A free, 7-day high protein diet meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas and a shopping list. All recipes include macros and Weight Watchers points.
7 Day High Protein Diet Meal Plan
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, I wish you and your family a joyous, healthy, and blessed holiday season. Need a dish to bring or ideas for entertaining at home? From roast beef to latkes, breakfast casseroles to pancake breakfasts, or mocktails to desserts, I’ve got you covered!
A Word About the New WW Points Plan
For all my WW friends, WW added new 0 point foods (yay for oatmeal!) but it will take time for me to update my recipes. The great news is every recipe on my site is linked to WW recipe builder (only works from your phone) so it will automatically give you the new points. I will start updating the points but it would be a HUGE help if you are on my site and see the new points, to leave a comment on that recipe so I can quickly update it!
Why High Protein?
As many of you know, I’ve been following a high-protein diet for the past few years for muscle gain, and it’s been a total game changer for me! I feel stronger and more satisfied, which keeps me from reaching for sweets or chips between meals or at the end of the day. I know a lot of you struggle with hitting your protein goals, so I was inspired to create this high-protein meal plan for the week. If you enjoy it, I’ll share 1 or 2 each month. Plus, I’m working on a high-protein cookbook, so stay tuned!
To reach my protein goals, I typically divide it across three meals. For example, if my goal is 120 grams of protein per day, I aim for at least 30 grams per meal, plus 10 to 30 grams with each snack. If you’re not sure how much protein you should eat in a day, this article may be helpful.
How It Works
If you’re new to my meal plans, these are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, etc. or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. Depending on your goals, you should aim for at least 1500 calories* per day. There’s no one size fits all, this will range by your goals, your age, weight, etc. Always talk to your nutritionist or dietician for your specific needs.
Note
Those with kidney or liver disease, gout, specific metabolic disorders, or older adults with reduced kidney function may need to limit protein to avoid complications. It’s always best to consult a healthcare provider or dietitian before significantly increasing protein intake, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.
Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing! If you wish to get on the email list, you can subscribe here so you never miss a meal plan!
Ultimate Skinnytaste Meal Planner
Get the Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner! The 52 week spiral bound meal planner has weekly meal planning grids you can tear out and put on your fridge if you wish, a 12-week meal plan, 30 (15 new) recipes, and tear-out grocery lists. I love starting my week with gratitude, affirmations and intentions, so I included a space for that as well. I hope you will love this as much as I do!
Buy the Skinnytaste meal planner here:
I’ve created 4 more weeks of HIGH PROTEIN MEAL PLANS to kick-start your healthy eating habits! Protein is an macronutrient that aids in many important bodily functions. Foods high in protein keep you feeling fuller longer and may boost metabolism. With my exclusive 4 week series, created especially for Relish+ members, you’ll get 4 weeks of high protein breakfast, lunch and dinner, making it easy to reach your goals, stay healthy and strong!
High Protein Diet Meal Plan:
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. Add some high protein snacks to help you reach your protein goals.
MONDAY (12/23)
B: Savory Cottage Cheese Bowls
L: Tuna Egg Salad with 2 thin slices whole grain bread
D: Sheet Pan Balsamic-Herb Chicken and Vegetables and Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Total Calories: 1,079* Protein: 92.5g
TUESDAY (12/24)
B: Bacon Spinach Breakfast Casserole with Gruyere Cheese and Apple and Grape Fall Fruit Salad
L: Shrimp Ceviche and Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip with 12 tortilla chips, Stuffed Mushrooms with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
D: Homemade Spinach Manicotti and Kale with Brussels Sprouts Salad with Parmesan and Pecans
Total Calories: 1,271* Protein: 95g
WEDNESDAY (12/25)
B: Bacon Spinach Breakfast Casserole with Gruyere Cheese and Apple and Grape Fall Fruit Salad
L: Dirty Martini Dip with 11 pretzel chips, Oysters Rockefeller and Air Fryer Chicken Wings
D: Honey Baked Spiral Ham with Scalloped Potato Gratin and Mixed Baby Greens with Pomegranate, Gorgonzola and Pecans
Total Calories: 1,578* Protein: 99g
THURSDAY (12/26)
B: Savory Cottage Cheese Bowls
L: Tuna Egg Salad with 2 thin slices whole grain bread
D: Split Pea Soup with Ham and Lemony Hearts of Palm Salad with Avocado
Total Calories: 1,216* Protein: 90.5g
FRIDAY (12/27)
B: Savory Cottage Cheese Bowls
L: LEFTOVER Split Pea Soup with Ham
D: Shrimp and Andouille Sheet Pan Dinner with ¾ cup brown rice**
Total Calories: 1,153* Protein: 93g
SATURDAY (12/28)
B: Sausage Cheese and Veggie Breakfast Casserole
L: Cajun Fried Rice
D: DINNER OUT
Total Calories: 731* Protein: 56.5g
SUNDAY (12/29)
B: LEFTOVER Sausage Cheese and Veggie Breakfast Casserole
L: Air Fryer Chicken Milanese with Mediterranean Salad
D: Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Carrots and Spiralized Sweet Potato Latkes
