High Protein Foods and Recipes

Notes:

Due to the nature of budget-friendly vegan protein options, those are listed on our page for foods and recipes that are a combination of macros, under the "protein and carbohydrates" section.

Also note that I despise spending time on cleanup and use parchment paper for anything that goes in the oven to save myself a lot of scrubbing. If you don't mind scrubbing pans or parchment paper isn't in your budget, feel free to not use it.

Best techniques for cooking lean meat:

Braising poultry, pork, or beef: Heat a little high-heat oil in the pan, sear chunks of raw meat (~3-4" across in size) to brown on each side, add liquid like broth or tomato sauce to just cover the meat, turn down to a simmer and put a lid on the pot. Cook until done (internal temperature of 165*F for poultry, 145* for red meat), usually around 20-30 minutes.

In parchment packets (or if you're fancy, 'en papillote') - great for delicate protein like fish: Preheat oven to 425*F. Arrange fish fillets (fresh, frozen, or thawed) in a single layer in the middle of the parchment, placed on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with your favorite spice blend, or fresh herbs and sliced citrus, salt and pepper. Fold parchment over fish or place another piece on top, and fold edges over to seal/crimp all the way around. Bake for 15-20 minutes (shorter if fresh or thawed, longer if frozen), or until internal temperature of fish is 140*F. Really thin fillets may only take 10 minutes.

Broiled fish: Preheat oven to 425*F, place fish in a single layer on a broiler pan (shallow pan with a broiler rack), season to taste, and bake for 15-20 minutes (shorter if fresh or thawed, longer if frozen). Really thin fillets may only take 10 minutes. Fish should be opaque and flaky, with an internal temperature of 140*F when done.

Roasting larger lean cuts of pork, beef, or lamb: Preheat oven to 325*F, line a deep baking pan (like a rectangular Pyrex pan) with parchment, season your roast with your preferred dry spice blend, and bake for ~25-30 minutes per pound or until internal temperature is 145*F (rare) to 160*F (well done).

Roasting skin-on bone-in chicken (thighs, whole, or spatchcocked*): Preheat oven to 350*F, line a deep baking pan (like a rectangular Pyrex pan) with parchment, season the skin side of the chicken and bake around 30-45 minutes for thighs, 60ish minutes for spatchcocked, and 90ish minutes for whole chickens.

*Spatchcocking a chicken means to cut on either side of the backbone to remove it and be able to lay the chicken down flat; laying it flat rather than leaving it with an intact body cavity will help it to cook faster and more evenly.

Roasting boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs: Preheat oven to 425*F, line baking pan with parchment, season to taste, and bake for ~20-30 minutes, or until 165*F. Larger chicken breasts can be butterflied to accelerate cooking time.

Pan-frying boneless skinless chicken breast/tenderloins: heat a small amount of high-heat oil (grapeseed oil, avocado oil, shortening, bacon drippings) in a pan, when it's hot enough that it sizzles when you flick water at it, add some seasoning to the pan to season the bottom of the chicken, add the chicken to the pan, and sprinkle seasoning over your chicken (if you're using marinated chicken, no need to add extra seasoning to pan or meat). Don't crowd the pan - make sure you can get under each piece to flip it. When you can see the color changing to more opaque/white around the edges, flip the chicken and cook on the other side. Cook until internal temperature is right at 165*F - it should be fully done but not too dry.

Techniques for Non-meat Proteins:

Boiled eggs: Place raw eggs in a pan, cover eggs with cold to room temperature tap water. Bring to a boil. When you first hear the eggs tapping the pan as the water starts to boil, set a timer for 90 seconds for soft-boiled and 5 minutes for hard-boiled. Soft-boiled eggs are runny in the center - if you don't have egg cups (a specialty dish to hold the egg upright), you can crack it and scoop the egg out of the shell into a small bowl. To peel even the freshest eggs, I've found that draining, then shaking around in the pan gently to break the shells while hot, then adding ice and cold water to chill helps them to peel cleanly.

Fried eggs (sunny-side up): heat a little medium to high heat oil (like avocado oil) in a pan and preheat until the oil flows more like water as you swirl the pan. If you're cooking a lot of eggs at once or worried about getting shells in your pan, break them into a bowl so you can pour them gently into the pan all at once to cook evenly. Cook to desired doneness - the higher you set the heat, the more runny the yolks will be when the whites are done (yes, it seems backwards, but slower cooking will cook more of the yolk). For over-easy, over-medium, or over-hard eggs, flip them during cooking to cook on the other side.

Scrambled eggs (use this technique for egg whites or egg substitute sold in cartons, if applicable): Heat a pan with a little medium to high heat (like avocado oil). Break eggs into a bowl, separating yolks if applicable, season to taste, mix with a fork or whisk until completely combined. When the pan is hot and the oil flows more like water in the pan when you swirl it, add the eggs. Use a spatula/flipper to move the eggs around as they cook. Remove pan from heat at desired doneness - keep the eggs moving if you don't want them to brown. Scrambled eggs and scrambled egg whites are versatile - try a savory seasoning like garlic salt, paprika, and black pepper, or Creole seasoning, or experiment with sweet seasonings like cinnamon and vanilla.

Dairy: Most dairy is eaten just how it's sold (yogurt, cheese, milk, cream, kefir, etc), so doesn't require cooking. Some things to note when cooking with recipes that include dairy are that if you boil it, it will curdle, so if you're adding dairy to a higher temperature food, be sure to warm it first, and add it slowly to simmering, not boiling, pans, and keeping the heat down as it continues to cook. High acid dishes will also curdle dairy, so if you're using a recipe that combines lemon juice, vinegar, or tomato products with milk, follow their instructions exactly as written to prevent unwanted food textures.

Deli Meat, Meal Delivery Services, and Restaurants:

You can certainly meet your protein needs with options that don't require cooking at home, like deli meat and meals ordered from delivery services or restaurants. Lean deli meats include turkey breast, chicken breast, roast beef, and ham. Your best options from restaurants and meal delivery services will be the same cuts as mentioned above, and you would want to order them grilled and without sauces/toppings, if you're minding your fat and sodium. Head over to our blog to read more about sodium (and fiber), and how to maintain healthy levels of these micronutrients in your diet.

Recipe links:

I cook about 90% of our food according to the techniques I've already shared, but when plain cooking just won't do, here are a few of our favorite recipes that won't break the meal plan or the budget. I am not affiliated with any external websites I share, we just enjoy their recipes.

Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken Tacos: Swap thighs for breast, use corn tortillas to serve and skip the sauce for a low carb, practically fat-free taco night offering. If you have fats and carbs to spare, go ahead and make it as written and serve with flour tortillas. Adjust the level of heat to your taste (includes slow-cooker instructions, too). https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-hawaiian-chicken-tacos

Baked egg cups (or squares): Macros will vary by ingredient, but these can be made with egg whites or egg substitute to limit fat content.

Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash (can also be fixed in a slow cooker or on the stovetop)

Korean BBQ Beef Bowl: Looking for a new way to use ground beef? Try this sweet/salty recipe. If you're watching your sugar and want a similar flavor profile, try this Japanese style Gingery Ground Beef (Soboro Donburi)