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.
HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN ON BEING ON THIS DIET
Great question, I’m not sure. Maybe 6 months to a year?
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SHOCK MUNCH
Another great question and I’m unsure how to answer. I’m sorry to my vegan and vegetarian readers but we plan on doing Keto for a while, possibly a year. The recipes on SM will reflect that.
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!
Thank you for being apart of the Shock Munch community, I appreciate you!
Sincerely,
Christina
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| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
|
- 1 lb flank steak or whichever kind of stead you prefer
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 poblano pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 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
Ingredients
|
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- 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!
To save time you can cook the steak in a pan or under the broiler.
Not all Caesar Dressings are Keto friendly! Be sure to check the label for the carb and sugar count!
The key to getting this meal on the table in 40 minutes or less is multi-tasking! Chop the peppers and onion while your grill and oven are heating up. Chop your avocado, cheese, and tomato while the cooked meat is resting. You can even chop the peppers and onion 4-5 days ahead of time!
Seven years ago went on low to no carbs diet and it does work miracles. I vouch for what you are saying in the video. I do it every once in a while nowadays for about two weeks, but honestly I want to live and drink beers:) So I do. Great salad here. That’s the way to eat, especially in summer!
Glad to hear you had a good experience too. Yeah, there is no way I’m giving up beer entirely but I’m enjoying the diet so far!
Another great video and lots of good info about Keto.
Thank you so much, Linda!!!
To be honest, I think I didn’t really understand the Keto diet. There is a lot of misinformation out there, so it’s nice to get this rundown…especially from someone who is on the Keto diet and doing it the right way. I’ve never been a big diet kinda guy, although we occasionally go through spells where we’ll cut back on the desserts and portion sizes. Glad this diet seems to be working for y’all though…even if the scales say otherwise. Trust the clothes! They don’t lie!
As far as this recipe, LOVE IT! I’m all about grilling a good steak, so you’ve got a good start…but then the peppers mixed in take this to a whole new level. What a fun idea! We love summer salads around here, and I need this on my list. Hope you have fun in Denver, friends!
So many people think Keto is all fat, but the truth is you HAVE to eat a ton of leafy greens. Thank goodness your taste buds adjust and suddenly leafy greens taste amazing! I’m a serial dieter and nothing has worked. I’ll be good at cutting down portions and exercise for awhile, but I’ll eventually give into temptation and go back to my bad habits. This diet is not perfect but it’s the first diet that leaves me feeling content and not deprived! So far so good!
Two of my favorite things, caesar and steak, cooked to perfection I might add. The pics make me want to dive right in. Ive tried Keto many times, I never get into actual keto, probably my taste testing lol. But I feel so good when on the low carb lifestyle. I sleep better, no mood swings. I hear you, I don’t dare say “keto”, I just say low carb or I get backlash lol. Take care.
Hahahaha, taste testing will get you every time! I’m telling you though, next week is cheat week and I’m looking forward to every delicious bite!
Your videos are so enjoyable! I love this salad, even though I’m not Keto. I could eat it for lunch everyday for sure! YUM!
Awww, thank you so much! The best part about keto food is it’s easy to throw some delicious carbs in it and make it your own!
Keto or no carb is definitely not a diet for me…I’m Italian ( you know our thing with pasta!). But I do love salads and flank steak. Going to make your salad this week. I love it!
Hahahaha, that totally makes sense! Yay! If you remember, let me now how it turns out 🙂
You two are adorable!
Awww, YOU’RE adorable! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Awwww, thank you so much!
I don’t do “diets” like Leto, paleo, or any other but I do like this salad!! Sounds flavortastic
Thanks, Patrick!
Thank you for sharing your story Christina! So many people are trying to find diets that are right for their health and Keto is definitely a popular one. Cutting out sugar is something I wish I could do…I’m at least trying to decrease it! Best of luck to you and I’m sure you’ll get the results you’re looking for soon. This Caesar salad looks amazing and I’d never miss the croutons!
Thank you! I think the trick is to find a diet or lifestyle that ultimately helps you eat less, without feeling deprived! So far, keto is doing that for me 🙂
We have friends who tried the keto diet and they do enjoy it! Like paleo, I don’t completely understand the keto diet, but if it involves a salad that looks this DELICIOUS, it mustn’t be that bad 😉 I could seriously eat that day after day and not tire of it. Good luck with it….I’m sure we’ll be hearing more in the weeks ahead. Happy to hear so far so good! Good luck 🙂
Thank you so much, Dawn! Keto, in a nutshell, is a low carb and low sugar diet. It’s not for everyone but it helps prevent me from feeling hungry and snacking on extra calories!
