together in 40 minutes or less, see recipe notes, so it the perfect meal to serve up any day of the week!
I mentioned in my last post it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a recipe on my blog. It’s because over the last 5 weeks Kieran and I have been partaking in the controversial Keto Diet. The Keto Diet is a high fat, low carb, and no sugar diet. I’m hesitant to bring up Keto in conversation due to people’s knee-jerk reaction to the words high fat. The Keto Diet isn’t for everyone so I’m not looking to start a debate on which diet or nondiet is best. I have no interest in converting you into a Keto dieter. I simply want to share my experience over the last month and answer the questions I’ve been asked.
In this week’s video, Kieran and I answer some questions about our experience with the Keto Diet. Check it out:
We didn’t include some questions and answers in the video in order to keep it at a decent length. I’ll answer those questions now as well as go into more details about the questions we answered on camera.
WHY DID YOU START KETO
My father’s side of the family is riddled with health problems like obesity, diabetes, cancer, ect. I’m 41 years old and my 5’2 frame is lugging around 180 pounds and counting. I want to break my unhealthy dependency on sugar and lose 40 pounds.
DO YOU CRAVE SUGAR AND CARBS
The first two weeks were the toughest, especially since I’m the one who does the grocery shopping. You become hyper-aware of how inundated we are with sugary and carb options. I experienced cravings in the first two weeks but they weren’t intense. They seemed more mental than physiological. The healthy fat I’m consuming on this diet leaves me feeling content so my cravings are almost nonexistent now.
HOW DO YOU FEEL
I suffer from the Keto Flu here and there but otherwise, I feel amazing. The Keto Flu is not contagious, it’s your body’s natural response when you withdrawal from sugar and carbs. Even though I experienced the Keto Flu my energy levels and mental focus have increased sustainably.
HAVE YOU LOST WEIGHT
Yes! Kieran has lost approx 12 pounds. My situation is a little different. My stomach is shrinking, my clothes and rings fit looser, but the scale has remained almost the same. I did some research and found this is normal for a lot of women. I decided to stop obsessively weighing myself and trust the process.
IS IT HARD TO EAT OUT
Sometimes. It’s easy to order a sandwich or burger without bread but restaurants are severely lacking in the vegetable options. I typically get a side salad with my meal. On occasion I’ll see the waiter bring a plate of fries for the next table and think, Damn, it would be nice to have some fries, but then the thought fades and I’m fine.
HAVE YOU CHEATED
Yes, I told Kieran I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t enjoy beer, ice cream, chocolate, and pizza. We cheat a little once every two weeks, mostly with beer. In the last 5 weeks, we’ve had 3 beers and one gluten-free crust pizza. We normally save our cheat day to coincide with heavy exercise like after a hike. We have not cheated on sugar, however, I plan on eating a S’More next week on vacation. I’m also planning on drinking beer. Because beer.
Great question, I’m not sure. Maybe 6 months to a year?
CAN YOU DRINK ALCOHOL
You’re supposed to drink in moderation on this diet but this is me and Kieran we’re talking about. We enjoy rum on the weekends. We mix the rum with fresh lemon/lime juice, fresh mint, and flavored all-natural sparkling water.
WHAT DO YOU EAT ALL DAY
The biggest misconception of the Keto diet is what people eat. If you’re only eating meat, fat, and cheese all day, you’re doing Keto wrong. Keto has a strong emphasis on leafy greens. Yes, we eat meat, cheese, and healthy fats (coconut/olive oil and butter) but a huge part of our diet is leafy greens. We eat an ungodly amount of broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, kale, and spinach. Neither Kieran or I have been big fans of kale. Yet, the other day, while Kieran was munching on kale chips that I made, he said, Did you do something different to these kale chips, I don’t remember them tasting so good. Once you deprive your taste buds of sugar leafy greens suddenly taste amazing.
WHAT’S THE HARDEST PART ABOUT THE KETO DIET
For me, it’s missing fruit. And beer. Because beer. I do plan on incorporating fruit back into my diet but not for a while. I’d like to lose more body fat first. Another thing that’s difficult, Kieran agrees, is adding a variety of flavors to this diet. You’re limited to what you can eat so the flavor palate is boring at first. You quickly become creative in the kitchen to infuse different flavors into your food.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
So far so good! Kieran and I feel amazing. Even though we don’t consume carbs and sugar we feel satisfied. This is the first diet where I don’t feel hungry all day. I don’t experience sugar crashes nor do I feel like crap after I eat. We both have loads of energy, we’re losing weight, and we have an easier time focusing.
