Coming off of this past weekend with an incredible nutrition workshop really got me thinking about how to get more creative in the kitchen. While I was having so much fun whipping up those protein pancakes for everyone, it reminded me again that nutritious protein, packed meals do not have to be boring. They can be exciting takes on the foods we know and love, that keep us wanting more. So without further introduction, here are my favorite creative protein forward meal ideas that you can whip up in the kitchen with relatively few ingredients and not a lot of time.
First is the beloved turkey taco. Turkey, especially in ground turkey form, is protein packed and essentially a blank canvas for which to apply whatever flavor profile you would like. I personally like to take ground turkey, chopped white onions, garlic, taco seasoning, some peppers and cook that all down in a pan. Then I’ll top with some Mexican cheese, a little bit of Greek yogurt with lime juice and some homemade guac all slapped on a high fiber tortilla for the perfect taco. I also enjoy combining all of that on top of a nice bed of my favorite rice and enjoying it as a very filling bowl.
Next up is my high protein take on pizza! It has been discovered that if you take Greek yogurt and regular flour and combine them in equal parts, you can form a pizza dough! This adds protein to the crust of your pizza and provides a vesicle to top it with whatever fiber and protein filled food you so choose. My favorite toppings are mozzarella cheese, chicken sausages, broccoli, red peppers and the occasional pineapple (don’t be haters). Bake all of that in the oven on a high heat until it’s all melty and delicious. It’s a feel good food that reminds me that pizza is something that we can enjoy on a regular basis if we find creative ways to make it fit our nutrient needs.
Last up is one of my all-time favorites, the Mediterranean rice bowl. Again, I’ll take my favorite type of rice and lay that down as a bed but this time on top of that will go cooked grassed ground beef, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, feta cheese, some Greek yogurt with a little citrus , and roasted chickpeas. Top it all off with a little balsamic glaze drizzle and that is a winner every single time. This meal is so packed with flavor and protein that it’s almost too good to be true. I could eat that meal every day for the rest of my life and truly be satisfied.
As a bonus, and continuing on our Kodiak theme from this past weekend, a really fun and filling high protein snack are my infamous banana chocolate chip muffins. I’ll simply take one servings of the Kodiak pancake mix, combine it with my favorite flavored protein which for me is chocolate, mash up some bananas, toss in some mini chocolate chips, use milk as a binder and maybe even toss in some Greek yogurt to get the extra protein party started. I’ll bake those in the oven until nice and fluffy and then enjoy throughout the week for a snack that is both equal delicious and nutritious.
One of the most important things to remember is that nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be boring. We can still eat the flavors and food that we love if we focus on the nutrient breakdown of the meal. We can have our tacos and eat them too if we stay prioritizing protein and high fiber and create well balanced meals that are easy to access and leave us feeling satisfied.
Give these ideas a try and let me know what you think! Happy cooking 🙂
