SOS: Need More Protein

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nourishnotpunish
nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
in Food and Nutrition
I've been hitting a plateau lately so I have changed up my macros to zap my body back into fighting shape. Can you please share some ideas for high protein meals? I already supplement with one protein shake a day (24g) and I try to eat more but at the end of the day I'm always about 20-40g short from meeting my macro goal, so I need some new ideas. Please post your favorite high protein breakfast, lunch or dinner. I eat 4 meals a day about 350-400 cal a piece so I'm looking for things to keep me FULL.

Thank You!!!

P.S. If your recommendation is that I have another shake please don't post that. One protein shake is enough, I love real food :love:
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  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    Please post ideas :frown:
  • runnergrlfl
    runnergrlfl Posts: 82 Member
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    Snacks:
    turkey & cheese rolls ups
    grapes & cottage cheese
    beef jerky

    Breakfast:
    cooked spinach, creamed with a laughing cow chipotle cheese wedge + 2-3 eggs scrambled + salsa
    2-3 egg omelet with turkey/ham & cheese + veggies
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    Breakfast:
    cooked spinach, creamed with a laughing cow chipotle cheese wedge + 2-3 eggs scrambled + salsa
    2-3 egg omelet with turkey/ham & cheese + veggies

    This sounds delicious! Thank you :flowerforyou:
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
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    Yeah a shake should be last resort anyway. Granola and yogurt is a good protein breakfast when I make it it's 28g protein. 12 tbsp of egg whites is 20g of protein. I go to chipotle sometimes and get 3 tacos with chicken and lettuce that comes out to 43g I believe. About 28 mixed nuts is 7g protein.
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    Yeah a shake should be last resort anyway. Granola and yogurt is a good protein breakfast when I make it it's 28g protein. 12 tbsp of egg whites is 20g of protein. I go to chipotle sometimes and get 3 tacos with chicken and lettuce that comes out to 43g I believe. About 28 mixed nuts is 7g protein.

    Thank you! Do you just cook your egg whites up plain or drink them? I'll mix 3-4 whites into my oatmeal, but 12 is a lot haha.
  • littlebrownbat3
    littlebrownbat3 Posts: 54 Member
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    I feel your pain! I feel like my life lives around protein, getting enough without overdoing calories... It's hard.

    I eat eggs, oatmeal (can have 5-7 grams depending on brand) with milk, beans, tuna fish. I am fortunate and have access to lots of good affordable seafood, and grocery chains that do a lot of buy 1 get 2 free on steaks and chicken breast (I'm a grad student, thus poor). Greek yogurt with nut containing granola also works.

    I supplement with a shake too, and I find it tough to meet daily protein needs. The closest I've come is 70 out of 89 grams.

    Good luck, I'll be watching this thread
  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    Lunch or dinner
    100 gWhite fish (I use basa right now because it was on sale)
    85 gThai style mixed veggies
    30 g lentils
    Bit of olive oil
    Boil lentils, fry fish in oil, mix everything together in frying pan. Season as you like.
    330 cals, 27 carbs, 13g fat, 30 g protein
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
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    Sometimes I make them scrambled or an omelet with a little Tabasco sauce. I've never drank them. The 12 tsp also comes out to only 100 calories so it's easy to fit in at the end of the day if you need to.
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    I feel your pain! I feel like my life lives around protein, getting enough without overdoing calories... It's hard.

    I eat eggs, oatmeal (can have 5-7 grams depending on brand) with milk, beans, tuna fish. I am fortunate and have access to lots of good affordable seafood, and grocery chains that do a lot of buy 1 get 2 free on steaks and chicken breast (I'm a grad student, thus poor). Greek yogurt with nut containing granola also works.

    I supplement with a shake too, and I find it tough to meet daily protein needs. The closest I've come is 70 out of 89 grams.

