High-protein meal prep
Greek yogurt breakfast prep
Greek yogurt is the fastest high-protein breakfast if the portion is a real cup and not a few spoons. Stir in seeds or fruit and it is ready for several mornings.
Training · 4 min read · Updated 2026-11-05
In the portions written below, protein is about 28–32 g, calories about 460–520, and sodium about 160–360 mg. Those are rounded kitchen estimates before extra cheese, bread, or a heavy pour of sauce.
Flavored single cups are often smaller and sweeter. Plain yogurt plus your own fruit is the more honest bowl.
How to run it
- Start with lentil and tomato stew with yogurt. Plan on about 45 minutes. Soften the onion, carrots, and garlic in the oil for 6 minutes. Stir in the spices.
- Next, ginger tofu and quinoa bowls. Some tofu is packed in brine. Pour it off and read the label. A salty block can erase the point of skipping soy sauce.
- Keep egg and edamame rice skillet for the meal that needs to feel different. Best the day you cook it. Fridge overnight is fine; freeze only if you must, and expect drier eggs.
- Cool anything you will not eat right away within two hours. For egg and edamame rice skillet: Best the day you cook it. Fridge overnight is fine; freeze only if you must, and expect drier eggs.
Cook these
Lentil and tomato stew with yogurt
45 min · serves 4
- Protein
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 160 mg
- Calories
- 460
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Dry lentils are one of the cheapest proteins in the store. Canned lentils work in a pinch; rinse them and cut the simmer to 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup per bowl
- lemon
Method
- Soften the onion, carrots, and garlic in the oil for 6 minutes. Stir in the spices.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, and water. Simmer 30–35 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add water if it gets stiff.
- Each bowl gets 1/2 cup yogurt and a squeeze of lemon at the table. The yogurt is counted in the protein.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (stew, without the yogurt). Cool within 2 hours before it goes in the freezer. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in A family cookbook as a gift, A two-week freezer stash, Cooling food safely before it freezes.
Ginger tofu and quinoa bowls
35 min · serves 4
- Protein
- 28 g
- Sodium
- 180 mg
- Calories
- 470
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Some tofu is packed in brine. Pour it off and read the label. A salty block can erase the point of skipping soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 blocks extra-firm tofu (about 28 ounces), pressed and cubed
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 4 cups chopped vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, or peppers)
Method
- Cook the quinoa in water with no added salt. Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Toss the tofu and vegetables with oil, garlic, ginger, vinegar, and maple. Roast 22–25 minutes, turning once.
- There is no soy sauce in the marinade. Add a few drops at the table only if your sodium plan allows it.
Fridge 4 days. Tofu texture suffers in the freezer after it has been roasted. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety.
Chill cooked rice promptly. Vomiting-type Bacillus cereus illness is generally tied to rice and other starchy foods, and that emetic toxin can survive heat that kills the bacteria. FDA Bad Bug Book: Bacillus cereus.
Also used in High-protein dinner meal prep, Leftovers into lunch, Low-sodium beans and lentils.
Egg and edamame rice skillet
15 min · serves 1
- Protein
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 360 mg
- Calories
- 520
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Cold leftover rice stir-fries better than fresh rice, and it is a good reason to make extra rice earlier in the week.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup cooked rice, cold if you have it
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame
- 1 scallion
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- black pepper
Method
- Scramble the eggs in the oil until just set. Move them to a plate.
- Warm the rice and edamame in the same pan. Add the soy sauce.
- Return the eggs, toss once, and finish with scallion.
Best the day you cook it. Fridge overnight is fine; freeze only if you must, and expect drier eggs.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety.
Chill cooked rice promptly. Vomiting-type Bacillus cereus illness is generally tied to rice and other starchy foods, and that emetic toxin can survive heat that kills the bacteria. FDA Bad Bug Book: Bacillus cereus.
Also used in Cooking for one, Cooking for one on a budget, Cooking for one without waste.
Details that matter
- Cook one pot of rice or quinoa for every recipe that needs a base. You do not need three starches.
- Thighs, turkey, fish, eggs, yogurt, tofu, and lentils can share a week. A week of plain chicken breast usually ends on Wednesday.
- Pack the crisp part separately: cucumber, lettuce, herbs, lemon wedges.
Easy mistakes
Skipping a carbohydrate because protein is the goal
Rice, potatoes, fruit, or oats are what make a training day feel fueled. Protein does not replace them.
Cooking only dry breasts
Use thighs, a sauce on the side, or fish. Breasts that were perfect on Sunday are chalk by Wednesday.
Grocery starter
- 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup per bowl
- lemon
- 2 blocks extra-firm tofu (about 28 ounces), pressed and cubed
Questions
How should I store lentil and tomato stew with yogurt?
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (stew, without the yogurt). Cool within 2 hours before it goes in the freezer. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
How much protein is in a serving?
Lentil and tomato stew with yogurt is about 32 g; Ginger tofu and quinoa bowls is about 28 g; Egg and edamame rice skillet is about 32 g. These are kitchen estimates, not a lab analysis.
What is the easy mistake here?
Flavored single cups are often smaller and sweeter. Plain yogurt plus your own fruit is the more honest bowl.