10 Ways to Eat More Protein

If you struggle with eating enough protein, I’ve got 10 ways to eat more protein for you in this article.

Maybe you just started working with a coach who prescribed you a seemingly impossible amount of protein to eat and now you’re asking yourself “How the f**k am I going to eat all this protein every day?!”

Or maybe you read my article on protein and you think you made a mistake when you figured out that you’re eating about half as much protein as you should be.

Below, you’ll find 10 high protein snacks and meals that will make hitting your protein goals a breeze.

Protein powder + overnight oats

I stole this one from Joe DeFranco, and it’s become a breakfast staple of mine. 

It’s simple and delicious. All you have to do is combine your favorite protein powder with overnight oats.

Now, you can make your own overnight oats but let’s be honest- nobody has time for that. You also risk butchering the ratio of milk/water to oats and getting some watery concoction that just tastes like cold, soupy oats. 

Yuck. 

That’s why I recommend mixing your protein powder with Mush.* You can find these ready made overnight oats in the yogurt section of most grocery stores. 

*I don’t have any affiliation with Mush or any of the products in this article. I just genuinely like them!

Protein powder + greek yogurt

My fiancé Lauren first sold me on this one, and it is incredibly tasty. If you like pudding, this snack will satisfy your sweet tooth while delivering a ton of protein. 

You’re going to combine a scoop of protein powder with Greek yogurt. It really doesn’t matter what kind you use here, because the protein powder flavor will take over.

Another benefit of this combination is you’re getting the protein from the greek yogurt (which is usually a lot by itself, depending on the brand and fat percentage) and the protein powder. The example I made below packs 52 grams of protein in a serving!

Beef jerky

Beef Jerky can be a great tasting snack to add to your day. Here’s a brand I really like.

Hard boiled eggs

When I was in elementary school, my mom used to pack me hard boiled eggs every so often with lunch. 

Every time she would, there would inevitably be some kid at my lunch table who would crinkle his nose and shriek “Ewww!! What’s that smell!?”

It definitely made it hard to make friends at lunch. Thanks, mom 🙄

In hindsight, I’m thankful she was giving me such a high quality protein packed snack. I guess I was just way ahead of my time!

Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is a combination of milk curds (which form when milk is combined with bacteria that change the acidity of milk, causing it to clump together) and cream.

What you get is a high protein, low carb and fat snack that tastes good on its own or with fruit on top.

Deli meat roll ups + fruit

This has been my pre-workout snack of choice for the past few years. It’s convenient, tastes good and is low in fat, which makes it a great option to eat before a workout.

Personally, I like to have applesauce instead of fruit as part of my pre-workout snack. The carbs from the applesauce give me energy to train, and since the apples are already mashed up they digest a little quicker. 

Protein smoothie

There are endless protein smoothie recipes out there, but I’ll give you three of my favorites.

The convenient + healthy protein smoothie

This smoothie is a great way to sneak some extra greens into your diet without really noticing them. I found these smoothie packets at Costco and they only have 100 calories each.

The classic bulking protein smoothie

Peanut butter, chocolate and banana are a classic combo. You can’t go wrong with this smoothie if you’re looking to add calories to your diet. You can also throw in some oats or oat powder if you need the extra carbs.

The Wendy’s frosty smoothie

I got this one from Paul Carter, and damn is it good! If you just finished dinner and are looking for something sweet without the calories, it really does taste just like a Wendy’s Frosty..

Protein pancakes/ waffles

Just like protein smoothies, there are a billion protein pancake recipes on the internet. 

I don’t know about you, but I have exactly zero time to pretend to be Gordon Ramsey and try them all.

What I do have time for is a tried and true pre-made protein pancake mix from Kodiak Cakes.

While these pancakes are delicious, and much more nutritious than traditional flapjacks, they only have 15g of protein. 

You can easily pair them with another protein source like eggs or yogurt to get more protein and create a more complete meal.

Protein milk cereal

If eating cereal for breakfast brings you back to being a kid, you don’t have to give it up just because it doesn’t have a lot of protein.

Even the brands that claim to be “high protein” or “more protein” really aren’t that high in protein, and the source of protein may not be very high quality (come on Three Wishes.. 8g of protein?).

A better solution is to make a protein shake and use that shake as the milk for your cereal.

To make sure you get all the protein, don’t forget to drink the milk that’s left at the bottom of the bowl.

Just like when you were a kid.

Roasted edamame beans

Don’t worry vegetarians, I didn’t forget about you!

Most vegetarian sources of protein are not complete, which means they don’t contain high levels of all nine essential amino acids. If you’re a vegetarian, you need to be mindful about how you get your protein. 

To make sure you get enough high quality protein throughout the day, you should be mixing and matching your protein sources to get high levels of all nine essential amino acids.

Roasted edamame beans are a complete source of protein, meaning they contain high levels of all nine amino acids. 

They also happen to be incredibly delicious.

Wrapping up

Most people need more protein than they think. Add some of these snacks and meals to your diet, and I guarantee you’ll find it easier to hit your protein goals for the day!