After 5 years of meal prep R&D, this is what you need to know about the life. My high protein meal prep strategy, but also the high protein meal prep mindset. Everyone’s different, & you ultimately need to find what works for you, but I have found that these recipes & tips help you out no matter your goals & lifestyle!
My High protein Meal-Prep Strategy
- I meal prep two batches on Sunday (8 meals) which keeps me fed through Thursday night. I know this doesn’t cover the full week, but I have a family dinner & a date night in there- and don’t like freezing meals! I firmly believe the best nutrition plan is the one you can stick to.
- 8 high-quality & healthy meals every week is super sustainable when you give yourself the grace & flexibility to eat out a few times each week! And my strat lines up nicely with having a couple great dinners & a few drinks on the weekends.
- Each of my recipes is designed to provide 4 servings, as you only have a safe window of 3-4 days to consume food once it is cooked (if refrigerated).
- But feel free to adjust the servings for each recipe as you work to find the tempo that works for you!
- Links to all the equipment I use can be found on the “shop” page, but it’s likely that you already have 90%+ of everything you need in your kitchen!
- Just know that the portions of my recipes are usually large & the big equipment I recommend means you can cook in fewer batches.
That’s basically it! Simple, but that’s what makes it so great. I’ve found it to be the most efficient way to incorporate healthy eating in my life. And look, I’m not exactly a fitness guru where this kinda thing is my career.. I’m the definition of a casual athlete. I like challenging myself & being healthy, but I also think balance & fun are super important!
📅 Weekly Meal Prep Breakdown
| Day | Meals Covered | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Prep 8 meals (2 recipes) | Lasts Monday–Thursday |
| Monday–Thursday | Lunch & Dinner | Meals prepped & ready |
| Friday–Saturday | Flexible Eating | Date night, family meals, or eating out |
My Nutrition Mindset
As far as the nutrition mindset goes, I think it boils down to some pretty basic rules across the board. You’ll see this on literally all my other nutrition training posts. I’m not selling you some carnivore, keto, “owl” diet nonsense, this is simply eating normal food with real ingredients. No matter what your goals are, this this is the priority list:
- Hit your calorie surplus/deficit goal
- At the end of the day, 90% of weight gain and weight loss boils down to a math equation. If you are burning more calories than you consume, over time, you are losing weight. Literally vice versa if you are bulking. Consistent progress with a plan you can stick to gives you complete control of the outcome over enough time.
- Eat one gram of protein per pound of body weight every day
- When a diet is considered “healthy”, it is almost always because that diet is high protein. Check out This 2022 meta-analysis showing how high-protein diets improve body composition and satiety. Now, don’t be crazy & take this to the extreme, but 1g per pound usually puts you in a nice 25%-30% sweet spot. This is where you’re gonna want to operate whether you’re bulking, cutting, or simply maintaining weight.
- Aim for a balanced macro spread
- Now that we’ve established you want to hit your calorie goal, & target 25% to 30% protein, I want to express to you how far less important this last goal is. If you’re new to this, I even recommend leaving this out until you’ve gotten into the swing of tracking your macros. You can’t demonize carbs or fats. All three macronutrients play an important role for your body! But if it takes time to work up to getting this consistent, that is completely understandable.
The Bottom Line
I challenge any PhD nutritionist to tell me I am not SPITTING facts with this meal prep strat & nutrition philosophy. I don’t think eating healthy has to be rocket science. Just find something that you can make work & stick to it!
Now, I want you to think of this blog as a repository of a bunch of diverse recipes with one common theme- high protein. And think of me as a dude that wants to make it easier to hit your macro goals. Lets do this thing.
Also- all my recipes are already locked and loaded in the free version of myfitnesspal! If you haven’t used it before, here’s the MyFitnessPal website where you can create a free account and start tracking today. You can literally search up any recipe with meaningful macros and it will appear, exactly as featured on this site. My goal is to make macro tracking easier for everyone. If you use a different app, let me know! I’ll talk to their people & make it so my recipes directly import to your app 🙂
🔎 Looking to implement this High-Protein Meal Prep Strategy?
🔗 Check out my full recipe search page where you can filter by protein, carbs, and calories to find your perfect meal!
📲 Follow Me on Instagram
📲 Follow me on Instagram @meaningful.macros for high-protein meal prep tips, nutrition breakdowns, and fitness-focused recipes!
🔥 Why This High-Protein Meal Prep Strategy Works
Sustainable & Realistic – No extreme diets, just flexible high-protein meal prep that fits real life.
Macro-Optimized for Any Goal – Whether you’re bulking, cutting, or maintaining, this strategy keeps you on track.
Balanced & Enjoyable – Meal prep shouldn’t be miserable. Eat great food and still hit your fitness goals.
📅 My High Protein Meal Prep Strategy & Why It Works
Batch Cooking Twice a Week – Prepping 8 meals on Sundays covers Monday-Thursday while allowing flexibility for social meals.
No Freezing Required – Everything stays fresh, avoiding the dreaded freezer-burned leftovers.
High-Volume, Big Portion Cooking – My recipes yield 4 servings, so you cook efficiently with minimal effort.
🍽️ My Core Nutrition Priorities
1️⃣ Calories First – Fat loss? Eat in a deficit. Muscle gain? Eat in a surplus. This is the foundation.
2️⃣ Protein is King – 1g per lb of body weight daily is the science-backed golden rule.
3️⃣ Carbs & Fats Matter Too – No demonizing macros—you need all three for optimal performance.
🍍 Pineapple Glazed Pork with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Sweet, sticky, and smoky—this pork recipe is a high-protein flavor bomb that reheats beautifully.
👉 Try my Pineapple Glazed Pork recipe here.
🍝 Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
This creamy, cheesy pasta is a macro-friendly masterpiece with reheating power that makes it perfect for busy weeks.
👉 Get the Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta recipe.
🧆 Mongolian Meatballs
The OG viral meatball that started it all—this sweet-and-savory beef bowl is packed with 50g+ of protein per serving.
👉 Make my Mongolian Meatballs this week.
🌯 Chipotle Honey Chicken Bowls
Smoky, sweet, and citrusy with charred peppers and tender chicken—these bowls are a go-to for cutting or maintaining.
👉 Check out the Chipotle Honey Chicken Bowl recipe.
🧅 French Onion Smothered Pork Chops
Comfort food meets macro tracking with this protein-loaded, cheese-covered pork recipe that hits like a Sunday dinner.
👉 Try the French Onion Pork Chop meal prep.