I am going to lose my shit if I eat one more baked chicken breast.
It seems easy on the surface to replace chicken with another lean protein source, but there is a certain convenience with chicken. I buy it in bulk from a butcher, ten pounds at a time, on Sundays. Cook it up. Toss a couple breasts in a ziploc, and off I go.
I’ve gotta shake things up though, because Im going boneless skinless insane.
What are your strategies? I mean, I don’t want to eat the same amount of red meat for health reasons. Fish doesn’t taste that great microwaved at work. I don’t eat canned fish as a personal preference.
What are you guys bringing for lunch to the office?
Trader Joe’s has a great selection of chicken sausage. They are already pre-cooked and come in a variety of flavors. Mushroom asiago is one of my favs.
where i live skinless boneless chicken breast goes for $7 to $8 per kg
while lean ground beef goes for $5 to $6 per kg
so the former gives me less fat, a little more protein but a lot less calories for a higher price
while the latter gives me more fat (including sat fat for hormone production), a little less protein and way more calories for a lower price
this is why i removed chicken breast from my diet many months ago and replaced it with ground beef along with eggs and cheese for my whole food protein sources
it tastes better, i feel better than ever (in terms of energy and workout performance), and i spend less money
as for the “health reasons”…people look only at absolutes, they either see the starving vegan eating 99% fruits + veggies but horrible protein and fat intake, while on the other end they see the joe-sixpack-carnivore eating tons of meat and refined grains but minimal fiber and fruits/veggies
it’s called getting a balance, you want a big pile of ground beef in your meal ? surround it with highly anti-inflammatory veggies like carrots, onions, spinach and broccoli and you’ll be fine
I still think fish your best option given your listed preferences. There are too many to try so if you don’t like one, move onto another- but most do reheat well in my experience. The key is to use a lower power setting so you don’t nuke the hell out of the fish. There are plenty of cheap options (some white fish being as cheap as chicken) and most require minimal seasoning to taste good.
Anyways, I personally love a nice medium rare tuna steak with a soy sauce vinaigrette topping. I’ve had this as leftovers many times and still tastes great after microwaving. Keeping the settings low maintains a nice pink inside too.
There are also other forms of chicken besides baked, skinless, boneless breasts. Try some different pieces cooked in different ways.
I love the leg quarters bar-B-qued on the grill. I eat the skin the night I cook them besause it’s crisp but then tear it off for leftover meals. When cooked right even the dark meat is reasonably low in fat. Plus it’s a welcome change from the drier breasts.
I’m bringing eggs and turkey sausage for lunch now- and have chicken at night I make 2 dozen eggs on Sundays and dish 'em out in 4-5 servings. I add a little hot sauce and maybe some low fat cheese.