A free, 7-day high protein diet meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas and a shopping list. All recipes include macros and Weight Watchers points.
7 Day High Protein Diet Meal Plan
I can’t believe it’s already time for back-to-school posts! Part of me is still holding on to summer, and in my area we still have a few more weeks, but for those returning to school, that also means early mornings, packed lunchboxes, and quick dinners squeezed in between sports practices and after-school activities.
The good news? I’ve got you covered! Whether you’re looking for make-ahead Breakfast Burritos, Chicken Nuggets for lunchboxes, or a healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper with more than 30 grams of protein per serving, you’ll find plenty of family-friendly recipes to make busy school days a little easier. These meals are simple, satisfying, and packed with the protein everyone needs to power through the day!
Update About New WW Points Plan
For all my WW friends, WW added new 0 point foods (yay for oatmeal!) but it will take time for me to update my recipes. So far I have everything from 2025 to 2018 updated. The great news is every recipe on my site is linked to WW recipe builder (only works from your phone) so it will automatically give you the new points.
Why High Protein?
As many of you know, I’ve been following a high-protein diet for the past few years for muscle gain, and it’s been a total game changer for me! I feel stronger and more satisfied, which keeps me from reaching for sweets or chips between meals or at the end of the day. I know a lot of you struggle with hitting your protein goals, so I was inspired to create this high-protein meal plan for the week. If you enjoy it, I’ll share 1 or 2 each month. Plus, I’m working on a high-protein cookbook, so stay tuned!
To reach my protein goals, I typically divide it across three meals. For example, if my goal is 120 grams of protein per day, I aim for at least 30 grams per meal, plus 10 to 30 grams with each snack. If you’re not sure how much protein you should eat in a day, this article may be helpful.
How It Works
If you’re new to my meal plans, these are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, etc. or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. Depending on your goals, you should aim for at least 1500 calories* per day. There’s no one size fits all, this will range by your goals, your age, weight, etc. Always talk to your nutritionist or dietician for your specific needs.
Note
Those with kidney or liver disease, gout, specific metabolic disorders, or older adults with reduced kidney function may need to limit protein to avoid complications. It’s always best to consult a healthcare provider or dietitian before significantly increasing protein intake, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.
Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing! If you wish to get on the email list, you can subscribe here so you never miss a meal plan!
Ultimate Skinnytaste Meal Planner
Get the Skinnytaste Ultimate Meal Planner! The 52 week spiral bound meal planner has weekly meal planning grids you can tear out and put on your fridge if you wish, a 12-week meal plan, 30 (15 new) recipes, and tear-out grocery lists. I love starting my week with gratitude, affirmations and intentions, so I included a space for that as well. I hope you will love this as much as I do!
Buy the Skinnytaste meal planner here:
High Protein Diet Meal Plan:
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. Add some high protein snacks to help you reach your protein goals.
MONDAY (8/10)
B: Breakfast Quesadilla
L: Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
D: Greek Tofu Bowls (recipe x 2) over ½ cup quinoa
Total Calories: 1,394* Protein: 121 g
TUESDAY (8/11)
B: Peach Pie Cottage Cheese Bowls
L: Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
D: Shrimp Fajitas with 1 ounce avocado and Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Total Calories: 1,188* Protein: 130.5 g
WEDNESDAY (8/12)
B: Peach Pie Cottage Cheese Bowls
L: Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
D: Air-Fryer Meatball Subs with Summer Tomato Salad
Total Calories: 1,304* Protein: 124.5 g
THURSDAY (8/13)
B: High-Protein Zucchini Omelet for One
L: Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad
D: Spicy Whole Wheat Linguini with Sausage and Roasted Peppers and Vegan Caesar Salad with Creamy Dressing
Total Calories: 1,230* Protein: 133 g
FRIDAY (8/14)
B: High-Protein Zucchini Omelet for One
L: LEFTOVER Spicy Whole Wheat Linguini with Sausage and Roasted Peppers and Vegan Caesar Salad with Creamy Dressing
D: Chili-Lime Air Fryer Salmon with Avocado Mango Salsa and ¾ cup brown rice
Total Calories: 1,299* Protein: 125 g
SATURDAY (8/15)
B: Protein PB & J Smoothie Bowl (recipe x 4) with 1 tablespoon drizzled peanut butter
L: Shrimp Quesadilla
D: DINNER OUT
Total Calories: 661* Protein: 42.5 g
SUNDAY (8/16)
B: Turkey Chorizo Breakfast Bowls with 1 cup watermelon
L: Tuna White Bean Salad (recipe x 2)
D: Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs with ¾ cup brown rice and Easy Broccolini
Total Calories: 1,503* Protein: 120 g
*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.
