Getting protein when I hate to cook

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marycate225
marycate225 Posts: 5 Member
edited October 2016 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I'm 5'4 108 lbs looking to gain muscle mass. I'm doing the strong curves bodyweight program and I also hike or kayak on the weekends. I've set my kcal goal at 2000-2100 in order to eventually gain about 10-15 lbs lean mass.
My only problem seems to be getting enough protein. At a 40/30/30 macro split I'm looking at around 122g/day. As someone who dislikes cooking meat (fine with eating it) this is difficult to do. Anyone have tips for meeting protein goals? I already eat greek yogurt everyday, frequently have eggs, cheese, nuts etc. Are protein drinks/recovery shakes easy to make? Ideally I would like to incorporate more meat in my diet considering I am low on b12 (taking a supplement though).

Thanks in advance you lovely humans
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Replies

  • Wickedfaery73
    Wickedfaery73 Posts: 184 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I have a blender bottle and I like Body Fortress Advanced Whey protein mixes. 1 scoop has 30 grams of protein and 170 to 200 calories.
  • uglycrying
    uglycrying Posts: 28 Member
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    Canned tuna maybe? No cooking there. Perhaps meal prep some meat for the week so you only have to deal with cooking it once a week? What do you dislike about cooking meat?
  • allie644
    allie644 Posts: 164 Member
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    What about beans? I usually prep my beans at the beginning of the week, or just spoon them out of a can on quinoa and add some veg and a dressing. It has a ton of protein and you get fibre as well as trace minerals.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    I buy pre-cooked meat. I like the John Soules fajita meat--either steak or chicken. You can get pre-cooked chicken breasts of different flavors. Or you could just throw some in the crock pot & shred it up & freeze it in 3-4 oz servings. I don't like to cook either.
  • blushenvy
    blushenvy Posts: 98 Member
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    I know this still involves cooking, but it may help.
    I cook chicken breast about once a month. I get a couple of flats and then I cut it into pre weighed 2 oz portions, toss it in a little olive oil, garlic and onion powder, and then bake it on sheet pans (450 degrees for about 20-30 minutes).
    Cool it overnight in the fridge and toss it in the freezer the next day.
    That way, while the mess is big-it's contained to one day and done.
    I just pull out what I need and thaw the day before, or in a ziplock under running water the day of.
    We use it for everything from cold chicken salads to pasta dishes.
  • marycate225
    marycate225 Posts: 5 Member
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    Canned tuna! Can't believe I forgot about that haha. And beans, do they freeze well?

    Cooking a bunch of meat on the weekend and freezing it might be doable. I just hate everyday cooking of meat because it's dirty. Requires sanitation and more dishes than what I usually use.
  • allie644
    allie644 Posts: 164 Member
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    marycate225 wrote: »
    Canned tuna! Can't believe I forgot about that haha. And beans, do they freeze well?

    Beans freeze well, but in a pinch you can just use canned beans. Just rinse them well before you eat them :)
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    tuna, sardines, salmon (both canned or smoked), stuff like pickled herrings, canned chicken (though never been brave enough to try that!), deli meats, canned beans, protein powder shakes in a shaker bottle...

    the possibilities are out there.

    I also do bulk cooking of chicken as mentioned above.

    Plus dunno about the dirtyness of cooking my chicken. All i get dirty is the chopping board, knife and the pan and then the containers I put the portions into - but you could always use zip-lock bags for convenience of non-cleaning.
  • blushenvy
    blushenvy Posts: 98 Member
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    Ha! I was going to say I hate doing the dishes as much if not more than the cooking! Tin foil is your friend!!!
    And yes, totally agree it's gross-but it really has made life easier for us in the long run, so worth it!
    We keep recipes super easy here-usualy only around 5 ingredients. But just about everything has protein, so those extra ingredients help fill some of the need too.


  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    Deli meat! In the summer I often make a sandwich for dinner instead of turning the stove on.

    One of the things I regularly cook is a turkey burger. I buy frozen patties. I finish working out, turn the stove on and put the patty in the pan. I take a quick shower and put pj's on. Run over and flip the burger. I pack up lunch for the next day. Put bread cheese and sauce on some bread. By the time I have finished the burger is done. The pan is non-stick so I just add a little dishsoap and let it soak for a few minutes and wipe it clean. It is hardly any work and pretty much no mess. The turkey burgers are from Costco and have 35 grams of protein, the cheese I use has 14 grams of protein.
  • marycate225
    marycate225 Posts: 5 Member
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    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    tuna, sardines, salmon (both canned or smoked), stuff like pickled herrings, canned chicken (though never been brave enough to try that!), deli meats, canned beans, protein powder shakes in a shaker bottle...

    the possibilities are out there.

    I also do bulk cooking of chicken as mentioned above.

