Introducing “Keto for Life” a ketogenic lifestyle and cookbook by yours truly. I know, right?!?! Full disclosure? I’m freaking out a little…
UPDATE: Keto for Life has officially released in the US and Canada! Order it online or buy it at your local Barnes and Noble, Costco, or Target – as well as other book stores! The results are in and people are loving Keto for Life!!! Check out the reviews on Amazon, and if you’ve got Keto for Life I’d love your feedback as well, so please take a minute to review it on Amazon if you can! Thank you!!!!
It’s strange to have worked so hard on a project, all with the goal of putting it out there for people to see and use – but then when the time comes to actually pull the trigger on it, I’m straight up terrified. Also excited, exhilarated, relieved that it’s done – but still mostly terrified.
Being the perfectionist I am, we could have tweaked things about this book for another month or more and I likely still wouldn’t feel ready. The team at Victory Belt has been incredibly patient with my first time author jitters, and I appreciate them and their hard work so much. Hopefully you will too once you’ve seen the results.
Even I haven’t actually seen the book yet – I won’t hold it in my hands for at least another two weeks by the time it’s printed and finally makes its way to my door here in Honduras! Hopefully once I do have an actual solid copy, this will all start to seem real and I won’t be so worried that it will be an epic failure. Or not. Ugh.
What if you hate it? Or maybe worse yet, what if you just don’t care? There are tons of keto books coming out right now – do we really need another one? These are the anxieties that have plagued me over the last few months. But now it’s happening – so we’ll all find out for sure one way or another…
THIS JUST IN: Apparently I’m horrible at hyping my book and making you want to buy it ha ha! I should probably delete that entire first part and write instead that the book is amazing and you’re going to love it and you should absolutely PREORDER NOW with flashing neon letters.
I’m not going to though – because what I just typed up there is real, and I know at least some of you will appreciate that.
But now that I’ve gotten all of that paranoid rambling out of my system, let’s talk about the many things that I love about this book and hope you will too!
Keto for Life briefly shares my story, explains why and how keto works (in language the average person without a PHD can understand,) and provides information and tips that are designed to help you lose weight and feel great on the keto diet.
In addition, Keto for Life aims to help you:
- Figure out how to make keto work for your unique body/metabolism, schedule, lifestyle, and budget.
- Become a better cook overall.
- Get your kids involved in the cooking process, ultimately teaching them important life skills while spending quality time together.
- Make keto easy when cooking for both yourself and non keto family members. Yes, even the picky ones!
- Learn to make easy and inexpensive fermented foods at home that will keep your gut bacteria thriving and your immune system in tip top shape.
- Navigate social events and entertain friends, all while staying within your macros.
- Get back into ketosis quickly and efficiently if you’ve gone off keto for a bit – whether it was planned or not.
But wait, there’s more! ?
While all of the above is helpful information, my ultimate goal in writing Keto for Life was to provide the keto community with delicious and approachable recipes that eliminate keto recipe fatigue and boredom with the same tired dishes featuring only bacon, ground meat, cheese, and/or cauliflower. Not that those ingredients aren’t in this book too – but you will find so much more than that!
The majority of recipes in Keto for Life aren’t hard to execute and don’t require weird, expensive ingredients (beyond the keto basics like almond flour, coconut flour, etc.), but they contain flavor profiles that are vibrant and interesting – giving you new family favorites that you’ll want to make over and over again.
All of the recipes in Keto for Life contain full color photographs and complete nutrition values to help you stay within your macros. In addition, many of them contain pro tips or extras to help you up your cooking game, or customize your keto meals to serve to your non keto family – without them staging a mutiny because you tried to take away their pasta or bread.
Finally, other than a handful of favorites like Cream Cheese Pancakes, Green Chicken Enchilada Cauliflower Casserole, and Cauliflower Faux-lafel, at least 95% of the recipes in Keto for Life are brand new and not recycled from the blog. I promise that if you decide to purchase Keto for Life, you will definitely be getting your money’s worth!
Here’s a sample of some of the recipes you’ll find inside Keto for Life – and I can say with confidence that these are some of my very best recipes yet…
Note: These are photos I took of the recipes, but not all of these were the specific photos chosen to represent the recipes in the final manuscript of the book. The publisher chose which photos to use and edited them for print.
There’s just small sample of the mouthwatering recipes you’ll find in Keto for Life. We’ve got you covered with entire chapters devoted to Breakfast, Fermented Foods, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Mains, Snacks, Cocktails, and of course Desserts! There is literally something for everyone in this book!