Shopping list
Produce
- 2 medium peaches
- 1 mini watermelon
- 1 Honey Crisp apple
- 1 medium mango
- 10 medium limes
- 5 medium lemons
- 3 small (5-ounce) PLUS 1 medium (6-ounce) Hass avocados
- 3 medium heads garlic
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger
- 2 medium jalapenos
- 3 small PLUS 2 medium red bell peppers
- 1 small yellow bell pepper
- 2 medium radishes
- 2 bunches broccolini
- 2 medium zucchini
- 4 mini (Persian) cucumbers (can sub 2 small English, if desired)
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 1 pound baby gold or red potatoes
- 1 large bunch scallions (you need about 11)
- 1 small bunch/container fresh chives
- 1 small bunch/container fresh dill
- 1 small bunch/container fresh basil
- 1 large bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley
- 1 small container microgreens (optional, for Caesar Salad)
- 1 large bag coleslaw mix
- 3 small heads Romaine lettuce
- 1 (1-pound) clamshell/bag baby arugula or baby spinach
- 3 medium plum tomatoes
- 5 large heirloom or beef steak tomatoes
- 1 dry pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 small PLUS 2 medium red onions
- 1 small PLUS 2 medium yellow onions
Meat, Poultry and Fish
- 2 ¼ pounds (8) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pound pre-cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (can buy a rotisserie chicken or 1.3 pounds raw chicken and cook yourself, if desired)
- 1 ¼ pound 93% lean ground chicken
- 1 small package cooked chicken breakfast sausage (can buy frozen, if desired)
- 1 pound hot Italian chicken sausage
- 1 package turkey chorizo
- 2 ¼ pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 ½ pounds (4) skin-on wild salmon fillets
Condiments and Spices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Canola oil
- Cooking spray
- Olive oil spray (or get a Misto oil mister)
- Kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)
- Pepper grinder (or fresh peppercorns)
- Cinnamon
- Honey (optional, for Cottage Cheese Bowls)
- Garlic powder
- Cholula hot sauce
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Toasted sesame oil or avocado oil
- Sriracha sauce or Sambal Oelek
- Maple syrup
- Reduced sodium soy sauce*
- Dijon mustard
- Onion powder
- Oregano
- Red wine vinegar
- Chipotle chili powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for Caesar Salad)
- Tajin Classic or chili-lime seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Paprika
- Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick Gourmet)
- Herbs de Provence
Dairy & Misc. Refrigerated Items
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 1 pint liquid egg whites
- 2 (14-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu
- 1 (16-ounce) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 (5.3-ounce) PLUS 1 (16-ounce) container low fat cottage cheese (I like Good Culture)
- 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (can sub 1 ounce Jack cheese in Breakfast Quesadilla, if desired)
- 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Monterey or Pepper Jack cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) package sliced or shredded part-skim mozzarella or provolone cheese
- 1 small package cotija or queso fresco (can sub 2 tablespoons Jack or feta cheese in Chorizo Bowl, if desired)
- 1 small package feta cheese
- 1 small wedge fresh Pecorino Romano cheese (can sub Parmesan in Whole Wheat Linguine and Meatball Sub, if desired)
- 1 small wedge fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1 (8-ounce) container almond, oat or dairy milk of your choice
Grains*
- 1 package large low-carb whole wheat or white tortillas
- 1 package taco-size low carb whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas
- 1 package Portuguese rolls or sub sandwich rolls
- 1 loaf sliced whole grain bread
- 1 package plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 package plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1 package whole wheat linguini (I like Delallo)
- 1 small package dry brown rice (or 6 cups pre-cooked)
- 1 small package dry quinoa (or 2 cups pre-cooked)
Canned and Jarred
- 1 small jar peanut butter
- 1 small jar powdered peanut butter (such as PB2)
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans Navy beans
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tuna in water
- 1 small jar capers
- 1 (14-ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small jar marinara
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers in water
- 1 small jar salsa (optional, for serving with Quesadillas)
Frozen
- 1 large bag blueberries
- 1 large bag strawberries
- 1 small bag shelled edamame
Misc. Dry Goods
- 1 small package brown sugar
- 1 small package shelled pistachios (if buying from bulk bin, you need 2 tablespoons)
- 1 small package dry roasted peanuts (if buying from bulk bin, you need ¼ cup)
- 1 small package raw cashews (if buying from bulk bin, you need ½ cup)
- 1 small package hemp seeds
- 1 small package vanilla protein powder
*You can buy gluten free, if desired