    Plus dunno about the dirtyness of cooking my chicken. All i get dirty is the chopping board, knife and the pan and then the containers I put the portions into - but you could always use zip-lock bags for convenience of non-cleaning.

    It's not so much that it is messy just, idk germy? I realize this is one thing I am a little irrational about. I was a vegetarian for 7 years and still to this day raw meat grosses me out.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    marycate225 wrote: »
    It's not so much that it is messy just, idk germy? I realize this is one thing I am a little irrational about. I was a vegetarian for 7 years and still to this day raw meat grosses me out.

    That's funny! I'm the same way. I like to eat meat, but I won't touch it raw. I make my husband or one of my kids put it in the pan. If nobody is home to put the meat in the pan, I won't make dinner. I am OK with frozen meat patties like bioklutz mentioned because I can just pry them out of the package with a fork & drop them in the pan without actually touching them. I get the Steak-eze patties & do that. They cook up really fast (like 3 minutes) in a really small frying pan. I add taco sauce & put it in a whole wheat taco boat with black beans & cheddar cheese. Lots of protein & fiber. I've also added A1 sauce & mushrooms & eaten them on a toasted bun with mozzarella cheese. They're quick & easy.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Pre-cooked meat, cook-in-pack meat, eggs, tinned tuna, whey protein, peanut butter.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    I'm having one of those days when I can't be bothered to cook. For breakfast I had porridge made with whole milk,with nuts and pumpkin seeds,plus a whey protein shake made with almond milk. I've snacked on cheese, and apple with peanut butter. For lunch I'm having a salad with tuna and egg and will already be nearing my protein goal.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    How about utilizing other proteins like seitan, soy, legumes? Also, canned chicken is another one that hasn't been mentioned. You don't need all meat protein.


    Also to point out, all muscle is lean (it's an industry misnomer to say it's not). Women will typically gain about 1/4 lb of muscle per week max (and I am not sure that will be achievable with a body weight program) and remainder would be fat (roughly 75%/25% is the fat to muscle ratio). So if you do gain 10 lbs, at max it will be 3lbs of muscle, which might be ok. So people like the increase in body fat on look.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited October 2016
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    marycate225 wrote: »
    I'm 5'4 108 lbs looking to gain muscle mass. I'm doing the strong curves bodyweight program and I also hike or kayak on the weekends. I've set my kcal goal at 2000-2100 in order to eventually gain about 10-15 lbs lean mass.
    My only problem seems to be getting enough protein. At a 40/30/30 macro split I'm looking at around 122g/day. As someone who dislikes cooking meat (fine with eating it) this is difficult to do. Anyone have tips for meeting protein goals? I already eat greek yogurt everyday, frequently have eggs, cheese, nuts etc. Are protein drinks/recovery shakes easy to make? Ideally I would like to incorporate more meat in my diet considering I am low on b12 (taking a supplement though).

    Thanks in advance you lovely humans

    Protien is more important on a cut not a bulk where carbs play a larger factor.

    You don't "need" to eat that much protien for your size.

    You would be better off by figuring your macros by your body weight and not a percentages.

    Something along the lines of .8 g-1g/lb of LBM is all that is needed for protien.

    So you are looking more in the 80g per day depending on your body fat percentage.





  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    Go buy a whole chicken and roast it. You barely have to touch the raw meat if you're careful (open bag, dump in pan, use silicon basting brush to add seasoning), and you can eat off of it for a few days. With the holidays coming up, turkeys and hams will be available too.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I pick up a rotisserie chicken about once a week and work on eating it throughout the week.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    edited October 2016
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    marycate225 wrote: »
    I'm 5'4 108 lbs looking to gain muscle mass. I'm doing the strong curves bodyweight program and I also hike or kayak on the weekends. I've set my kcal goal at 2000-2100 in order to eventually gain about 10-15 lbs lean mass.
    My only problem seems to be getting enough protein. At a 40/30/30 macro split I'm looking at around 122g/day. As someone who dislikes cooking meat (fine with eating it) this is difficult to do. Anyone have tips for meeting protein goals? I already eat greek yogurt everyday, frequently have eggs, cheese, nuts etc. Are protein drinks/recovery shakes easy to make? Ideally I would like to incorporate more meat in my diet considering I am low on b12 (taking a supplement though).

    Thanks in advance you lovely humans

    At 108 Lbs, that's way more protein than you need. At a certain point, there ceases to be any benefit to more protein...you're just making really expensive glucose. If you're taking in more than 1 gram per Lb of LBM, you're taking in too much. Also, for a bulk, carbs are king.
  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
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    My husband buys himself those rotisserie chickens from our Grocery store deli so it's already cooked and ready to go...and most of the time...it's actually cheaper than buying the same size chicken raw, so it's a win-win for him.

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