Above: I love prepping a Frittata with cottage cheese for extra protein along with whatever meat + veggies I have in the fridge. This makes for super quick breakfasts all week!
Gooood morning! Happy August. (UGH. I never want summer to end. I get so sad when August hits. 😭)
But I’m sitting in one of my new favorite coffee shops in my new hood (Spilt Milk in Oak Park) as I hit “publish” on this post this morning–I can’t complain! (Plus, luckily we have Whitney’s wedding in London to look forward to at the end of the month! 🙌🏼)
It’s been a minute since we did a crowdsourced reader advice roundup and I am VERY excited for this one! (Hopefully you are too!)
As we’re all growing old up together 😆, I know eating more protein is becoming more of a focus–but it can also feel like a full-time job and get overwhelming really quickly–like we don’t have enough to worry about already? Honestly some days just drinking enough WATER or taking my vitamins seems impossible.
I have to say though, when I started prioritizing my health a LOT more about 6 months ago–being much more intentional about movement every day, actually remembering to take my vitamins, and eating more protein (all per my doctor’s suggestions), I did not expect the results that I got. I have muscle definition I have never had previously and I feel SO much better!
I know many of you are on the same journey, and a lot of conversation in my DMs lately has been around sneaking in more protein! So of course, I put up a question box to ask your favorite tips, who you like to follow for recipe inspo, and a lot of my own hacks as well!
Something to keep in mind:
I don’t track this that closely. I am not personally an advocate for “counting” of any kind (whether it’s calories, carbs, protein, etc) because I think that can lead to burn out and it just makes food NOT fun or enjoyable–and that should never be the case. (If that works for you though, that’s wonderful! Everyone is different in that regard!)
Rather, I would call this “protein-focused intuitive eating.” Simple changes you can make to up your protein intake. This is absolutely not meant to be health advice–please consult your doctor, your best judgement, take what you want and leave what you don’t!
25+ favorite protein sources + ways to up your protein intake:
Above: Sheet pan Chicken thighs and veggies with quinoa I boiled with bone broth for added protein, topped with a quick cottage cheese herbed yogurt sauce I pulsed in my veggie chopper with cottage cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs!
Cottage cheese:
I KNOWW I KNOW–If you’re a cottage cheese hater, before you turn up your nose–let me tell you, I didn’t touch cottage cheese for the first…34 years of my life?
But Good Culture brand is different–it tastes like burrata or mozzarella and is really creamy–other brands just don’t do for me. (It has to be the regular kind though! No low fat!) I think I need a whole separate blog post for all the ways I use this cheese.
In short–in everything. Anything you would eat with ricotta, burrata, and any recipe you would use dairy in–you can sub for cottage cheese.
I eat it on my toast with some chili crisp, or mix it with pesto and use it as the base for a breakfast bowl with eggs on top–or spread the pesto cottage cheese on my toast with sliced tomatoes, avocado, use it as the cheese for a caprese salad or bruschetta, on a bagel instead of cream cheese (with some everything but the bagel seasoning on top, along with avocado, of course), I add it into my scrambled eggs and frittatas, finish a pasta with a big dollop (like you would ricotta) –so many options!
Blend it until creamy as the base for any sauce or dressing. As the mayo in chicken or egg salad. Use it to make ranch, garlic sauce for chicken shawarma, as an add-in for pasta sauces and soups to make them creamy. If it’s too thick, just add a little milk to thin it out.
You can find so many recipes! Just google “cottage cheese” and whatever else you want. “Cottage cheese ranch” or “Cottage cheese Alfredo” or “Cottage cheese tzatziki” – you get the picture!
HEADS UP: If you’re going to blend it to make a creamy sauce, just make sure to take anything hot that you’re adding it to OFF THE HEAT before you add it, or it will curdle. (Don’t boil it!)
High protein chicken salad SLAPS. See my chicken salad post here and just use blended cottage cheese instead of mayo or there are lots of recipes on the google machine if you search “high protein chicken salad” or “cottage cheese chicken salad.”)
Greek yogurt:
Same as above, and a good option if you truly hate cottage cheese. Greek yogurt is another really easy swap you can make for mayo or sour cream. It’s healthier with a lot more protein! I add it to sauces, soups, white chicken chili, use it to make tzatziki or ranch, top a baked potato or taco with it–adds a really nice tang to anything and is extra tasty if you mix in a little hot sauce, sriracha, your favorite herb seasoning, lemon juice–it’s basically a blank slate and full of protein!
Protein yogurt:
You can find several brands of yogurt now that have high protein! (Oikos is one brand that Neal loves and many of you do, too!) but some of you also like regular greek yogurt with a big scoop of peanut butter and/or your favorite brand/flavor of protein powder mixed in. You can also drizzle chocolate on top, pop it in the freezer, and have a delicious high-protein dessert!
