This 5-day high-protein meal prep plan is one Sunday session that gives you five breakfasts and five lunches for Monday to Friday. Lunches land between about 450 and 515 kcal with 35 to 57 g of protein. Breakfasts are about 214 kcal and 21 g of protein. You cook four things: paprika chicken with rice and broccoli, a turkey and black bean chili, a spinach and feta egg bake, and a Greek yogurt sauce.
All numbers are estimates calculated from USDA FoodData Central on 9 October 2026 for the raw or cooked weights written. Your brands will move them a little. Salt, pepper, garlic, lemon and dried spices are not counted. This is cooking information, not medical advice; see the disclaimer.
New to prep? Read the high-protein meal prep guide for beginners first. It explains the formula this plan is built on, the kit, and what reheats well. This page is the worked example: exact weights, one timeline, and which container you eat on which day.
What this plan is, and what it is not
It is a prep plan: one shopping trip, one cooking block, ten containers. It covers breakfast and lunch on workdays, because those are the meals people usually buy on the run.
It is not a full daily menu. Dinners, snacks and weekends are up to you. If you want every meal of the week written out with daily totals, use the 7-day high-protein meal plan for weight loss instead. The two pages work together: that one tells you what to eat, this one gets two meals a day cooked in advance.
The week at a glance
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Where it is stored on Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Egg bake square | Paprika chicken, rice and broccoli + yogurt sauce | Fridge |
| Tuesday | Egg bake square | Paprika chicken, rice and broccoli + yogurt sauce | Fridge |
| Wednesday | Egg bake square | Paprika chicken, rice and broccoli + yogurt sauce | Fridge |
| Thursday | Egg bake square | Turkey black bean chili with rice + yogurt sauce | Freezer (lunch and breakfast) |
| Friday | Egg bake square | Turkey black bean chili with rice + yogurt sauce | Freezer (lunch and breakfast) |
Why the split: the USDA advises eating most cooked leftovers within three to four days from the fridge. Thursday and Friday are day four and five, so those containers go in the freezer on Sunday. On Wednesday night, move Thursday’s lunch and breakfast to the fridge. On Thursday night, move Friday’s. The chili freezes and reheats better than roasted chicken, which is why it is the end-of-week lunch.
The chili recipe makes four portions. Two are for this week. The other two go in the freezer as a spare lunch or a lazy dinner next week.
Macros per meal
| Meal | kcal | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg bake square (1 of 5) | 214 | 21 | 4 | 12 |
| Chicken, rice and broccoli (1 of 3) | 488 | 53 | 45 | 10 |
| + yogurt sauce (1 of 5) | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Monday to Wednesday lunch total | 515 | 57 | 47 | 10 |
| Turkey black bean chili (1 of 4) | 309 | 29 | 22 | 12 |
| + 100 g cooked brown rice | 112 | 2 | 24 | 1 |
| + yogurt sauce (1 of 5) | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Thursday and Friday lunch total | 448 | 35 | 48 | 13 |
Breakfast plus lunch comes to roughly 660 to 730 kcal and 56 to 78 g of protein, which leaves room for dinner and a snack in most weight-loss calorie targets. If 214 kcal is too small a breakfast for you, add a piece of fruit or a slice of whole-grain toast. If the chicken lunch is more food than you need, use 150 g of chicken per box instead of 200 g.
Shopping list
| Section | Item | Amount used |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Boneless skinless chicken breast | 600 g |
| Meat | Ground turkey, 93% lean | 500 g |
| Eggs and dairy | Large eggs | 10 (about 500 g without shells) |
| Eggs and dairy | Liquid egg whites | 250 g |
| Eggs and dairy | Plain nonfat Greek yogurt | 200 g |
| Eggs and dairy | Feta | 60 g |
| Produce | Broccoli florets | 450 g |
| Produce | Bell peppers | 2 (about 220 g) |
| Produce | Onion | 1 medium (110 g) |
| Produce | Baby spinach | 150 g |
| Produce | Cucumber | 100 g |
| Produce | Lemon and garlic | 1 lemon, 4 cloves |
| Pantry | Brown rice | About 200 g dry (650 g cooked) |
| Pantry | Black beans, canned | 1 can, about 255 g drained |
| Pantry | Crushed tomatoes, canned | 400 g |
| Pantry | Olive oil | 15 g (about 1 tablespoon) |
| Spices | Paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried dill | To taste |
You need ten containers: five for lunches, five small ones or a lidded box for the egg squares, plus five small pots for sauce. Budget swaps are in cheap high-protein meals: chicken thighs instead of breast, or dried lentils instead of half the turkey.
The Sunday timeline (about 90 minutes)
- 0:00 Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Rinse the rice and start it in a pot or rice cooker.
- 0:05 Heat 5 g oil in a large pot. Add the diced onion and one diced pepper, cook 5 minutes.
- 0:10 Add the turkey. Break it up and cook until no pink remains.
