If you’re working towards any fitness goals, you likely have a protein target that you try to hit everyday. For those of you who have busy lives (who doesn’t?), there can be days when you miss that target. In this article, I’m going to give you easy protein options for when you don’t have time to prep much.
As a coach, my job is to simplify exercise and nutrition for my clients and I will do the exact same for you here. The problem is that, with social media and everything on the internet, there’s a lot of fluff out there that you don’t really need to be successful.
Planning and prepping
In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need this guide. In a perfect world, you’d be able to sit down and enjoy your meal full of protein. Planning gets you as close to that perfect as possible.
Plain and simple - your priority should be to plan your meals as much as possible each week so you know how to reach your goals.
When you plan, you can anticipate what’s going to happen - whether that’s a busy work week, in-laws coming into town, or even just a social event. But there’s no such thing as perfect and you need to be prepared for when things get hectic unexpectedly so you can still hit your goals.
The simplest way to succeed is to have a game plan for how you’re going to eat during the week AND having a backup plan for when things go sideways. The rest of this article addresses the latter situation so you have options in case you need anything in a pinch. Since we’re keeping things simple, I’ll provide you with choices that take less than 5 minutes to put together, if that.
Easy protein options on the go
Protein powder
This is the most convenient out of all protein sources, you can take protein powder anywhere with you - to the office, to the gym, or even on vacation! You simply add water (if you have a decent tasting brand) or add milk if you want a bit more flavour. Make sure you have a shaker bottle for easy mixing.
My favourite protein brand
Smoothies
If you want something more filling, take out your blender and mix any of these:
Vegetables (dark leafy greens, beets, even greens supplements)
Fruits (berries, apples, mangos, bananas, etc)
Nuts, seeds, and nut butters
Oats
Granola
Water or milk (regular, oat, etc)
Ice
You’d need a bit more prep with this but depending on what and how much you mix in it, it can be quite filling. You can even bring it with you to the office! Just make sure to keep it in the fridge. You don’t want that rancid 2-day old protein sitting at the bottom of your bag.
For more info on this, the Precision Nutrition Super Shake guide is still one of my favourite resources on this.
Greek yogurt/cottage cheese
One of the most versatile options on this list - I personally have this daily. My favourite way to consume this is first thing in the morning.
150g plain Greek Yogurt
1 scoop protein powder
Mixed berries
Mix them all in a bowl and voila! You have an easy 40g for breakfast. And it only takes 2 minutes to prep.
I lumped Greek yogurt and cottage cheese together as you can have them interchangeably in many things: smoothies, bowls, and even omelletes!
Beef/turkey jerky
If you want something to munch on, add beef jerky to your repertoire. Whether you’re sitting on your couch watching Netflix or need a snack on the road, jerky gives you more protein per serving than any other snack!
Turkey has slightly higher protein content
Eggs (hard-boiled)
While these take a bit more prep than the options above, it doesn’t take that long and you can store them for a few days once cooked. Like smoothies, you can take these to the office to eat throughout your day. You can eat them on their own, add salt and pepper, sprinkle with hot sauce, or add to your lunch.
Rotisserie chicken
While these are messier to eat, this is certainly the most filling option on this list. Most grocery stores these days will have this option and you can grab some when you don’t feel like cooking!
Protein bars
I almost didn’t include this one but a lot of people ask me about this so I added it in. There’s a lot of protein bars on the market and a lot of them have a lot of junk and too much sugar in them. The best way to limit junk in bars is to make them yourself but I know not everyone wants to do that.
One of the better brands ingredient-wise
There are a lot of other options in most grocery stores that have a good calorie to protein ratio. Just make sure to look at the nutrition label as some of them can be high in sugar content.
The best way to consume enough protein is to prioritize them during your meals by eating high quality options like meat, fish, and tofu (among others). Add in the options above to fill in the gaps and you’ll be able to hit your daily goals so you can build lean muscle for your goals.
If you found this helpful, send me a message on this site or you can reach on me on Instagram @MilesStrength.