High protein meal prep in Sydney does not have to mean another beige tub of chicken and rice. Argentum makes hand-folded Argentinian empanadas that bake from frozen in 18 minutes, with the chicken-led Athlete carrying an estimated 15g of protein per empanada in a wholemeal dough built for active lifestyles. Two empanadas plus a salad, and lunch is done.
If you train three to five times a week and want real food that fits a sensible macro plan, this is a different way to think about meal prep. Not tub-filling. Not lukewarm rice. Real Argentinian food, portioned for you, ready to bake when hunger hits.
Why empanadas work for meal prep.
Most meal prep coverage in Sydney circles back to two options: a tub from a meal-prep franchise, or a Sunday hunched over Tupperware with rice, broccoli, and chicken thighs. Both work. Both get old quickly. Empanadas solve the same problem differently.
Each empanada is a self-contained serve. One filling, one dough, one portion. Individually folded, individually frozen. No decanting from a tray, no scooping cold rice, no thawing a brick of mince. You bake what you need, when you need it.
That single-portion structure makes the math easier. Two empanadas with a salad is a meal. The freezer holds them for up to 6 months at -18°C, so you batch the buying, not the cooking. Upside of meal prep without the Sunday-gone downside. Free yourself from prep purgatory. The kitchen in Bondi did the work for you.
Real food that happens to hit the protein numbers.
This is not a "diet empanada" or a protein-bar dressed up as dinner. Argentum empanadas are restaurant-quality Argentinian food, hand-folded by Pedro and the team in Bondi. The protein math just works out because the fillings are mostly free-range chicken, grass-fed beef brisket, or spiced beef. Real food first, macros second.
The Athlete: built for post-workout fuel.
The Athlete is designed with active people in mind. Free-range chicken, lemon, onion, capsicum, garlic, green olives, curry, and mozzarella, in a wholemeal dough. Every ingredient is there for a reason.
- Free-range chicken. Lean protein base, slow-cooked then shredded, closer to pulled chicken than the mince common in cheaper empanadas. Approximately 15g of protein per empanada.
- Wholemeal dough. Slower-digesting carbohydrates to refill glycogen after training without the blood-sugar spike of white-flour pastry. Extra fibre too.
- Lemon. Brightness and acidity. Cuts the richness and makes it feel like real food instead of stodge.
- Green olives. Healthy fats and a little sodium. After a hard session, mineral and electrolyte balance matters.
- Curry. Turmeric-led spice blend with anti-inflammatory properties. Small dose, big aroma.
- Onion, capsicum, garlic, mozzarella. Sweetness, body, and just enough creaminess to feel indulgent.
Estimated macros per Athlete empanada, approximate and varying with size and preparation: roughly 15g protein, around 24g carbohydrate, around 12g fat. Exact lab-verified numbers are on the product detail page.
This is not for a bodybuilder chasing 200g of protein a day. It is for the much larger group who train three to five times a week, want real food, and do not want the same five ingredients on rotation for the next year.
A week of meal prep built around the range.
Here is a sample week using The Athlete as the workhorse, with the other protein-forward flavours rotating in for variety. Two empanadas per meal, paired with a fresh side to add greens and fibre.
| Day | Empanadas | Side |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Athlete x2 | Big mixed-green salad, lemon, olive oil |
| Tuesday | Carnivore x2 | Roasted sweet potato, paprika |
| Wednesday | Athlete x2 | Cabbage slaw, apple cider vinegar |
| Thursday | Habibi Yalla x2 | Tabbouleh with parsley, lemon, cracked wheat |
| Friday | Athlete x2 | Roasted veg (zucchini, capsicum, red onion) |
Ten empanadas across the week. Approximate protein from empanadas alone: around 100g. Pair with the sides above and you add fibre, micronutrients, and enough variety to actually look forward to lunch.
One Family Box (30 empanadas at $122 on subscription) covers this plan for about three weeks. Buy one, do not think about food prep for nearly a month.
Sample macros for the protein flavours.
