Your diet is the most important factor that contributes to muscle gain. 

Because although you can create micro-tears in your muscles from working out, they can only rebuild themselves if they have the protein they need to turn into muscle tissue.

People also find prepping meals quite tricky & tiring; it’s either they “don’t have time”, which in most cases is equivalent to laziness, or “I don’t have enough money” which is also in most cases the equivalent of laziness.

Unfortunately, most people who “don’t have enough money” opt for cheap, ready-on-the-go and ultra-processed protein sources. 

An example is Fridge Raiders.

Or they go for wraps that they sell in stores, which are ultra-processed.

Even worse, people opt for fast-food protein more often, like KFC.

You must avoid these proteins, as they can mess with your gut and hormones, leading to fat gain and all other types of conditions or diseases.

Therefore, this article is for those looking for recipes to prepare for building muscle and remaining healthy. 

*I have listed where you can get the individual ingredients from at the bottom of this article

1. Grilled Chicken Salad

The Grilled Chicken Salad is an excellent choice for those who “don’t have time” to do much cooking and provides you with protein (from the grilled chicken) and micronutrients (from the salad).

Grilled Chicken Salad (Easy In 30 Minutes!) – Wholesome Yum

Feel free to customize the salad by adding your favourite vegetables or seeds. 

If you have another way of making this recipe, feel free to use it.

• If you don’t want to grill the chicken, cook them as regular chicken breasts
• Add sliced boiled eggs to it for extra protein
• Add some sliced avocados for extra satiety and energy
• If you want carbs, use brown rice for fewer insulin spikes, which means you’ll be less hungry throughout the day
• If you don’t want any other greens, use iceberg lettuce
• Feel free to not put a dressing on the salad and avoid using mayonnaise & salad cream

2. Potatoes, Tuna and Cheese!

This meal takes particularly longer to prepare but the oven does most of the job. So you can be doing other things whilst the potatoes cook. You get 2 sources of protein (cheese & tuna), and your healthy carbohydrate from the potatoes.

The Best Tuna Baked Potato | Don’t Go Bacon My Heart (dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk)

You can add some chopped-up red onions and cucumbers on the side for more micronutrients!

Feel free to add chopped red onions and cucumbers on the side, or to keep the tuna mixture plain.

* You can adjust the ingredient sizes!

3. Whole Grain Chicken Wraps

Don’t have “much time” to cook? The whole grain veggie wraps are a nice & tasty option for lunch or dinner. 

The wraps are whole grain which is healthier for you, and you get your protein from the chicken breasts that are in the wraps.

Creating whole-grain chicken wraps is a nutritious and versatile way to enjoy a satisfying meal.

Healthy Whole Grain Chicken Wraps (and Pinwheels) – Hostess At Heart

Feel free to customize the wraps with your favourite vegetables, herbs, or additional sauces. These wraps are a great option for a healthy and flavourful lunch or dinner.

• If you don’t want to grill the chicken, cut them into mouthful pieces and fry them
• Feel free to fry bacon and add it to the wrap for extra protein
• Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top for extra protein

4. Vegetable Noodles & Chicken Breasts

This recipe takes relatively longer to make but is very rich in nutrients and in it’s taste.

You get your protein from the chicken breasts, and your micronutrients from the vegetables.

Chicken noodle stir-fry recipe – BBC Food

Feel free to customize the dish with your favourite herbs, spices, or additional vegetables. 

• You can add chopped omelettes for extra protein
• You can add chopped sausages for extra protein

5. Fried rice

This recipe takes a bit longer but it’s worth your taste buds! Reach your protein goals from the delicious omelette and some micronutrients from the vegetables.

Making fried rice is a versatile and delicious way to use leftover rice and create a satisfying meal. Here’s a basic recipe for making classic fried rice:

Egg Fried Rice – The Woks of Life

Enjoy your fried rice!

Feel free to remove or add some vegetables, or scramble the eggs instead

6. Potato Salad

Want a cold meal to take to work? Then potato salad is for you! You get healthy carbs from the potatoes, micronutrients from the vegetables, and protein from the sliced-boiled eggs.

Classic Potato Salad – The Daring Gourmet

Enjoy your homemade potato salad!

Feel free to customize the potato salad by adding ingredients like a sprinkle of paprika for additional flavour. 

• Instead of using potatoes, you could use pasta instead, which makes it pasta salad!

7. Tomato Sauce Chicken Drumsticks with Rice

This meal can be quick to make if you’ve already prepared the chicken. Tomato Sauce Chicken Drumsticks with Rice helps you reach your protein goals and is overall delicious! 

With the salad on the side, you can get extra micronutrients!

Easy Chicken in Tomato Sauce – A 30 Minute One Pan Meal – Laughing Spatula

How to cook perfect rice – BBC Food

Enjoy your Tomato Sauce Chicken Drumsticks with Rice, a delicious and comforting meal!

• Feel free to use chicken breasts, eggs or fish (like salmon) instead of chicken drumsticks
• Feel free to change the ingredients in the salad

Where to get each ingredient from

What you can get from supermarkets: 

• Eggs
• Chicken breast (make sure it’s the only ingredient or it says “100% chicken breast”)
• Chicken drumsticks (make sure it’s the only ingredient or it says “100% chicken”)
• Sausages (make sure it’s the only ingredient or it says “100% pork”)
• Canned tuna (make sure it’s the only ingredient or it says “100% fish/tuna”)
• Cheese
• All spices & seasonings
• All vegetables

What you should get from markets: 

• All fish (salmon, mackerel etc.)

Conclusion

You may be wondering, if I’m not trying to lose weight, why do I need to control my insulin?

It’s because it can lead to fat gain and decreased energy levels throughout the day.

What if I’m trying to gain weight? If you’re trying to do so, gain MUSCLE not FAT. And you do that by increasing your protein intake (not your carbohydrate intake) and working out regularly.

Every now and then, you can eat more carbs if you wish.

Healthy fats like avocados also provide you with more energy than carbs, so slowly lower the carbs in your diet and increase the healthy fats and protein in your diet. *Try and add avocados to most of your salads!

If you think the ratio of the ingredients is odd, experiment with them and change them according to your needs.