My Favorite Sources of Protein

I stopped eating meat when I was 13. I've always been a huge animal lover and, growing up in the country, it was pretty hard to ignore the fact that the cute cows in the field were the source of my hamburgers!

One of the first questions people ask when they find out I'm vegetarian is "How do you get your protein?"

For years, I never really gave protein much thought and made the rookie mistake of simply omitting meat from my diet without replacing it so I wasn't getting the nutrition I needed.

Thankfully, that is such an easy thing to fix, especially these days when there are so many great vegetarian options out there. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite protein sources here!

P28 Bread

This is a relatively new find but I fell in love with it instantly!
I cherish every second of sleep, so getting up even few minutes earlier than I absolutely have to is just not going to happen. That means breakfast during the week is always eaten at my desk. A slice of this bread with peanut butter is my go-to Monday through Friday!







Greek Yogurt

I finally tried Greek yogurt for the first time last year and I haven't eaten regular yogurt since. I love Chobani but we don't have it here in Ottawa yet.  Thankfully Oikos is super yummy too!  I bring one of the individual portions to work every day to eat mid-morning, and lately I've been adding a dollop of the vanilla to berries for dessert.

 Simply Bars

 These are perfect for days when you're on the go. I usually carry one in my gym bag, especially on weekends when I know I'll be out running errands or won't be home for hours after my workout. These have a lot more protein in them for the calorie count than most bars, with 16g of protein for 150-160 calories. I haven't tried all the flavors yet, but so far I'm really liking the Lemon Coconut and Peanut Butter Chocolate.


Tofu

I know a lot of people are afraid to even try tofu but there is no reason to be! I love this stuff because it so versatile. Now, I am not a fancy cook, so I love just heating it in a pan until it gets crispy and then adding it to a salad or stir-fry. I've also started making "egg" salad with it, which is perfect for the summer.



How do you get your protein?
Any products I should try?