{"id":131198,"date":"2026-01-13T10:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=131198"},"modified":"2026-01-18T06:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T06:58:17","slug":"lazy-high-protein-dinners-i-make-when-i-dont-want-to-cook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/lazy-high-protein-dinners-i-make-when-i-dont-want-to-cook\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don\u2019t want to cook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharing a roundup of lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don’t want to cook.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you\u2019re having a great morning so far. I\u2019m here getting ready for a work trip to San Diego and have coaching calls all morning today.<\/p>\n

For today\u2019s post, I wanted to share a roundup of dinner options – specifically high-protein dinners I always come back to when I don\u2019t feel like cooking. The Pilot is gone fairly often, which means I need meals that are nourishing, easy, and realistic after school pickup, basketball shuffles, and general end-of-day chaos.<\/p>\n

These are the dinners that save me when I don\u2019t want to think, chop a million things, or be in the kitchen all night.
\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

My go-to staples<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I keep these on hand almost all the time:<\/p>\n

Rotisserie chicken<\/p>\n

Ground beef<\/p>\n

Frozen wild salmon (always from ButcherBox<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Frozen or roasted veggies (I\u2019ll roast a big pan once and use them all week)<\/p>\n

Easy sauces (I love Kevin\u2019s sauces from Thrive Market<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Rice and gluten-free noodles<\/p>\n

Salad kits (lifesaver when you\u2019re in a pinch)<\/p>\n

And now\u2026 my top 10 lazy, high-protein dinners. Please steal these and then help a girl out by sharing your favorites in the comments.<\/p>\n

Lazy high-protein dinners<\/h2>\n

1. Salmon bowls<\/h3>\n

I make rice in the Instant Pot (rinse rice, add equal parts rice and water, cook on manual for 12 minutes – perfect every time). While the rice cooks, I air-fry frozen salmon with salt and pepper. I\u2019ll chop a cucumber, microwave edamame, and grab seaweed snacks. Top the rice with salmon, edamame, cucumber, seaweed, and drizzle with tamari and sriracha.<\/p>\n

2. Egg roll in a bowl<\/h3>\n

The kids go crazy for this, and it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. Easy, fast, and packed with protein.<\/p>\n

3. Easy tofu + noodle stir fry<\/h3>\n

The kids love tofu, so I try to include it about once a week. I drain the tofu, wrap it in paper towels, and put a heavy pan on top for 10\u201315 minutes. Then I saut\u00e9 it with veggies and toss with cooked noodles and an easy sauce, like a homemade peanut butter sauce or a Kevin\u2019s sauce.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Tacos with ButcherBox barbacoa<\/h3>\n

The ButcherBox barbacoa is elite<\/a>. It\u2019s fully cooked and frozen, so I just heat it on the stovetop. I make fajita veggies (onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin) and serve everything with avocado and Coyotas tortillas.<\/p>\n

5. Teriyaki chicken, veggies & rice<\/h3>\n

If I have time, I cook chicken in the Instant Pot; otherwise, shredded rotisserie chicken works great. I saut\u00e9 whatever veggies I have (onion, bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, broccoli), cook rice in the Instant Pot, then heat everything together with Kevin\u2019s teriyaki sauce<\/a>. Boom.<\/p>\n

6. Spanish tortilla with hummus & veggies<\/h3>\n

Probably my #1 comfort meal right now,<\/a> especially after Spain, where we could get this every day at the market (the best ever). It takes about 30 minutes but is mostly hands-off. I serve it with homemade hummus, sliced veggies, and fruit.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Breakfast for dinner<\/h3>\n

When the Pilot is gone, breakfast-for-dinner is almost guaranteed.<\/p>\n

Our go-tos:<\/p>\n

Three-ingredient pancakes<\/a><\/p>\n

Breakfast tacos with salsa<\/p>\n

Crustless quiche (I make it earlier in the day and keep it in the fridge)<\/p>\n

8. Chicken crust pizza<\/h3>\n

Crust:<\/p>\n

1 lb ground chicken<\/p>\n

1 tsp oregano<\/p>\n

1 tsp garlic powder<\/p>\n

\u00bd tsp salt<\/p>\n

\u00bc tsp pepper<\/p>\n

Instructions:<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Mix chicken and spices, then flatten into a 12\u201314 inch disc (about \u00be – 1 inch thick – basically a giant burger patty). Bake 25 minutes until internal temp hits 165\u00b0F. Add marinara and veggies, bake 5 more minutes, and finish with fresh basil and feta.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

9. Shrimp pesto pasta<\/h3>\n

Saut\u00e9 shrimp with garlic, salt, and pepper while pasta cooks. Add lemon zest to the shrimp, toss with pasta and store-bought pesto. Serve with a salad kit or roasted veggies.<\/p>\n

10. Burger bowls<\/h3>\n

We love burger bowls. I cook the patties earlier in the day, then serve over lettuce with red onion, tomatoes, pickles, fries (Alexia waffle fries are our fave), and a little secret sauce.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

For cooking, we use Our Place<\/a> and Caraway<\/a>– \u00a0I love having non-toxic cookware that also looks good on the stove.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re working on increasing protein, my go-to protein powder is Truvani.<\/a> I mix it with Daily Nutritional Support<\/a> to make my daily protein pudding and top it with berries and hemp seeds.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re looking for more meal inspiration, Sculpt Society<\/a> just launched nutrition – I\u2019ve been using it for fresh ideas. You can use GINAJAN if you want to check it out!<\/p>\n

So tell me, friends: what\u2019s your favorite lazy high-protein dinner? Please share the goods in the comments.<\/p>\n

xo,<\/p>\n

Gina<\/p>\n

P.S. If you\u2019re eating \u201cclean\u201d but still feeling stuck, this is something I look at closely with clients. You can learn more about 1:1 support here if you\u2019re curious.<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don’t want to cook<\/a> appeared first on The Fitnessista<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sharing a roundup of lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don\u2019t want to cook. Hi friends! How are you? I hope you\u2019re having a great morning so far. I\u2019m here getting ready for a work trip to San Diego and have coaching calls all morning today. For today\u2019s post, I wanted to share a\u2026
\nThe post Lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don\u2019t want to cook appeared first on The Fitnessista.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[20,1,21,22,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131198"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131198"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131205,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131198\/revisions\/131205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}