Easy protein recipes to make every day

I've been doing stir fries, but without rice or noodles - currently had turkey with gammon or pork meddalions. A load of protein from the meat and not many carbs from the rest with very little fat.
Something like 20g carbs, 4g fat and 76g protein - most of the carbs from the sauce.

TUNA FISH AND SARDINES ARE VERY HIGH IN PROTEIN AS WELL AS TURKEY!

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Mediterranean chicken -- 1 to 1.5 lbs chicken tenders, TBSP olive oil, TBSP or so lemon juice (I usually just juice a lemon), a tsp or so or oregano, a few minced garlic cloves. You can marinate the chicken for 20 minutes or so, but it is good without taking that time too. Just throw the chicken and marinade in a skillet and cook until done!

Trout or salmon -- http://www.food.com/recipe/broiled-steelhead-trout-with-rosemary-lemon-and-garlic-109283 (this was supper tonight and it is really good!)

Tuna salad (I make with a little olive oil mayo, mustard, and sweet pickle relish, and add hard boiled egg whites when I have the time)

A salad with greens, hard boiled eggs or egg whites and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds (along with whatever carbs you might want to add in)

monday's crock pot dinner was cheap, frozen chicken breast, 1 sliced onion, a bunch of garlic and a bottle of buffalo wing sauce. low for 8 hours, then shred chicken. add back in with 2 tbs butter and go another 30 minutes. great on rolls or even just plain. have in the past used it the next morning in scrambled eggs.

Don't mean to hijack this, but I've seen more than a few recipes where people say use a bottle of buffalo wing sauce, or Frank's Hot Sauce. Do you really mean a whole bottle ? Like 12 ozs or so?

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monday's crock pot dinner was cheap, frozen chicken breast, 1 sliced onion, a bunch of garlic and a bottle of buffalo wing sauce. low for 8 hours, then shred chicken. add back in with 2 tbs butter and go another 30 minutes. great on rolls or even just plain. have in the past used it the next morning in scrambled eggs.

Don't mean to hijack this, but I've seen more than a few recipes where people say use a bottle of buffalo wing sauce, or Frank's Hot Sauce. Do you really mean a whole bottle ? Like 12 ozs or so?

yup. whole thing. need liquid in crock pot cooking. sometimes for it to have a broth but, in this case, once shredded, the sauce will all incorporate into the chicken. hot sauce isn't going to add any calories. frank's has some bbq-type sauces, too, that only have about 400-450 cals in the whole bottle, so it doesn't up the total much.

Steak au Poivre

Crush peppercorns coarsely in a mortar and pestle

Salt steak and then press in peppercorns

in a pre heated cast iron pan, with a little oil cook about 3-5 min a side

Deglaze pan with cognac and add in cream and reduce till it thickens a bit

uhhh yum! I need to start getting my recipes from you. I may have to try that. I was just going to recommend marinating...

Exactly!

Crock pot lentils! Just lentils, ham hock or kielbasa, chicken broth, water and carrots. Soooo good and FILLED with protein! Freeze-able too if you make a big batch.

Oh! That sounds great!!! Thanks!

bumping for later

This is a very easy recipe and really quick to throw together. It calls for chicken thighs, but I just use a package of the Purdue Perfect Portions boneless chicken breasts (knocks the calories and fat down quite a bit). Then I store individual servings in tupperware and pull them out as I need them for lunch/dinner and reheat in the microwave :

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Rosemary-Baked-Chicken-with-Potatoes.aspx

In the spice aisle, McCormick has a bunch of what they call "Recipe Inspirations". It gives you the right amount of all seasonings you'll need for about 10 different dishes, and the back of the package is a punch-out recipe card. They run around $2.00 each. It's a good way to try out new recipes without buying $15 of new spices before you know if you like the dish!

Doesn't get any easier than this. Cut some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size chunks. Add onion, garlic, and any vegetables you desire. Create a pouch made out of tin foil and toss in a few tablespoons of lite zesty Italian dressing (only adds 25 calories). Seal up the pouch and put it on a grill. The chicken and vegetables will steam nicely in the Italian dressing and their own juices and make a tasty entree. Of course you can put it over rice to give it more substance, or if you want to really kick up the protein content, put it over Quinoa. Lots of protein and Quinoa is a complete source of amino acids.

bumping for ideas!

I like to cook a larger portion and eat off of it for a couple days, rather than having to cook every day.

Crockpot Meat with Gravy~Pot roast, round steak or pork chops thrown into the crock pot with a can of mushroom soup (or make your own mushroom soup) and some dried french onion soup mix. Cut up some onions and/or other veggies and throw them on top and cook until done. Makes its own gravy.

Mexican Chicken~Chicken pieces + can of diced tomatoes + half jar of salsa + canned or fresh chilies/peppers in crockpot. Also add spices of choice (cumin, chili powder, etc). And cook until done. Be careful if using chicken breasts as it is easy to overcook and dry it out. Shred chicken and return to sauce. Serve with tortillas, on taco salad, turn into filling for tamales or enchiladas.

Chicken or Steak Fajitas~In a very hot pan, brown your chicken or steak (cut into strips) quickly in a little bit of oil. Remove from pan, cook peppers and onions over high heat until tender crisp. Return meat to pan. You can make a quick sauce if you like with something like this. http://mexican.food.com/recipe/fajita-seasoning-mix-28011 Serve as-is with fajita condiments (sour cream, cheese, tortillas) or just eat over salad.

Taco Salads~ Cook hamburger or chicken with chili powder, garlic, cumin, onion powder. Serve over lettuce with cheese, tomatoes, etc. Can crumble a few tortilla chips on top for crunch.

Curry Chicken~Cook onions and other veggies like zucchini or mushrooms until soft. Remove from pan. and brown 1-2 T curry powder in a little bit of oil. Add 1 can of coconut milk and one cup of broth. Add carrots, potatoes, and raw chicken chunks to sauce to simmer. When almost cooked through, return onion mixture to pan. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Serve with rice or by itself in a bowl.

Annie's Spicy Shrimp with Walnuts and Spinach~Chop and toast walnuts, set aside. Clean and de-vein shrimp. In hot pan, cook sliced white onions, green onions, and other veggies that you like. When tender crisp, remove from pan. Add shrimp and cook quickly. When almost done, add fresh minced garlic, baby spinach, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro. Cook until spinach is wilted and shrimp is pink. Serve with toasted walnuts on top.

I would also maybe look into buying or making some spice blends. If you have a store like Winco where you can buy in bulk, you can buy individual spices for really cheap and make your own blends. It's nice to have a Mexican or Taco Seasoning, a Cajun and/or Creole Seasoning, and a Curry on hand.

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