High-protein meal planner: hit your protein every day
A high-protein meal planner builds each meal around a protein source and makes sure every day reaches your target, not just the weekly average. Cauli sets protein from your goal (1.6 to 2.0 g per kilogram), fits it inside your calories, and plans batches so the high-protein meals are already cooked on busy nights. One grocery list covers it all.
Key takeaways
- Protein targets by goal: 2.0 g/kg (lose fat, recomp), 1.8 (build muscle), 1.6 (maintain).
- Calories first, then protein as high as the day allows.
- A day is on target at 90% of your protein or more. No upper limit.
- Batch cooking is the easiest way to keep protein high on busy days.
Protein targets by goal
| Goal | Protein per kg | At 70 kg | At 90 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | 2.0 g | 140 g | 180 g |
| Recomp | 2.0 g | 140 g | 180 g |
| Build muscle | 1.8 g | 125 g | 160 g |
| Maintain | 1.6 g | 110 g | 145 g |
Per kilogram of the lower of your current and goal weight, rounded to 5 g. Cauli's starting values; see Methods and sources.
How to plan a high-protein week
- Split protein across the day. With three meals, roughly a quarter at breakfast and the rest across lunch and dinner. A snack helps on four or five meals a day.
- Batch the protein. A tray of chicken thighs, a pot of turkey chili or a pan of egg bites covers three or four meals.
- Pick dense sources on high-target days: chicken breast, lean beef, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, lentils. Our protein-per-calorie ranking compares 59 of them by grams per 100 kcal.
- Keep a simple protein side ready for days that run short.
- Check the day, not the week. Two light days and one huge one aren't the same as three steady ones.
How Cauli plans it
- Your target from your goal and weight, or your own number.
- Calories first, protein close behind: every day within 5% of calories, then protein pushed as high as it fits.
- Protein sides only when they fit, and honest numbers when a day still lands short.
- Computed, not guessed: protein from USDA FoodData Central and product labels, by the gram.
- Batches around busy nights, each labelled with the meals it feeds.
Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone. It's not medical advice; if you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask a clinician about protein.
Questions people ask
How much protein should I eat a day?
Cauli's starting values are 2.0 g per kilogram for losing fat or a recomp, 1.8 g for building muscle and 1.6 g for maintaining, using the lower of your current and goal weight. You can enter your own target if you're 18 or over.
What does a high-protein meal planner do differently?
It builds every meal around a protein source and checks that each day, not just the week, reaches your target. Cauli fits protein inside your calorie target first, then pushes it as high as it can.
What if a day can't reach my protein target?
Cauli adds a simple protein side, like Greek yogurt or eggs, if the calories allow. If protein still lands short, it shows you the honest number instead of contorting the meals.
Is there a maximum amount of protein Cauli will plan?
No upper limit. A day counts as on target when calories are within 5% and protein is at 90% of your target or more.
