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help me get more protein in my diet!!

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I have realized in the past couple weeks that I am eating WAY too many carbs and not enough protein.  I sometimes eat egg whites and fish.  I'm not a big meat eater, though.  What things can I eat to balance out my protein intake and take away some of the carbs I'm eating?

I usually eat oatmeal and cereal for breakfast, a salad or turkey sandwich for lunch, fruit for snacks, and sadly, cereal or a sandwich for dinner (sometimes I eat sushi if I get to the store).  How can I get more protein in throughout my day?  Oh and I should say I'm lactose intolerant so no dairy!

Thanks for any ideas!

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Add raw spinach leaves to your salad and/or sandwich, also can add black beans to your salad.  Have to say though that your dinner isn't helping much...there are a lot better options that are fast and full of nutrients than cereal or a turkey sandwich.  Do roasted veggies (broccoli is great source of protein) with lemon and/or seasonings over wild rice.  Tofu, lentils, spinach, and beans are good to incorporate in your dinner plan...
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Thanks for the ideas..I do actually have spinach leaves in my salad.

The problem with dinner is that I'm a grad student and 4 days a week do not get home until 10pm.  I'm pretty busy til then so usually have frequent snacks throughout the day after lunch to hold me over til 10pm.  I know it's not the ideal schedule to eat and whatnot but that's how it is.  And plus, I can't cook :)

I guess I should reword my question...are there any snacks that are easy to bring to work or class with me that are full of protein, instead of my usual dry cereal or fruit that are loaded with carbs? 

If you freeze yogurt or cottage cheese it will thaw time you want to eat if away or get a little lunch cooler. Greek yogurt is higher in protein,along with string cheese.Could you pack a dinner to have before class and then have a snack when you get home? There are on the go tuna packets or salmon too. Hummus,nuts,peanut butter,veggie protein like veggie burgers.
Met-RX Supreme Whey Protein Powder as a suppliment is pretty good with milk.
Cheese sticks, yogurt, sandwiches (tuna, chicken, peanut butter, cheese, etc). Add beans, chopped hard boiled eggs, nuts, shredded cheese, tofu, cottage cheese, or lean meat to salads to boost protein.

You could make your oatmeal with milk instead of water or add nuts/cottage cheese/flaxseed.
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thanks for the ideas...but like i said i'm lactose intolerant so no dairy :(  unfortunately!

They have lactose-free cottage cheese and milk now. Cheese and yoghurt have very little lactose in them naturally, but you could get soy yoghurt and I believe they have non-dairy cheeses as well. Tofu is a huge source of non-animal protein.

But really I'd say you shouldn't 'sometimes' eat eggwhites - if you won't eat meat or dairy products you should be eating a lot more eggs.  Woman cannot live by carbs alone...

The word CAN implies an ability, I am sure you can cook, are able to cook, but maybe you just need a bit of practice.  Roasting/steaming veggies is about as easy as it gets.

protein bars :)


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