I know that protein is one of the biggest hot topics out there right now. How much to eat? Why to eat it? When to eat it? What is a safe amount? Which sources are the best?
The answers to these questions are vastly different from one person to the next, depending on their body types, what feels good for their body, and how their gut reacts to certain types of protein sources.
This blog is not intended to prescribe any set number of protein, types, cures, healing sources or anything else. This blog is intended to be a source of protein ideas and recipes that work for me in my style of meal prepping for busy weeks.
Studies state for that muscle maintenance, you need 1gram of protein per body pound. If you are striving to get muscle synthesis and increase your muscle mass, you will want more. Studies also show that you will want a wide variety of protein sources in order to obtain all of the essential amino acids and omegas, as well as healthy fat from different sources.
It is also very important to space out your proteins – you cannot eat all of your protein in one meal. Instead, trying to evenly space out your protein throughout the day is optimal. That may look different for everyone. Some may opt to eat 40-50grams of protein three times a day, others may opt to eat 25-30 grams of protein five times a day. It is all dependent on your body, lifestyle, and what feels best for your body.
That’s where it becomes very important to be the expert of your own body, your own gut, your own digestion. It is important to be your own investigator on studying and researching ideas for you. You can always learn how to configure your own protein/macros with my upcoming virtual workshop:
This blog is simply to show what has worked for me over time and how I prepped this past week.
First of all, when I start listing out my meal prep for the week, I list out my breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Yes, I eat five times a day often times between teaching classes/clients. That is how my body responds best to meals. I don’t thrive off from huge meals – they make me feel full and uncomfortable. I really thrive off from smaller meals, dense in nutrients, including proteins.
When I start my meal prep list, I really think about getting in several different sources of protein all day long. So this week, I wrote out some of my favorite options:
Cottage cheese, salmon, eggs, lean ground turkey, protein powder, collagen, beef. I know, it sounds like a lot in one day. But variety is the spice to life, and I don’t want to get bored eating chicken and broccoli every darn day of my life.
Breakfast right around 6:30-7am: 2oz of sourdough toast, homemade by me. 4oz cottage cheese and 4oz salmon. 37.5 grams of protein.
I tend to eat that around 6:30am or 7am knowing that I teach a morning client and morning class everyday. I finish my morning classes around 9am and sometimes eat a little again right before my 9:30am class.
9:30am / 10:30am – NInja creami protein packed ice cream. I make five of these pints at one time and pop them in the freezer. I slice one banana and put it into the bottom of the pint. Add one scoop protein powder of choice, one scoop collagen of choice. Then I fill the rest of the pint with water and freeze. Blend it up before going to work. The grams of protein will vary depending on the protein of your choice. Mine add ups to 27.5 grams.
Lunch around 1pm – after I have taught the lunch hour fitness class, I graze a little more. Sometimes I eat only half of this, and eat the second half later. It depends on how strenuous the classes are that I am teaching. And I know, this is definitely a breakfast recipe. But I LOVE breakfast any time of the day. I actually LOVE sausage and eggs, so this recipe satisfies me. Vegetable Egg Bake is 56grams of protein. Recipe is in the second photo:
And then I tend to train more clients or get some stuff done around the gym (for work). Many times, by afternoon time I have taught 3+ classes, and 3+ clients and been on my feet all day. So, some days I opt for a protein recovery shake. I don’t do it everyday, but I do it on the days that I feel like I taught/trained a lot in addition to my own training. I know that a protein recovery shake is very debatable and many of my clients and athletes ask me WHY they’re necessary and WHAT to look for in a recovery shake. Let me talk about that. I believe they are necessary for those that really ask a lot of their body day after day after day, yet expect their body to not break down. Between my very labor intensive job and my own running/biking, I know I ask a lot of my body. I am putting a lot of miles on my body every week, lifting weights, and training others. Yet, I cannot let my body break down. I literally need my body for my job – it is my upmost important piece of equipment to do my job. Thus, I use a recovery shake.
So, for those also asking a lot of their body and expecting to still feel good every day, I suggest one. What to look for in a recovery shake is that it is a complete protein – meaning it contains all of the amino acids that aid in muscle synthesis and muscle recovery between hard efforts. Most recently I have been using Tailwind Recovery Mix, as it is a complete protein. Other great brands include Skratch Recovery and Hammer Recoverite.
3-4pm: recovery protein powder, 10 grams of quality, dense protein. I just mix it in water. Nothing fancy. No need to add in any milks. I feel that mixing it with water allows your body to use and absorb the quality ingredients of the recovery formula best without disruptors of other liquids.
And by that point, dinner time is rolling around. I really strive to get dinner in during the 6:00pm hour. I don’t like to consume any foods past 6:30 or 7pm, as I rely on that 12 hour window of no eating to “digest and rest” by my body. Dinner looks different everyday. Some days, I enjoy a taco salad like the photo below. Other days I grill a chicken breast, or make a burger patty, or do some form of yogurt. But most recently as my running/biking ramp up, I have really craved red meat and Mexican foods. So, this week I have been making a taco salad made up of kale, spinach, arugula, vegetables, tomatoes, salsa and 4oz of red meat. You can do 4oz of any protein of your choice.
6:00pm hour – taco salad dinner, 22 grams of protein.
And that is really how majority of my days are set up. Most days I am getting 150-160 grams of protein, which is the equivalent of 1gram per body pound. The caloric intake of this example day is right around 1800-2000 a day, which would be the recommended amount for the average size women with a moderately active lifestyle.
For more information about protein, calculating your own protein count and manipulating your macros, I invite you to join me in on a one-hour virtual workshop where I will be teaching macros and addressing the most common concerns I get from clients. In this workshop, completely on zoom, I will be teaching you how to calculate your own macros. Message me to enroll.