I am sucrose intolerant and it is amazing how many products contain sugar. Good luck with the weight loss 🙂
You’re not joking, finding food without added sugar is a difficult endeavor. Thank you!!
I don’t know that I could ever handle the keto diet but I’m so impressed with you and Kieran! I’ve gone on sugar detoxes for my migraines and it was rough those first few weeks but once the cravings go away you just feel amazing right? Anyway, post all the keto recipes you want–especially if they look as delicious as this salad!
Exactly, I had to get over the sugar withdrawal but once I did, my energy skyrocketed! Thank you, Kelsie, I appreciate your support!
And I just had a regular ol’ Caesar salad last night…. The combination of flavors here sounds perfect to me! YUM!
Oh yum! Caesar anything is right up my alley 🙂
This salad looks really delicious! I usually add chicken to my salads, but every now and then I crave a juicy steak on it!! Thanks for all the info on the keto diet. I must admit I’m not that familiar with it, but I totally appreciate your approach and how you’re not giving up some of the things you enjoy all together (hello, I’m with you on the beer!). Enjoy your week’s vacation Christina!
Hahahaha, yeah, I’m never going to stop drinking beer entirely, it’s too good! I watched a documentary last night on why diets don’t typically work. It’s mostly because people have a hard time sticking to them. Once we feel deprived, we usually go back to our old habits. The documentary said it’s great if you try diets that are low card or low fat, the trick is to find a diet that helps you feel satisfied so you don’t overconsume. So far, that’s the keto diet for me!
I think that’s great that you’re sharing your experience over the last month on the Keto diet Christine. It’s your blog and I’m always interested to hear about people’s experiences on things, like the Keto diet that I don’t know anything about and don’t want to be ignorant about. I love kale chips BTW! Hope you are having a fanatastic time camping near Denver, can’t wait to see the films. Oh, and this low carb steak fajita caesar salad recipe? Yum yum, count me in!
Thank you! We just got back from Denver so I’m going through the footage now 🙂
I LOOOOVVVEE a great steak salad! This one looks and sounds positively devour-able! I’m not a Keto person myself, but know others who’ve tried it and (learn to)like it. And like many meals, most of us have eaten meals that are “Keto meals” just not knowing it. And I truly believe whatever works for you is great for you. I, too, would trust the fit of your clothing rather than the scale. Although it’s opposite of so many years of magazine headlines (HA!), it’s probably more indicative of progress than the scale is. Good luck to you and Kieran, and keep the Keto recipes coming! You go girl!
I agree with you, people should do what works for them! I find that keto keeps me feeling satisfied so I don’t overindulge. It also helps regulate my blood sugar so I don’t crash, then binge eat to recover. Thank you!!!!!
this salad looks so delicious and filling! also super cool to hear about your experiences with keto- it sounds like it’s been working really well for you (:
Thank you so much, Heather, so far so good! 🙂
Well hello Fajita Ceasar Salad, don’t you look delicious. A lot of people I know are loving Keto, they say it’s super easy and it works. Nothing wrong with high fat in my world lol. I love your hair Christina. Oh No, No Beer 🙁
Thank you!! It surprised me at how easy the diet is to maintain once you fully commit. It helps curb my appetite in a way where I’m eating plenty of food yet consuming fewer calories. However, every two weeks or so I’m going to allow myself to drink beer. Because beer 🙂
I loooooove a good steak salad! This one looks so good, especially with those avocados in there! I’m actually a big fan of keto, but I had to transition off it because it was too hard to run my blog at the same time. Couldn’t taste test recipes I couldn’t eat. 😉 P.S. If you’re still feeling the keto flu, make sure you’re getting all your electrolytes. It makes such a difference!
Thanks, Tracy! Seriously, it’s impossible to run a site called “Baking Mischief” if you can’t bake bc of keto. HA! Thanks for the heads up on the keto flu! I think I’m in the clear now!
I need to get on the Keto diet cos I’m all fluffy over here and summer’s already started! lol! ANNNNNDDDDD I’m all jelly cos I want to hang out with Craft Beering too!! Loving this steak fajita caesar salad and thinking it needs to be on this weekend’s menu.
Hahahaha, I’m fluffy too. It’s the first “diet” that ultimately helps me consume fewer calories because I feel content for longer. So, I’m loving it so far! Craft Beering was a lot of fun 🙂