Our Food With High Protein And Fat blog teaches you how to make delicious, healthy, and convenient food with high protein and fat content. We review some of the best high protein and fat recipes that are easy to prepare through a step by step guide. You will learn how to make chicken wings, crab cakes or grilled cheese sandwiches with high protein and fat content.
High Protein 7 Day Meal Plan
It can be easy to overlook the importance of our diet when we lead a busy and hectic lifestyle. However not taking good care of our eating habits can lead to fatigue, poor concentration and health issues. What and when we eat can play a significant role in relation to our energy levels.
Eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of wholegrain foods, fruit, vegetables, foods that are naturally rich in protein, healthy fats and fibre, can help boost energy levels and keep us going for longer. This 7-day high protein meal plan aims to keep you satisfied for longer by incorporating high fibre foods, protein-rich foods and low GI foods throughout each day.
Notes About This Meal Plan
• This meal plan provides approximately 8,700kJ daily and is based on the average energy and nutrient requirements for weight maintenance in 18 – 65 year old adults who undertake light to moderate levels of activity. Your energy requirements vary depending on age, activity, health status, height and weight. For personalised advice, seek the services of an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
• This meal plan provides the minimum number of serves from each of the core food groups as recommended in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating* for adults (other than women over 51 years and men over 70 years who require additional milk, cheese or yoghurt).
• Those with a medical issue should seek advice from a medical practitioner before changing their diet
Day One
Breakfast
Easy Boiled Eggs on Toast: 2 boiled eggs + 2 slices wholegrain toast + 1 cup milk + 1 piece of fruit (eg. 1 medium apple or pear).
Lunch
Rainbow Quinoa Salad: 50g reduced salt sliced ham + ½ cup bean mix + 2 cups salad vegetables (eg. capsicum, carrot, snow peas, rocket) + 1 cup cooked quinoa + 2 tbsp dressing.
Dinner
Lamb Chop with Sweet Potato Mash & Vegetables: 1 medium grilled lamb chop (fat trimmed) + ½ medium sweet potato (mashed with 2 tsp olive oil + a splash milk) + 1.5 cups steamed vegetables (eg. carrot, pumpkin, broccoli) + 1 slice wholegrain bread.
Dessert/Supper
Fruit Salad & Yoghurt Dessert: 1 cup fruit salad + 200g natural yoghurt.
Snacks
A handful of nuts (30g ) + 20g hard cheese.
Day Two
Breakfast
Muesli with Yoghurt & Fruit: ½ cup muesli + 1 tub yoghurt + 1 serve of fruit (eg. 2 nectarines or 1 medium apple or 2 tbsp dried fruit).
Lunch
Chicken Salad Flat Bread: ½ skinless chicken breast + 1.5 cups salad vegetables (eg. lettuce, carrot, tomato, cucumber) + 1 wholemeal flat bread + ¼ avocado + 2 tsp mayonnaise.
Dinner
Bourghal Wheat Salad with Poached Egg (1 serve): Serve with 2 cups salad.
Dessert/Supper
Berry Smoothie: 1 cup milk + 1 cup berries + ½ cup natural yoghurt + 1 tsp honey, blended.
Snacks
1 slice raisin bread + a handful of nuts and/or seed mix (30g).
Day Three
Breakfast
Muffin & Fruit: 1 toasted wholemeal English muffin + 1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 banana + 1 latte.
Lunch
Tuna & Avocado Salad on Toast: 200g tinned tuna in springwater (drained) + 2 cups salad vegetables (eg. lettuce, cucumber, tomato) + ¼ avocado + 2 slice of cheese+ 2 slices multigrain bread.
Dinner
Beef & Black Bean Stir-fry with Rice Noodles: 130g lean beef + 1.5 cups cooked vegetables (eg. carrot, mushroom, celery, capsicum, snow peas) + 1 cup cooked rice noodles + 2 tsp sesame oil for cooking.
Dessert/Supper
Fruit Crepe: Sliced fruit and ricotta cheese, drizzled with honey and wrapped in a crepe.
Snacks
1 tub yoghurt + mixed seeds.
Day Four
Breakfast
Coconut Blueberry Baked Oats (1 serve): Serve with a latte.
Lunch
Chickpea & Barley Salad: 1 cup chickpeas + 1 cup salad leaves and 1 cup chopped vegetables (eg. tomato, celery, onion, carrot) + 1 cup cooked barley with 2 tbsp vinegar dressing + 1 serving of fruit.
Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese: Made with ½ cup cooked lean mince stir-fried with garlic in 2 tsp oil + tomato sauce, grated carrot, grated zucchini & herbs served on 1 cup cooked wholemeal spaghetti. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese.
Dessert/Supper
Fruit Pop: Homemade by blending fruit with yoghurt and freezing (eg. banana or mango work well).
Snacks
A handful of nuts (30g) + 1 glass of milk.
Day Five
Breakfast
Porridge with Fruit: ½ cup rolled oats, cooked + 1 cup milk + 1 piece of fruit + 1 tbsp linseed, cinnamon and honey to taste.
Lunch
Chicken & Pasta Salad: Mix together ½ grilled chicken breast + 1 cup steamed greens (eg. asparagus, broccoli, sugar snap peas) + ½ cup baby spinach + ½ cup red capsicum + 1 cup cooked pasta (eg. penne). Add 20g hard cheese + 2 tbsp vinegar dressing.
Dinner
Baked Salmon with Quinoa & Vegetables: 100g salmon, baked & served with 1 cup cooked quinoa + 1.5 cups cooked vegetables (eg. cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) + 2 tsp oil in cooking or as a dressing with lemon juice.
Dessert/Supper
Summer Pudding: Mix 1 cup fresh/frozen berries in ¼ cup apple juice. Pour into a cup lined with multigrain bread. Top with additional bread and remaining juice. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. Invert pudding to serve.
Snacks
1 tub yoghurt + mixed seeds.
Day Six
Breakfast
Banana & Chocolate Smoothie: Blend together 2/3 cup wholegrain flaky cereal + 1 cup milk + 1 banana + 2 tsp drinking chocolate.
Lunch
Spiced Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Fritters with Soft Boiled Eggs (1 serve).
Dinner
Pork Chops & Vegetables: 130g lean grilled pork chops + 1 cup cooked brown rice + 1.5 cups cooked vegetables (eg. carrot, capsicum, broccoli, onion) + 2 tsp oil in cooking or as a dressing.
Dessert/Supper
Mango Yoghurt Smoothie: Made with 1 cup Greek yoghurt + mango + banana + ¼ tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp honey, blended.
Snacks
6 wholegrain crispbreads + 40g cheese + A handful of nuts (30g).
Day Seven
Breakfast
Fried Eggs with Spiced Avocado (1 serve): Serve with 1 serve of fruit and latte.
Lunch
Beef & Noodle Lettuce Cups: ½ cup cooked lean mince + ½ cup grated carrot + 1 cup bean sprouts + 1 cup cooked mung bean noodles dressed with 2 tbsp fish sauce and 2 tsp oil, topped with 1 tbsp chopped peanuts. Serve in lettuce leaves.
Dinner
Grilled Chicken with Rice & Vegetable Salad: 80g grilled chicken + 1½ cups chopped vegetables (eg. carrot, celery, cucumber) mixed with 1 cup cooked brown rice + 2 tsp oil in cooking or as a dressing.
Dessert/Supper
Wholesome Baked Custard (1 serve).
Snacks
1 serve of fruit + 1 tub yoghurt.
12 Foods You Had No Idea Have *This* Much Protein
Chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt—oh, and beans and nut butter. If someone asked you to make a list of high-protein foods, these are probably the ones you’d mention. But there are plenty of other contenders.
Many whole grains, cheeses, and vegetables serve up a surprising amount of the muscle-builder, and adding them to your plate can bump up the protein content considerably. Some even have enough protein to stand as your meal or snack’s main source.
Here are 12 picks that fit the bill. Plus, some unexpected ways to get more of them in your diet.
1. Sweet Potatoes
Wait, are they a starch or a protein? Turns out, sweet potatoes have both. There are 4 grams of protein in a cup of baked sweet potatoes, which is about as much as a half cup of low-fat milk.
Use them in:Sweet potato smoothie, anyone? Blend 1/2 cup cooled sweet potato flesh with 3/4 cup dairy or plant milk, 1 medium frozen banana, 1 tablespoon cashew butter, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
2. Artichoke Hearts
No joke, a cup of ‘choke hearts contains 4 grams of protein. To save yourself the trouble of all that trimming and peeling, choose frozen, jarred, or canned artichoke hearts.
Use them in:Pasta, duh! Toss an 8-ounce package of thawed or drained and rinsed artichoke hearts into whole-wheat pasta or risotto and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Or purée them into a creamy dip with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon.
