How to Consume More Protein: Meal Plan for 140G of Protein

No matter what your health or weight loss goals may be, protein is foundational to a healthy eating plan.

Don’t underestimate the power of protein. Protein has proven itself time and time again to be an absolutely essential macronutrient, along with carbohydrates and fats. Your body needs and craves protein to operate optimally.

Believe me! You want to reap all the amazing benefits that protein has to offer. The list is extensive:

Helps you stay full longer
Builds muscle
Prevents muscle loss
Aids in weight loss
Can help boost your mood
Lowers blood pressure

Those are some incredible benefits, that I sure don’t want to miss out on! With some intentionality, you can work towards integrating more protein into your diet. You’ll be feeling and looking better before you know it.

Make healthy eating a priority, not just by cutting out the “bad things,” but increasing all the “good things”, like protein! Protein should be a crucial part of your daily nutrition.

Did you know that your body burns more calories while digesting protein than while digesting fats or carbs? It’s called the thermic effect. Every time you incorporate protein, you’re helping to boost your metabolism.

Calories from protein affect your brain, your appetite control center, so you are more satiated and satisfied.

Mark Hyman

Protein: The Building Blocks of your Nutrition

You may encounter some barriers in your attempt to eat enough protein, but I can help you with that! This blog post will dive into some ideas to more easily incorporate protein into your day, as well as provide a real-life “What I Eat in a Day!” Although the recommended amount of protein you should consume differs according to various sources, figure out what works best for you!

First, it’s important to set the foundation for your day by eating protein first thing in the morning. If you start your day off on the right track, it’s more likely you’ll continue that pattern for the remainder of the day.

Second, make sure to eat some protein with every meal or snack you consume each day. A little bit of protein here and there, adds up to meeting your goals by the end of the day.

Now let’s dive into what a typical day of eating looks like for me, complete with how many grams of protein in each meal/snack. Will we accomplish eating 140G of protein this day? Let’s find out!

Note: The amount of protein per meal was my best estimate. Portion sizes may vary, so take that into consideration when counting your daily protein intake.

Breakfast (6AM)

It’s important to fuel your body for the day, right away. And it’s essential for blood sugar control and insulin resistance as well. So before waking my kids up for school, I take time to adequately fuel myself.

This particular morning, I opted for Greek yogurt with frozen strawberries (defrost in the microwave first), topped with granola (the peanut butter and dark chocolate kind).

You will definitely want to choose Greek yogurt (in contrast to regular yogurt), because it adds an extra punch of protein. It is still very tasty and perfect for those that enjoy a sweet(er) breakfast.

Breakfast Total: 17G Protein

Coffee (8AM)

Kids are off to school & I’ve completed my morning walk. That means it’s coffee time!

I add collagen peptides in my coffee, because why not? They have been shown to help in numerous ways, including skin, nails, hair, and bone strength. While not a complete protein, collagen peptides contain 8 of the 9 essential amino acids your body needs to make protein. We’re going to count it as more protein for the day!

Coffee Total: 18G Protein

2nd Breakfast (9AM)

Yes, I have 2 breakfasts, I’m not ashamed of it. Also, 3 hours have passed since I last ate, so my body is needing some more nutrition. I have prepped Egg Bites ahead of time. I just go ahead and microwave them for 30 seconds and they are good to eat.

Egg Bites (makes 12)

10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
Veggies of your choice (pre-cook on the stove)
1/2 cup sausage or bacon (pre-cook on the stove)

Mix the eggs and milk to a scrambled eggs consistency. Add salt & pepper. Use a non-stick cooking spray in each muffin tin compartment. Add the meat, veggies, and cheese to each section and then fill each cup 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Meal prepping these ahead of time saves me so much time, as they will last me for many meals.

Breakfast #2 Total: 15G of protein

Lunch (12/12:30PM)

Lunch this day was a chicken burrito bowl. This is great when you have veggies that have seen better days or other ingredients you need to use up. I usually buy a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club weekly, so I can use it throughout the week for meals.

The chicken bowl I made on this day uses ingredients that I had on hand.

