5 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes You Should Try Today

A large number of people look for high protein meal prep ideas whenever they set out to do meal prepping for themselves or their family. Meal prepping is a technique which most millennials and centennials follow to reduce the stress involved in making food. This technique basically includes creating a plan for meals and then cooking those meals either fully or partially. It helps to save a lot as per-determined number of hours and timings are allocated to the process of meal planning and cooking.

Some people, who are new to this technique, start with just meal planning first. Even just creating a plan can prove to be helpful in many ways. Meal prepping might consume time, but it benefits you in the long run. Those who have never cooked before can avoid getting overwhelmed and be more confident by using this technique.

Homemakers, entrepreneurs, single parents, employees, and many more – all find meal prepping to be quite a useful tool. It gives them a chance to keep a tab on their intake of different types of nutrients. People can choose foods or dishes to incorporate in their meal plan in such a way that they are able to get all the macronutrients and micronutrients in adequate amounts.

The reason why people often prefer to do high protein meal prep is that protein is a macronutrient that often gets neglected in their diet. Those who follow a vegetarian diet cannot get protein from the meat, seafood, and poultry. Those who have adopted a vegan diet cannot get protein even from dairy products in addition to the aforementioned sources. People who consume non-vegetarian food take more fat and carbohydrates than protein due to the recipes of the dishes or their food habits.

Therefore, it is necessary to consume food items that not only contain protein in sufficient quantities but also have the right proportion of various nutrients. Preparing meal plans with a strict focus on protein-rich foods or dishes is the key to get rid of protein deficiency and stay healthy.

Why You Should Not Neglect Protein in Your Diet?

With the Internet providing you with the latest pieces of information on a variety of topics related to health, foods, nutrients, nutritional deficiencies, and so on, you can easily find answers to all your questions and queries. You can even take the guidance from nutrition and health experts online. Whenever people come across any difficulty or concern regarding their wellness or body, they look for the advice online.

But despite having so much convenience, a lot of people still tend to be not fully equipped with the knowledge related to protein. They ignore protein when it comes to their dietary requirements. People in today’s time are paying huge attention to superfoods like different kinds of nuts and seeds. They are forgetting to incorporate simple yet nutritious dishes like chickpea sprouts, bean sprouts, beans, legumes, lentils, and oats in their meal plans.

Therefore, high protein meal prep recipes are a must to learn for every person. When you conduct research and prepare meal plans in advance, you can ensure to consume the recommended protein quantity. You can keep various diseases at bay through protein-rich foods.

Just like all other nutrients, protein offers unique benefits to the body. The biggest benefit is that it keeps you full for a longer period of time. It provides a satiating effect due to the elevated blood amino acid concentration. You don’t experience hunger pangs quite often. Hence, protein is considered to be an important nutrient in terms of weight regulation and weight loss. You can avoid the cravings for snacks before lunch by eating protein-rich foods for breakfast.

However, it does not mean that you cannot consume protein-rich foods at lunch or dinner. You can even eat desserts whose recipes include the use of ingredients high in protein. Currently, protein powder desserts are becoming quite popular since protein powder is no longer considered a food item limited to gym-goers.

Read These 5 High Protein Meal Prep Recipes

Along with curbing hunger, protein offers many other advantages as well. It can help you prevent weakening of the muscles which happens due to aging. Protein boosts metabolism because of the phenomenon known as “Thermic Effect of Food”. Body burns calories in order to digest the food and absorb the nutrients present in it. Since protein is made up of amino acids, your body burns more calories to absorb it compared to fat or carbohydrates.

The fact that protein is necessary for building muscles is not unknown to anyone. If you are someone who wants to build muscles or avoid muscle loss while trying to lose weight, you cannot miss out on protein. Similarly, protein also helps in repairing muscles. If you have a rigorous workout regimen, you should eat high-protein meals. This nutrient even helps in recovery after injuries. Protein regulates blood pressure, hormones, and other bodily functions.

Moreover, you must be aware that it is also essential in growing hair and nails. Thus, you should learn about high protein meal prep recipes for muscle gain and other benefits. We have listed down ten dishes that are made of ingredients high in protein. We have included non-vegetarian, vegetarian, and vegan options in our list. Let’s learn more about each of them below.

