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Welcome to the New and Improved My Productive Backyard!

Welcome to the New and Improved My Productive Backyard!

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My Productive Backyard; Recipes for Everyone; Clearly marked as General Recipes, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Whole 30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Vegan, High Protein, Egg Free, Corn Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Low Sodium and Low Fat.

For years now, My Productive Backyard has been all about the Low Carb and Keto lifestyle. None of that is changing.

We are adding new friends and many of our recipes are also Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Whole 30 and other popular ways of eating so I have made the website look different so they are easier to find.

But don’t panic!

All of your old favorites are here!

And many new things too!

I have made everything super easy to find! I know how I just hate when my grocery store changes things around and it is a mystery where my favorites are. I would rather do without than wander around looking for them.

This will not be the case for you here, I promise.

The New Recipe Key:

I have made a recipe key available so all you need to do is click on any words to get a list of what kind of recipes you are looking for.

Keto? Low Carb? Dairy Free? Gluten Free? Vegetarian? Paleo? Whole 30?  Just click on those words and you will be given the whole list of what is available.

Also, when you click on a recipe, if you look above the title in the gray bar, you can see all of the tags to easily see what that recipe is. Many meet several dietary requirements and they are clearly marked.

–On Desktop:

screenshot of categories on desktop

–On Mobile:

screenshot of categories on mobile

There are also tags at the top of the page on desktop (and a dropdown menu on mobile so it isn’t in the way) for all of the different diets, ways of cooking, types of meat, holidays, etc. to make finding what you need easy.

On Desktop:

screenshot of categories on desktop

On Mobile:

screenshot of categories on mobile

Let me know if I missed something!

And as always, if you have a suggestion or just want to chat, drop me a note! I always love to hear from my readers!

I tried to think of everything below but if I missed something, feel free to let me know.

Defining the Diet Recipe Labels:

I have attempted to define each of the diets I have tagged on the website below. I did that both so you know the guidelines I used when labeling them and also as a help possibly if anyone was wondering about a certain diet or contemplating trying one.

Also included just under the heading is a link to a Healthline article with much more information about each diet. That website is much more knowledgeable than I am with writers in the medical field so look there if you would like more information.

***All foods allowed and foods to avoid lists are taken from Healthline website; links are just below each diet title with more information on each. They also have a sample one week meal plan.***

General

This one doesn’t have a Healthline link but I do have many that are labeled as simply “General”. These are the regular old recipes that probably have gluten, dairy, etc. in them; ones that we used to eat before we had a dozen choices of different diets to choose from. This website is for everyone so we have “General” recipes too.

Keto

Healthline explains Ketogenic Diet

Keto is short for the Ketogenic diet. It is when carbs are extremely reduced and replaced by fat, which puts the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs. Usually, people aim for less than 20 net carbs per day to maintain ketosis.

Recipes on this site up to 7 net grams of carbs per serving will be labeled as Keto. That is a good general guideline to eat 3 meals a day and keep at or under 20 net grams of carbs per day. You can always adjust for your personal needs if needed.

Foods allowed; meats, fatty fish, eggs, butter and cream, cheese, nuts and seeds, healthy oils, avocados, low carb vegetables, salt, pepper, herbs and spices.

Foods to avoid; sugary foods, grains or starches, fruit (except small portions of berries), beans or legumes, root vegetables and tubers, low fat or diet products, some condiments or sauces, unhealthy fats, alcohol, sugar free diet foods.

Low Carb

Healthline explains Low Carb Diet

Low Carb foods are the same as Keto above but will be a bit more lenient to include more fruits and maybe a few tubers, unrefined grains, legumes, dark chocolate or wine.

Low Carb could be defined up to 50 or even 100 carbs per day, depending on your personal needs and goals.

Low carb recipes can be labeled as recipes up to 15 grams of carbs per serving.

Paleo

Healthline explains Paleo Diet

“The paleo diet is designed to resemble what human hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago.”

Foods allowed; meat and poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and seeds and healthy fats and oils, salt and spices, tea and coffee. If you can afford it, it is best to choose grass fed and organic but if not, just go for the most unprocessed choices.

Foods to avoid; sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, grains, legumes, dairy (although some versions of Paleo do include full fat dairy like butter and cheese), some vegetable oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, highly processed foods.

Sensible indulgences—in small amounts; wine (quality red wine) and dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa content)

Modified Paleo Diets: over time, the Paleo diet has evolved to include quality grass fed butter and gluten free grains like rice. So you may see recipes on this site labeled as Paleo that include these ingredients.

Whole 30

Healthline explains Whole 30 Diet

Whole 30 is very similar to Paleo but is only supposed to be for 30 days with foods added back into your diet slowly after the 30 days.

“In addition, the diet recommends that you avoid recreating your favorite baked goods, snacks or treats — even with Whole30-approved ingredients.

Thus, foods such as cauliflower pizza crust and paleo pancakes must be avoided.”