CHRISTINA DID YOU DYE YOUR HAIR BLUE
Yes. I thought it would be fun and I was right, I love it.
ARE YOU EVER GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE LOW CARB STEAK FAJITA CAESAR SALAD
Yes, starting now.
Whether you’re a Keto dieter or not, this Low Carb Steak Fajita Caesar Salad is mouthwatering! You’ve got baby spinach topped with sauteed red pepper and onion, avocado, tomato, cheese, grilled steak, then topped with Caesar dressing! The recipe tastes fresh yet it’s insanely satisfying.
You can customize the type of meat, cheese, and toppings for the ones you like best. I bet chopped egg would taste amazing in this! If you are doing keto, carefully read the label to ensure the dressing isn’t packed with carbs/sugar, or any unhealthy oils. The brand I used had soybean oil in it. I don’t think that’s keto friendly so I’m not buying it again. It was low carb and tasted amazing though.
I grilled the steak for this recipe but you can save time by cooking it on the stove top or under your broiler. The key to making this recipe in 40 minutes or less is multi-tasking. I preheat the grill and oven first. While the coals and oven are heating up, I use that time to quickly cut the peppers and onion then pop them in the oven once it’s hot. After I cook the steak I let it rest for 10 minutes. I utilize that time by cutting up the avocado, tomatoes, and cheese. Low Card Steak Fajita Salads are quick, easy, delicious, and super keto friendly!
If you’re not keto just throw some croutons on the salad and you’re in business!
Alright dear readers, that’s a wrap for this week’s post! Tomorrow Kieran and I are hitting the road and meeting up with my sister to camp near Denver for a week! I’m looking forward to this vacation for several reasons. One, we haven’t taken a week’s vacation in a loooooong ass time. Two, we get to go camping which is my favorite summer activity. Three, we get to spend quality time with family and friends. Four, there’s a chance I may get to meet the team behind Craft Beering. And finally, we get to be surrounded by mountains the entire trip!!
I’ll be filming throughout the trip so stay tuned for more videos! When we get back Kieran and I are pushing to camp at least once every month. I can’t WAIT to film camping episodes of Shock Munch! Campfire cooking is my jam will someone with kids check to see if that’s still a cool thing to say – I’m 40- help so I’m crazy excited for the happy happy fun camping times ahead!
I hope everyone has an amazing weekend, I’ll see you around here, soon!
Low Carb Steak Fajita Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak or whichever kind of stead you prefer
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 poblano pepper thinly sliced
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 1 avocado cut into slices or chunks
- A few cherry tomatoes per salad halved
- A few pieces of cubed cheese per salad
- olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-4 cups of baby spinach
- Low carb Ceasar salad dressing
Instructions
- I start by lighting my grill's chimney starter to get hot coals. This can take 20 minutes.
- Next, I like to salt and pepper my steak and let it sit at room temperature while I prep everything else.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- While I wait for the coals to heat up and the oven to preheat, I thinly sliced the peppers and onion, put them on a cookie sheet, seasoned them with oil, salt, and pepper, then popped them in the oven for 20-25 minutes (or until they are roasted to your liking).
- When the coals were ready, I dumped them into the grill and repositioned the grill grate. Next, I cleaned and lubed my grill grate with some grapeseed oil. Once the grill grate was cleaned and lubed, I threw on the steak. Cook the steak a few minutes per side or until it's cooked to your liking.
- Pull the cooked steak from the grill, tent it with tin foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
- During this time I checked on my veggies in the oven and cut the avocado and tomato. The cheese was already cut up.
- Pull the roasted vegetables from the oven and let them rest while you slice the cooked steak.
- Time for assembly, get 2 salad bowls and place the baby spinach on the bottom of both. Top, the spinach with the roasted vegetables, splitting them evenly between bowls. Do the same with the avocado and cheese. Now top the salad with the steak and pour your dressing over it.
- You can top with other fun ingredients like chopped egg and/or fresh herbs.Enjoy!