3. Boca Veggie Burgers
In Partnership with Boca
Boca’s all-American flame-grilled veggie burgers are packed with protein—15 grams, to be exact. That’s more than a 3-ounce serving of extra-firm tofu. And they’re a breeze to make: Simply pull a patty out of the freezer and grill, sauté, or throw in the oven for a quick lunch or dinner. Find them at amazon.com or your local grocery store.
Use it in: Bored with the usual bun? Try Boca’s veggie ground crumbles as a filling for tacos or omelets. With 0 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein per serving, they can be swapped in for ground beef in pretty much any recipe.
4. Leafy Greens
Popeye was right: Spinach is muscle food, serving up 5 grams protein per cooked cup. And other greens aren’t far behind. You’ll get 4 grams protein from a cup of cooked collard greens and 3 grams from a cup of cooked Swiss chard.
Use them in: Purée 1 cup steamed greens with 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon until smooth to make a pesto-like sauce. Use it as a topping for grilled chicken or fish (more protein!) or stir it into soups.
5. Goat Cheese
Goat cheese isn’t just a tasty way to get your calcium. It’s also a surprisingly good source of protein, with 6 grams per ounce of semisoft cheese. That’s as much as a large egg, guys.
Use it in: A grown-up version of PB&J. Instead of peanut butter and grape jelly, spread 1/4 cup goat cheese on whole-wheat bread with 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves.
6. Whole-wheat Pasta
You’ll never look at your noodles as just a big bowl o’ carbs again. Why? Because a cup of cooked whole-wheat pasta also has 7.5 grams protein.
Use it in: Pasta doesn’t just pair well with tomato sauce. Add 2 cups cooked, cooled whole-wheat pasta into frittatas or crustless quiches along with the usual veggies. Now you don’t even need toast.
7. Peas
You might not think of them as a nutrient powerhouse. But a cup of green peas packs a whopping 8 grams of protein—more than any other vegetable. Unless you come across freshly picked ones at the farmers market (usually in the spring), buy frozen. They’re just as nutritious, and they often taste sweeter, since they’re flash-frozen at the peak of freshness.
Use them in: There’s a new hummus in town. Puree 2 cups steamed peas with 1/4 cup tahini, 2 cloves garlic, and the juice of half a lemon to make a sweet green hummus.
8. Quinoa
Whole grains can give your meal a protein boost—especially quinoa. It delivers 8 grams of protein per cooked cup, along with hard-to-get minerals such as iron and magnesium.
Use it in: Quinoa makes a nutty, satisfying base for grain and veggie bowls. But you can also cook it in milk and eat it like oatmeal, topped with fresh fruit, nuts, and a drizzle of honey. Got leftover cooked quinoa in the fridge? Try folding 1/4 to 1/2 cup into pancakes, muffins, or quick bread batters.
9. Pumpkin Seeds
These green seeds aren’t just crunchy and delicious. They’re also loaded with protein—around 9 grams per 1/4-cup serving.
Use them in: Fold 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds and 1/3 cup dried cherries into 2 cups cooked wild rice, and use as a filling for stuffed acorn squash or stuffed peppers.
10. Parmesan Cheese
Everyone’s favorite hard cheese isn’t just packed with flavor. It’s also packed with protein—10 grams per ounce, to be exact.
Use it in: Make a snack plate with an ounce of Parm and fresh fruit like apricots or grapes. The salty-sweet combo is delicious, and the cheese serves up enough protein to keep you satisfied until your next meal (or just your second course).
11. Kamut
If you’ve never tried this chewy ancient grain, consider adding it to your menu. It tastes nutty and sweet, like farro. And it’s loaded with protein—11 grams per cooked cup.
Use it in: For a fresh take on your favorite risotto recipe, try swapping the usual Arborio rice for an equal amount of kamut. The light, nutty flavor works with any combination of veggies and herbs.
12. Hemp Seeds
They’re small but mighty, people. You’ll get nearly 13 grams of protein in a 1/4-cup serving of hemp seeds.
Use them in: Instead of sprinkling hemp seeds on your salad (been there, done that), try adding them to your dressing instead. Add 1/4 cup hemp seeds to your favorite vinaigrette recipe and blend the dressing in the blender until emulsified. The blender will help crush up some of the hemp seeds and make the dressing creamy.
Note: All nutrition info is from Self Nutrition Data, except for artichoke hearts and hemp seeds, which come from the USDA.