Total Calories: 1,210* Protein: 115.5g
*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
**Make an extra 3 cups brown rice for lunch Saturday.
*Google doc
Shopping list
Produce
- 1 pound seedless green grapes
- 1 ½ pounds Gala apples
- 1 medium orange
- 1 small PLUS 3 medium lemons
- 9 medium limes
- 1 medium pomegranate (or 1 small package tendrils)
- 1 medium (6-ounce) Hass avocado
- 6 Persian (mini) cucumbers
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 medium heads garlic
- 3 medium PLUS 2 large shallots
- 2 medium jalapenos
- 3 medium PLUS 1 large red bell peppers
- 5 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 pound PLUS 5 ounces whole baby bella or crimini mushrooms
- ½ pound asparagus
- 1 small bunch celery
- 5 large carrots
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 small head (or medium bag pre-cut) cauliflower
- 1 small package riced cauliflower (can buy frozen, if desired)
- ½ pound Brussels sprouts (or 4 cups pre-shredded)
- 2 ½ pounds (6 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 pounds (8 medium) red potatoes
- 4 medium PLUS 1 large sweet potatoes (about 2 ¾ pounds total)
- 1 large bunch broccoli rabe or rapini (you need 3 cups)
- 1 large bunch scallions (you need about 12)
- 1 small bunch/container fresh chives
- 1 small bunch/container fresh oregano (can sub 1 teaspoon dry in Stuffed Mushrooms, if desired)
- 1 small bunch/container fresh basil
- 1 small bunch/container fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large head Romaine lettuce
- 1 (1-pound) clamshell/bag baby spinach
- 1 (1-pound) clamshell/bag baby arugula
- 1 (5-ounce) clamshell/bag baby kale
- 1 (5-ounce) clamshell/bag mixed greens
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes
- 1 dry pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 small PLUS 1 medium PLUS 1 large red onions
- 1 medium PLUS 4 large white onions
- 1 small PLUS 2 medium yellow onions
Meat, Poultry and Fish
- 1 (3-ounce) package Nova lox (serves 2)
- 1 package center-cut bacon
- 1 ½ pounds chicken andouille sausage (you need 1 ½ pounds)
- 2 pounds sweet Italian chicken sausage
- 1 (6 to 8-pound) spiral bone-in ham
- 1 (5-pound) beef brisket
- 24 medium live in shell oysters
- 2 ¼ pounds peeled and deveined large or jumbo (wild) shrimp
- 20 chicken wingettes and drummettes
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 pounds (8) thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
Condiments and Spices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vegetable or grapeseed oil
- Cooking spray
- Olive oil spray (or get a Misto oil mister)
- Kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)
- Pepper grinder (or fresh peppercorns)
- Pure maple syrup
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Regular or light mayonnaise
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Dried oregano
- Dried thyme
- Ground sage
- Reduced sodium soy sauce*
- Sriracha sauce or Louisiana-style hot sauce
- Red wine vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Champagne vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Bay leaves
- Nutmeg
- Creole seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- Low sodium Cajun seasoning
Dairy & Misc. Refrigerated Items
- 1 small carton pineapple juice
- 1 small bottle pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)
- 3 dozen large eggs
- 1 pint liquid egg whites
- 1 (32-ounce) container low fat cottage cheese (I like Good Culture)
- 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese (I like Polly-O)
- 1 (16-ounce) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I like Fage or Stonyfield)
- 1 (16-ounce) container whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 1 (8-ounce) container light sour cream
- 1 (8-ounce) block reduced fat cream cheese
- 1 small box regular unsalted butter
- 1 small box light butter (can sub regular butter or buy whipped butter in Potato Gratin, if desired)
- 1 quart nonfat milk
- 1 pint 1% milk
- 1 (8-ounce) carton half and half
- 1 (8-ounce) bag PLUS 1 (16-ounce) bag shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) block or bag shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) block or bag shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar
- 1 large wedge fresh Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 small wedge fresh Pecorino Romano (can sub 3 tablespoons Parmesan in Oysters Rockefeller, if desired)
- 1 (8-ounce) block feta cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) package gorgonzola cheese
Grains*
- 1 loaf thin-sliced whole grain bread (I like Dave’s Killer Bread)
- 1 large bag tortilla chips
- 1 large bag pretzel crisps
- 1 package plain breadcrumbs (can sub 3 tablespoons panko in Stuffed Mushrooms, if desired)
- 1 package plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1 small package white whole wheat flour
- 1 small bag dry brown rice (or 6 cups pre-cooked)
Canned and Jarred
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers
- 1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm
- 1 (13.75-ounce) can/jar artichoke hearts in water
- 1 small jar martini olives
- 2 (2.6-ounce) packets light tuna in water
- 1 large jar marinara (or ingredients to make your own)
- 2 (32-ounce) cartons low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (32-ounce) carton beef broth
- 1 (4-ounce) can tomato paste
Frozen
- 2 (10-ounce) packages chopped spinach
Misc. Dry Goods
- 1 small package brown sugar
- 1 mini bottle white wine
- 1 mini bottle gin or vodka (for Dirty Martini Dip)
- Baking powder
- 1 small package roasted shelled pistachios (if buying from bulk bin, you need 3 tablespoons)
- 1 (6-ounce) package pecan halves
- 1 (16-ounce) bag dry split peas
*You can buy gluten free, if desired
For the holiday recipes, adjust ingredient amounts based on crowd size. Grocery list is created using number of servings listed on recipe page