Welcome to my new Prioritizing Protein Meal Plan. It’s a high protein, moderate fat and moderate carbohydrate meal plan for people looking to include more protein in their diet. It’s free, and a good fit if you are trying to eat more protein for weight loss, muscle gain, to improve athletic performance, or because, like me, you’re middle-aged 😅 and trying to retain lean muscle mass. Or maybe you have a different reason – either way, we’re glad you’re here!
First off, don’t freak out! Yes, it’s true that this new Prioritizing Protein meal plan isn’t keto, and that is a big change around here, but I can assure you that all of the keto stuff isn’t going away and I will still post low carb recipes here on IBIH moving forward.
Also, this high protein menu plan is still considered pretty low carb in that the daily target is less than 100g per day for those following the plans exactly. But if your carb needs are less (or more) you can easily make adjustments to fit your goals.
In fact this Prioritizing Protein meal plan is not nearly as rigid as my Egg Fast Plan or Soup Diet Plan – there are high protein meals and snacks suggested for the week and you can mix and match them daily. You can also add or subtract items or serving sizes to reach your personal calorie and/or protein requirements for each day.
This flexible approach means that the meal plans can work for almost anyone looking to increase their daily protein intake – you just might need to make a few tweaks for your personal preferences.
This first week is kind of a test run for Prioritizing Protein (let’s call it PP for short – yes I giggled like a 6 year old when I said it), and it’s using recipes that already exist here on the site. Those recipes were created to fit a keto lifestyle, so some of them have higher fat and lower carbs than I might have put in if I were creating them specifically for this plan.
Moving forward I will be creating new high protein recipes for future weeks of the PP meal plans (as time allows,) and those recipes will also be more conscious of fat and calories than when the recipes were geared towards keto only.
Meanwhile, I am simultaneously working on my third cookbook, which will focus on high protein recipes and meal plans, similar to what you will be finding here in the coming weeks and months. If you have been looking to incorporate more protein into your diet, but are sick of just eating more meat and eggs, then you’re going to love these Prioritizing Protein meal plans AND the new book.
If you are vegetarian, or gluten and dairy free, some of these weekly menu plans may not always work for you as written. I will try to offer substitution suggestions as I can, but with limited time available, I won’t be able to write customized Prioritizing Protein meal plans for every possibility.
Comment if you’re going to join us! And if you have questions, concerns, feedback, or ideas on how to make the Prioritizing Protein Meal Plans more accessible or functional, I would dearly love it if you could also leave those in the comments!
Prioritizing Protein Meal Plan – Week One
I have provided nutrition information, but please know that this is dependent on what brands you use. I will put the brands that I used here where applicable, along with the info for that brand, but if your brand has different macros then you’ll have to track and replace those numbers to have the most accurate daily totals for you.
SHOPPING LIST – I know you guys love a shopping list for the convenience, but because this plan is flexible and you may not choose to make everything, I didn’t provide one. It’s a lot of work for me, and if there is little value to you because of the way the plan its structured, then it’s not something I can afford to spend time on. The book will have shopping lists and future PP plans here on the site may as well, IF they are more rigid and specific than this one. Thanks for understanding.
After the list of recipes, I will put together a few plans for how your days might be structured.
BREAKFAST RECIPES
Coffee with 1 scoop of Protein Powder (I used Vanilla Isopure) – 100 calories, 0g fat, 0g net carbs, 25g protein
Sausage Frittata (1 serving) 220 calories, 17g fat, 2g net carbs, 15g protein (Recipe makes 8 servings and can be frozen)
OR
Bacon Egg Cups (3 pieces) 306 calories, 21g fat, 3g net carbs, 24g protein (Recipe makes 12 cups or 4 servings)
LUNCH RECIPES
Tuna Salad – 1/2 cup = 248 calories, 19g fat, 2g net carbs, 20g protein
1 slice high protein bread, toasted – 120 calories, 2g fat, 17g net carbs, 5g protein (I used Dave’s Killer Bread)
OR
Chinese Chicken Salad – 1 cup = 263 calories, 16g fat, 3g net carbs, 24g protein
DINNER RECIPES
NOTE: I did not include a salad or vegetable side for the dinners because there are so many options and everyone’s daily calorie and carbohydrate targets are different. Feel free to add a side salad or vegetable to your meals, just be sure to calculate and include those nutrition stats in your daily totals.