- 0:15 Add 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, the crushed tomatoes and the rinsed beans. Simmer on low, lid ajar, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 0:20 Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces. Toss with 5 g oil, 2 teaspoons paprika, garlic and a pinch of salt. Spread on one lined pan. Toss the broccoli with the last 5 g oil on the second pan. Roast both 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken reads 165°F (74°C).
- 0:25 Whisk the eggs and egg whites. Stir in the spinach, the second diced pepper and the crumbled feta. Pour into a 20 x 30 cm dish lined with baking paper.
- 0:45 Chicken and broccoli out. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the egg dish 25 to 30 minutes, until the center no longer wobbles.
- 0:50 Grate the cucumber, squeeze out the water, stir into the yogurt with lemon juice, a grated garlic clove and dill. Divide into five small pots.
- 1:00 Spread the chili and the remaining rice in shallow containers to cool. Do not leave the full pot on the stove for hours.
- 1:15 Cut the egg bake into five squares when it is cool enough to handle.
- 1:20 Pack: three boxes of 150 g rice, one third of the chicken and one third of the broccoli. Two boxes of chili with 100 g rice. Label every container with the day.
- 1:30 Fridge: Monday to Wednesday lunches, three egg squares, five sauce pots. Freezer: Thursday and Friday lunches, two egg squares, two spare chili portions.
Recipe 1: Paprika chicken, rice and broccoli (3 boxes)
Per box: about 488 kcal, 53 g protein, 45 g carbs, 10 g fat (without sauce).
- 600 g raw boneless skinless chicken breast
- 450 g cooked brown rice
- 450 g broccoli florets
- 10 g olive oil, split between the two pans
- 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper
Roast as in the timeline. Let the chicken rest five minutes before dividing so the juice stays in the meat. To reheat, sprinkle a teaspoon of water over the rice, cover loosely and microwave until steaming hot throughout. Add the yogurt sauce after heating, not before.
Recipe 2: Turkey black bean chili (4 portions)
Per portion: about 309 kcal, 29 g protein, 22 g carbs, 12 g fat (without rice or sauce).
- 500 g raw 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 medium onion (110 g), diced
- 1 bell pepper (120 g), diced
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, rinsed (about 255 g drained)
- 5 g olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, salt
Thaw frozen portions in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave, stirring halfway, until steaming hot in the middle. Chili often tastes better on day four than on day one, which is why it sits at the end of the week.
Recipe 3: Spinach and feta egg bake (5 squares)
Per square: about 214 kcal, 21 g protein, 4 g carbs, 12 g fat.
- 10 large eggs (about 500 g)
- 250 g liquid egg whites
- 150 g baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper (100 g), diced
- 60 g feta, crumbled
- Pepper and dried herbs; skip extra salt, the feta is salty
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Reheat a square for 45 to 60 seconds, or eat it cold. If you prefer a sweet breakfast, swap this for Greek yogurt breakfast meal prep jars, or a freezer option like the black bean egg breakfast burritos.
Recipe 4: Greek yogurt cucumber sauce (5 pots)
Per pot: about 27 kcal, 4 g protein. 200 g plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 100 g grated and squeezed cucumber, half a lemon, one garlic clove, dried dill. Keep it in the fridge only; do not freeze it. Make a fresh half batch on Wednesday evening if you want it at its best on Thursday and Friday.
Packing and reheating tips
- Pack rice under the protein. The chicken juice soaks into the rice instead of pooling at the bottom of the box.
- Leave the lid loose when reheating. Steam keeps the chicken moist; a fully sealed lid can pop or warp.
- Stir halfway. Microwaves heat unevenly. Stir the chili or rice after one minute, then keep heating until it is steaming hot throughout.
- Carry sauce cold. Keep the yogurt pot in a lunch bag with an ice pack and add it at the table.
- Write the day, not just the date. “THU” on the lid is faster to read at 7 a.m. than a date.
Week two: swap one thing
Repeat the same plan for a second week before you change anything. Then swap one element at a time:
- Replace the chicken box with sheet-pan chicken thighs and potatoes.
- Replace the chili with the peanut tofu rice bowl for a plant-based lunch.
- Replace the egg bake with high-protein overnight oats.
For more lunches tested for the microwave, see high-protein lunches that reheat well.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to eat meal prep on day five?
The USDA advises eating most cooked leftovers within three to four days from the fridge. That is why this plan freezes the Thursday and Friday containers on Sunday and thaws each one in the fridge the night before.
How much protein is in this 5-day meal prep plan?
Each workday gives about 56 to 78 g of protein from breakfast and lunch: about 21 g from the egg bake and 35 to 57 g from the lunch, based on USDA FoodData Central estimates.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Yes. Use the same raw weight of boneless skinless thighs. Protein per box drops by a few grams and fat rises slightly, but thighs stay juicier when reheated.
Can I make this plan vegetarian?
Replace the turkey with 200 g dried lentils cooked in the same sauce, and the chicken with extra-firm tofu. Protein per lunch will be lower, so keep the yogurt sauce and the egg bake.
How is this different from a 7-day meal plan?
This page is a cooking plan for workday breakfasts and lunches from one session. A 7-day meal plan is a full menu for every meal of the week.
