You don’t have to be a trainer, dietitian, or nutritionist to know that your body needs to recharge with protein meals after a workout. No matter if you’re running, going to the gym, or playing your favorite sport, it’s important to help give your body something filling and healthy.

The most important nutrient you can give yourself is protein. Many people skip eating out on protein because they’re afraid they’re going to be overly bulky, looking like their muscles have muscles. Fear not friends, as obtaining that level of physique requires months if not years of dedicated training and strict dieting.

Below, we’re going to outline a few easy and delicious meals that you can prepare for yourself after finishing your workout.

Quinoa for Breakfast

If you’re someone that likes to get up and work out before starting your day, this is one of the best protein meals out there for you.

Quinoa, technically a seed, is one food that is packed with protein. For every 100 grams of quinoa, you’re going to be getting almost 15 grams of protein. This seed packs quite the punch!

For every cup of quinoa, boil three cups of water but be careful not to eat too much as its quite filling despite the small nature.

Once you’ve cooked your quinoa, you’ve got some choices for the topping. Cook up a few eggs to lay over the top, add an avocado, or do both. You really can’t go wrong.

If you’re looking for something with a sweeter taste, mix in some berries with your quinoa with a pinch of ginger for a bit of a kick to your morning. Or, try whatever you want in it! Quinoa can be quite flexible and you might surprise yourself with the perfect recipe.

Wraps for Lunch

Let’s be honest here, wraps are the new sandwiches. Subway had its time advertising the foot-long subs, but we can safely say that wraps have made their mark.

When it comes to making wraps, you’ve got plenty of options. You can throw in any kind of meat, but it’s best to use turkey or chicken. Why? With beef or even lean meat, you cross the line into burritoville and that may invite you to put on some unhealthy ingredients.

Wraps offer you a chance to put in plenty of vegetables as well, mixing with lettuce, avocado, or spinach leaves. Make sure you go easy on the sauce, as many are unhealthy and they can drip everywhere.

You also have the option to serve them cold or hot. It’s hard to mess up a wrap!

Chicken Plates for Dinner

When it comes to chicken, there are lots of incredible recipes out there. One of the best, however, is baked Italian chicken. It’s easy to make, filled with protein, and has all of that Italian flavor that comes with it.

Chicken is perfect because it’s a lean meat, but also because it is so incredibly versatile. You can throw it together with almost any vegetables, use it in a quinoa dish, make delicious fajitas with it, or come up with your own seasoning.

Another easy recipe to tackle is chicken stir-fry. This will allow you to use plenty of spices and sauces to make your perfect zesty dish. The biggest tip we can offer here is to cook the vegetables and chicken separate, before adding them together. It can be tempting to cook everything at once, but have them in different bowls before starting off.

Lots of Protein Snacks

If you’re someone who is working out on the go and may not have time to sit down and prepare protein meals, there are plenty of delicious protein snacks out there for you.

Make your own trail mix at home, using plenty of pistachios and pumpkin seeds along with your regular dose of nuts. If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, throw in some berries or broken up pieces of dark chocolate.

For those wanting to prepare more of their own snacks, give falafel a try. It can go in wraps we mentioned earlier or can be made into little bite-sized pieces that can be eaten throughout the day. As a quick notice, making falafel does require about 24 hours of total time (most of that is soaking the chickpeas) so plan accordingly.