If you are a fitness freak and want to build your muscles properly without whole body weight gain, then this article is just perfect for you. Go through this article to prepare your favorite dish in a healthy manner so that your muscles can grow with the goodness of food.

Muscle gain is a fav body lifting thing for the new generation. To lift the muscles in a short time period, one needs to understand the importance of protein-based food which will help to grow the muscles.  

Also when you are going to start your hard-core workout, you need to change your food habits too. But don’t worry about that same old diet food that will not cherish your mouth. That’s the reason we are here to make your muscles gaining days even better with some exclusive delicious meal prep ideas.

So just grab the ideas and make your fitness goal real.

The necessity of meal prep ideas for muscle gain

Here we brought to you a whole new bunch of tasty recipes which include protein in a high ratio so that you will gain the energy after a, particularly arduous workout session. 

You can create your perfect routine to make a perfect set of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks ahead of time. So that after the gym session, you have no need to think of the recipe. And, by doing so, you will deal with not only what to eat and when to eat, but also how much to eat at a time. 

Now coming to meal prep ideas, the first and foremost step is to sort out the recipes for the meals you want to prep such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. In general, the base of a muscle-growing meal consists of approximately “two handfuls of vegetables, one fist-size portion of carbs, and a palm-size portion of protein” ( by Jo Travers, registered dietician).

Meal prep recipe ideas

You got to know that preparing proper nutritional food while gaining muscle is very important. But if you are bamboozled with lots of ideas, we are providing some simple yet healthy food ideas that will make your day. Grab the article.

1. Slow Cooker Bolognese

If you are very conscious of healthy and nutritious food, you might know that beef is a rich source of protein. Also, it is a good source of iron and creatine. All of these are good and have a positive impact on muscle growth. 

Besides this slow cooker bolognese is packed with vitamins and minerals too. We want to tell you that one regular portion of slow cooker bolognese contributes 26 grams of protein per serving and 35% of your daily iron which is recommended.

It can be prepared within 5-10 minutes. So you can easily prep it for your breakfast as well as your tiffin time snack.

2. Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

It is not necessary to say that chicken is a rich source of protein. And if the recipe of this chicken is just a five minutes recipe then it will be more helpful to prep and grab. 

So when you are quite a health-conscious as well as a workaholic, you need to try this easy to prepare crockpot chicken teriyaki. Each of the chicken thighs contains a minimum of 29 grams of protein. 

But keep in mind that don’t overfill or less fill the crockpot. These can overcook or undercook the preparation. 

3. Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili (Vegan)

Besides being health conscious, if you want to grab a tasty smokey flavored good item, then this slow cooker Chipotle bean chili ( vegan ) is just perfect for you. What you need is a few ingredients, a slow cooker, and your valuable 5 minutes. This food is packed with rich protein. Nearly 23 grams of protein per portion is present in this item. Also, it contains a less caloric value- 347 per portion.

This item is quite easy for batch cooking. Just saute all the ingredients in the slow cooker, turn on the oven and leave this for 5 minutes. That’s it. Your spiced, smokey slow cooker Chipotle bean chili ( vegan ) is ready to grab.

4. Chicken Chow Mein

If you are fond of Chinese food and you are trying to gain muscle, then this food item is just your thing. Extremely delicious chicken Chow mein is quite healthier, tastier, and quicker for prepping.

You just need 15 to 20 minutes to prepare a hot pot of drool-worthy chicken chow mein which contains 25 grams of protein per portion.

5. Healthy Air Fryer Turkey Burger

Turkey is known as the protein pack as it contains rich protein. So when you are trying to aim for lean muscle growth, this healthy and yummy air fryer Turkey burger can be your best friend. 

This will contain 3 grams of net carbs and 3 grams of fat. And, it is a whopping 28 grams of protein. 

You can prepare this item in bulk because turkey patties freeze quite well. When the patty is ready, just 10 minutes is needed for prepping the food. This food recipe only demands one standard size bowl and an air fryer which makes it extremely fuss-free. Right!

6. Bacon and Maple Blueberry Pancakes

A healthy breakfast is always a must-have item in our daily routine. And to add more delicacy to the breakfast, you can choose oats flour. You can turn oats into flour to make a simple pancake for your breakfast. 

This procedure is completely simple if you have a blender. Just blend a few oats as per your requirement. Blend till oats become powder. Then start making pancakes normally as you would. Want to gain more interesting facts on this special meal! This pancake has only 530 calories- half of the regular pancakes. 

You can use this breakfast before the gym session as this consists of a whopping 42g of protein.

Another interesting fact is, you can store the pancake for three days. Put this into microwave-proof boxes and then preheat when you need.

