Five Easy Meals To Gain Muscle Fast

Lean Beef Meatball Pasta With Spinach

This is a meal that can easily be packed away and taken with you on the move and is jam packed full of iron and protein. It boasts a huge 51g of protein per portion and 50g carbohydrates giving it both an energy kick as well as a muscle building push.

To make the meatballs you will need:

• 6 oz  ground beef
• 1/2 cup shredded spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion - diced
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Set the oven to 405 degrees F prior to starting the mix. Saute the red onions in a skillet using spray olive oil. Mix ground beef, red onion, garlic, spinach and spices and mix using your hands until the spinach is completely mixed into the meat. Make two or three meatballs of roughly the same size and for accuracy, you can use a food scale to weigh and measure each meatball. Place meatballs on a greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cook pasta and then serve with meatballs.

Spinach & Feta Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Rice

Spinach is a super food so its a good idea to try and add it into your diet at least 3-4 times a week. It can be added to almost any meal so try adding it to salads or with chicken to give some added flavour.

This has 32g or carbs and 43g of protein per serving.

• 6 oz chicken breast
• 1/2 cup raw spinach - washed
• 1 large tomato
• 2 tbsp feta cheese
• 1/2 cup rice (brown or basmati)

Set oven to 375 degrees F before preparing. Slice the chicken breast down the middle and open up to make it look like a butterfly; but make sure not to slice all the way through. Open the chicken breast and, on one side, layer spinach, tomato slices, and feta cheese. Fold the chicken breast closed to its normal shape and use toothpicks to hold it together. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken breast is completely cooked. Cook brown rice (or use a microwave portion) and add garlic and diced onion for extra flavor. Then add the chicken breast to the rice and serve.

Mustard Baked Salmon with Grilled Asparagus

Asparagus is another of the vegetables you really should try and introduce to your diet every week. Also salmon is a great fish to have once a week as it is jammed full of protein but not only that it's full of healthy fats and oils.

See Also: Bulk Up: 10 Foods That Will Help You Gain Clean Muscle

This dish has only 7g carbs and 40g protein so is great for losing weight also.

• 5 oz salmon (measured raw)
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard or regular
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic
• Juice from half of a lemon
• 1 1/2 cup grilled asparagus

Set oven to 405 degrees F and then in a bowl, mix the mustard, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. This will make your marinade for the salmon. Then layer the marinade over the salmon and completely cover it leaving for at least 1 hour to soak in for best results. Place the salmon on a baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes. Cut the bottom stems off the asparagus if desired and grill in a nonstick skillet on medium high heat with spray olive oil (if desired).Toss the garlic in the skillet and sear for about 5 minutes, making sure the asparagus is rolled so that all sides are seared.

Healthy Desserts For Gaining Muscles

Banana, Blueberry, and Oatmeal Pancakes

A great nutrition plan is one that is made up of healthy and balanced foods. But it's inevitable that you will crave sweetness at some point, but you dont have to sacrifice your muscle building to get this fix.

Per serving the pancakes have 60g of carbohydrate and 47g of protein, having high carbs early in the day is fine so it may be better to eat as a breakfast option.

• 1 scoop protein (vanilla)
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
• 1/2 medium banana
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2 tsp baking powder

Put oatmeal in a blender and blend until it becomes fine. Add the eggs, banana, protein powder, and baking powder and pulse the blender until the mixture is smooth. Place the blueberries into the batter and mix. Place a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat and measure out about 1/4 of a cup of batter per pancake. IF you want to cook faster Cover the pancakes while they cook to help the inside cook faster. Cook them for about 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side.

Green Meal Replacement Smoothie

Quite often you are looking to lose weight at the same time as gaining muscle or you're simply in a rush. If that happens then a meal replacement smoothie could be a great option. But it's important that they dont skimp on the nutrients you need.

This particular smoothie has 26g protein and 45g carbohydrate. Smoothies have received quite bad press recently as fruit based ones are very high in sugar but vegetable based smoothies are much better for you.

• 1 scoop of your chosen protein
• 1/2 small avocado
• 1/3 banana
• 1/4 cup pineapple
• 3 strawberries (raw or frozen)
• 1/4 cup water or 1/4 yoghurt
• Ice for desired thickness

The simplest way to make this smoothie is just to throw all the ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth. Instead of using ice, you can freeze the fruit to chill the smoothie if you prefer. Another option is if you want more complex carbs and make the shake thicker/fuller then add 1/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal to allow it to be more filling and keep you fuller for longer.

See Also: Top 10 Foods to Maximize Muscle Power

Building muscle is not as easy as simply lifting weights, poor nutrition will mean you do not have the protein or energy to repair the muscle tissue and build the stronger and bigger muscles you desire. The best way to make sure your muscles are always fuelled is to eat 5 or 6 small meals per day instead of 3 big ones. Also if you try to pyramid your carbohydrates but start with your morning meals being the highest in carb content and your evening meals being almost nil carbs. This prevents the body from storing excess carbs as fat when they are not burned off over night.