Shrimp, Avocado, and Egg Chopped Salad

Meals during lunch and dinner often begin with a salad. Eating a salad helps to intake nutritional ingredients and satisfy your hunger, thereby reducing the quantity of cooked food you require. This shrimp, avocado, and egg chopped salad is a perfect beginning to any meal.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• ½ avocado (diced)
• 2 hard boiled eggs (cut into pieces)
• 1 c. grape tomatoes (halved)
• ¼ small red onion (thinly sliced)
• 8 c. butter lettuce
• ½ c. cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Method:

• Take a large bowl. Add onion, lime juice, and ½ tablespoon olive oil to the bowl. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
• Take a large skillet and put it on medium flame. Now heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Coat shrimp with kosher salt and pepper. Put shrimp in the skillet and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes per side until it becomes opaque.
• Add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cilantro leaves in a bowl. Toss all these ingredients together. Divide them equally among two bowls. Put the cooked shrimp, avocado, and eggs on top of these ingredients in both the bowls.

One bowl of this salad has 40 g protein, and so, it is a wonderful way to get the required protein. It also has other nutrients, such as fiber, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium. The ingredients like grape tomatoes, red onions, and butter lettuce make this salad look colorful.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Vegans are just going to love this high protein meal prep recipe, as it is light for the stomach and easy to make. The best part is that this oats dish is not just free from dairy products but also free from gluten. So, even those who suffer from gluten intolerance can relish it without any worry.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 ½ tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 scoop peanut butter protein powder
• 1 cup sweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Method:

• Add all the ingredients mentioned above to a medium-sized jar with a properly functioning lid.
• Now, stir all the ingredients well so that they get combined well. Cover the jar with the lid.
• Put the jar in the refrigerator overnight. If you are short on time and cannot refrigerate the jar overnight, you should put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Eat the oats directly out of the jar or transfer them to a bowl and then eat. Top the chocolate peanut butter oats with peanut butter, banana pieces, or chia seeds.

This oats recipe is extremely easy to make, so even if you are a newbie in cooking, you can prepare this dish without fear. The quantity of protein in this dish is 32.5 grams. Other macronutrients and micronutrients in chocolate peanut butter overnight oats are fiber, vitamin A, potassium, iron, calcium, carbohydrates, sodium, and fat.

Spinach and Cheese Egg Muffins

Food items like muffins and cookies can be consumed while traveling or commuting as well. Just put a few delicious and nutritious cookies or muffins in your pocket, lunch box, or bag and say ‘no’ to hunger anytime anywhere! With these spinach and cheese egg muffins, you can not only satisfy your hunger but also reach close to the recommended daily protein intake.

Ingredients:

• 1 5-oz. baby spinach (chopped)
• ¼ c. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 6 large eggs
• ½ c. milk
• 2 scallions (chopped)
• 1 large red pepper (cut into ¼ inch pieces)
• 1/8 teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

• Heat an oven to 350^o
• Apply nonstick cooking spray on a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Take a large skillet and put it on medium heat. Add oil to the skillet and heat it.
• Add red pepper, kosher salt, and pepper to the skillet.
• Cover the skillet and let the ingredients get cooked until they become tender. It should take around 6 to 8 minutes. Stir everything occasionally.
• Now, remove the skillet from heat and put scallions in it.
• Take a large bowl and add eggs, milk, salt, and pepper to it. Beat all the ingredients in the bowl.
• Add the spinach and scallion mixture (prepared earlier) to the bowl.
• Pour the muffin batter in equal quantities in the cups of the muffin pan. Put goat cheese on top of the muffin batter in each cup.
• Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes until they set in the center.
• Let the muffins become cool by placing the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Remove the muffins from the pan and serve them warm.

This is one of the ideal high protein meal prep recipes, as you can refrigerate the muffins for up to 4 days. Whenever you want to eat them, just take them out of the refrigerator and reheat them. In order to reheat muffins, microwave them on high for 30 seconds. There is 4 grams of protein in each muffin. Spinach and cheese egg muffins also have carbohydrates, fat, and sodium.

