After a hard weight training workout, you need to replenish your lost glycogen (stored muscle energy). Without it, your muscles will repair themselves at a decreased rate and you will not gain muscle mass as quickly as you could.
The best protein to ingest after a weight training workout would be one digested and absorbed very quickly. This would be free form amino acids. Free form amino acids can come in a powder, liquid or tablet form. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. So instead of eating protein and having your body break it down into amino acids to use for muscle repair, you can simply ingest the amino acids and they will go right to work rebuilding your muscles.
If you do not have access to free form amino acids, the next best meal would be a whey protein shake. Whey is the byproduct of the cheese-making process and has the highest bioavailability of all whole food proteins. It goes to work quickly after ingesting it and is digested easily.
If you are looking for a whole meal idea, lean protein sources such as chicken, turkey or egg whites would be best. Coupled with a carbohydrate, these make great post-workout meals. You will want to stay away from fats as much as possible, because this will slow down the digestion process and not allow the protein to be absorbed as quickly.
Some great meal ideas include chicken breast with rice, tilipia with vegetables, egg whites with vegetables, fish tacos or chicken salad pasta.
