Training-Day Meals: Protein and Carb Plates You Can Prep Ahead

What a training-day plate looks like

Most people who like a set routine on training days settle on a simple pattern: one protein, one carbohydrate, and something fresh or saucy on the side. That pattern makes shopping easy, and it makes batch cooking easy too, because you can cook components once and plate them a few different ways.

Below are meals from the Nourity library that follow that pattern. All nutrition figures are estimates for one serving, so use them as a starting point and log your own version in the app if you change the ingredients.

Batch-cook dinners that reheat well

Chicken & Sweet Potato is about as straightforward as meal prep gets. Spiced chicken breast is cooked in a pan and served with a baked sweet potato. Prep is 10 minutes and cook time is 35, and the estimates are 480 calories, 42 g protein and 45 g carbs. The oven does most of the work, so you can bake several potatoes while the chicken is on the stove.

Lean Beef & Brown Rice is a tomato and paprika sauce with lean ground beef, served over brown rice. It comes to about 520 calories, 44 g protein and 52 g carbs (estimates), with 10 minutes of prep and 30 of cooking. Keep the sauce and rice in the fridge and reheat them together for an easy lunch.

Ground Turkey Pasta uses whole-wheat pasta with a simple tomato and herb sauce. Estimates are 490 calories, 38 g protein and 55 g carbs, in about 35 minutes total. If you are prepping ahead, you can cook the sauce in a bigger batch and boil pasta fresh each time.

• Chicken & Sweet Potato about 480 kcal · 42 g protein · 45 min
• Lean Beef & Brown Rice about 520 kcal · 44 g protein · 40 min
• Ground Turkey Pasta about 490 kcal · 38 g protein · 35 min

Faster plates for busy evenings

Shrimp Stir-Fry with Noodles is the quickest of the dinners, at 22 minutes total. It pairs shrimp, bell pepper and bean sprouts with rice noodles, garlic and ginger. The estimates are 440 calories, 38 g protein and 52 g carbs. Have everything chopped before the pan gets hot, since the cooking itself goes quickly.

High Protein Chicken Tacos take a bit more hands-on time (15 minutes of prep, 20 of cooking) but they are easy to build at the table. Smoky spiced chicken goes into corn tortillas with black beans, avocado, tomatoes and lime. Estimates are 520 calories, 44 g protein and 42 g carbs. You can cook the chicken ahead and assemble the tacos fresh.

• Shrimp Stir-Fry with Noodles about 440 kcal · 38 g protein · 22 min
• High Protein Chicken Tacos about 520 kcal · 44 g protein · 35 min

Breakfasts and quick bowls

Protein Pancakes are made with banana, eggs and protein powder instead of refined flour, and you can top them with yogurt and berries. Prep is 5 minutes and cooking is 12. The estimates are 420 calories, 36 g protein and 38 g carbs.

Cottage Cheese & Pineapple Bowl takes 3 minutes and needs no cooking: cottage cheese, pineapple chunks, honey and cinnamon. Estimates are 280 calories, 28 g protein and 32 g carbs. It is easy to pack for a gym bag or desk drawer, as long as it stays in the fridge until you head out.

• Protein Pancakes about 420 kcal · 36 g protein · 17 min
• Cottage Cheese & Pineapple Bowl about 280 kcal · 28 g protein · 3 min

Planning the week

A simple approach is to pick two dinners for the week and cook each one in a double batch. Chicken & Sweet Potato and Lean Beef & Brown Rice work well together because they use different seasonings but the same plan: cook the protein, cook the carb, and portion into containers.

Then add one fast backup, like the cottage cheese bowl, for days when plans change. Write down in your Nourity journal which combinations you actually ate and enjoyed, so next week's shopping list is easy to build.

Questions people ask

Which of these meals are easiest to prep ahead?

Chicken & Sweet Potato and Lean Beef & Brown Rice both reheat well from the fridge and are simple to cook in larger batches.

Which meal is fastest?

Cottage Cheese & Pineapple Bowl takes about 3 minutes with no cooking. Among cooked meals, Protein Pancakes take 17 minutes total and Shrimp Stir-Fry with Noodles takes 22.

Are the nutrition numbers exact?

No. They are estimates for one serving and will change with brands, portions and any swaps you make.

Can I swap the carbohydrate in a meal?

Yes. Rice, pasta, potatoes and tortillas are interchangeable in many plates, though cooking times and the numbers will differ from the listed estimates.

More guides

• Low-Carb Dinners Under 30 Minutes: Quick Ideas and Shortcuts
• Comfort Food Classics at Home: Cozy Weeknight Dishes
• A Week of Vegan Meals: Simple Plan, Shopping List and Prep