7. Traeger Turkey

All the smokey food lovers will love this meat item if they are interested in muscle gaining too. This wholesome turkey is packed with the goodness of fresh herbs. It’ll be tender, smoky in flavor. Also, this is good for batch cooking. 

This recipe consists of nearly 57 grams of protein and 2 grams of saturated fat per 4 oz. That’s the reason this item is just perfect for lean high-protein meal prep.

8. Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sandwich- a fav name for everyone. But when it comes to healthy food for muscle gaining, we fall in doubt if we should take sandwiches or not. So here is one of the healthy sandwich items that can be taken by any fitness freak.

This meal prep is too light and easy to grab in between your tight work schedule. The sandwich includes 31g of protein, so you can stay energetic and full throughout the busy day. This extra amount of protein comes from the Greek yogurt in the sandwich- a perfect combination of nutrition and delicacy. Isn’t it!

9. Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are another healthy option to try out. It takes a very little amount to make. You can try this out with different items- may it be peanut butter, sometimes a flavourful strawberry, or a Blueberry pulp. So you have so many options to eat after a workout session. 

10.  Black Bean and Corn Salad

If you want to know about a few food ingredients which are full of protein, then black beans and corn are the best duos. It’s a completely vegan-friendly dish. It contains nearly 561 calories per serving. 18g of protein which is included in this food duo, makes it a lunchtime meal for the fitness freak. 

Also, when you are not very fond of cooking, that time this meal can be your savior. As this food item doesn’t need any cooking. Just mix and grab. And there is no cooking, you are free from cleaning the mess around the oven. Isn’t it a fun fact too! 

Also, black bean and corn salad is a portion of light food. So if you want to have a light meal around the day with a full bag of energy, then this meal is for you.

11. Vegetarian Black Bean Breakfast Burritos

When you are a vegetarian, it’s not always mandatory to have a portion of regular healthy food. You can spice up your breakfast too. In order to do so, you can try veg black bean breakfast burritos. You can use scrambled eggs if you want. With a soft touch of some tahini and cumin-spiced black beans, with a few extra sweet potatoes, chopped green chilis, black peppers, and some corn- isn’t it feeling like the tastebuds are too much excited?

Whenever you want to change your daily meal schedule, just mix up the ingredients in a burrito, wrap up with aluminum foil, heat for a few minutes. That’s it. Now grab it with the love for food. Want to know an interesting and knowledgeable fact about this meal prep? This special Burrito contains 16 grams of protein.

12. Sesame Tofu Quinoa Bowls

To keep your muscles in optimal shape and size, you can try adding a sesame tofu Quinoa bowl to your daily meal schedule. A whopping 23 grams of protein is there in the meal. So it can help you in staying energetic throughout the day. Featuring four master foods like tofu, green beans, broccoli, and quinoa, this food item is just too healthy to keep your body strong as well as sparkling throughout the entire day.

To prepare this item, put all the ingredients on a baking sheet. Add some tamarind sauce if you want. Saute the ingredients. Once you are done with this, put all the ingredients in different boxes. Use various toppings as per your choice. 

You can add some extra protein by adding chicken or fish to this meal. This is quite healthy and nutritious food for your muscles.

13. Garlic Crockpot Chicken and Lentils

Love for garlic bread and goodness of protein- together they can create a healthy meal for your muscles gain. This drool-worthy dish will also include basil, mint, and orange marinade. So can you imagine how much tasty this will be! All your tastebuds will start hunting for more garlic chicken items.

If you are in search of extra calories and extra nutrition, you can sum up with salad too. This dish can be stored in the freezer for a maximum of three days. So you can cook in a large amount too for a few days.

Wanna know the protein amount in this dish! A huge amount of 42 grams per serving! Isn’t it quite a good option to keep your muscles in the best state? 

14.  Healthy Shrimp Meal Prep

Shrimp is another delicious source of protein. You can enjoy a flavourful taste as well as healthy protein in your meal when you include shrimp in it. 29g of protein is included in the shrimp. Quiet healthy. Right!

You can try adding various sauces like chili garlic, sweet and sour, sweet and spicy as per your choice. You can team up with cauliflower rice or some other vegetable rice to add extra food nutrition to your meal.

15. Lemon Butter Fish

Have you ever tried zesty lemon with some high-protein fish? No? Then just mix it up. We can assure you that you will be excited after grabbing this meal prep. You need just 20 minutes to make the meal. You can use cod, halibut, or any other white fish to prepare this dish.

Don’t forget to add some spice to the item. With the goodness of  24.6g of protein, you are going to consider this meal as your pre-workout meal.

16. Chicken Parmesan

Are you tired of having boring healthy food? Then try this Italian dish to cherish your tastebuds. You can enjoy this classic Italian chicken dish with a super healthy recipe. What you need to arrange is chicken, almond flour, and chickpea flour. 

