To ask for ideas on high protein lunch?

[Highlan]

I need to up my protein but I’m terrible with food. Can anyone recommend high protein lunches? No massive salads

my current diet consists of

granola and kerfir yogurt (this MUST stay)
a pot noodle
easy dinner such as Kiev and beans

my bloods are not great. Need to change things.

I often have quinoa with roast veg (peppers/courgette/aubergine) with various toppings - sliced chicken/ roast beef/ smoked salmon/ hard boiled egg/ slice of frittata. Although this takes a bit of prep its all straightforward and will sit in the fridge for a few days.

I know it’s old school but jacket pot and baked beans ? I’ve gone back to it recently and forgot how filling it is. You can make jacket pots in advance and freeze as well

Packets of cooked chicken pieces, plain or Cajun, or turkey slices from the supermarket. In a sandwich or toasted bagel with sliced red peppers.

Salmon fillet raw chunky vegs and humous to dip
Chunky chicken soup
Stuff Ham slices rolled up...add fillings
Jacket potato with....whole tin of tuna and sweet corn and grated cheese or beans and cheese

Focus on:

Hard boiled eggs
Cold cooked meat
Tuna
Cottage cheese
Lentil and veg soups
Greek yogurt

So I'd have for lunch a big bowl of soup and a couple of hard boiled eggs

Then greek yogurt for pudding, probably with low sugar apple compote for a bit of sweet and fibre

Tuna and bean salad

No salad? Really? That excludes a lot of options.

Lentils with dressing, some sort of veg, and some extra protein - fish, egg, cheese, chicken - are my go-to; but clearly, ruled out by your no-salad rule. You'll just have to stick to your pot noodle...

Sounds like you enjoy convenience. Add some pre-cooked chicken breast to your pot noodles.

Korean drug eggs. Awesome!

Assuming you arent a keen cook and want easy quick ideas:

Cheese, ham & spinach omelette/scambled eggs
Hard boiled eggs smashed on toast with lots of salt and pepper, avocado etc. Feta

Hummus with warm pitta bread, haloumi, olives, falafel
Cold roast chicken

Any pulse based soup
Butter beans, lentils, cannellini beans etc. Dal

Sandwiches...ham & cheese, chicken bacon avocado, etc.

Omlette
Mushrooms on toast
Soup with chicken in it

Another good thing to keep in the fridge

Cooked king prawns - great low calorie, high protein snack, dipped in a pinch of chilli flakes with a squeeze of lemon

Build on what you currently eat. Try eating handful of almonds or cashews or walnuts 10 minutes before you eat your meals and see what your bloods look like

The pot noodle you could replace with a different brand - there are some Japanese style ones that are healthier as they have dried veg. You could then add a boiled egg / chicken to them?

We roast a couple of chickens each week or so, strip all the meat and put in the fridge for sandwiches, snacking, baked potatoes, toasties, wraps, topping Pizza, eating with microwave rice etc. Works out cheaper, especially with a protien hungry teen boy, than precooked and tastes much better.

We seem to be over complicating things
Salads and many of the options above like jacket potatoes and pitta are not high protein.

But firstly OP I think you need to speak to a dietician...what about your bloods isn't great and why do you need a high protein lunch?
Is lack of protein the issue here or too much sodium/lack of other nutrients?

If you genuinely do need more protein add meat eggs or fish. Either add chicken or a boiled egg to your pot noodle.....or replace it. The less other stuff you have with your meat eggs or fish the higher the protein....so you need to reduce the cards (bread, potato, rice) as if you fill up on those you will typically eat less protein

I get the Plantastic pasta pots from Tesco, near the Pot Noodles. Lots more protein and not too different from what you already ate for lunch.

Agree on eggs, grilled chicken breast, beans.

How about protein powder that you mix with water to make shakes?

I think because OP asked for lunch ideas, and because it comes across that OP isn't that into cooking, most posters have suggested ideas for a quick & feasible lunch, that include more protein, and are healthier, more balanced choices than ultra processed pot noodles.

Agree that a quick easy way for OP to bump up protein is too embellish their pot noodle with some chicken/boiled egg, but as they seem to be expressing an interest in eating healthier then that is not an ideal option for everyday as it's so ultra processed.

So maybe OP can reserve that option for work/busy days, and try the other ideas when they have more time & energy.

Pitta was suggested alongside protein rich Hummus & haloumi.

It would be good to understand more about OP's bloods and health issues.

Stir fry is a great tasty way to get in some protein and veg. And you can add as much to it as you like.

Can you eat the granola and kefir at lunch instead? Granola is typically a lot of sugar to start the day. Then do some variation of eggs at breakfast.

No salad? Really? That excludes a lot of options.
Lentils with dressing, some sort of veg, and some extra protein - fish, egg, cheese, chicken - are my go-to; but clearly, ruled out by your no-salad rule. You'll just have to stick to your pot noodle..

@LordEmsworth OP Said no massive salads which is not the same thing as saying no salads.
Although you're clearly invested in reading it that way so that you can be sarcastic.

Roast some pork, beef, Turkey or chicken.

Portion out and add into dishes throughout the week - meat will keep for several days in the fridge. I like to flavour it with some hot sauce but each to their own.

Note that if you go for plant protein, it doesn’t have anywhere close to the amount of protein per gram that animal protein has. I would avoid any processed vegan stuff that claims to have protein.

Good luck.

I think your blood sugar might need some attention dearie 😁 cheer you up a bit

Have protein based snacks like nuts and bits of cheese

Add fish or chicken to the meals you already have, pot noodles arent great but if you like them make sure you add actual food to them.

Although lentils, beans, eggs etc do contain protein, they're not that high in protein so you need to eat a lot of them to get what you need.

Try to aim for 20g protein per meal (although if your snacks are protein based you could reduce this a bit).

Dont forget if you have milk in tea and coffee throughout the day, that also has protein in it.