My Daily Protein Routine

MeChelle asked me about protein ice cream and was looking for ideas for getting in more protein. So figured I'd share it with everyone what my typical daily protein routine looks like. My personal goal for protein is 80-100g per day. I can easily hit the 100g mark as long as I have a meal plan and I'm conscious about tracking how much protein I've eaten throughout the day and adjusting to hit the goal by bedtime. My Nutritionist recommends 60-80g protein per day, but I find that I feel better and function better when I'm getting 100g/day. Protein Ice Cream Oh. My. Stars. This stuff is amazing! I have been eating homemade protein ice cream for breakfast everyday for the past month. It feels sinful and naughty, but it's actually very healthy, very nutritious and packed with protein. Protein ice cream is really nothing earth shattering or magical. In essence it's a protein shake that you put in an ice cream freezer and make into ice cream. Michelle / Eggface has been experimenting with different recipes for protein ice cream for a couple months now and she's converted everyone over on OH to the ice cream dark side. She has a post that she's been keeping updated with her most recent creations. Check it out to get the basic instructions for making protein ice cream and some delicious recipes. I personally do a few things different than Eggface does. Here's what: * I make big batches - essentially doubling the recipes she has posted. * I scoop the ice cream into individual serving sized bowls before freezing. That way I can just pull one dish out at a time and take it with me on my commute to work. * I add UpCalD (calcium) and Fiber Sure powder to my mix. I normally add these things to my protein shakes, so figured I should add them here too. Other Protein Ideas I eat 5 to 6 small meals/snacks per day. Every single meal must have protein as it's main character. I also try to balance my protein intake throughout the day. So divide 100g by 5 meals and I try to get 20g protein at each feeding. If I'm short on protein for the day, I'll add that 6th snack and make it a protein shake (or ice cream). Breakfast My pouch does not like solid, dense protein/food first thing in the morning. I have to start my day with a protein shake and somewhat soft food for breakfast. On workdays, I leave my house at 7:00 am and have a protein shake or ice cream on the 90 minute drive to work. Then around 10am, I have some breakfast at my desk. Here are some sample foods I might have for breakfast: Carb Master Yogurt (Kroger brand) 1/2c grapes and cheesestick Quaker Weight Control Oatmal Protein hot cocoa Lunch I normally cook a casserole or big pot of something on Sunday afternoons, then package that up into individual bowls and bring it for lunch everyday that week. Most of Eggface's casseroles work great for this. Here are some of my favorite lunch options ar: Chicken / Zucchini / Spinach Casserole Concoction South Beach Frozen Meal McDonald's Salad (eat most/all of grilled chicken and 1/3 of salad) Homemade salad with veggies, fruit, canned chicken/tuna Wendy's chili Dinner Because I eat so many of my meals and snacks away from home (at work) I try really hard to always cook dinner at home. I used to just grab fast food before surgery, but now that I'm more focused on eating right, I have made this commitment to myself. Dinner is usually very simple and quick because I get home so late. Casserole options that I had for lunch Homemade salad as noted above Tortilla pizza (have this about 5 days a week) If I'm in a rush I'll do some of the options above (i.e.: south beach, mcdonalds, wendy's) Snacks Technically my nutritionist's plan says no snacks and if I'm going to "eat" between meals it must be a protein shake. But I can't do that. I know myself and if I'm deprived of a daily snack I'll end up binging on junk food or things I should have. So I've planned 1 food snack into my day around 4:30 each afternoon. If I'm short on protein at the end of the day I'll either have another protein shake or one of these high-protein food snacks. South Beach protein bars Pure Protein protein bars Dry roasted edamame Cheesesticks (Sargento please) Grapes (usually goes with cheese) Apple slices w/ peanut butter Soy Chips The following are not a great protein choices, but deal with cravings w/ few calories Quaker Rice Cakes Sugar-free popsicles Sugar-free fudgesicles That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of really great stuff, but you get the general idea. ~Pam