Power Up with Protein
Finishing up our March topic, I’ve decided to give you some new food prep ideas from my Power Plate Formula™ section called Power Protein.
Power Protein is simply all of the foods whose predominant macronutrient is protein. These include foods like wild game, chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs.
One of my favorite tactics for being on point with your protein intake is called Protein Prep.
This is the idea that, because your protein is typically going to take the most time to prepare, you give it some forethought and prep in advance of the actual meal time.
Protein Prep Examples
Slow Cooker
Prep a slow cooker the night before work and let it marinate overnight prior to starting it in the morning before you head to work. Coming home to the smell of beef stew is so satisfying, and it doesn’t require much more than a little prep.
Marinaded Chicken
Place some chicken breasts in a simple marinade (like Italian dressing) before you head to work in the morning. It takes only minutes to do, and when you get home, they will be ready to be grilled or baked and full of flavor.
Batch Cook
If you’re already cooking, why not make enough for two or three meals? I like to make twice the amount of protein I need in one meal so that I can reuse, and possibly repurpose, the protein for a meal the next day. An example of this is marinated grilled chicken; use it one night as simple, grilled chicken breasts, then in tortilla soup the next night or in a Cobb salad the night after that.
Thinking ahead about your protein is the key to making your life easier in the kitchen when you are on a health mission.
I find that when I get behind on my protein prep, my whole meal plan falls short, and I end up eating out way more than I’d like.
Now, I have one last trick!
We recently moved to Texas and are still in transition waiting for our new home to close, and I just discovered the Instant Pot. My friend Leslie told me about it at some point, but I didn’t jump on the bandwagon until now.
The Instant Pot is amazing!
Even if you don’t do any of the above Protein Prep strategies, have no fear! With the Instant Pot, you can still have great-tasting meals in minutes! It can be used as a pressure cooker or a slow cooker.
Check out my Instagram (@5D_Athlete) for some great pics of my recent Instant Pot meals.
Here are a few really easy recipes to get you started:
Pork tenderloin medallions over cauliflower rice and stir-fried vegetables
This was so easy! Cut a pork tenderloin into 1-inch-thick medallions and place in the Instant Pot with a light layer of sauce on top. (I used a new one from Sky Valley. I also like Organicville sauces.) Sauté your veggies while the pork is cooking (which took me only half an hour and hardly any hands-on time) and, voilà! You have a meal in minutes!
Pot roast
I lightly seared my grass-fed beef roast in avocado oil before putting it into the pot. (However, apparently, you can actually do this IN the Instant Pot (just learned that) on sauté mode before turning on the pressure cooker.) I placed the roast in the pot with carrots, onion, small potatoes, celery, bay leaf, and a little sauce I made in the pan after searing. The sauce was just Worcestershire sauce, a little red wine, and coconut aminos – that’s it! This dish was amazing!
Chicken teriyaki
Choose a teriyaki sauce like Organicville’s, which has quality ingredients, and then it only takes 15 minutes in the pot! Serve over quinoa and steamed vegetables of your choice!
It really can be easy to have healthy meals in your fast-paced life. Having these foods on hand and thinking ahead, especially about your protein, is the key to making it all happen!
Making some great Power Plate Formula™ meals of your own? I’d love to see your meals! Be sure to tag me @5D_Athlete and use #PowerPlateFormula or #FoodIsNotAnAfterthought so I can see what you are up to in your healthy kitchen!
We explore the importance of Power Protein in-depth and YOUR individual protein requirements (number of grams per meal/day) in all of my programs.