I love cooking, but I had to learn a lot of new recipes when I switched to eating Keto. Coming from a household where there was always healthy food to be found, I thought I’d be a fast learner. Boy, was I wrong! It took me a lot of research to find Keto proof recipes I actually enjoy. I started sharing my own recipes here on my blog and I recently received the Dutch version of the Keto in 5 cookbook by Jen Fisch. It’s amazing to have a book filled with Keto recipes I can use as a base. How cool is that!? Here’s my review.
Title: Keto in 5
Author: Jen Fisch
Rating: 8
Price: From €1500 or $6,99.
Where to buy: At Bol.com or Amazon.
Summary
I never heard of Jen Fisch before until the Dutch publisher (Spectrum) of Keto in 5 emailed me about it. It turns out Jen started her Keto journey a year before I did. She started in 2016 and wrote a few bestsellers about the Keto diet. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me. I went on a little Google search and found out she has psoriasis and I have eczema, a similar skin disease. It’s great to read about here positive experience with Keto and her skin disease, it definitely gives me more hope.
The Keto in 5 cookbook evolves around Keto proof dishes, for which you only need 5 ingredients each. Hence the 5 in the name of the book. It contains 130 easy recipes anyone can make within 30 minutes or so. The book starts with an introduction to Keto, how and why it works. She explains it in a very understandable way in my opinion. She quickly touches on intermittent fasting and the similarities of the Paleo diet, which you apparently can also use combined with Keto.
Then you also get a handy list with kitchen items you might need. Along with a list of foods you can eat on the Keto diet and a list of items you’d better not buy. She also shares a list of foods, condiments and spices you can use as a base in your Keto pantry. I’d say the list is pretty detailed and perfect if you don’t know where to begin. Jen recommends buying fresh food as much as possible and tracking your food intake. Then the book gets into the recipes and you can start cooking!
Pros
I’m pleasantly surprised about the detail in the Keto in 5 cookbook by Jen Fisch. I love how much effort she put into the explanation about Keto. She also provides lists of basic Keto groceries, tips, tricks and her own favorites. The way she describes the Keto diet and how to cook for it, is very relaxed and chill. You know that this is my mindset as well, so I’m happy to see there are other Keto-lovers out there with the same ideas. It makes eating Keto feel like a manageable way of eating, which is all I aim for.
I’m not for pressuring people into eating a certain way. I’m for finding a way that works for you, regardless of what other people think you should do. The relaxed vibe I get from this cookbook makes me excited to cook Keto proof meals. Instead of anxious about doing it wrong or not being strict enough, which is what I don’t want to feel. So extra points for Jen’s relaxed mindset about the Keto diet. The recipes are very easy to follow. Some do ask for ingredients I didn’t have in my house while I was trying them out.
For example: Jen often mentions Ghee but I have Kerrygold butter, so I used that instead and it works fine. I personally see this cookbook as the perfect base. Therefor I do tend to alter the recipes a bit to my own taste. Which you can easily do because she doesn’t use too many spices. And I personally love spice, so I’ll add the ones I love. There are also some vegan recipes in this cookbook, which is really nice if you don’t or want to eat less meat. Jen also shares some variation tips on the bottom of many recipes, so your meals don’t get boring.
I also want to share a quick note on the ingredients for the recipes. Most ingredients are available everywhere, which I think is great! This way anyone can eat Keto style without breaking the bank or spending hours in the kitchen. I know I’ve spent way too much money on complex Keto recipes that turned out not worth it. I do think tracking your food is very important. It helps you gain insight over your eating habits and your overall healthy. Another good point about this book is that Jen has calculated all of the calories and macros for you. If you stick to the recipe, it’s super easy to track and you’ll know exactly what you’ve been eating.
Cons
The main thing I dislike about this book is the lack of pictures. I’m the type of person that needs to see a picture of the end result, so I know what my dish is supposed to look like. I also think the pictures of food in a cookbook are part of the cooking experience. I often choose my meals based on pictures of food. It gets me in the mood, and I know what comes out of the pan or oven once I’m done. I know the book would have been thicker if there were 130 recipe pictures in there, but I personally would not mind. And yes, I would pay more for it.
I personally don’t see the next point as a ‘bad’ thing, but it’s something to consider. All of the recipes in the Keto in 5 cookbook by Jen Fisch are Keto proof on their own. But if you were to only eat from this book, you could sometimes end up over 20 grams of carbs per day (strict Keto), depending on how you combine your meals. Like I said, that’s not a bad thing, but something to consider. For example: The potato salad substitute with cauliflower is 13 grams of carbs per portion. That leaves only 7 grams of carbs left for the rest of the day. Which might be a bit on the low side if you eat three meals a day.
I personally do a lot of intermittent fasting, which means I eat two big meals a day and a few small snacks. I could easily combine my daily meals based on this book, while staying under 20 grams of carbs. Another thing that you might see as difficult like me, is the carb count for each recipe. I’m Dutch and European, and we often don’t look at net carbs. We just look at the total amount of carbs, so that part was a bit confusing to me. In the book Jen says you can decide yourself which carbs you count, so it’s good she gives that information.
The verdict
Honestly, I’m really surprised by this book in a positive way. I’ve been researching Keto recipes since May 2017 and I have to say: The Keto in 5 cookbook by Jen Fisch is a really good investment. The price is quite affordable in my opinion and definitely worth it. I can tell Jen has put effort into creating this book, by putting all of that information in there. I can appreciate that, and I think it’s worth paying for that information. Yes, you can google the info, but this book provides it all in an understandable way.
If you want to get into Keto quick and easy, this definitely is the book for you. Even if you’re not that good at cooking or if you don’t have a lot of time to prepare meals. There are also 130 recipes to try, which means you’ll be busy for a while. I think it can be a huge timesaver, which I wish I had when I first started Keto. Oh man… I’ve so many hours googling recipes I could actually use, haha!
So yes, I would buy this book for myself or a friend.
Kaya-Quintana
P.S. Subscribe to my newsletter for more recipe tips.
