Meal Plan Examples

Budget High-Protein Meal Plan Example

An example of a full day of high-protein budget-friendly eating at about 2,000 calories, with every food, serving and number listed.

Written by Somatics · Updated Oct 22, 2026

This budget-friendly high-protein day has about 187 grams of protein, 204 grams of carbs and 49 grams of fat. Most of its protein comes from chicken thigh, whey protein powder and tuna. Our free Macro, TDEE & BMR Calculator estimates your own number, so you can see the example closest to it.

Daily totals

Calories2,001 cal

Carbs204 g

Protein187 g

Fat49 g

Fiber: 31 g

Breakfast

434 cal · 50 g protein

Food	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Oats (rolled), cooked with water¼ cup dry (20 g)	77	3 g	14 g	1 g
Skim milk1 cup (240 ml)	83	8 g	12 g	0 g
Whey protein powder1½ scoops (48 g)	169	38 g	3 g	1 g
Banana1 medium (118 g)	105	1 g	27 g	0 g

Lunch

500 cal · 46 g protein

Food	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Chicken thigh, skinless, roasted5½ oz (156 g)	279	39 g	0 g	13 g
White rice, cooked½ cup (79 g)	103	2 g	22 g	0 g
Mixed vegetables, cooked1 cup (182 g)	118	5 g	24 g	0 g

Snack

250 cal · 13 g protein

Food	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Eggs, hard-boiled2 large (100 g)	155	13 g	1 g	11 g
Apple1 medium (182 g)	95	0 g	25 g	0 g

Dinner

541 cal · 47 g protein

Food	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Tuna, canned in water, drained4½ oz (128 g)	148	33 g	0 g	1 g
Pinto beans, cooked½ cup (86 g)	122	8 g	22 g	1 g
Flour tortilla1 large (72 g)	220	6 g	36 g	6 g
Salsa2 tbsp (36 g)	10	1 g	2 g	0 g
Olive oil1 tsp (5 ml)	40	0 g	0 g	4 g

Evening snack

277 cal · 31 g protein

Food	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Cottage cheese, 2%1¼ cups (282 g)	229	30 g	13 g	6 g
Peanut butter½ tbsp (8 g)	48	2 g	2 g	4 g

Numbers come from the USDA's FoodData Central database for the serving shown. We've rounded them, so meals may not add up to the exact daily totals. Packaged foods vary by brand.

This is an example of what a day of eating can look like, not a prescription or medical advice. If you have a food allergy, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a health condition, go with what your doctor or dietitian recommends.

Need an app to track your meals?

Somatics keeps your calories, carbs, protein and fat in one place, so you can see how close you are to your targets every day.

Using this example

You can swap any food for a similar one you like better, like another lean protein for the chicken thigh or another carb you enjoy for the flour tortilla. Our high-fiber foods list lists everyday foods with their numbers, so swaps are easy to check.

Common questions

Where does the protein in this budget high-protein example come from?

Most of it comes from chicken thigh (39 g), whey protein powder (38 g) and tuna (33 g), about 58% of the day's 187 g.

How are the calories split in this budget high-protein example?

Breakfast has about 434 calories, then lunch 500, the snack 250, dinner 541 and the evening snack 277. Dinner is the biggest meal, at about 27% of the day.

How much fiber does this budget high-protein example have?

About 31 g, mostly from mixed vegetables and pinto beans. That's close to the Dietary Guidelines' 14 g per 1,000 calories, which works out to about 28 g at this calorie level.