One of the best ways to make sure you not only loose weight, but keep it off, is to build muscle. And, your muscles don’t grow while you’re working out. Your workouts break down muscle, and they rebuild while you’re at rest. But, there’s a critical component you need to make sure you have healthy muscle growth – protein! And, if you consume about 30 grams of protein at breakfast, you’ll not only optimize your muscle growth, but protein at breakfast is a great way to keep yourself feeling full until lunch, avoid those mid-morning hunger pains!
But, most people consume their protein in the evenings after 6:00pm. Which is counterproductive if you’re looking to build muscle. Yet, having eggs for breakfast every morning gets pretty boring!
Here’s some simple high-protein breakfast ideas from Men’s Health to get you started on getting morning protein in new and exciting ways!
Cranberry Nut Oatmeal
Recipe from Michael Roussell, Ph.D., Men’s Health nutrition advisor
What you’ll need:
- 5 scoops vanilla whey protein
- ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 2 cups steel cut oats, rinsed
- 5 cups water 2 pinches of salt Unsweetened vanilla almond milk (optional)
How to make it:
1. Add cranberries, oats, and water into rice cooker. Turn on rice cooker.
2. Once the rice cooker has finished, stir in 2 pinches of salt, slivered almonds, and vanilla whey protein. Add unsweetened vanilla almond milk to achieve desired texture (optional). Makes 5 servings.
508 calories, 35g protein, 60g carbs (9g fiber), 15g fat
Protein-Spiked Yogurt Parfait
Recipe from Michael Roussell, Ph.D., Men’s Health nutrition advisor
Stir half a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder into a cup of plain Greek yogurt. Top with ½ cup frozen mixed berries, 2 Tbsp sliced almonds, and 1 tsp ground flaxseeds. Makes 1 serving.
361 calories, 32g protein, 21g carbs (4g fiber), 18g fat
Apple Cinnamon Dutch Oven Pancakes
Recipe from Robert Irvine, host of Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible and author of Fit Fuel: A Chef’s Guide to Eating Well, Getting Fit and Living Your Best Life.
What you’ll need:
- 6 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the eggs, milk, protein powder, baking powder, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix until smooth and set aside.
2. In an oven-safe nonstick or a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt the clarified butter. Add the apples and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Pour the batter over the apples and bake in the oven until puffed and cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
663 calories, 43g protein, 53g carbs (4g fiber), 31g fat
Almond Apple Spice Muffins
Recipe from Michael Roussell, Ph.D., Men’s Health nutrition advisor
What you’ll need:
- 2 cups almond meal
- 4 scoops vanilla protein powder
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ stick butter
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp cloves
- 2 tsp baking powder
How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in microwave (about 30 seconds on low heat).
2. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
3. Pour mix into muffin tins, making sure not to overfill (about 3/4 full). This should make 10 muffins.
4. Cook for 12 minutes. Makes 5 servings.
484 calories, 40g protein, 16g carbs (5g fiber), 31g fat
Related: 5 Guys Who Wake Up at 4 a.m. to Work Out Tell You How They Do It.
Vanilla Orange Protein Pancakes
Recipe from Anna Sward, author of The Ultimate Protein Pow(d)er Cookbook
What you’ll need:
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 Tbsp almond butter
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Coconut oil
- 1 orange
- 2 Tbsp slivered almonds
How to make it:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients. Add 1 Tbsp coconut oil to a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
2. Ladle batter into 3-inch pancakes and immediately lower the heat to medium. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with additional coconut oil and batter, if needed. Serve with sliced oranges and slivered almonds. Makes 1 serving.
533 calories, 46g protein, 55g carbs (12g fiber), 19g fat
