Looking for some delicacies that can increase your protein intake without compromising on taste? Then these 12 high protein meal prep ideas are your solution.
There is a reason why proteins are called the building blocks of a body. From taking care of growth to strengthening the immune system, protein has numerous pivotal roles to play. That’s why it is important to be considerate of your protein intake. By the way, do you know how much protein an individual needs daily? As per Mayo Clinic Health System, an adult body requirement is- 0.8 grams per kilogram of their body weight.
To get the right protein intake you must be eating the right food. Yes, it’s painstaking but the truth is where you need to increase the intake of protein-rich food, you must reduce the intake of junk food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cut on taste. So without any further ado, let’s dive into these meal prep ideas.
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What Is Meal Prep?
Meal prep can save a lot of time when you’re in a hurry. Since meal prep is done in advance, it lets you thoughtfully plan your eating schedule.
To put it simply, meal prep undertakes deciding and planning the diet schedule for a certain time period, for instance- a week, two weeks, etc. A number of steps are followed for this, like assessing protein quantity, listing ingredients, and making a schedule.
To schedule your high protein meal prep, you need to munch on at least 3 meals per day with 2 snack recipes. So leaving what you want to eat on each weekday up to you, below are 13 recipes that’ll give you protein. So schedule them as per your daily tasks so that you can grab a bite even on a run.
8 High protein Meal Prep Vegetarian- Meals
Vegetarian diet is often doubted for adequately fulfilling the protein requirement of an individual. But health experts have discovered that planned vegetarian meal prep can be as enriched in protein as any other diet. Here are 8 vegetarian high protein meal prep ideas for you-
1. Tofu Tacos
Blended with a fine mix of spices and veggies, tofu tacos make a great plate of health to munch on. Working around tofu, one thing must be remembered well: steam or blanch the tofu before frying.
Tofu has quite good protein content (8g protein per 100g tofu), which goes up when combined with other vegetables. You can find several recipes for tofu tacos online. So pick the twists and turns that you want to give to your recipe.
Filled with the goodness of dairy products, eggless banana pancakes are a nutritious high protein meal prep recipe. Moreover, these pancakes will save you time while you’re in a hurry.
The best thing about banana pancakes is that you can switch the milk type as per your preference. In general, 100g of regular cow’s milk provides 3.2g of protein and a banana has 1.1g of protein. Drizzled with the sweetness of honey (though it is optional), these pancakes can be made with just a handful of always-available kitchen ingredients. Especially people who’re allergic to eggs can enjoy eggless versions of banana pancakes for taste and nutrition.
3. Lentils Salad
Lentils salad is another great high protein meal prep recipe and an optimum source of protein that works like wonder. As a matter of fact, every 100g of lentils contains 9.02g of protein. Mix a variety of lentils such as beans, and veggies like cucumber, tomatoes, or broccoli. To add a crunch, go for adding fruits, toasted nuts, and fresh lettuce.
4. Vegetable Pasta
Who said pasta has to be unhealthy? You can simply use tomato puree, sauces and cream with a mix of spices and herbs. Just add blanched veggies like bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, etc. instead of fried to maintain the balance of crunch and protein.
To elevate the protein content add cottage cheese (100g of cottage cheese contains 11.2g of protein). Not just that, blanched corn and cherry tomatoes are also great picks. If you want to make your meal super nutritious, go for chickpea pasta or plant-based pasta.
5. Pesto Pasta
Pesto sauce is the most healthy and amazing option to go with a lot of things and pasta is always a top match. The sauce is a blend of garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and basil. When pasta is cooked in this flavorful green sauce, you can get around 8g of protein in a bowl.
6. Yogurt Bark
Yogurt bark is a delicious high protein meal prep idea that will soothe your sweet tooth very well. Every 100g of yogurt has 9g of protein and adding fruits to it will amp up its nutritional value even more.
It is such a simple recipe that only demands a few ingredients namely, granola chunks, maple syrup, fruits and of course, yogurt.
7. Falafel Sandwich
Tucked into the classic pita bread, falafel balls are made of protein-filled chickpeas (13g protein per 100g falafel). Mixing tzatziki and tahini sauce, you can add the vegetables of your choice to it. Nothing can be more perfect than this, whether you want to enjoy an evening snack watching a movie or wish to take it out with you on your way to a meeting.
8. Tempeh Salad
No doubt soya is a high protein meal prep, but it can be marvelously delicious too.
Sauteed tempeh drenched in the rich flavors of garlic, maple syrup, soy sauce, and lemon juice is all you need to soothe your taste buds. Remember that sambal oelek is also a quintessential dressing added to tempeh salad. But since it contains shrimp paste, vegetarians can use any hot sauce or chili garlic sauce as its substitute.
To make it colorful, add diced (you can also opt for julienne) and blanched carrots, cilantro, cabbage, avocado, chopped onion, and beans. This healthy bowl of salad can give you more than 15g of protein because 100g of tempeh contains 20.29g of protein.
5 High Protein Meal Prep- Smoothies
At times you might feel like gulping down shakes, but then you think of your diet. Worry not because these 5 protein-enriched smoothies will satiate your cravings-
1. Blackberry Banana Smoothie
Quick, sweet, and delicious! Blackberry banana smoothie is also a great source of protein. All you need to gather is a banana, a handful of blackberries, little sugar, and a glass of milk of your choice. This super delicious smoothie will satisfy your between-the-meals hunger. And one thing goes in without saying- nut butter to increase its protein content and power.
2. Mango Pineapple Smoothie
This smoothie will give you a kink of unique flavor along with protein in every sip. With frozen mango and pineapple dices and milk, you can get protein with taste.
3. Coconut Raspberry Smoothie
When you wish to enjoy a smoothie in a bowl, it has to be a little thick. So you can use coconut milk this time. Flavorful raspberries, chia seeds, and nut butter together all make a power-packed bowl of protein-rich smoothie.
4. Mint & Kiwi Smoothie
Kiwi has always been a splendid source of nutrition. Apart from protein, this smoothie is also filled with Vitamin C, B6, calcium, iron, and magnesium. It’ll boost your immunity system and provide antioxidants to your body.
5. Apple Cinnamon Smoothie
We all know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. This nutritious smoothie will not only fulfill your body’s protein requirement but will also give you an adequate amount of Vitamin B.
There are a plethora of high protein meal prep recipes that can substitute unhealthy foodstuff. So with a thorough diet plan for every upcoming week, one can get prepared ahead of time. The above article talks about 12 such recipes that are full of protein and other essential vitamins and nutrients.
• Content Writer at Mind Mingles
• Has presented her work in International Conference On Guru Nanak Dev Ji: Life, Philosophy and Legacy held at Mata Sundri College For Women and was awarded the title of “Best Paper Presenter” under College Student Category for the same (Dated: 27th and 28th September, 2019)
• Has a strong grip over creating interesting, unique and informative content pieces for a wide range of niches.
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