Cajun Butter Chicken and Potatoes

This dish has two of those food items that are loved by most people. These food items are chicken breasts and potatoes. On top of it, the dish also has Cajun seasoning blend, which gives it a unique flavor. If you like foods that have Cajun sauce or Cajun seasoning, you will not be able to resist eating Cajun butter chicken and potatoes. Let us have a look at the ingredients and method.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
• 4 medium-sized red potatoes
• ½ cup butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked)
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

• Preheat an oven to 400^O
• Wash the potatoes and slice them into wedges.
• Take a large bowl and add potatoes and chicken to it.
• Now, prepare the Cajun seasoning blend.
• Start by taking a small saucepan and adding butter to it. Melt the butter over low heat.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic, salt, chili powder, oregano, paprika, Cayenne pepper and black pepper to the pan. Stir them together so that they get combined.
• Remove the saucepan from heat. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Add the sauce to the chicken and potato mixture. Toss all the ingredients so that the chicken and potatoes get coated with seasoning properly.
• Take the chicken and potatoes from the bowl and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
• If you have some extra seasoning blend, sprinkle it over the chicken and potatoes.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Then, turn the potatoes over. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
• The chicken should reach 165^OF before you remove it from the oven.

Non-vegetarian food items like chicken are one of the best sources of protein. One serving of this dish has 29 grams of protein. Needless to say, it is also loaded with a considerable amount of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. So, you should not go overboard with Cajun butter chicken and potatoes. When it comes to high protein meal prep ideas, chicken is the first item that comes to the minds of people.

But preparing chicken dishes is always tricky. You should take care of the proportion of ingredients. If you want, you can use chicken thighs instead of breasts. You can replace red potatoes with russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even rutabagas. You can also replace Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce or red wine vinegar.

Oats and Banana Pancakes

Who doesn’t like pancakes? These yummy, round, and dense cakes are a versatile food item. They can be consumed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. An endless variety of pancakes can be made by using different types of ingredients.

The protein pancake recipe we have shared here is not just high in protein but also great in taste. These pancakes are made with healthy ingredients like oats, bananas, and milk. In order to make them full of protein, protein powder is added. Let’s see what the ingredients are and how the pancakes are made, in detail.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ banana
• ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Oil

Method:

• Take a blender jar and add rolled oats to it. Blend the oats for 10-15 seconds until they get a consistency similar to flour.
• Now, take a small bowl and add oat flour, vanilla protein powder, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to it. Mix all the ingredients together.
• Take a medium-sized bowl and add banana to it. Mash the banana. Add egg and milk to banana in the bowl.
• Put the mixture of the small bowl in the medium-sized bowl that contains banana, egg, and milk. Mix everything together to prepare the batter.
• The batter should be thick enough to make pancakes. Let the pancake batter rest for 5 minutes.
• Take a skillet or griddle. Put it on low to medium flame. Once it gets heated, add oil to it. When the oil gets hot, pour the batter with the help of a ladle.
• You can make 3 to 5 pancakes in one go depending on the size of your skillet or griddle.
• Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles start appearing on them. Now, flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Garnish them with banana pieces, chocolate chips, or maple syrup before serving.

The protein content of this high protein meal prep recipe is 36.7 grams. It’s worth mentioning here that the protein used in this dish is whey protein. If you want, you can replace it with plant-based protein, if you are a vegan. You can use the oil of your choice to make these pancakes. You can also use butter.

You can make a wide range of dishes by using protein powder or ingredients that have natural protein. We have tried to include diverse recipes in this blog post. You can make smoothies, cupcakes, soups, stews, vegetable curries, and much more. You can also research and learn how to prepare high-protein dips, sauces, and chutneys for making your meals more interesting. High-protein recipes can be modified to please even picky eaters.

Conclusion

We hope that you would have liked this blog post on high protein meal prep ideas. As per a report, an adult living a sedentary lifestyle should consume 0.36 grams of protein per pound of their body weight. Usually, it is recommended that 10% to 35% of your calorie intake should come from protein. So, you must ensure that your meals comprise foods that are rich in protein.