High Protein Meal Prep for Busy Dads: 5 Easy Recipes
Meal prep sounds like something that requires a Sunday morning, twelve Tupperware boxes, and the patience of a saint. It doesn’t. These five recipes take 30–45 minutes total, give you 3–4 days of high-protein meals, and require zero cooking skill beyond basic competence with a hob.
Why Bother With Meal Prep?
Because hungry dads make terrible food decisions. When you’re busy, tired, and there’s nothing ready to eat, you order a takeaway or raid the biscuit tin. Meal prep removes that decision — there’s already something good in the fridge.
It also makes hitting your protein target dramatically easier. Cook once, eat well four times.
Recipe 1: Batch-Cooked Chicken Thighs
Protein: ~35g per portion | Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 35 mins | Makes: 4 portions
Chicken thighs are cheaper, juicier, and harder to ruin than breasts. Season with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast at 200°C for 35 minutes. Done. Eat with rice, in wraps, on salads — goes with everything.
- 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on for best flavour)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
Store in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or eat cold in wraps.
Recipe 2: Greek Yoghurt Bowls
Protein: ~25–30g per portion | Prep: 2 mins | No cooking | Makes: 1 portion
This isn’t really meal prep — it takes two minutes to assemble. But it’s the highest-protein, lowest-effort breakfast or snack available.
- 200g full-fat Greek yoghurt (~20g protein)
- 1 scoop whey protein stirred in (~21g protein)
- Handful of berries
- Drizzle of honey
- Tablespoon of granola for crunch
Total: ~40g protein, takes 2 minutes. Buy a big tub of Greek yoghurt at the start of the week and this becomes zero-effort.
Recipe 3: Tuna and Rice Protein Bowls
Protein: ~40g per portion | Prep: 5 mins | Cook: 15 mins | Makes: 4 portions
Cook a big batch of rice (300g dry = 4 portions cooked). Mix each portion with a drained tin of tuna, half an avocado, cucumber, a squeeze of lemon, and soy sauce. This is genuinely good — not a sad desk lunch.
- 300g basmati rice (dry weight)
- 4 tins tuna in spring water (~34g protein each)
- 2 avocados
- 1 cucumber
- Soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil
Prep the rice on Sunday. Assemble each bowl fresh (2 minutes). Rice keeps 4 days in the fridge.
Recipe 4: Egg Muffins
Protein: ~18g per 3 muffins | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins | Makes: 12 muffins
Essentially mini frittatas in a muffin tin. Incredibly versatile — put anything you like in them.
- 8 eggs, whisked
- 100g diced cooked ham or bacon
- 50g grated cheddar
- Handful of spinach or peppers
- Salt, pepper, a pinch of chilli flakes
Pour into a greased 12-hole muffin tin. Bake at 180°C for 18–20 minutes. Keeps in the fridge for 4 days. Grab 3 for breakfast, eat cold or 45 seconds in the microwave.
Recipe 5: Overnight Oats
Protein: ~30g per portion | Prep: 3 mins | No cooking | Makes: 1 portion
Takes 3 minutes the night before, zero minutes in the morning. The ultimate time-poor dad breakfast.
- 80g rolled oats
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein
- 200ml milk (any kind)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- Banana or berries on top
Mix everything in a jar or Tupperware. Put in fridge overnight. Eat in the morning, no heating required. Prep 3–4 jars on Sunday for the week.
The Sunday Prep Routine (45 Minutes Total)
- 0:00 — Chicken thighs in the oven (35 minutes)
- 0:05 — Rice on the hob (15 minutes)
- 0:10 — Egg muffin mix assembled, into oven alongside chicken (20 minutes)
- 0:20 — Rice done, portion into containers
- 0:30 — Muffins out, chicken out
- 0:40 — Everything portioned and in the fridge
- 0:45 — Done. 4 days of high-protein eating sorted.
See also: How much protein does a man over 40 need per day? — so you know exactly what you’re aiming for.