Foods allowed; meat and poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and some fats.

Foods to avoid; all sugar and artificial sweeteners, all alcohol, pulses and legumes (except green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas), soy, dairy (except clarified butter and ghee) and processed additives.

Vegetarian

Healthline explains Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet basically involves doing without meat, fish and poultry.

There are different types of vegetarians; Lacto-ovo-vegetarian allows eggs and dairy products, Lacto-vegetarian allows dairy and Ovo-vegetarian allows eggs. (Lacto=dairy, Ovo=egg)

For the purpose of labeling on this website, a vegetarian recipe could include dairy and/or eggs. I’m sorry I don’t have space or labels to include all of the possible vegetarian options. If you are vegetarian and don’t eat eggs and dairy, please see the Vegan label. That should be what you are looking for.

I did label Pescatarian in their own section. See below.

Foods to eat; fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, proteins.

Foods to avoid; meat, poultry, fish and shellfish, meat-based ingredients, eggs and dairy (unless you are lacto and/or ovo-vegetarian), other animal products.

Pescatarian

Healthline explains Pescatarian Diet

A pescatarian diet is a vegetarian diet that adds seafood, usually for the health benefits. See the food lists above and add in fish and shellfish.

Vegan

Healthline explains Vegan Diet

Foods allowed; tofu, tempeh, and seitan, legumes, nuts and nut butters, seeds, calcium fortified plant based milks and yogurts, algae, nutritional yeast, whole grains, cereals and pseudocereals, sprouted and fermented plant foods, fruits and vegetables.

Foods to avoid; all meat and poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, dairy, bee products and animal based ingredients.

Gluten Free

Healthline explains Gluten Free Diet

Basically, to be safe in a gluten free diet, it is best to eat single ingredient foods. Any packaged food could include ingredients that contain gluten unless it is labeled “Gluten Free”.

Avoid; wheat based foods like wheat bran, wheat flour, spelt, durum, kamut and semolina, barley, rye, triticale, malt and brewer’s yeast.

Dairy Free

Dairy is milk, cheese and butter so there will be no recipes with those ingredients having this label unless there is a substitution available.

Some recipes call for mayonnaise and that may be listed as dairy free since I always use Duke’s or Hellmann’s mayo. There is egg in those brands but no dairy.

Nut Free

We do have some recipes with nuts so have our nut free recipes clearly marked for you. If it is labeled as nut free, this also includes peanuts, even though they are a legume, as they are a common “nut” allergy. If you would like a peanut recipe, just type “peanut” or “peanut butter” in the search bar and they will be listed for you.

Egg Free

We also have plenty of egg free recipes and they are marked with their own label.

Soy Free

We aren’t personally big soy eaters so most of our recipes are soy free. They are labeled.

Corn Free

Corn is another major allergen and these recipes are labeled for you.

High Protein

While everyone’s protein needs are different, on this site, I will be labeling a recipe with 20 grams per serving as a high protein recipe.

Low Fat

Same as the high protein; there isn’t an exact “low fat” number but I will tag recipes with lower fat counts here. Generally, less than 3 grams of fat per serving will be counted as a low-fat recipe.

Low Sodium

Low Sodium will be defined as less than 140 mg of sodium per serving.

Quick Recipes

Quick Recipes are defined as recipes ready in 30 minutes or less.

Recipes are collected below in categories:

General Recipes

Quick Recipes

Keto Recipes

Low Carb Recipes

Paleo Recipes

Cucumber Onion Salad

Cucumber Onion Salad

Cucumber Onion Salad; Cucumbers and onion in sweet vinegar while still being Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Gluten & Dairy Free; a refreshing summer salad that is easy to mix up and welcome at picnics and potlucks.

Whole 30 Recipes

Blackened Salmon

Blackened Salmon

Blackened Salmon is a spicy, flavorful way to eat delicious, healthy salmon! Just salmon, olive oil and 6 basic herbs and spices! Keto, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Paleo, Whole 30, Dairy and Gluten Free! It an easy skillet meal, ready in 30 minutes and 0 Net Carbs.

Vegetarian Recipes

Pescatarian Recipes

Blackened Salmon

Blackened Salmon

Blackened Salmon is a spicy, flavorful way to eat delicious, healthy salmon! Just salmon, olive oil and 6 basic herbs and spices! Keto, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Paleo, Whole 30, Dairy and Gluten Free! It an easy skillet meal, ready in 30 minutes and 0 Net Carbs.

Vegan Recipes

Cucumber Onion Salad

Cucumber Onion Salad

Cucumber Onion Salad; Cucumbers and onion in sweet vinegar while still being Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Gluten & Dairy Free; a refreshing summer salad that is easy to mix up and welcome at picnics and potlucks.

Gluten Free Recipes

Dairy Free Recipes

Nut Free Recipes

Egg Free Recipes

Soy Free Recipes

Corn Free Recipes

High Protein Recipes

Low Fat Recipes

Low Sodium Recipes