How to Meal Plan for a High-Protein Diet(Without the Overwhelm)
Simple, hormone supporting tips for women in midlife.
If you're in your 40s or 50s and wondering why your go-to meals aren't working the way they used to—you're not alone.
Suddenly, the weight creeps in, your sleep feels shallow, your moods fluctuate like a teenager’s, and the foods that once left you satisfied now leave you... hungry an hour later.
Here’s the good news: you can feel more energized, clear-headed, and in control again—starting with one key nutrient: protein. And no, this isn’t about bodybuilder shakes or cutting carbs—it’s about fueling your midlife body in the way it needs most right now.
Why Protein Matters More Than Ever in Perimenopause
As estrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate (and decline), your body becomes more sensitive to blood sugar swings, muscle loss, and inflammation. Without enough high-quality protein, you may experience:
Weight gain around the belly
Low muscle tone (despite exercise)
Brain fog and fatigue
Poor sleep and unstable moods
Protein helps stabilize your hormones, keeps your metabolism humming, and supports muscle retention, mood, and sleep quality—all crucial during this season of life.
In order to be successful in hitting your high protein goals, it takes a little bit of planning. I like to take a little time over the weekend or on Monday morning once the kids are back in school to prep some food for the week ahead.
5 Simple Steps to Meal Plan for a High-Protein Diet
Here’s the best part: getting enough protein doesn’t have to be complicated or restrictive. It just takes a little strategy, and I’m going to show you how to start today.
1. Start with a Daily Protein Goal
Most women in midlife need at least 100–150 grams of protein per day, spread evenly across meals to support energy and satiety.
🔹 Target:
30g of protein per meal is a great place to start. This supports lean muscle, balances blood sugar, and helps reduce those mid-afternoon energy crashes.
Quick visual:
1 palm-sized piece of chicken or salmon = ~25g
¾ cup Greek yogurt = ~17g
1 scoop clean protein powder = ~20g
½ cup cottage cheese = ~14g
3 eggs = ~18g
2. Plan Around Protein First
When building your meals, make protein your anchor—then add fiber-rich veggies, healthy fats, and smart carbs.
🔹 Example meal plan base:
Breakfast: Greek yogurt (19g) + chia seeds (2g) + berries + hemp hearts (5g), Coffee with Collagen (7g)
Lunch: Grilled salmon over a kale + quinoa salad (25g)
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry with broccoli, bell peppers, and tamari/soy sauce (30g)
Snack: Protein smoothie with frozen cauliflower and kefir (24g)
TIP: Create a “protein pantry list” of your faves so you always know what to shop for or prep in advance. Things like canned tuna, frozen chicken, hard boiled eggs.
3. Use the “30-30-30” Method
This is my go-to system:
☀️ 30 grams of protein each meal
🌱 30 grams of fiber every day
🏃 30 minutes of movement
Why? Because consistency in these three areas creates real, lasting results—especially for hormone balance and vitality. It’s simple, realistic, and doable. You can learn more about my 30-30-30 Method here.
Next, Get Familiar with Protein Portions
Protein doesn’t have to be weighed or counted obsessively, but it does help to know what you're working with.
🔹 General guidelines:
A palm-sized piece of meat or fish = ~20–30g
¾ cup Greek yogurt = ~17g
½ cup cooked lentils = ~9g
1 cup edamame = ~17g
1 protein smoothie = ~25–30g (depending on ingredients)
Use your hand, not a scale. Your palm is your protein, fist is veggies, cupped hand is carbs, thumb is fats. Easy, right?
4. Batch Prep Your Proteins
Make life easier by cooking 2–3 proteins in bulk once or twice a week. Rotate them into different meals with sauces, veggies, or grain bases. I love to snack on rotisserie chicken, hard boiled eggs or apples with peanut butter and a generous sprinkle of hemp seeds.
🔹 Ideas:
Baked chicken thighs or a shredded rotisserie chicken
Hard-boiled eggs
Quinoa
Grilled tofu or tempeh
Salmon or turkey meatballs
tuna salad
Store in glass containers and pair with ready-to-go sides for quick, balanced meals.
The benefit here is that you can mix and match the components in unique ways throughout the week to eat a variety of meals and getting bored.
5. Make Your Meal Plan
-Set aside time to ACTUALLY make a plan. I like to do this on Sundays, but find a day that works for you. Before you make your plan, take inventory of what you already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry. It’s always a good idea to take a look and see what is there, as a jumping off point.
-Focus on making your shopping list around the dinners you want to make that week. Look at the calendar and be realistic about what you can actually make. I keep a Grocery List in the NOTES app on my phone. I love it because it divides the ingredients for me automatically into the areas of the grocery store where I will find them.
-Use ingredients that you can use multiple times in different dishes: for example, if you buy a big package of spinach for one recipe, can you also wilt that spinach into other recipes? Can you add it into your morning smoothie?
-When you get home from your shop, what items can you quickly prep to make your life a little easier when it comes time to making dinner?
-I’ve said this before, but make extra of your dinners that you can repurpose for your lunches throughout the week.
You’re Not Being “Extra.” You’re Being Proactive.
Eating more protein in midlife isn’t a diet—it’s a form of self-respect.
It’s how you support your changing body with the nutrients it’s quietly begging for.
If you have kids, remember when they were little? You wouldn’t leave the house unprepared. That same energy is needed here. Give yourself the time, energy and attention you need. Try is for a week, and see how it goes.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed? You don’t have to go it alone.
And if you are already a high-protein meal prepper any other tips to share? Leave them in the comments below!
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