You can’t leave eating more of this item. This contains a huge of  32.8g of protein in total. Not only you, but your whole family will also love this food. It’s easy to make, easy to grab. Also, this can be kept in the freezer, so you can prepare your meal in advance. 

17. Ground Beef Fajita Bowl

When you need the simplest food recipe, this is the one for you. Though you can use any kind of meat, beef is the best choice as this Fajita Bowl is best suited with beef. 

This meal consists of high protein too. Your tastebuds will be tingled by this food item. This beef Fajita Bowl is one of the best options to grow your muscles.

18. Pot Pulled Pork

When you will opt for pot Pulled Pork, every bite will melt in your mouth. We are pretty sure that you will love this meal after having just one bite. The pork itself is packed with high protein. You can add other vegetables with it to get some extra wellness of vegetables.

19. Spicy chicken with couscous

This chicken recipe is a macro balanced meal for all the muscles growth. This can burst into your tastebuds. You will love more after a few bites. 

What you need to arrange is mango chutney, olive oil, couscous, vegetable stock, and olive oil. You can sum up with some pomegranate seeds and coriander too. This wholesome meal is just perfect for your lunchtime. Just heighten your lunch with this food dish.

20. Seared tuna steak and sweet potato wedges

This is a super easy healthy meal that includes a huge of 38g protein per serving. Tuna is rich in 33g of protein and less fat. Not only that but tuna is also packed with heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids. That means not just for your muscles, it is good for your overall heart issue.

You can store this easy-to-cook recipe for up to three days in the refrigerator. Whenever you need to grab a portion, heat it in the microwave for about four minutes.

21. One-pot lentil dal

Lentil is the one-stop solution for protein needs. It’s the best option for all the veg lover fitness maniacs. Not only just protein, but lentil is also a rich source of iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin B. So it can be a balanced diet food for your everyday meal.

So just grab the lentil dal recipe for a healthy dish.

22. Quick spicy Cajun salmon and garlicky veg

This is quite a spicy yet easy-to-make healthy food dish of salmon. Salmon is full of protein and omega3 fatty acids. It is well known for enhancing muscles strength. Also, it keeps you lean. 

Just arrange the ingredients like salmon fillets, cajun seasoning, olive oil, broccoli, courgette, and couscous. Now bake the salmon fillets after seasoning with the cajun spices and other vegetables. That’s it. Grab your portion and get a huge amount of protein into the dish.

23. Low carb loaf tin lasagne

Craving for lasagne? But want to make a healthy food item from this? Try out the loaf tin lasagne. You will love it without any second doubt. You will get a low-carb high-protein meal for your healthy meal schedule.

You can understand that after grabbing one portion, it will be your favorite comfort food.

24. Ultimate high-protein stuffed peppers 

Pepper is a well-known vegetable for a rich source of vitamin C. You can stuff the pepper with your favorite shredded chicken, cheese, and any other chopped vegetables. It can be your ideal breakfast option as well as lunch prep.

Hope you all got a clear vision for healthy meals for your muscle gain. Now we are sorting out some of the items for your convenience.

• Protein

Beef, roasted chicken, whole eggs, egg whites, edamame

• Wholegrain or starchy Vegetables

Rolled oats, sweet potatoes

• Healthy fats

Pesto, olive oil

• Fiber-rich fruit and vegetables

Berries, apples, mandarins, kiwis, onions, broccoli, carrot, corn, and peas.

Conclusion

Here’s all you need to know about the meal prep ideas for muscle gain. Turn your healthy meal items into spicy, healthy, and drool-worthy items. So you never miss the essence of flavors of all kinds of foods when you are maintaining muscle shapes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is pasta good for your muscle gain?

High-protein pasta is a good source of protein. Also, there is an ample amount of carbohydrates which is quite good for health.

2. What type of foods stops muscle?

Foods that will block your muscle growth are as follows:

• High-fat food items: High-fat meats, buttery foods, and heavy sauces or creams.
• High-fiber food items: Beans and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.
• Carbonated beverages: Sparkling water or diet soda.

3. Which fruit is good for muscle gain?

Here are some of few foods that are good for muscle gain:

• Kiwi
• Banana
• Watermelon
• Blueberries
• Avocado
• Strawberry
• Raspberry

4. Can one take junk food if he or she workouts?

Absolutely not. Junk food is not good from any aspect. It will affect your workout as well as body shapes too.

5. Mention some foods that are full of protein.

• lean meats – beef, lamb, and pork
• poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, emu, and goose
• fish and seafood – fish, prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, and oysters
• Eggs
• Milk, yogurt