Protein
It’s time to have a meal. You’re hungry and don’t have a lot of time in your day to cook or even go to a store or restaurant to get something to eat. You head to the pantry or fridge to find something quick and convenient.
If you aren’t prepared, then chances are that when you arrive at the fridge or pantry, you find foods full of carbohydrates and/or fat. Quick. easy, and available foods all over are typically full of sugar, fat, and processed carbohydrates. You likely won’t find a lot of protein in the pantry, on the shelf at the convenience store, or just sitting in your fridge ready to eat at a moment’s notice - unless you planned correctly.
If you want to have nutrition success, then making sure you have PROTEIN ready to eat at any time is key. This is why when I do my shopping and prepare myself for the week ahead, I always think about PROTEIN first and figure out carbs and fats later.
3 Steps to Prep Protein like a Pro:
SHOP - buy the raw protein ingredients for bulk protein prep (or have them auto-delivered)
COOK - cook protein in bulk and store it correctly
PLAN - purchase 2-3 quick protein options that require NO PREP (emergency backup options)
Picture Source: flickr.com
Just about every dietary slip-up can be traced back to not having enough quality protein ready to eat. If you get hungry and you reach for something quick that has a lot of carbs and fat in it, not only will you ingest a lot of calories quickly, but those foods will likely leave you craving more food soon thereafter.
When I arrive at the end of the day and haven’t had my ideal day of eating, I always remark that “I didn’t have enough protein prepared.” I don’t say “I had bad willpower today” or “I just didn’t have enough fruit today.” I know from years of experience that if the protein is there, I am infinitely more likely to have success with my nutrition.
How do you prepare yourself to have enough protein in the house at all times? Read on if you want to learn how to bulk prep your protein and create 3 very simple balanced meals. Furthermore, I will add how you can fill your fridge and pantry with 3 high-quality protein NO PREP foods.
Bulk Prepping Ideas
Breakfast Frittata
1 Dozen Eggs
1/2 Pound Bacon
2-3 oz. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tbsp. Grass-Fed Butter
1 Red Onion
Picture Source: flickr.com
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bring a cast iron skillet to medium heat on the stovetop and cook 1/2 pound of diced bacon pieces
When bacon is browned, remove and place on a paper towel to dry
Add 1 Tbsp. of butter to the rendered bacon fat in the pan (if you want a lower fat option, you can remove the bacon fat first)
Add the entire chopped red onion and cook on medium until the onions are soft
Once the onions are soft, place the bacon back in
Crack and whisk 12 eggs
Pour eggs over the onions and bacon
Stir the ingredients to evenly distribute, then sprinkle the grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the top
Place the whole pan in the oven and cook until the top is browned
Marinated Baked Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 lbs. Chicken Breast
Marinade:
1/8 cup Avocado Oil
1/8 cup Tamari
1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes
Avocado Oil and Salt
Picture Source: gimmedelicious.com
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients
Place 2 lbs. of chicken breast in the bowl and toss in the marinade until full coated
Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight
On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet lay out the chicken breasts (be sure to let excess marinade drip off)
Place the baking sheet and chicken in the oven for approximately 20 minutes (checking at 10 and 15 minutes for doneness)
Roughly chop the sweet potatoes and toss them lightly with avocado oil and salt
Place them in the oven on a separate pan for 30 minutes
Remove the potatoes and chicken from the oven and store in airtight glass containers
Sautéed Ground Beef with Cucumber Salad
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 lb. Cucumbers
Cucumber Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Brown Mustard
2 tbsp. Dried Dill
Picture Source: heinens.com
Directions:
Bring a cast iron skillet to medium heat on the stovetop
Season the pan with salt and pepper before putting in the ground beef
Put the ground beef in the pan and press it down to get as much surface area touching the pan
Add salt and pepper to the top side of the ground beef
Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the ground beef starts to brown on the bottom
Start to flip the ground beef over to brown the remaining sides
While the ground beef finishes cooking, prepare the salad dressing
In a separate jar, add all the salad dressing ingredients
Cover and shake
Store dressing in the fridge for up to 3 weeks
Take the cucumbers and chop them into circles or semi-circles
Store them in glass containers (add dressing whenever you are reading to eat)
Remove the ground beef from the pan and store in separate airtight glass containers
Quality, Storage, & Reheating
What if I can’t get that type of quality?
Each of the bulk prep recipes listed above has some of the highest quality protein sources listed. That means the protein sources, whenever possible, are organic, grass-fed, local, and fresh.
While getting high-quality food is something to strive for, I encourage you to get the highest quality you can in your current circumstances. These higher-quality options can be more expensive or harder to find. If you can’t access them, DON’T STRESS.
Do your best, but at the end of the day if you have to start with frozen chicken breasts that are not organic that is OK too.
Keep an eye out for ideals on quality protein everywhere you go. Less favorable cuts of meat can be very inexpensive even when they are grass-fed and organic.
How do you store food so it doesn’t go bad?
I always use glass containers for food storage. I’ve gotten rid of all plastic containers and the glass containers have a glass or bamboo lid.
I aim to avoid plastics whenever possible!
Something that is glass and creates an air-tight seal will increase the length of time you can store food without it going bad. This will help keep food fresh and tasting as good as the day you cooked it.
How do you reheat your food?
Most often, I will use a microwave to reheat food. NO THIS IS NOT TERRIBLE and there is plenty of evidence that microwaving food doesn’t change the nutritional content of your meal.
If you are worried, then you can get yourself an AIR FRYER and use that to reheat. Air Fryers are basically small ovens that heat up faster than ovens and can bring things back to temp. Just be careful since they can overcook things if you don’t pay attention.
Lastly, you can consider eating your food cold or at room temperature from time to time. I don’t personally mind it, but if you do them try one of the above options.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
**(Source - Functional Bodybuilding - Marcus Filly)