    Good luck, I'll be watching this thread

    Thank you! Us broke grad students must stick together!
  • zilfig64
    zilfig64 Posts: 71 Member
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    I am in the same boat, but don't want to do the shake thing.
    Breakfast:
    2 eggs, with 1 egg white - scrambled ( I do omlette style) - 160 cal - 16g of protein
    onions and peppers - caramelized - 12 calories - no protein
    6 oz bay shrimp - 168 calories - 36g protein
    1 tsp olive oil for cooking - 30 calories- no protein

    Total: 380 calories - 52 grams protein

    and yummy!
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    Lunch or dinner
    100 gWhite fish (I use basa right now because it was on sale)
    85 gThai style mixed veggies
    30 g lentils
    Bit of olive oil
    Boil lentils, fry fish in oil, mix everything together in frying pan. Season as you like.
    330 cals, 27 carbs, 13g fat, 30 g protein

    Yummy Thank you for including macros :)
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    Sometimes I make them scrambled or an omelet with a little Tabasco sauce. I've never drank them. The 12 tsp also comes out to only 100 calories so it's easy to fit in at the end of the day if you need to.

    Great to know, that is 100 calories I could definitely fit into my day. Thank you!
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
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    I make a huge amount of chili with chicken and beef chuck every 2 weeks in a slow cooker (1.5 cups is 400 calories), and eat that for dinner most nights. I also cook a mountain of chicken on Sundays and eat it on salad cold, or with steamed broccoli throughout the week.

    Tuna salad on lettuce makes a good wrap, too.
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
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    I am in the same boat, but don't want to do the shake thing.
    Breakfast:
    2 eggs, with 1 egg white - scrambled ( I do omlette style) - 160 cal - 16g of protein
    onions and peppers - caramelized - 12 calories - no protein
    6 oz bay shrimp - 168 calories - 36g protein
    1 tsp olive oil for cooking - 30 calories- no protein

    Total: 380 calories - 52 grams protein

    and yummy!

    Mmmmm SHWIMP! Thank you!
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Cocktail shrimp (I usually just snack on them as an appetizer while cooking) are probably my favorite way to add some extra protein to a meal, but they aren't the most grad student friendly food unless you can find them on sale.

    Egg whites are a great option as another poster said. You can do something like 2 eggs plus 4 servings of egg whites (I'm guestimating here, I don't really know how large a serving is) to make an omelette, which will give you a nice injection of protein without the calories of eating 6 whole eggs. Chicken and seafood are clear choices. I'm a big fan of large salads loaded up with chicken or fish, occasionally steak, and I average about one of those a day (I try not to get so lazy that I eat salad for 2 meals in a row). Tofu's another good option as is greek yogurt. Lately I've been getting protein from (over)consumption of quest bars.

    That's about all I've got off the top of my head but there are tons of options for getting protein in your diet. :smile:
  • zilfig64
    zilfig64 Posts: 71 Member
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    Here is a great post done by one of the moderators with a really good list of protein sources and the nutrition they provide:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    Options
    I make a huge amount of chili with chicken and beef chuck every 2 weeks in a slow cooker (1.5 cups is 400 calories), and eat that for dinner most nights. I also cook a mountain of chicken on Sundays and eat it on salad cold, or with steamed broccoli throughout the week.

    Tuna salad on lettuce makes a good wrap, too.

    I LOVE CHILI! Got a recipe???
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    Options
    Cocktail shrimp (I usually just snack on them as an appetizer while cooking) are probably my favorite way to add some extra protein to a meal, but they aren't the most grad student friendly food unless you can find them on sale.

    Egg whites are a great option as another poster said. You can do something like 2 eggs plus 4 servings of egg whites (I'm guestimating here, I don't really know how large a serving is) to make an omelette, which will give you a nice injection of protein without the calories of eating 6 whole eggs. Chicken and seafood are clear choices. I'm a big fan of large salads loaded up with chicken or fish, occasionally steak, and I average about one of those a day (I try not to get so lazy that I eat salad for 2 meals in a row). Tofu's another good option as is greek yogurt. Lately I've been getting protein from (over)consumption of quest bars.

    That's about all I've got off the top of my head but there are tons of options for getting protein in your diet. :smile:

    Thank you!!!
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    Options
    Here is a great post done by one of the moderators with a really good list of protein sources and the nutrition they provide:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    Wonderful! Thanks so much :)
  • littlebrownbat3
    littlebrownbat3 Posts: 54 Member
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    Here is a great post done by one of the moderators with a really good list of protein sources and the nutrition they provide:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    Wonderful! Thanks so much :)

    I don't know where you're attending grad school, but usually universities have local asian grocery stores, you might have good luck finding the edamame that's mentioned on the list there, and that has a lot of protein bang for your caloric buck

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