Ella! I wanted to pick your brains and find out what recipes you use to up your Protein grams each day? As my band gets tighter I am struggling to get down meats like chicken, beef, pork - I think we've all been there and at the moment it's really fish like salmon and tuna that is getting my grams up of protein. I really don't want to resort to a Protein shake unless it's really the last resort. Although I think it's heading that way.

Any recipes or snack ideas for protein would be great.

Thanks in advance!

have you tried sliced lunch meat from the deli? i dont like pre-packaged, but borrs head roasted turkey is great with some laughing cow light. when i cook my chicken (i'm only 3 weeks post-op) i cook it with progresso recipe starters (cheese, mushroom, or creamy garlic), and that helps keep the chicken moist.

for a snack, i love greek yogurt mixed with applesauce and cinnamon (sometimes stevia for sweetness). i love applesauce and you get the Protein from the greek yogurt.

i always really like Quest bars (questnutrition.com). i try not to eat them every day, since i try to get real food in, but they are great in a pinch, plus they have 20ish grams of protein in per par. and the net carbs is low too.

I have heard loads about Quest bars, but I think they need shipping over to here. Will certainly take a look - I haven't found anywhere in Dubai that sells them yet.

Will give the deli meat and cheese idea a go - sounds good. Have been having Fage greek yoghurt pots - which are so tasty too.

Do you have any Protein shakes or do you prefer the quest bars? x

Hi there, don't order too many Quest bars delivered to the UAE before you taste one -- this from a woman with too much protein powder on her hands, lol. I don't like Quest bars at all but that's just me. And watch out for sliders -- shakes, etc., make sure you're not too tight. My sliders include yogurt so I chunk it up with chewy things like nuts, oats, etc. so it doesn't just slip through. We are all different, of course. I make chili frequently and also enjoy a meaty Bolognese but without the pasta. Tuna is quick and easy and for some reason I can eat a fried egg whereas a scrambled doesn't work for me. I would have thought it would be the other way round! Last night we had black bean veggie burgers and they were fab. I can't eat a hamburger anymore, too tough and stringy for me. Watch out for being too tight -- that's no good. Good luck to you!

Do you have any Protein shakes or do you prefer the Quest bars? x

I sometimes do a protein shake for Breakfast if i'm in a rush, or for dessert, if i think my protein is low for the day. If you like regular vanilla, MRM Rich Vanilla is great, especially as a base for adding fruit. Flavored Proteins, I really like Protizyme Peanut Butter Cookie, and i LOVE UMP Cookies and Cream. The key to Protein Shakes for me, is mixing them with almond milk (unsweetened original). It only adds 30 calories, but makes them WAY creamier than Water, blech!

Hi there, don't order too many Quest bars delivered to the UAE before you taste one -- this from a woman with too much Protein powder on her hands, lol. I don't like Quest bars at all but that's just me.

This is true, some people dont like them. I'm not sure if they ship to UAE, but you can order a sample pack of 12 to try out all of their flavors.

Follow up on hamburger: when I cook it for chili or red sauce or Mexican, I add stock and cook a long time. This breaks down whatever stringiness doesn't work for me now in eating an actual burger. I use a lot of stock in cooking and of course there's Protein there, too.....

Just thought of lentils. So easy to make! I sauté an onion and maybe some carrot, etc., garlic, whatever you like -- celery is traditional for lentil Soup - add curry powder or cumin, chili, again whatever spices, then the rinsed lentils and cover with stock. They don't take long, especially the smaller French lentils. At the end I throw in several raisins -- people go wild for this dish, can't get enough. Nice protein. If you want it soupier or to make actual soup, just add more stick.

Also check out Quinoa and. Buckwheat, both high in protein. There are some pretty yummy Quinoa dishes out there. I find myself adding a few walnuts to things, a nice way to get protein. And I have those 100 calorie almond packs in my purse and car. I don't eat in the morning -- just not hungry -- so sometimes I find myself out and about in need of a quick protein snack while I figure out my first meal of the day.

One last thought -- chicken thighs work better for me than white meat. Coconut chicken, sesame chicken -- so many things can be done with chicken. Buck, buck, buck.

Best wishes!

My little blender got quite a work out in the first 18 months as most of my meat had to go into that process. I got quite used to whizzing up my hard Protein as I just couldn't chew enough.

Also at one point, for handy protein snack I came to enjoy a spoon of peanut butter in a 1/2 cup yogurt, sometimes with a drop or 2 of liquid stevia. After overcoming my initial disinclination for that snack, it remains a favorite.

There is a world of flavors in your spice rack, many just waiting to be added to a regular smoothie.

Hey can any body share some snack ideas with high in protein. I am 1 month out still on mushi food but want to eAt some salty spicy snack.

This is all amazing, thank you. I'm going to order the multipack of quest bars and see how I get on. Also added shredded chicken to my soup today which worked nicely as well. Just made soup again but low carb if I can't do high protein

@micky29 at this stage I enjoyed cauliflower smush and I still make it sometimes. It's like a savory pudding. Steam up a head of well-washed cauliflower then food process it, or stick blender, whatever, adding in stock to make it smooth and creamy. Add salt, pepper and whatever you like for spices -- I love it with ground coriander and cumin, dash of chili. Very yummy and freezes well.

Thank you . I will try it today .