Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Carb Recipes | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks
Important Note: This is not the only method to lose weight, but it is highly recommended by nutritionists and dieticians for people that are transitioning from a previously obese lifestyle. It’s also a very beneficial lifestyle if you have or at risk for type 2 diabetes (full ADA article here).
Low carbohydrate meals packed with protein are a brilliant solution to help people reach their weight loss goals. I still eat cheesecake, burgers, “fries,” pasta-inspired dishes, and the best darn pizza ever (and I’m from Chicago, so I know pizza)- just lower carb versions.
Weight loss for many has been a lifelong journey – losing, then gaining, losing again, regaining again, losing a little, gaining a lot, losing a lot, then gaining a little, and around and around it goes. Nothing to be ashamed of; we’ve been there too! Maintaining loss is also hard.
Over the years, I have discovered wonderful resources online, bloggers, vegans, and healthy living apps to inspire me, including MyfitnessPal Recipes.
Where do you shop for high-protein low-carb foods?
I love these two sites: Nashua Nutrition and Proteinwise. Both Nashua Nutrition and Proteinwise offer protein cookies, brownies, bars, shakes, protein jello, protein mac and cheese and other entrees, protein mug cakes, protein pancakes – you name it and they got it. Both sites also share low-carb high protein recipes in their respective blogs.
If you have ever tried Quick Weight Loss Centers, Ideal Protein, or any local weight loss branded center – these are the same products BUT CHEAPER. They don’t want you to know that, so they charge $80-300 for a few boxes, when you can actually order a dozen boxes for way less. Plus, they carry Quest, OhYeah!, and other leading protein brands (for sometimes half the price of retailers).
What To Eat In a Day: 25 High-Protein and Low-Carb Meal Plan Options
Let’s get into some everyday recipes you can use to get started. Bookmark this page so you can view this list any time you need quick meal inspiration or to help build your weekly grocery list. If you’re like me, sometimes you just want to cook a recipe using leftovers or whatever is already sitting in your pantry.
Here are 25 of our go-to high-protein, low-carb meals:
- Low-carb Philly steak scramble: eggs, onions, peppers, provolone, and beef shaved steak. Easy, cheesy, and delish.
- Turkey Bacon Crunch wrap: low-carb wrap, turkey slices, 1-2 strips of bacon, 1 Tbsp mayo, a slice of cheddar. Fast, friendly, and great on the go.
- Egg muffins: eggs, cheese, veggies and meat baked in a muffin tin. A list of our 7 favorite egg muffins here. Great for work!
- Roasted cauliflower: Frozen cauliflower tossed with EVOO and roasted with turmeric, paprika, cumin, garlic and sea salt. Power punch of flavor. Guarantee you’ll eat this up like popcorn.
- Spinach, red onion, and feta omelet: an easy 2-egg omelet, lightly cooked and filled with spinach, onions and feta sprinkled down the middle.
- Teriyaki chicken or tofu w/bean sprouts: saute bean sprouts, season like lo mein, and serve with chicken or tofu coated in a bottled teriyaki sauce.
- Roasted veggie mix: eggplant, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower (the frozen California blend sold at most grocery stores includes these already), onion, whole garlic chunks, and EVOO. Roast until their slightly browning, perfection!
- Mediterranean wraps: low-carb wrap with feta, tomatoes, greek dressing, chicken, and maybe a handful of roasted chickpeas for texture. Perfect for the office.
- Zucchini noodles (“zoodles”): Cook them with garlic, red bellpeppers, cheese and Rao’s sauce (which is low carb friendly), and shrimp or any seafood of choice. Tip: most grocery stores offer frozen or refrigerated pre-spiraled zoodles.
- Shirataki Zero noodles with Alfredo: Follow the cooking instructions for these noodles. They taste great with literally any sauce or meat.
- Cauliflower Fried Rice: Frozen riced cauliflower, Asian seasonings, 1 egg scrambled for additional protein, and boom, you’re done.
- The Everything/Anything salad: tomato, chopped leftover veggies, cheese, and any dressing of choice. I’ve been using this salad Orange ginger dressing from Walmart on all my salads, no matter what’s in it.
- Buffalo chicken dip w/celery for dipping: cream cheese, sour cream, Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like), crumbled blue cheese, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 2 cups (14 oz raw) cooked shredded chicken.
- Sriracha Sushi Bake Bowl: Palmini low-carb rice topped with hot sushi mix (baked salmon, imitation crab, Japanese mayo, cream cheese, sriracha), sprinkled with nori furikake.
- Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower casserole: Cauliflower florets, shredded chicken, bacon, onion, and cheddar cheese, baked to perfection and sprinkled with a little cotija cheese.
- Guilt-free flourless pizza: Cook shredded cheese low and slow in a skillet, top with Italian seasonings, and as it bubbles/harden, add your favorite veggies (spinach, mushrooms, etc). Easy, peasy, cheesy, flourless pizza.
- Cheesy Meaty stuffed spaghetti squash: Halved spaghetti squash warmed and filled with meat, cheese and sauce. Full recipe here.
- Zucchini alfredo with salmon: Pre-made alfredo sauce (Rao’s brand) or homemade alfredo sauce, with sliced zucchini and baked salmon added in for protein. This combo also works great with shrimp.
- Zucchini and Kale alfredo with salmon: The same meal as above, but with a boatload of cooked kale or spinach added.
- Tuna, Tomato, and Avo: Chopped tomato, topped with avocado slice, any packet tuna (Wild Planet or Starkist brand), crumbled feta cheese, and drizzled with EVOO, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
- Flourless pancakes: Blend 2oz cream cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/3 tsp baking powder, 1/3 tsp cinnamon, 1 packet of Truvia, and vanilla extract. Makes 3-4 sized pancakes that taste like the real thing. Pack in additional protein by adding a scoop of protein powder.
- Angel Hair with shrimp: Bottles or homemade garlic Alfredo sauce with shrimp, spinach and 1 can of Palmini Angel Hair Pasta. 20 minute meal tops, great for a weeknight dinner.
- Chayote Squash “faux” Cinnamon apples: Chayote will take on any flavor you give it. After skinning and slicing, season with cinnamon, nutmeg, and Walden Farms apple butter. Bake in the oven until their soft, and enjoy!
- Premier Protein Soft Serve ice cream: Any of their shakes can make this, but the Apple Cinnamon is our fav! Blend 1 shake, 3/4 cup of #23 or real apple, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Freeze for 3-4 hours in an air tight container and then enjoy.
(Photo courtesy of premier protein.com) - Quest Loaded Nachos: Spicy Sweet Chili chips, Loaded Taco or Chili Lime chips topped with ground turkey or beef, cheese, salsa and plain green yogurt (to replace sour cream), topped with avocado. Just under 30g of Protein and less than 10g of carbs.
Like you, I grew up learning about the food pyramid, but cutting back on carbs requires a little revamp to that old school chart. Here’s a quick idea of what to look for: proteins, healthy fat, low carbs and lots of vegetables. You can never go wrong with this combo. 