11 Ways to Sneak More Protein into Your Diet
In our house, making sure we eat enough protein is always a challenge. We’re always running around and often forget about getting enough protein to help support our training goals. Below are 11 ways that we’ve been able to sneak more protein into our daily diets without having to super prep or stress about it.
Let’s Get Nutty
Nuts like almonds or walnuts are great because you can add them to meals or eat them solo as a snack. Heads up though, make sure to count out your servings so you don’t get into a high-calorie habit of handful after handful (Guilty!). To help me with over indulging, I pre-portion these out into individual snack bags to keep myself in check OR you can buy the proportioned packs like THESE on Amazon. 😳 And as with most healthy foods, unflavored or salted are better for you.
Beans Beans and More Beans
Add garbanzo beans, white beans, lentils, kidney beans, or black beans to meals like salads, soups, or quinoa. Beans are full of fiber and have roughly 15 grams of protein per cup! And bonus, kids seem to like them…..sometimes. 🙃 I love this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Recipe from Joy Food Sunshine.
Go Greek Yogurt
At 16 grams per serving, this is full of protein. I’ll also use it as a substitute for sour cream in some of our meals to sneak in a few extra grams of protein. Don’t say yuck yet! Mix this in with a little salsa and throw it on a Taco Salad and it’s delicious! Also, go with the unflavored option to keep the sugar count down. Here’s our fav, Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt.
Quinoa is Queen
Quinoa stands out as a complete protein source, boasting all the essential amino acids our bodies require. With 8 grams of protein per cup, it's a nutritional powerhouse worth adding into your meals. Whether you're replacing rice or pasta, or simply adding it to soups, salads, or even baked goods like muffins and pancakes, quinoa adds a punch of protein and nutrients. Change up your meals by swapping out traditional bases for quinoa! We really like this recipe from Lexie’s Clean Kitchen. For extra flavor, instead of using water, I swap it with low sodium chicken or veggie broth.
Try Edamame
Try edamame for a low-calorie protein-packed snack. One-half cup contains 9 grams of protein. Edamame, aka soybeans, also have omega-3 fatty acids. You can also pick these up in the frozen food isle at Publix proportioned and easy to pop in the microwave.
Stir in egg whites
Egg whites are packed with protein to keep you full and satisfied, and because they’re nearly tasteless, you can add them into a variety of recipes. I’m a big fan of the Great Value 100% Liquid Egg Whites. They’re much easier for me than trying to crack an egg and separate the egg white 😆
Dip into hummus
Aim for a hummus blend of chickpeas and tahini. It makes an awesome high-protein dip for veggies or add into any salad like this Mediterranean Hummus Bowl from the website thealmondeater.com
Don’t forget the Cottage Cheese
We eat a lot of Cottage Cheese in our household (And bonus-our kids like it too!!) One serving size of cottage cheese is 13 grams of protein. We also sneak a quarter cup - half cup into our scrambled eggs in the morning for an extra boost of protein. Check out our recipe for our high protein EGG BITES!
Keep is Simple With Protein Powder
This is a great option when you’re on the go! I HATE protein powder mixed with water (YUCK) so I always grab Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk to mix in. We like Transparent Labs Whey Protein Isolate. Bonus, it comes in a bunch of delicious flavors! 🥳
Make Meatballs
We make a lot of meatballs! We typically grab a few pounds of lean turkey, season them up, pop them into the air fryer and Voilà! THese are great for weekly meal prep as well! We like this recipe for Airfryer Turkey Meatballs from Basil and Bubbly. We just remove the breadcrumbs and try to sneak in some veggies like minced carrots, spinach or broccoli so the kids won’t notice. 🥸
Sneak Some String Cheese
Or in my case, just steal some from your kids. Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks are an easy protein-packed quick snack. We like the Sargento® Natural String Cheese Snacks.