Of course I couldn’t leave you without meal plans, so the book also contains 4 weeks worth of practical and budget friendly meal plans using easy and delicious recipes from the book. The plans make use of all leftovers and require just a bit of prepping at the beginning of each week. I specifically designed these plans to not only help you lose weight with the right keto macros, but also to be as easy as possible so you aren’t spending hours in the kitchen preparing your daily meals.
Shopping lists are also included for each week of the plans.
Finally, there is a recipe index at the back of the book with page numbers and thumbnail photos for each recipe. And more importantly, even though the recipes themselves each have icons identifying common allergens, there is a special index in the back that allows you to see in one place all the recipes that are dairy free, nut free, egg free, vegetarian, etc. for when you’re doing your own meal planning.
So there it is – Keto for Life…
You can order the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Indie Bound – or head to Costco, Target, or Barnes and Noble and you can get a look at it before you decide. You buy it or you don’t – either is ok with me, pinky promise. Just because it’s here, doesn’t in any way obligate you in my eyes – whether you’re a longtime fan or just starting out.
Of course if you do decide to buy Keto for Life, I really, really, REALLY hope that you’ll love it. And of course, let me know either way because your feedback makes me better at giving you what you want and need moving forward.
Meanwhile, it’s business as usual over here at IBIH and I’m back to work posting delicious keto recipes on a weekly basis – which feels great, and it’s right where I want to be.
Congratulations Mellissa I am happy happy for you I know how hard you worked to be accurate with the Keto recipes Moe S?
You know what Mellissa, I AM going to buy this book. And you’re right…it is one more glossy Keto book coming out but my reasons for wanting to have it are rather as follows:
1) ERMAGERD!…I want to eat several of those pictures right off the page. If they taste HALF as good as they LOOK, then it will be money well spent.
2) I like your personality and writing style on here. You make things relatable…TO ME…and that’s all that really counts, right? (I expect you are highly relatable to a number more people judging by the comments.)
3) I do Low Carb and am not strictly Keto because macros make me crazy and I can eat butter like a sumo wrestler until all I will fit into is a muumuu, but it’s a no-brainer to make adjustments to recipes in your head if you have the basic plan.
4) I said this before, and I will say it again…I hate trying to stare at a little screen while prepping/cooking. It’s annoying and exhausting and the printed page will never truly die as long as I am alive.
5) I LOVE that you respond to comments…and that you share little tidbits about your travels for the rest of us cubicle-bound people. You’re personable and that makes the difference for me.
Thanks so much Jennifer! I appreciate your thorough and thoughtful feedback and I hope that you will love the book!!!
Pretty excited! Googled a Keto shrimp recipe and went to your blog. Read through, love how you write – and placed a pre order for your new book – sounds like it’s going to be in a language that I will understand! Hubby and I started January 6th with this new Keto lifestyle, have been very successful – but really staying with basics up till now. It’s time to branch out with some recipes – so am starting with your book! I know that I will love it. Sometimes – google search turns into something great! Thank you!
Good morning, love your recipes. I have a question about your new book. Since the Instant Pot is now the big thing, does your book contain those type of recipes. Never been a fan of cookbooks, there always seems to be so much you don’t use, but yours looks like a winner! Thanks
Melissa
You my dear are the real deal, I feel like you are one of my sisters and we are having a conversation. I love your humor.
Your recipes are what normal everyday people eat. You don’t use alot of ingredients that we have to go out and purchase just for one recipe. You use the staples we already have on hand when on the Keto lifestyle. I just started following you about a week ago and I know I will now continue to follow you. I have been giving all my Keto buddies your Instagram and website and telling them to follow you because you are the real deal and just like one of us. Keep up the good work. Thanks for all you do to give us fantastic food.
P. S. When you link us to an item and it takes us to Amazon I always buy that item so hopefully you will get a small commission for that purchase it’s the least I can do for all the free content you give us. Is there one place on your website we could go and get linked to all the products you recommend? If so I would like to go there so you can get credit for my purchase. Thanks I hope that wasn’t confusing to you.
Thanks so much Sherry, I appreciate your kind words and your referring the website to others! My goal is to make keto realistic and approachable for the average person so your feedback means a lot to me! I do have an IBIH pantry page where I recommend my favorite ingredients and have some affiliate links to Amazon – it’s in the dropdown menu under recipes I think. I’ll link up to it here as well. Thanks again! ?
