Bodybuilders, You Can Save Hours With These Meal Prep Ideas

Good nutrition is just as important as good time management, and with time-efficient bodybuilding meal prep ideas, you won’t need to worry about either. 

As any health-savvy and workout-dedicated person knows, if you want to build muscle, you need lean protein in your diet. Sources of protein come from far more than just meat, such as plants like soybean products, beans, and lentils. It also comes from cereals and grains, quinoa, nuts, and egg.

Hit Your Fitness Goals with Flavorful Food

Though there are protein powder options, when you think about protein in food, there are likely two types that come to mind:

• Lean protein: Though this kind of protein can certainly be found in plant-based foods and animal byproducts, lean protein can also be found in fish with white meat, skinless light meat poultry, lean beef, pork loin, shrimp, and bison.

• Plant-based protein: This option—protein sourced from plants—is arguably better for the environment. (For example, 3.8 gallons of water are used per gram of protein for one pound of oats, which offers 75 grams of protein). Top resources of plant-based protein include soybean products, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, and spirulina. 

In this article, you’ll learn bodybuilding meal prep recipes that are flavorful and easy to prepare, and, as a bonus, some sources for protein-rich dishes. 

Bodybuilding Meal Prep Ideas

1. One of the most popular bodybuilding meal prep ideas is salmon and veggies. Salmon is easy to cook, protein-rich, and depending on the veggies you add to the mix, you’ll get extra sweetness and flavorful depth to your dish. Salmon offers 40 grams of protein per serving.

For vegetables, cauliflower rice is both low carb and high in vitamins and fiber. Sweet potatoes offer beta carotene, and vitamins and minerals. Beets support brain and heart health, and can help boost performance during exercise. Paired with spices like cumin, garlic powder, and paprika, this dish is protein-packed and easy to make.

2. Another of the popular meal prep ideas for bodybuilding is the delicious buffalo chicken recipe. Include brown rice as a good source of dietary fiber, paired with a few vegetables and the right spices for an easy on-the-go meal. You can make a lot of this at once by using chicken breast. Plus, a  serving of chicken has 38 grams of protein.

This dish, spiced with cumin and chili powder, and with a splash of chicken broth, adds vibrant taste and warmth to your meal prep plans. You can also go for roasted garlic cauliflower as a low-carb addition.

Quick Bodybuilding Meal Prep Ideas

3. If you’re tight on time and only have 20 minutes to cook, one dish you should try is air fryer cod. Just throw your frozen cod into the air fryer, and in no time at all you’ll have a great source of protein ready to eat. One serving offers 26.7 grams of protein!

Make sure to include olive oil when you make your cod. Try adding a strawberry salsa topping to really make this fish dish brighten with flavor. This adds 11.9 grams of carbs, and 1.4 grams of protein to the dish.

4. When talking about healthy meal prep ideas, you can’t forget about the versatility of lean ground beef! Beef has creatine—essential for building muscle—iron, and 27 grams of protein per serving.

Fitness Goals And Healthy Food Go Hand-In-Hand

With Protein Chef’s meal plans, work toward your fitness goals even when you aren’t at the gym.

Browse Menu

One ground beef recipe is taco salad, which includes lettuce, tomatoes, low-fat cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, and salsa. If you need to take your lunch with you, you can also carry it in a mason jar. Earth friendly and cost-efficient!

5. Overnight oats are also an excellent idea for muscle-building meal prep. With a jar of oats having around 20 grams of protein, adding protein powder will give you an extra kick for flavor and muscle building. 

If you’re a fan of vanilla, vanilla cinnamon roll overnight oats is up your alley. When making this, use vanilla whey, Greek yogurt, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and cinnamon. 

Snacks for Fast Meal Prep Ideas for Bodybuilding 

6. For on-the-go snacks rich in healthy fats, Greek yogurt is one, and peanut butter paired with apple slices is another great option to have at work. Feeling satiated is key to many of these meal prep ideas for bodybuilding.

If you’re having an absolutely busy week, you might be thinking about ordering food to save yourself a trip to the grocery store. Thankfully, eateries like Protein Chefs are available to offer health- and strength-boosting foods that keep you going.

Protein Chefs’ Delicious, Nutritious Bodybuilding Meal Prep Ideas

Toronto-based Protein Chiefs, a healthy meal delivery service, provides the best in never-frozen, flavorful dining. For busy customers, Protein Chefs’ delivery service makes healthy eating easier than it has ever been. Every single meal has the exact macronutrients you need to reach your fitness goals. 

Trusted by both fitness trainers and gyms alike, Protein Chefs’ meals range from gourmet, to paleo, to vegan, to weight-loss.

With single-meal and ongoing deliveries available, Protein Chefs makes mouth-watering options like:

• Gourmet: Tandoori chicken breast, with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables;
• Keto: Grilled flank steak, with seasonal vegetables and herb compound butter;
• Paleo: Pulled BBQ chicken, with spaghetti squash and vegetable options that change with the season; and 
• Weight Loss: Orange chicken stir fry, with an Asian vegetable slaw, gluten-free soy sauce, and chili.

Treat yourself to dinner this week. Order from Protein Chefs today.