When it comes to protein, the very first thing you will think of is chicken, or if you give it a long shot, maybe you will think about salmon or fish. On the contrary, the only thing that will keep you full for a long time is carb-based food. So, you need to find a common ground. As a passionate cook, I might not be a very good dietician, but I know a thing or two about making flavorful meals that will keep you full. Most people with full-time desk jobs struggle with mundane work so the mind automatically wanders around making them feel hungry all the time. This is where you need to find a good hearty meal that will keep you full regardless of the time duration.
Most of the recipes that I have personally tried for a protein-packed meal all have a base of grilled chicken. Most of the recipes I tried to explore from other sources had one thing in common and that was grilled chicken. However, there are only so many grilled chicken recipes that you try. If you are also bored with the same boring grilled chicken recipes as a protein-packed meal, you need to continue reading.
We have assembled some of the most fun and unexpected protein-packed meals that will keep you full for the whole day. These meals are not just boring salads but full meals that you can enjoy during lunch, dinner, bring along to your office for the break, or just munch as you work.
1- Avocado Egg Salad
The most basic recipe and yet so flavorful and tasty that you will not be able to hold yourself back. If you are having a party at home or you fancy some tea and sandwich picnic with friends, this will be a party winner. For the classic egg salad recipe, you can add some hard boiled egg and mash it properly, then you need to add chopped celery, some herbs of your choice, lemon juice mayo, and mustard. Specifically like some dill, coriander, and mint for an enhanced flavor. You can also add some shredded chicken pieces. Now, the twist is to add some guacamole and if you do not have that, just add some avocado chopped.
Serving Style
The best thing about this recipe is that you can either eat as is with a spoon or you can toast some bread till it’s brown and a little crispy. Then smoother a generous amount of avocado egg salad and dig in. This recipe is a classic but it can surprise you based on the sauces you add and the vegetable combination you try, feel free to add your favorite protein source or some grilled vegetables if you like.
2- Quinoa Burrito Bowls
Another life-changing recipe that has so much potential to surprise you. This is a basic Quinoa Burrito Bowl, which you can order according to your taste. You can start with the basic Quinoa as the base and then start topping it with all the fun vet gables and protein sources you like. This is a literal Mexican party in a bowl that will make you fall in love with tacos and burritos all over again.
To start, get your vegetables chopped and drench them in a generous amount of lemon juice and olive oil. Now add paprika, salt, and black pepper based on taste. Let it sit for as long as you want, some people like to keep it in the fridge so they can add it to salad whenever they want. Now, you need a protein base so, get some kidney beans, chickpeas, corn, and any check of your choice. After that, you need some salsa to enhance the flavor. My favorite is the tangy, mango salsa with a generous amount of tomato and some black olives.
Serving Style
Once everything is done, my superior ingredients are the tortilla chips that will offer a crunchy texture layered with some velvety salsa and olive oil-soaked vegetables. Just mix all these things up and sprinkle some tortilla chips and it is ready to be served.
3- Chicken Burrito Bowls
If you do not like quinoa and you like to go all the way, you will need some rice-cooking skills. If you do not know how to cook rice, a rice cooker will work fine as well. For the base, we will take a generous amount of cooked rice. However, for the added vegetables and protein, the sky’s the limit.
For the recipe let’s start by cooking the rice. In a rice cooker, you need to add rice, water, some salt to taste, some oil to keep the rice a little glossy, and one tablespoon of lime juice. Run the cooker and let the rice cook.
While rice is cooking you need to prepare the bean topping. In a bowl, you need to mix one tablespoon of olive oil along with chopped onion, chilies, black bean, some sun dried tomato water, and taco seasoning. After mixing it up, add some sheared chicken, and then finally mix any dressing of your choice. This will work as the main topping. For enhanced flavor, you can keep it aside for at least one hour so the beans, chicken, and vegetables get to absorb all the flavors and tangy goodness.
Serving Style
Finally, it’s time for the side topping that you can increase or decrease according to taste. Some of the options that you should consider can include avocado chopped or just guacamole, some sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and potato wedges. My personal favorites are some air-fried potato wedges with sour cream but most people avoid the potatoes altogether. No matter what your choice may be, one thing is for certain, this bowl will become your favorite in no time.
Wrap Up
Most of the time healthy meals are confused with boring meals that you will find hard to swallow and even worse, you might feel like they are too dry or just not flavorful enough. A good way to customize your bowl is to know about the flavors you really like and then try mixing them up. This will help you get different flavors all the time and finally get to a recipe that you will fall in love with.
