Five Healthy Meals: Get Shredded + Add Muscle
Today I’m going to be showing you some of my favorite 5 delicious healthy lunch options that you can make right from home to build some solid muscle and to get shredded simultaneously. You’ll notice that All the meals are high in protein and low in calories which are the main ingredients for burning fat while building muscle. Included are different meals that are either higher carbs or higher fats that will cater to a variety of macro requirements for different people but definitely delicious. These are some meals that I’ve found to satiate, high in protein and low in calories to have you build some lean solid muscle while simultaneously getting shredded.
Steak Greek Salad
6 oz sirloin steak
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced cucumbers
2 cups of romaine lettuce or spinach (your preference)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp of squeezed lemon
1/2 oz of crumbled feta cheese
5 green or black olives
- Lightly Season the Steak with onions, sea salt and black pepper to naturally enhance the flavor. You can use sea salt, black pepper + condiments that ramp up the flavor to the next level. Be conscious about the condiments that you use without adding any unwanted calories.
- Cook protein to preference but for a light medium to rare, pan sear on a hot grill for 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Add the steak and carmelized onions to the vegetables.
- Add the red wine vinegar and that will take you a long way with flavor.
- Last step, add the crumbled feta cheese and that will give you some naturally added salt and fat to satiate and complete the meal. It’s hard to believe this amount of food that looks so delicious can make you feel so good.
Macros for Greek Steak Salad :
416 Calories
18g Carbs
19g Fat
40g Protein
Let’s Move onto the Next Meal…..
Good Old-Fashioned Tuna Salad Sandwich
2 cans of tuna in water (4 oz)
2 slices of Dave’s Killer Bread (Gluten Free and High in Protein) or Bread to Your Preference
1/4 cup of chopped onions
1 tbsp of mustard
1 tbsp chopped chives
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp of light mayo
1 tbsp of squeezed lemon
1/4 cup of chopped celery
- The Good Old-Fashioned Tuna Salad on a Sandwich. Tuna is cost effective, high in protein, low in calories, packed with energy and easy to prepare. This will also help you make some serious muscle gains. This meal is so low in calories you can easily pack 2 sandwiches to go but this is optional.
- Mix the 2 cans of tuna together in a bowl after draining the water from the can.
- Cut and add the chopped onions to the mixture. Add the cilantro, chopped celery and chives to the protein mixture.
- Before adding the last finishing touches to the tuna, toast the bread.
- Add the mustard and light mayo with the freshly squeezed lemon into the bowl. Stir the final mixture and voila!
Macros Good Old-Fashioned 4 oz Tuna Sandwich :
379 calories
46g protein
36g carbs
6g fat
Let’s Move onto the next Meal ….
Protein-Pasta with 6 oz of Grilled Chicken and Sautéed Spinach.
2 ounces of dry protein spaghetti pasta
6 ounces of grilled chicken breast
2 tbsp of crumbled parmesan cheese
Avocado spray
1 tbsp of basil
1 clove of crushed garlic
- Fill up a pot of water and a pinch of sea salt. Heat up the pot to boil.
- Heat up a grill or pan, throw in some crushed garlic clove into the hot pan.
- Cut up the chicken into small pieces before grilling (it cooks faster this way) or grill the whole chicken breast and then cut up the chicken. Add some black pepper, sea salt, zero calorie complete seasoning to the chicken.
- Pan sear chicken 3-6 minutes.
- When the pot of water comes to a boil, throw in the (1 cup approximately after cooked) dry protein pasta. Cook the protein-pasta 8-12 minutes for an al dente or preferable texture. Check on the chicken.
- Throw the cooked pasta into the pan of the chicken.
- The last thing to finish off the meal is the spinach. If you don’t like eating spinach, this is the best and fastest way to eat a lot of spinach. The whole cup of spinach will be reduced in the hot pan along with the avocado oil spray, zero calorie black pepper, zero calorie sea salt.
- Chop the basil and add that to the spinach mixture at the very end of the cooking process to barely soften (not to lose the flavor) and some extra fresh basil for garnish if preferred.
- Lastly, you may add the 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese for added flavor and natural salt which is only 20 calories.
- The super greens (spinach) offers a slam packed meal with nutrient dense vitamins and proteins to help you get super lean and absolutely shredded.
Macros Protein Pasta with 6 oz Grilled Chicken + Spinach:
495 calories
60g protein
39 carbs
6g fats
Let’s Move onto the next Meal …. My Favorite Fool-Proof Protein Meal!
