Favorite sources of protein?

nadia_in_mtl

I changed around my macro settings as per the instructions found in one of the threads in this group (thanks for the info, btw!!) It's been a hard process adjusting to the mentality of macro balances rather than just considering overall calorie intake.

Now this might be due to poor planning, but my actual intake has been heavily skewed towards carbs at the expense of fat and protein (going deep into the red almost every day). My lifestyle is pretty hectic because of my work, and breakfast usually consists of cereal and milk, lunch is a frozen meal (also laden with sodium- ugh) and snacks are things like fruit, almonds and granola bars. These options are attractive because they're grab and go.

I don't mind cooking as long as the recipe isn't too elaborate or time consuming. I am wondering what sorts of protein-rich meals people on here eat, other than protein powder. Things like salmon, chicken, etc. are simple enough to prepare for dinner, but what do you do for lunch or for snacks?

I need to start planning my meals better. :-/

tameko2

For dinner, I pretty much eat meat. And something.

For snacks, I do jerky or salami, if I want something protein-y but these are also kinda good for grab and go although they are somewhat expensive.
http://www.kashi.com/products/tlc_chewy_granola_bars_dark_mocha_almond

I do not recommend the other flavors -they aren't AWFUL but this is the best flavor and also has 6 grams of protein for 130 calories which is actually pretty good for a granola type bar. Crunchy peanut butter clif bars are 12 grams for 240 calories, also good, but I think clif bars are disgustingly sweet and kind of bland at the same time, and I don't really like to spend 250 calories on one tiny stupid little bar, but that's me.

Other people like em though. There are also plenty of cereals that have kind of pumped up protein amounts. Kashi probably makes a few but I can't really help you there as I don't like cereal.
Also non-lactose intolerant people seem to do well with greek yogurt and cheese but I generally avoid them these days because ....lactose intolerant.

For lunch, it sounds like you need a grab and go option? No time to prep at night? You can make your own frozen meals on the weekends, things like meatloaf muffins and chicken breast to toss on salads. If eating out is an option, I'm a fan of chipotle bowls, myself. Sandwiches or a lunch box with rolled up deli meat, cheese, etc seems good too? For people that eat that stuff?

... why am I even contributing to this, I don't eat breakfast and I don't watch my sodium intake.... Haha. Sorry OP. Probably not that helpful, beyond those kashi bars.

nadia_in_mtl

... why am I even contributing to this, I don't eat breakfast and I don't watch my sodium intake.... Haha. Sorry OP. Probably not that helpful, beyond those kashi bars.

Nah, you gave me some good ideas, thanks! I need to plan better and use some more imagination in my food prep. Right after posting this, I found a nice thread full of recipes using protein powder, so it might be helpful for me to try making meals and snacks with that.

Sarauk2sf

For 'quick' breakfasts try:

Greek yogurt with fruits
Higher protein cereal + milk
Eggs/omelette

Lunch:
Try pre cooking some chicken - you can have it in salads, sammiches, soups
Make salads with chicken, tuna or eggs.
Also, you can make up some salads with a quinoa or cous cous base


Snacks:
Dried edamame
Cottage cheese
Hard boiled eggs
String cheese


Not hugely helpful here as I don't eat breakfast and usually have virtually the same thing for lunch every day (plus I am a crap cook and a vegetarian).

Martucha123

Lean protein:
I have baked chicken breast for lunch at least 4 times a week (with boiled veggies and some carbs). I bake it on Sunday, and then each day I cook the veggies (in the summer I would shred it and add to a salad, sometimes I shred it and add to a veggie cream soup for dinner)

For a snack: Greek yogurt, with fruit and honey, or cereal or protein powder (use whey)

Egg omelette with lean ham, sandwiches with a lot of ham/turkey breast, lean beef (prime steak), lean pork (pork chops), baked lean fish, shrimps or turkey breast, tuna salad, pasta with tuna and tomato (YUM)

Other Protein:
Egg omelette with cheese, sandwich with ham and cheese, burgers, pork sausages, any kind of cheese, bacon, boiled eggs with toast, frittata, salmon (note that fat content in those is usually equal to protein content),

High in carbs but have quite a lot of protein: Milk with cereal, white beans

BikerGirlElaine

Basically, I cook in bulk and freeze in portion sizes.

When you cook dinner, make twice the amount and there you have lunch for the next day. Or, cook 4X the amount, freeze the other three servings, and there you have three meals ready to go. Get some convenient leftover containers and fill them up after dinner so that you can just grab one in the morning.

I buy 3 pound frozen bags of chicken breast meat. When I get them home I make marinades and put them in the marinade and freeze them that way. So I can just pull out a bag of chicken at night, let it thaw and marinate in the fridge the next day, grill it for dinner the next night, and have lots of leftovers.

I buy frozen fish filets and prep them similarly. I put them, frozen, individually into foil with the seasonings that I want for them -- DP and I have different tastebuds so I season his differently -- and put them in the freezer. I can bake them individually or bake a couple and have my lunch for the next day already sorted out.

I roast a turkey breast, slice, and freeze in portion sizes.

I put a pork loin in the crockpot, add some chicken stock -- maybe about 2-4 cups depending on the size of the roast and the crockpot -- and cook on low all day. Then I have dinner ready and lots of leftover meat.

I also bake brown rice in bulk. Put rice and water in a covered casserole, bake for at least an hour -- until all the water is absorbed. Freeze in portion sizes. Same with brown rice pasta. When I make potatoes I make double or 4X the amount I need.

Grab and go snack proteins = cheese sticks, almonds. Or, this is where I really rely on those protein powder recipes. They tend to be good, portable snacks.