Rotisserie chicken
Brown Rice
Shredded cheese
Black beans
Tomatoes
Iceberg lettuce (Romaine would be a better choice).
Mayo w/lime juice for the crema on top

You could definitely add some avocado, corn, red onions, or any other ingredient of your choice.

So many protein sources in this as well! The chicken, black beans, brown rice, and cheese all contain protein.

Lunch Total: 30G of protein

Post-workout Snack (3:30/4pm)

I will head to the gym around 2:00pm pretty much every weekday and after my 1-hour workout, I will make a very tasty chocolate protein shake.

Nothing tastes better to me than a nice, chilly protein shake after a workout. I consider it my “reward” after completing my daily workout. YUM!

Where I would normally crave a sweet item (chocolate, hint, hint!), this protein shake does the trick at satisfying my cravings. That is just an added bonus!

Chocolate Protein Shake Ingredients:

2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1-2 cups of almond milk
Ice cubes (a couple handfuls)
1 frozen banana (cut into chunks)
Ground flax seeds (1/2 tbsp)
1 TBSP peanut butter

Blend it up and it’s ready to slurp down. ENJOY!

Snack Total: 26G Protein

Dinner (6/6:30PM)

Sometimes I will choose to eat the same meal as my family and other times I will cook my own thing. My kids like kid-friendly foods (i.e. spaghetti or chicken alfredo), which aren’t always to my preference.

This night, I cooked up a frozen Atlantic Salmon Fillet (you can buy these from Sam’s Club). Buying the frozen version of seafood works great for me, since I’m the only person in my family that will eat any type of fish. Can you believe that? I can just cook up the correct portion size for myself and none goes to waste.

Then, I threw together a Sweet Onion Salad Kit (a pre-packaged kit, again from Sam’s Club). This one includes candied pecans, cranberries, apple chunks, and a Sweet Onion Vinaigrette dressing.

I had previously meal prepped the couscous salad. I made a cup of Israeli couscous (which only takes about 10 minutes to make!) While that was cooking, I chopped up & prepped the other ingredients.

Cup of grape tomatoes
1/2 a red onion
Whole cucumber in small pieces
Can of chickpeas (drained & rinsed)

Then you can add some salt, lemon juice, and olive oil over top as a simple dressing.

Dinner Total: 34G of Protein

PM Snack (9PM)

By this point, you’re probably thinking “girl, you’re still eating?” Well, some days I am still full of dinner and other days I crave a little something before bed.

It also can help regulate your blood sugar, to eat “the right thing” before bed. Obviously, 4 Oreos and a glass of milk would taste amazing, but I’d be waking up in the morning with a bad headache.

I made a small snack box that contains four sections for different food items. This day I choose the following snacks:

Handful of pistachios
Handful of grapes
Carrots & Hummus
Wheat Thins (good dipped in Hummus)

If I don’t finish it, I can stick it in the fridge for the next day.

Snack: 5G of protein

Did I Reach 140G of Protein?

I don’t beat myself up if I don’t reach my goal on for protein consumption that day. Some days I definitely do and other days I just don’t. If I plan ahead just a little bit, I can reach my goal, no problem.

Let’s add it up and see if I accomplished my goal this today? Yes! 140G of protein (and I didn’t even count my evening snack!)

It is feasible for you. You just need to have a game plan in place.

Keep it so simple at first.

Don’t try to come up with new recipes every single day.

Start with what you know and what is routine for you.

Slowly find ways to amp up your protein intake.

Is this guaranteed to help you lose a bunch of weight? No, that’s not the point of it. It’s the end game here. Changing your protein intake, over a long period of time (I’m talking months here). This will change your lifestyle and help you keep (and build) muscle as you get older.

As a 35-year-old mom of 4, I am striving every day to make improvements in my nutrition and wellness routine. I have noticed improvements in how I feel over the past few months, since placing greater importance on upping my protein intake.

Small steps towards improvement. 1% better each and every day.

Today, swap out that sugary breakfast cereal for some Greek yogurt.

Tomorrow, swap out that bag of chips for a protein shake.

The results will come! Be patient… but always, always keep moving forward.