Peanut Chicken Tenders – 298 calories, 20g fat, 3g net carbs, 28g protein (6 ounces or 1/4 batch)
Dipping Sauce – 99 calories, 11g fat, 1g net carbs, 0g protein
1/2 cup cooked rice – 103 calories, 0g fat , 22g net carbs, 2g protein
OR
Mississippi Pot Roast – 3/4 cup shredded meat and gravy – 394 calories, 26g fat, 1g net carbs, 35g protein
Small baked (or microwaved) potato – 134 calories, 0g fat, 27g net carbs, 4g protein
OR
Cajun Salmon with salsa verde – 255 calories, 15g fat, 1g net carb, 35g protein
1/2 cup cooked rice – 103 calories, 0g fat, 22g net carbs, 2g protein
SNACKS & DESSERT SUGGESTIONS
1 cup 0% FAGE Greek yogurt – 120 calories, 0g fat, 7g net carbs, 24g protein
1 cup sliced strawberries – 49 calories, 0g fat, 9g net carbs, 1g protein
1 tablespoon maple syrup – 52 calories, 0g fat, 13g net carbs, 0g protein
OR
Aloha Protein Bar cookie dough – 240 calories, 11g fat, 15g net carbs, 14g protein (Can purchase cheaper on Thrive Market)
OR
Clean Chocolate Chip Protein bar – 200 calories, 5g fat, 19g net carbs, 15g protein
OR
1/2 cup Good Culture Low-fat cottage cheese – 80 calories, 2.5g fat, 3g carbs, 14g protein
1/2 cup blueberries – 42 calories, 0g fat, 9g net carbs, 1g protein
OR
1 peanut butter chocolate truffle – 128 calories, 9g fat, 2g carbs, 5g protein
MENU 1 – 1546 calories, 72g fat, 65g net carbs, 142g protein
Breakfast – Protein Coffee, Bacon Egg Cups
Lunch – Chinese Chicken Salad
Snack – Yogurt, berries, maple syrup
Dinner – Mississippi Pot Roast, small potato
Dessert – Peanut Butter Truffle
MENU 2 – 1518 calories, 78g fat, 79g net carbs, 133g protein
Breakfast – Protein Coffee, Frittata
Lunch – Tuna Salad on toast
Snack – Yogurt, berries, maple syrup
Dinner – Chicken Tenders, Dipping Sauce, Rice
Dessert – Peanut Butter Truffle
MENU 3 – 1454 calories, 76g fat, 45g net carbs, 145g protein
Breakfast – Protein Coffee, Frittata
Lunch – 2 servings Chinese Chicken Salad (2 cups)
Snack – Cottage cheese, blueberries
Dinner – Cajun Salmon, Salsa Verde, Rice
Dessert – Peanut Butter Truffle
So as you can see, these are three possible ways you could structure your Prioritizing Protein Meal Plan days during the week – some lower in carbs and calories, while others are higher. There are many more combination possibilities just with these few recipes to work with for the week – though of course you can come up with your own and are not tied to them.
If necessary you can add calories by beefing up your coffee with creamer, or protein by adding another snack or increasing your serving sizes. If you need more carbs, you can increase the rice or potato, or add another slice of toast to make a full tuna sandwich, or even a slice of toast with breakfast. And of course you can always add more fruits and vegetables to fill in where your personal calorie and carbohydrate targets allow.
Again, there are many options using this Prioritizing Protein Meal Plan as your foundation and customizing it to your needs.
