Making sure you’re eating enough protein can seem like a difficult task. You might start by adding more meat into your diet, but you might feel that there’s only so much meat you can eat before you’re simply done trying to increase the amount of protein you eat.
But don’t give up just yet. Whether you’re vegan or vegetarian, not a huge meat fan, or simply never seem to consume enough protein no matter how hard you try, this is the right place for you to be. Below, you’ll discover some super easy ways to immediately up your protein intake without much effort.
1. Make the Best Protein Oatmeal or Overnight Oats
One thing about oats is that they’re very cheap, and they’ll keep you full. Whether you’re looking for a hearty breakfast or a little mid-day snack, you can count on a hot oatmeal bowl or chilled overnight oats to be the perfect option for you.
While oats alone have decent protein content, dairy or plant-based milks you add to your oats can add an additional boost of protein. For an even greater boost of protein, mix in your favorite whey or plant-based protein powder to your oatmeal or overnight oats.
2. Hide Your Protein in Soups or Stews
Sometimes the healthiest ingredients are best kept hidden, especially if you’re picky about particular flavors or textures. To get a quick bite of protein while still enjoying your meal, consider adding beans, lentils, or peas into your favorite soup or stew. You’re bound to still love it regardless!
3. Swap Sour Cream for Greek Yogurt in Recipes
While somewhat similar in flavor, Greek yogurt has a higher protein content than its sour cream counterpart. Additionally, Greek yogurt is lower in calories and fat than sour cream.
That said, consider making your favorite dips and sauces with plain Greek yogurt in replacement of sour cream to get the healthiest, highest-protein option. Greek yogurt can also be used to replace mayonnaise, buttermilk, cream cheese, butter, or even oil.
4. “Shake” Things Up
When eating your protein won’t do, you can always get a boost of it via a good ole protein shake. Protein shakes can either be bought in-store, or you can whip up your own chocolate or vanilla protein shake at home with your favorite pea or whey protein powder. It’s easy peasy!
5. Start Your Morning Off With Some Protein Pancakes
If you’re not a big oatmeal or overnight oat person, no worries. You can still start your day off with some protein pancakes. This is a great, meat-free recipe that even the vegans and vegetarians can enjoy!
Simply add a scoop or two of the protein powder of your choice to your pancake batter before cooking. To up the protein content of your pancakes even more, you can also add plain Greek yogurt, nut butter, or crushed nuts.
6. Add Protein Powder to Your Morning Coffee
You can’t resist your morning coffee, and we don’t blame you. With the addition of a scoop or two of protein powder, you can have a protein-packed cup of Joe in an instant! It’s just so easy. Either opt for a naturally sweetened chocolate or vanilla protein powder to sweeten up your coffee and give it some added flavor, or you can go the unflavored protein powder route.
7. Consume More Hummus
Chickpeas can be a decent source of protein intake, and when in hummus form, they can be very addicting. Whether you choose a classic hummus, garlic hummus, or even red pepper hummus, you’ll find that it’s quite easy to boost your protein intake just by eating this delicious Mediterranean dip.
Hummus can be paired with pita bread, pita chips, crackers, grilled chicken, salad, or raw or grilled vegetables. Or, you can spread hummus on toast, a tortilla, or even on your sandwich bread. If you want to be a bit adventurous, hummus can also taste delicious on a burger, on boiled eggs, or inside your favorite mashed potato recipe.
8. Make Homemade Protein Bars or Balls
While you can buy them on store shelves, nothing is funner than getting to make your own protein bars or protein balls at home! Best of all, most protein bar and ball recipes don’t involve baking.
Pair ingredients like oats, crushed nuts, seeds, and nut butter together. Feel free to also add berries, chocolate or yogurt chips, agave, honey, or protein powder to the mix as well. To make protein bars, use a baking pan to mold them. For protein balls, simply roll the mixture into the perfect bite-sized balls. Add your bars or balls to the fridge to set before enjoying.
9. Indulge in High-Protein Chips
Everyone loves chips, but unfortunately, your average chip isn’t exactly healthy. The good news is, there are healthy protein chips out there specifically designed to give one a protein boost. Yes, they’re going to cost more than other chips out there, but it’s all for a good reason: they’re much more nutritious.
If you’re looking to save some bucks, you can always try making your own protein chips at home with almond flour, unflavored protein powder, salt, psyllium husk powder, warm water, and olive oil.
10. Say Yes to All the Nut Butters
If you’re not big on the crunch of nuts, perhaps you’ll love them in butter form. Nut butters are so easy to add to anything or to simply eat by the spoonful if you really love them. Outside of having a higher protein content, they also possess essential fatty acids and various micronutrients.
Add your favorite nut butter as a topping on a homemade yogurt bowl, mix it into a smoothie or shake, swirl it into oatmeal or overnight oats, or spread it on toast paired with fruit. Or, simply add more nut butter and jelly sandwiches into your diet! Nut butter for the win.
Conclusion
Eating enough protein almost seems impossible. But don’t worry- it doesn’t have to be as difficult or as time-consuming as you might think. Little things like sipping on protein shakes or chomping on some homemade protein bars can help you increase the amount of protein you intake each day.