This looks like an awesome cookbook. I am going to get this. After trying keto for two months, I fell in love. I think I’m ready to make this a lifestyle change. I didn’t really miss carbs and real sugar after the two months.
Congratulations!! As soon as I heard, I immediately preordered it on Amazon! Can’t wait to get that book in my hands! I’ve fallen off the healthy eating wagon lately so this maybe the big push I need to get back to it. Your cream cheese pancakes are a huge hit in this house! Thank you for all of your hard work!❤️
Congrats, Melissa! I know your recipes and finding your blog when I first started Keto helped me to stay on the program. I look forward to buying the book!
Thanks so much Regina!!!
Oh, I am so excited! I find your recipes to be just up my alley (’cause seriously, I need easy AND tasty and yours are truly all about that)
You do have very many vegetarian recipes already but I need more, hun!
Any chance of a vegetarian keto book as your next project?!? (no pressure! no pressure!)
So I am off now to pre order, thank you so much for all the glorious recipes!
YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! I have followed you and your blog for years. Honestly, I can say your recipes are the most consistent. I think out of all the (hundreds) of dishes I’ve made using your recipes… I can think of only one that I thought ‘not my fave…probably won’t make that one again’. And your photography is stunning and I appreciate all that goes into not only making your dishes taste great, but also look amazing too. I tell so many people each week about your site. and I”M SO EXCITED TO HEAR YOUR BOOK IS ALMOST OUT! I’ve placed my order and will be telling everyone about it . Congrats !!
Thanks so much Kelly! Appreciate your enthusiasm, I still haven’t gotten my copy here in Honduras and there are 4 boxes of Keto for Life sitting at my Mom’s so it’s killing me haha!
Just pre-ordered your cook book!! I can’t wait to get my hands on it and start cooking!! Because of you and the Keto Diet I now love to cook!! Super excited!!
Oh yeah, I’m buying. I love your recipes and meal plans. I find them to be, as you say, easy to execute with ingredient lists that aren’t overly long and complicated. I am usually very successful with the recipes that I have tried. Thank you so much for your work. :) You deserve success for all you have poured into this!
Ordered and can’t wait to get it. Wishing you a smashing success on the book….your recipes are so spot on. Love em.
How thrilling! Congratulations! I guess we can now add best selling author to your repertoire! I’m incredibly excited for you, and mine has officially been pre-ordered!
Mellissa – I’ve been waiting for your cookbook to come out since you announced you were writing one. So, heck yes, I will pre-order and hell no, I’m not going to hate it! I’ve been doing keto since July 2017 and I think I may be a lifer. So I need this book. Congrats!
The pictures are beautiful so I’m imagining the recipes will taste as wonderful as your other recipes that I have tried. I would love to pre-order, however we have a family member who has a dairy allergy. Does this new book have either dairy free recipes or dairy free substitutions for most of the recipes. Hope it does!
Wahoo! I cannot wait to get into this!
First me, now 4 of us in my family, began doing your 12 week keto plan last year. Then I began making our own weekly keto plans when we got to the end, heavily using your recipes. We are up to week 14 of my plans having done all 12 weeks of yours.
I am down 16kg (7kg to go) I have not had a seizure in 5 years of doing keto, I am medication free, my epilepsy is controlled by keto alone.
My youngest daughter is down 16kg (and is at goal)
My husband is down 13kg (and is at goal)
My eldest daughter is down 11kg (48kg to go)
We started at different points along the way, we all started with quite different amounts to lose. I followed your links to calculate each one of us’ macros, each week I write a base menu for us all and each person does their own snack additions (as needed) to make it work for them.
I am just sitting down now to write our week 15 and I saw this post. I immediately pre-ordered your book on Kindle. :) (We are in New Zealand so shipping costs for physical books is normally pretty awful!)
I hope your book sells amazingly! You deserve it for what you give to all of us. <3
Congrats,Mellissa! I just pre-ordered the Kindle version on Amazon and cannot wait to get it!
Thanks so much Julie, can’t wait for both of us to get it ha ha!
Can’t wait to get it! Love your recipes! Just FYI I tried to pre order and it’s not allowing you too yet on Amazon here in Texas!
It’s sold out on amazon for now but you can still get it on Barnes and noble or indie bound!
Woo hoo!!!! I am so excited for you!!! What a great accomplishment! I know it will be great! I have enjoyed your blog for the past few years. Thank you for putting in all of the time and effort to create such an array of recipes! Wow!! Can’t wait till I get my copy!
Thanks Julie! I can’t wait to get my copy either ha ha!