Pan Seared Wild Sweet Chili Salmon 5 oz + Lemon Garlic Broccolini + Avocado
5 oz Wild Sockeye Salmon
Sea salt and black pepper
Fresh squeezed lemon
1 tsp of grated or minced ginger
1 tsp of soy sauce or tamarind sauce
1 olive oil spray 10 calories
1/3 of whole avocado (sliced)
1 crushed clove of garlic (or minced garlic)
1 tbsp of sweet chili sauce
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
2 stalks of broccolini
Chopped parsley to garnish
- This easy meal preparation takes less than 10 minutes to make. It is completely satiating to the palette and stomach, chock full of macronutrients in vitamins, minerals, protein and essential omega fatty acids (good for digestion, skin hair and nails.) It is also very low in calories and good for anyone trying to shred fat and build muscle.
- This is my go to meal and I love to incorporate this at least once or twice a week. The wild sockeye salmon is approximately 238 calories with 36g of protein and 14 g of fats. It is a versatile option for those who like to switch out the condiments and experiment with various glazes or toppings. Just stay conscious of the calorie count in the condiments and you can easily stay on track with this full-proof protein meal.
- Heat Up a Pan with Olive Oil 1 Spray to Pan Sear. If the salmon has been chilling in the refrigerator or freezer prior to cooking, place the salmon at room temperature for 5 minutes (this is so the salmon does not stick to the pan when you’re ready to place it skin side down.)
- Season the Salmon with salt and black pepper.
- Squeeze the lemon juice on both sides of the lemon.
- Put the Boneless Sockeye Salmon Fillet into a medium-hot pan.
- Sear approximately for 4-5 minutes on both sides with skin side down first.
- Top it off with the Sweet Chili Glaze: Add 1 tsp of grated ginger, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of sweet chili sauce, 1 tsp of red chili pepper flakes and mix all ingredients. This will be added towards the end of the pan searing process to finish off the salmon.
- Once the salmon is completely pan seared to your liking, take the salmon off the heat and plate, adding the finishing touches of the sweet chili sauce mixture on the skinless side of the fillet. Add the fresh chopped parsley to garnish the salmon.
- Add the two stalks of broccolini to the already heated pan for 1-2 minutes for a lightly golden finish and add crushed garlic for enhanced flavor. For your preference, you can add another spray of olive oil to the pan and/or 2 tbsp of water to slightly broil the veggies for a softer texture and flavor, since the natural state of broccolini is gritty.
- The last step is to plate the vegetables alongside the salmon and add the 3 slices of avocado for additional flavor, satiation, essential amino acids and nutrient dense macros.
Macros 5 oz Wild Sweet Chili Salmon with Lemon Garlic Broccolini & Avocado:
374 calories
41g protein
19g carbs
21g omega fats
Let’s Move onto the Last of the 5 Meals …
Baked Sweet Potato Stuffed with Chicken
1 sweet potato 8 ounces
6 ounce chicken breast
2 tbsp crumbled parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp of sour cream (or greek yogurt)
- Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is close to 400 degrees, wrap the sweet potato in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- While the potato is baking, go ahead and start to prepare the chicken.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces so it can fit inside the sweet baked potato. Add a pinch of complete season, (or onion powder) sea salt and black pepper to the uncooked chopped chicken.
- Turn on the stove. After the baked sweet potato has been cooking for nearly 30 minutes, then add the chopped chicken to a hot pan for a stove top sear. Sear until the chicken turns golden. Cooking time is approximately a duration of 4-4.5 minutes.
- Check on the baked sweet potato and if cooked to perfection (insert a fork into the potato to get a clean easy slide into the potato.) Take it out of the oven and plate it. Plate the baked sweet potato and add the chicken to the plating process.
- Add the toppers: 1 tbsp of sour cream (or greek yogurt), sprinkle the chives and sprinkle 2 tbsps of parmesan cheese.
- This entire dish is slam packed with high protein, nutrient dense and very low in caloric value. All the ingredients to keep you on track, get absolutely shredded and built for muscle.
Macros Baked Sweet Potato with Stuffed Chicken:
455 calories
40g carbs
5g fat
53g protein
These delicious high protein dishes are super easy, versatile and take very little time to prep. These meals will keep your calories low, your satiation levels high and your energy levels up. They will be a perfect accompaniment to your physical activity levels and resistance training program while you build some solid lean muscle all while simultaneously helping you get shredded.
Try these dishes and please let me know what you think. There is always room for modification as protein choices are can be interchangeable and condiments and flavor variations can make your meals more exciting. The key is to find something you know you can incorporate on a weekly basis that you will enjoy, that is healthy and easily accommodating for your lifestyle and preferences.
Good Luck!
Rieh