Another 2012 Goal: More Protein

This post is part of the Soy Simple campaign. Read my disclosure here.

It’s still New Year’s Resolution Goal week, right? Good.

This week’s Soy Simple post is about resolving getting enough protein, which is actually a really timely topic, given my new strength training challenge.

I don’t usually track any nutrition stats–I try to fill myself with healthy, nutrient-dense foods and go by how I feel, but I do make mental notes as I pick what I’m going to eat (well, most of the time.)

Breakfast:

While losing weight, I usually had eggs or my beloved spinach feta wrap, but after a while I got incredibly sick of eggs from eating them so much. These days, I definitely prefer slightly carb-ier breakfasts–oatmeal or a whole wheat English muffin with sunflower butter and a banana–but protein is still important to me. Whole wheat English muffins or oatmeal + sunflower butter is actually a decent source of protein. (Sadly, there’s no protein in bananas.) While these breakfasts aren’t as protein-rich as eggs, I’m still getting enough protein (and fat!) in to keep me satiated.

Snack:

I almost always have a Luna bar for a snack–either before or after lunch, depending on how my day is going.The soy protein keeps me full and from getting hangry.

Lunch:

Lunch is a huge wild-card in my life, but the one consistency is that it’s always planned around the protein. While I love carbs as much as I love my mom (sigh), I’m actually usually craving a particular protein/sauce combination more than any carb. My lunch usually needs to keep me full for quite some time–it’s rare that I go home immediately after work and have dinner.

Dinner:

Dinner is always planned around the protein–whether it’s fish, meat or tofu. (Here’s one of my fave tofu recipes.) I usually next plan the carb–either a starchy vegetable (usually sweet potato) or brown rice or whole wheat pasta. I’d like to say I choose the vegetable first, but that’d be a lie.

So while I’m really mindful of getting in protein by choosing my protein first, there’s always room for improvement. For example, I choose the protein first, but my meals are still pretty carb-heavy. My goal–especially since I’m also looking to lean out, build muscle and burn fat right now–is to up my protein levels. This will help with muscle growth and recovery–and keep me from becoming nasty and hangry, too, so it’s a win-win for everyone. I’m going to try to eat less carbs and more protein and remember to have protein within 30 minutes of difficult workouts.

What’s your favorite way to get protein in your diet?

GIVEAWAY!

This week, I’m giving away a $50 gift card to Sports Authority!

To enter, tweet the following, by Sunday:

RT @tblanchfield: Another 2012 Goal: More Protein http://bit.ly/xE4Yfp #soysimple

Contest only open to U.S. residents, 18 years of age and older. One entry, per person, per contest.