5 High-Protein Breakfast Ideas

Protein forward meals, part 1

Dec 02, 2024

Ahh, protein. Ya’ll know I have a great big love for protein, especially after reading the fantastic book Forever Strong earlier this year. (Check out my review of the book for more on the importance of animal protein in our daily diet.)

This has been such an important focus for me lately as a nursing mom with three kids under 4. Not only do I want to ensure I’m fueling my body well so that my milk supply remains strong and nutrient dense, but I also want to feel full and satiated and avoid any glucose spikes that will make me feel tired and sluggish (nobody needs that!).

And that’s where good-quality protein (and fats) comes in. While I’ve learned this from extensive reading and research, my own personal experience has confirmed it’s validity: creating protein-forward meals (especially for breakfast) is the best way to stay full for hours, avoid glucose spikes that bring you crashing back down, and overall make you feel good throughout the day.

That’s why, over the next three weeks, I’m going to share meal ideas with you that feature at least 30 grams of protein—starting with breakfast, my most favorite meal of the day.

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The traditional American breakfast
My kids and I eat this at least 3 times a week. It’s just so simple to throw together and I experience no cravings or hunger until lunchtime!
1. Two-three eggs: 12-18 grams (without a carb on my plate, I can easily and happily eat three eggs)
2. Half of an ounce of cheese shredded on top of the eggs: 3.5 grams
3. Two slices of bacon or one large sausage patty: ~6 grams
4. Eight ounce glass of raw milk or kefir: ~8-10 grams
5. Protein total = 29.5-37.5 grams of protein
6. Bonus: Swap the shredded cheese for half a cup cottage cheese (you can mix them into scrambled eggs for fluffy eggs or eat it on the side) to add 14 more grams of protein.
Sprouted Oatmeal with protein-add ins
A bowl of oatmeal is so comforting to me. It can be hard to get enough protein with oats, which is why we only eat it about once a week, BUT it’s not impossible. Here are a few things you can add into your oats to pack it with protein:
1. Cook in raw milk: 8-16 grams, depending on how much milk you use
2. Collagen peptides: 18 grams (2 scoops )
3. Organic peanut butter (make sure it’s just peanuts and salt in there; no seed oils): 8 grams (2 tbsp)
4. 1-2 eggs*: 12 grams
5. Protein total = ~46 grams
6. *Don’t just drop eggs into hot oatmeal, they will scramble. Instead, scramble raw eggs in a separate bowl and slowly ladle in about a cup of hot oatmeal into the bowl with eggs before you incorporate back into your pot of oatmeal.
Yogurt and all the fix-ins
Don’t ever feel bad about feeding your family an “easy” meal, and yogurt is the ultimate easy meal. No stove means minimal mess to cleanup, and who doesn’t love that?! Greek yogurt is packed with protein and at Costco, you can get a huge tub for less than $7. Painterland Sisters is an incredible brand of skyr yogurt that packs even more protein than traditional greek yogurt (21grams vs. 16).
1. 3/4 cup of greek yogurt: 16-21 grams
2. Collagen peptides: 18 grams (2 scoops)
3. Add other fun fix-ins like granola (watch for seed oils; I like Purely Elizabeth or a homemade version like this one), bee pollen, and raw honey for immunity support.
4. * You can also turn this into a smoothie: add milk or kefir, greek yogurt, collagen peptides, peanut butter, chia seeds, desiccated liver, protein powder, and fruit of choice like bananas. I personally never feel full for more than 1.5 hours after a smoothie—even when it packs this much protein. I think it has to do with the importance of chewing your calories over drinking them, but you’ll have to decide for yourself!
Protein pancakes with eggs and a breakfast meat
Noelle Kovary has several highlights of recipes on her Instagram and one that I love is her protein pancakes. I’ve listed it below, but I encourage you to check out her highlights for more high protein meal ideas.
1. Eat these pancakes with bacon, fried eggs and a glass of milk and you easily have more than 30 grams of protein.
A breakfast sandwich or burrito
I keep these sourdough dinner rolls in my freezer because they make the perfect bread for a breakfast sandwich. You can also make a breakfast burrito/taco with my tortilla recipe or with a store-bought, clean version like Vista Hermosa. In the sandwich add:
1. An egg patty made of 2-3 eggs (just bake in a square dish): 12-18 grams
2. Two slices of bacon or one large sausage patty: ~6 grams
3. One slice of raw cheese like Organic Valley: 5 grams
4. Glass of kefir on the side: 10 grams
5. Protein total = 33-39 grams