High protein waffles/pancakes:
You can batch-make either (many of you love brands like Kodiak cakes, Birch Blenders or Simple Mills) and freeze them to pull out for quick breakfasts! You can top them with peanut butter for even more protein!
Grossy Pelosi’s meatballs with high protein pasta salad using Barilla+ pasta
Protein pasta:
Barilla’s Protein+ and Goodles brands taste the best in my opinion, but there are so many pastas (both regular and gluten free) that are high-protein now!
High protein frittatas:
If I’m on my A-game on a given week, I’ll make a frittata on Monday morning with whatever veggies and protein I have in the fridge, and then eat it for breakfast all week! I always add cottage cheese and some shredded cheese as well–which adds a lot of protein to each serving in addition to the eggs and meat. (Reheat it on 50% power until just heated through–about 30 seconds at a time–so the eggs don’t get rubbery!)
Add egg whites to your scrambled eggs:
Many of you said you like to buy a carton of egg white and add it to your scrambled egg to up the protein even more! Never thought of this!
Batch-cooked Hard-boiled eggs: (But make them taste WAY BETTER)
I don’t like cold hard boiled eggs, but if you drizzle them with olive oil or smear them with butter, add your favorite seasoning and salt and pepper, and heat them on 50% power for a couple seconds, they are DELICIOUS. (I also like to cook them for about 6-7 minutes so they are still a little runny inside–then you end up with a jammier egg!) HOT TIP: Did you know you can make hard boiled eggs in the air fryer!?
High protein chicken salad with a slice of melted cheese (7g protein) on half a Dave’s Bread bagel (6g) for a delicious and easy high protein lunch!
Higher protein chicken salad (or egg, or chickpeas or tuna or salmon!):
I love chicken salad so much, and it’s a really easy thing to keep in the fridge for lunches and snacks. (Many of you love tuna or salmon salad too–same concept!) When I want to up the protein, I’ll add in greek yogurt or, even better, I’ll blend a serving of cottage cheese up until smooth, and use it instead of mayo. It’s so good! (Play around with the flavors, I find I still like a LITTLE bit of mayo to make it taste right, but it’s a very personal thing!)
Eat it with crackers if you don’t have time to make a sandwich! BUT, if you pop it on a Dave’s Bread bagel or regular Dave’s bread, thats a super high protein lunch, right there! (A serving has 12g of protein!) You can see my chicken salad blog post recipe here!
High protein chickpea or white bean salad:
If you don’t have any chicken, don’t eat meat, or just don’t have time, sub a can of chickpeas or white beans for chicken and add in the same fixings–you’ve got yourself a delicious salad that also has a good amount of plant-based protein! (Especially if you use the cottage cheese/greek yogurt hack!)
Many of you also suggested adding chickpeas to literally everything to sneak in protein!
Just crush up hard boiled eggs, mix them with cottage cheese instead of mayo and use any other seasonings/add-ins you like for a high protein egg salad!
Dave’s Bread brand bread and bagels:
Healthy and a great source of protein. Their sliced bead has 6g per slice (so 12 for a sandwich just for the bread alone) and their bagels have 13G per bagel!
Edamame:
Cook edamame as a side or snack on it throughout the day as another high-protein idea.
Chicken sausage (store-bought):
Blinsky’s and Amylu brand are personal and reader favorites, and they are easy to slice and toss in the air fryer, pan, or oven for a quick meal or to make ahead with some roasted veggies to use all week. Many of you love making these ahead of time for easy breakfasts for the week as well!
Air-fried pressed tofu:
I am not a tofu girl, but a few readers said pressed tofu is delicious marinated and then cooked in the air fryer and a super easy protein!
Chicken sausage breakfast patties (homemade):
I love prepping some of my own chicken sausage patties for easy breakfasts. (Taste better than store-bought and a lot less processed!) All you need is some ground chicken or turkey and some spices. They freeze easily and I just take a couple out, pop them in the air fryer, and they’re ready in minutes. Great with eggs and an easy way to up your protein at breakfast! There are tons of recipes out there but I’ve used this one with great success! (I always fry up a little in the pan to taste test and adjust as necessary to my preferences!)
Grossy meatballs with eggs and some arugula make for a quick and DELICIOUS high-protein breakfast!
Pesto chicken meatballs:
Grossy Pelosi’s pesto meatballs are a huge hit in our house. Prep them ahead of time and eat them all week, or freeze them! I even eat them with eggs for breakfast!
Easy-grab batch-cooked proteins:
Some batch-grilled chicken breasts or pork tenderloin, cut into slices and store in the fridge for easy grabbing. (And tastes just as good cold!) Can eat them alone for a snack, toss in salads, sandwiches, wraps! I like these two because they taste good cold and are a blank canvas for any flavor you want, so you won’t get bored eating it all week.