I usually have enough in my freezer that I could go two weeks without cooking if I get really busy.

Elaine in CO

PriceK01

Upping my protein has been a challenge, too, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. My breakfasts have been either smoothies or oatmeal, both with ground flax seed and protein powder added. I've also done egg muffins ahead of time to reheat in the morning. Snacks usually include nuts/seeds, edamame, quinoa, plain greek yogurt, or cottage cheese. Lunches have chicken breast, shrimp, tuna, or leftover dinner stuff.

Portioning things out so they are ready to grab and go is a big help!

I'm hoping to get to a point where I'm incorporating enough protein naturally, and can quit supplementing with powder. Almost seems like an impossible feat.

LoraF83

I struggle to increase my protein as well. I've been really trying to get over the 100g mark this week, and so far, so good (but it's only Tuesday!).

For lunch today I had an apple with 2T of peanut butter, 2 slices of proscuitto wrapped around a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, and 2 mini light Babybel cheeses.
I'm also having a high protein snack later - a small tub (80 calories) of plain greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder stirred in (put the powder in the bowl and add a little water - stir to mix, then add in the yogurt).

I eat a lot of protein for dinner - lean beef, chicken, and eggs mostly. I also made my own steak & egg breakfast burritos - you can message me if you want the recipe. They taste awesome and are so easy to microwave in the morning (I froze a whole batch of them).

SideSteel

giggity

lacurandera1

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lacurandera1

Whey has been my best friend when trying to keep my protein levels up. Nuts and nut butters if you don't mind the fat. Cheese. Milk- I actually mix my whey in milk so I get a bonus. In fact, I've been known to put powdered milk in milk...makes it kinda thick. i wouldn't recommend. lol.

Oh, and cottage cheese. It has a fab macro split. Nu Go and Life choice make high protein (17 and 21 grams, respectively) low fat, reasonable carb bars, too. I'm sure there are others out there that don't have 30 grams of fat, but those are the 2 I've found that have a good split and taste pretty decent.

sarahisme18

For lunch or snacks, I really like to have string cheese, boiled eggs, soy milk, and homemade protein bars (Jamie Eason's recipes are great, look them up on BodyBuilding.com). I also like her turkey meatloaf muffins. I make a batch at the beginning of the week and have for snacks at work.

Fittreelol

As everyone else said- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for snacks. It took me a really long time to acquire the taste for greek yogurt. I kept practicing though and now I like it. You can use plain greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream. It has way less calories so you can pile on more, and you get a little protein bonus. Hard boiled eggs are another great snack and easy to prepare ahead of time.

For breakfast I usually eat an omelette with feta and maybe some veggies. Lately I've been adding 1.5 slices Applegate turkey bacon for added protein. I just discovered turkey bacon, and I love it! I cook a batch at the beginning of the week, throw it in a ziploc, and use it throughout the week in my omelettes. Sometimes I'll have a piece or two at night as a snack if I'm a little low on protein for the day.

Gapwedge01

eggs, bacon, sausage, whey protein powder, chicken breasts, lean beef, almonds, tuna, salmon......just a few of my standard options.

Sublog

(plus I am a crap cook and a vegetarian).

LOL ^^

pspetralia

I was struggling with upping my protein, too. These are things that have helped me get at or close to 100

Can of Tuna mixed with a tiny bit of mayo and rice
Chicken chili
Babybel cheese
Chicken stir fry

iulia_maddie

Best on the go, quick protein snack: Beef jerkey in my opinion. I try to get the low sodium one.
Favourite source of protein at home: lean beef, chicken breast a close second.

auddii

Luckily I don't mind eating the same thing every day, so I batch cook, and then freeze in individual portions. For breakfast I usually have 2 tbsp peanut butter, a glass of soy milk, and a hard boiled egg (currently out of eggs and thinking of taking an egg break). For a snack, I'd been having hard boiled egg (well 2, one in the morning and one in the afternoon), but lately subbed for cottage cheese.

I cook up a ton of chicken in the crock pot on the weekend and then shred, and freeze in 4 ounce portions (I love it with beer, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, onion powder, and garlic powder). For lunches, the chicken is treated almost like a side dish; I just eat it with a fork after my homemade chili, veggies, and fruit of choice. For dinner, I have the same chicken in a salad with avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and a balsalmic/olive oil/horseradish mustard mix for dressing.

Works for me, but I'm actually still shy of my protein goal. Usually around 110, and I need to be 130ish. I've been drinking soy milk because I like the vanilla flavor, but I think I'll switch back to regular milk since that will help with more protein and there isn't any reason I can't drink it (and it's probably cheaper, although I haven't checked prices since the "fiscal cliff"; if it's $30 a gallon like some idiot predicted, I think I'll stick with soy).

Oh, and if I have extra calories at the end of the day, I fill in with more peanut butter and milk (if not reserved for beer).

nadia_in_mtl

WOW! Thanks so much, everyone, for all your responses and for helping out a newbie. I love this group!

There are plenty of helpful ideas in this thread, and the common denominator is advance planning and preparation. I will have to put in the time to do this over the weekend to start off next week right.

I might even be able to incorporate more nuts and cheese than I do now because on some days, I don't eat enough fats (I never thought I'd say that.. that's how weird my food combination has been lately, overly heavy on carbs).

I will be enjoying some nice Atlantic salmon this evening with a mayo/Dijon mustard sauce. Cheers!

Tdacks

Greek yogurt in individual cups are my solution to adding protein in a quick snack. If you have access to refrigeration at work, they are quite convenient.