Protein suggestions?

justcat206

I'm kinda new to watching my macros and according to all the things I've read I'm supposed to be getting around 100+ gr of protein every day. However I'm really struggling to get anywhere close to that much daily. I can't eat dairy or beef and while I'm fine with meat/fish and also eat beans, eggs and tofu, I find that it's breakfast and lunch where I'm drastically low. I can't/don't use protein supplements - so does anyone have recommendations of high-protein breakfast or lunch ideas? I think getting closer to meeting my daily goal would help a LOT with my sugar/carb cravings. Thanks!

seltzermint555

Chicken, soy products, lentils? Any of those sound good to you?

CipherZero

Chicken, tuna, salmon, mackerel, turkey... and the daily totals matter, not per-meal.

justcat206

I guess I'm looking more for what to do with those meats. Other than tuna salad or egg dishes - what does one do with meats for lunch? I can't seem to make up my deficit just at dinner, and was raised very carb/starch heavy for my earlier meals. Thanks

iamihobo

Well first protein powder cause its just direct and to the point. Most generally won't hit the protein mark without it. There are vegetarian options for protein powder but you have to watch the carb intake. Mainly if you lower your carbs you'll begin to get better results even with a lower protein mark.

eggs
yogurt
all kinds of red meats, lamb, venison, bison
chicken
tuna
turkey

a 100 protein is actually pretty low and should be easier to hit

BekaBooluvsu

Grilled meat on a salad for any meal is great.
Chicken: garlic salt
Fish: marinate for at least an hour with salt, vinegar and fresh minced garlic.
Beans: rinse, cook in crock pot with a large onion(leave whole unless you like eating the onion too)and ham bone. Add salt/pepper to taste.
Eggs: boil, peel, slice over salad
Hope this helps!

Pixt

I know it's not super specific but have you considered making extra dinner and just eating the leftovers for lunch the next day?

Or, cook up some chicken breasts using whatever go-to recipe you have and then chop one up and toss it into a salad with a couple cups of leafy greens and a cup of berries or whatever vegetable you like best. Then just drizzle it with a reasonable amount of whatever dressing you prefer.

Pulled chicken, or pork in lettuce wraps.

Quinoa -- if you like a lot of rice dishes, try experimenting with quinoa instead, it's much higher protein.

Chicken soup - not chicken noodle soup where it's all about the noodles, remove the meat from a roasted chicken, make broth from the bones, two carrots, and two stalks of celery (simmer for 3+ hours), strain the broth, add in the chicken meat, more carrots than you think could possibly be necessary, whatever spices you like and simmer till the carrots are almost done, right at the end add in a LOT of baby spinach and simmer till that wilts ... then package it up in two cup servings and you've got lunch for days if not all week. It tastes awesome and is just chicken, carrots and spinach in a tasty broth. This also makes a good base to experiment from. Variations I love: sauteed mushrooms added right at the end, zucchini chunks added late enough they don't get mushy, a can of whole tomatoes, a nice big bunch of basil and a can of chickpeas.

Chili -- whatever kind you like. As an aside: I really don't consider spaghetti squash a satisfying substitute for actual pasta when I want spaghetti, but roasted spaghetti squash, tossed with a little salt and pepper, served with a big scoop of chili on top is awesome.

I'm fond of hummus and carrot and red bell pepper pieces (but then again, I make my own hummus and find most of them pre-packed at the grocery store absolutely vile).

Cottage cheese has a decent amount of protein. As does Greek Yogurt. Either can be paired with fruit or a salad.

Breakfast: my new favorite breakfast thing is taking whatever I would normally make 18 eggs worth of omelettes with and dividing it among 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes total) and then just baking it at 350 for 20 minutes. Then you can just grab a couple mini-omelettes and whatever else seems reasonable (slice of toast, cup of berries, whatever) and you've got breakfast in the time it takes to nuke an egg. (make sure to grease the cupcake tins, I use coconut oil).

MityMax96

all great suggestions

I like mine from:
Eggs -- love making omelets.
Grilled Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken
Fish
Beef
Greek Yogurt
Cottage cheese

QueenBishOTUniverse

I make turkey tacos. 2 oz. sliced turkey breast spread with 1 tbs. cream cheese and thin cucumber slices. I'll frequently have a couple of those for lunch. Low cal but very high protein. If you can't do ANY form of dairy it might work with hummus spread instead of the cream cheese? Worth a try anyways.

_TastySnoBalls_

OP said no dairy

All i can think of is faux meat products, tofu, tempeh, seitan, quorn

sybrix

Egg, soy, or hemp based protein powder? Those are dairy free.

I don't hit anywhere near 100g protein nor do I remember any time in my life when I could have hit that high of a protein limit without trying hard and tracking it. Just isn't realistic for me. I'm vegetarian now but even when I wasn't... no way. I hit maybe 60g protein a day and I'm doing alright, even noticing some definition coming through in the thighs. But I totally understand how it can be hard for you, especially without dairy. But yeah... maybe try the non dairy protein powders? Good luck!