Healthy High Protein Dinners Meal Plan (May 20)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This week’s meal plan is all about Healthy High Protein Dinners. We’re choosing meals with higher protein and fiber to help keep you feeling full longer, with sustained energy to fuel your day. Plus, we’ll take a look at why protein is an essential element of a healthy diet.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
Why Protein is Good for You
WebMD says, “Your body needs protein to stay healthy and work the way it should. More than 10,000 types are found in everything from your organs to your muscles and tissues to your bones, skin, and hair. Protein is also a critical part of the processes that fuel your energy and carry oxygen throughout your body in your blood.”
They also emphasize that protein helps make “antibodies that fight off infections and illnesses and helps keep cells healthy and create new ones.”
In this meal plan, I’ve chosen dinner recipes between 15 and 30 grams of protein, which studies show is considered a high-protein meal.
How Do Protein and Fiber Keep You Full?
Protein and fiber both play a key role in keeping you full. Studies show that when protein is digested, the hunger hormone ghrelin is suppressed, keeping you satiated longer. Fiber is digested more slowly through the digestive system, helping keep you full longer.
High-Protein & High-Fiber Foods to Add to Your Diet
- Beans
- Lentils
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Poultry
- Fish and shellfish
- Meat
- Soy
- Whole grains, such as oats, bulgur, farro, whole wheat and more
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
Higher Protein & Fiber Ideas for Meals and Snacks
- Healthy Egg Bites Recipe
- Avocado Toast Ideas on whole grain, high fiber bread
- Low-fat plain Greek yogurt with berries
- Breakfast Quinoa with Blueberries and Bananas
- Unsalted dry-roasted nuts
- Make Ahead Mini Frittatas in Muffin Tins
- 3 Ingredient Frozen Yogurt Bark
Healthy High Protein Dinners Menu
Monday’s dinner is a quick and easy chicken salad recipe that uses quick-cooking Southwest-seasoned chicken, greens, corn, tomatoes, and avocados. This meal has been a favorite for the last month!
Tuesday’s dinner is a one-pot pasta dish with ground turkey and seasonal veggies. I’ve included a cream sauce, but it’s definitely delicious without it! Add a green salad for additional fiber, and consider using whole-grain pasta.
Wednesday’s dinner is a grain bowl with seasonal flavors, broccoli, chicken, and quinoa. Charred lemon gives this simple but filling meal a burst of flavor!
Thursday’s dinner is a seafood, one-dish casserole filled with seasonal vegetables and flavors. If desired, add a green salad and whole-grain bread.
Friday’s dinner is a nod toward the summer to come! It’s quick and easy skewers that can be grilled indoor or out. Add grains and greens to round out the meal.
The Treat is a healthy bar perfect for snacking.
Have a beautiful, healthy & delicious week!
RELATED: More 31Daily Dinner Ideas >>
Deliver to Your Email!
Deliver these weekly dinner menus to your email inbox Sunday mornings. Tap the box below!
Healthy High Protein Dinners Meal Plan (May 20)
- Monday: Southwest Chicken Salad
- Tuesday: One Pot Asparagus Pasta with Ground Turkey
- Wednesday: Quinoa, Chicken and Broccoli Salad
- Thursday: Lemony Salmon and Orzo
- Friday: Pork, Pineapple and Onion Skewers
- Treat: Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Healthy High Protein Dinners Meal Plan (May 20)
Monday: Southwest Chicken Salad
This Southwest Chicken Salad is a delicious combination of grilled chicken, mixed greens, corn, cherry tomatoes, avocados, and the most amazing, healthier yogurt-based salad dressing.
Tuesday: One Pot Asparagus Pasta with Artichokes and Ground Turkey
This One-Pot Asparagus Pasta is a simple, delicious 30-minute spring pasta dish with artichokes, asparagus, and ground turkey in creamy lemon sauce. It’s an easy dish you’ll love all season! Use whole-grain pasta to increase the fiber.
Wednesday: Quinoa, Chicken & Broccoli Salad
"Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze."
Thursday: Lemony Salmon & Orzo Casserole
This lemony salmon and orzo casserole is a one-dish dinner that's packed with omega-3 fatty acids—a polyunsaturated fat in salmon that can help tame inflammation and may even help lower blood pressure. Here, omega-3-rich salmon sits on top of an orzo mixture that bakes in the oven, instead of boiling on the stovetop, absorbing all the bright and lemony flavors while it cooks.
Friday: Pork, Pineapple, and Onion Skewers
With a stack of skewers and a handful of ingredients, you can unlock this delicious dinner that delivers nearly 30 grams of protein per serving.
Treat: Healthy Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Chocolate Chips -- a healthy, energy boosting, chewy and soft homemade granola bar that's so much better than it's store-bought cousin.
More Weekly Dinner Plans
You can find all of our past weekly dinner meal plans here!
How about some recipes with bulgur wheat or farro? Quinoa is way overused in recipes to the exclusion of many other, tastier grains that are just as healthy and versatile. And while we’re at it, let’s give salmon a rest (please!) and explore other fishy alternatives like trout, halibut, sea bass, and even mackerel, sardines or herring. Time to expand our horizons!
Thank you, Linda, for your input. I happen to love the grains you mentioned but try to keep the menu accessible for everyone with varying tastes and access to harder to find foods.