Ground turkey/chicken/beef:
In my opinion, the fastest/easiest protein to cook. Really easy to cook a batch and then use it as your protein for salads and bowls all week. I always have some in my fridge and freezer at a given time.
I love finishing a pasta with a dollop of cottage cheese (you can also mix it with store-bought pesto, herbs, some garlic powder or fresh garlic, etc to church it up! Tastes very similar to ricotta or burrata!)
Boil grains in bone broth:
I’m not a bone broth sipper (weirds me out) but cooking grains like quinoa, couscous, and rice in bone broth is a super easy way to up the protein! Some of you drink this before your morning coffee to get protein in first-thing. Speaking of…
Quinoa, Farro and Couscous: Try swapping regular old rice with one of these grains, which have higher protein. (You can find quick-cook varieties that are ready in less than 10 mins!) Per the above, cooking them in bone broth ups their protein content even more!
OK not the most appetizing photo I know, sorry, but remember when I talked about how I make a delicious creamy sauce with cottage cheese (sometimes greek yogurt) olive oil, and herbs? (I often throw a garlic clove or garlic powder in there too–riff as you like!) I like to mix it into quinoa or whatever kind of high protein grain, and then I also mixed it into chopped cucumbers and tomatoes to make a salad to top chicken with! So good!
Chomps (or your favorite jerky stick): We love Chomps–tasty, quick to grab and scarf down when you’re busy, and a no-brainer way to get 10g of protein. I usually pair mine with a string cheese (about 6g) and some nuts which ends up coming out to about 20g of protein!
Protein shakes and higher protein milk: We love Fairlife milk–it has 50% more protein than regular milk (13g per serving), and even their skim flavor tastes rich and creamy, so it’s an easy way to make your AM latte work harder for you! *Fairlife is a recent brand partner, but we’ve been buying their milk for many years! You can see my reel with my favorite shaken protein iced coffee right here! (ITS SO GOOD.)
Their protein shakes are also delicious (and have 42g of protein). For a plant-based version, I love the Koia brand protein shakes–which have 18g per shake.
Protein coffee: For hot coffee, I love a collagen protein coffee creamer, or for iced coffee, I’ll just combine cold brew with a protein shake instead of creamer! As mentioned above, I also LOVE making a shaken iced coffee with Fairlife milk–just combine milk, add instant coffee, lots of ice, shake in a martini shaker until SUPER cold, and strain over ice. SO GOOD. (And about 13g of protein, if you use 8oz of milk!)
Nuts: One of my go-to snacks. Easy to grab, you can always have some on hand. If this idea bores you, try getting some flavored varieties (Trader Joe’s has great ones!) I especially love the rosemary marcona almonds from TJ’s. You can also batch-make your own! I also often add them to salads for extra crunch and a bit of extra protein, too!
Protein oatmeal/overnight oats: Many of you love a high-protein oatmeal (like this) mixed with peanut butter, your favorite protein powder, favorite berries and some extra nuts for extra crunch, protein, and fiber! Use Fairlife for even more protein, or you can even make overnight oats with your favorite protein shake instead of milk.
Two slices of Dave’s bread gets you 10g+ of protein, plus a slice of cheese for an extra 6g, plus a serving of deli turkey gets you pretty close to 30g of protein!
8 food influencers to follow for more high-protein meal ideas
Here’s a list of your faves as well as mine!
@itsstefanistewart– Stefani is a holistic health and metabolism dietician who focuses on helping you heal your metabolism for all-day energy!
@shredhappens– After losing 100 pounds, Arash shares simple, approachable, good low-carb food and has a free eBook!
@The.Balanced.Nutritionist– Dietitian Jamie shares simple recipes & realistic nutrition tips for easy healthy eating
@Yummy Toddler Food– Amy shares easy kids recipes (the whole family will enjoy) and sane picky eating advice. Huzzah!
@CollegeNutritionist- Dr. Rachel Paul focuses on simple weight loss for busy women and shares lots of tips for upping protein and fiber intake. (Love Rachel’s content! Have been reading her blog for YEARS!)
@WellPlated– Easy, healthy recipes that taste 💯!
@real.life.nutrionist– Miranda is a registered dietitian that makes healthy eating easier
@ClaireHodginss- Healthy high protein recipes!
One of my favorite pastas I made recently: Barilla Protein+ pasta with fresh tomatoes, chicken sausage, mini mozzarella balls and Swiss chard. Such a delicious summer pasta! I don’t have a recipe, but you can riff off of this one for very similar results!
That’s it for now–I hope this was helpful and gave you some great thought starters and ways to make your life a little easier!