A quick reference for the three highest-protein options in the active range. Macros are approximate, based on typical recipe ratios, and vary with preparation method (baked, air-fried, or fried in beef tallow add slightly different fat numbers). Treat these as planning estimates, not lab-verified facts.
| Empanada | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Athlete (chicken, wholemeal) | ~15g | ~24g | ~12g |
| Carnivore (grass-fed brisket) | ~17g | ~22g | ~14g |
| Habibi Yalla (spiced beef, open-top) | ~15g | ~20g | ~13g |
Two empanadas per meal lands between 30g and 34g of protein from the empanadas alone. Add a side and you have a complete lunch with sensible macros and real flavour. Exact nutrition information is published on each product detail page.
How to cook empanadas for meal prep.
The most important rule: bake from frozen, do not thaw first. The wholemeal pastry is designed to go from -18°C straight into a hot oven. Thawing causes condensation, condensation makes the base soggy.
Oven from frozen (the gold standard)
190°C fan-forced, middle rack, 18 to 22 minutes. Pull when the pastry is golden and the seams have caramelised slightly. Brush with egg wash beforehand for an extra shiny finish if you're plating up.
Air fryer from frozen (the fast option)
180°C, 12 to 15 minutes, no oil needed. Best for one or two empanadas at a time when you don't want to heat the whole oven. Lighter on energy, almost identical crunch.
Refresh pre-baked empanadas
Baked some yesterday and stored in the fridge? Air fryer at 180°C for 5 minutes brings the crust back. Better than the microwave, which softens the dough.
What not to do
Do not sauce empanadas before storage or transport. Chimichurri belongs on the side. Sauce on hot pastry steams the crust soft within minutes. Pack the chimi separately and add at the table.
Compared to other Sydney meal prep options.
Honest comparison. There are good options across the Sydney meal-prep market and empanadas are not the right call for everyone. Here is where Argentum sits.
| Option | Per serve | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional meal prep tubs | $14 to $18 | 30g plus protein, mostly bland, repetitive after a week |
| Cafe protein bowls | $18 to $25 | Fresh and varied, but quality and macros vary by venue |
| Make-from-scratch at home | $5 to $8 | Cheapest, but eats your Sunday and your motivation by week three |
| Argentum (2 empanadas) | $9 to $11 | Real food, restaurant flavour, 18-min cook, less raw protein per serve |
The Chef's Box at $85 for 20 empanadas works out to $4.25 each, so two empanadas plus a side is around $8.50. The Family Box on subscription at $122 for 30 empanadas drops to $4.07 each. Cheaper than a cafe bowl, more interesting than a tub, less work than cooking from scratch.
The Family Box subscription for meal prep.
If empanadas are going to be a meal prep staple, the Family Box on subscription is the unlock. Thirty empanadas every two weeks at $122 (saving $10 versus one-off), delivered across Sydney.
For someone eating empanadas four days a week (8 empanadas weekly), one box lasts close to two weeks. For two adults sharing, one box per fortnight covers lunch for both three to four days a week. Skip or pause anytime, no lock-in. You can mix the box across the five flavours, so a heavier rotation of Athlete and Carnivore for the protein-led plan is straightforward to request.
FAQ for high protein meal prep.
Are empanadas high protein?
Yes, the right empanadas are. Argentum's protein-forward flavours (The Athlete chicken, Carnivore beef brisket, Habibi Yalla beef) carry approximately 12 to 18g of protein per empanada depending on filling and size. Two empanadas per serve gets most active adults into the 24 to 36g protein range, which sits in the post-workout sweet spot. Macros are estimates and vary with preparation.
What is the protein content per Argentum empanada?
Approximately 15g of protein per Athlete empanada, around 16 to 18g for Carnivore (grass-fed brisket), and around 14 to 16g for Habibi Yalla beef. These are estimates based on typical recipe ratios. Exact lab-verified nutrition information is published on each product detail page and rounds slightly with baked versus fried preparation.
Are Argentum empanadas good for meal prep?
Yes. Each empanada is a self-contained single serve, individually folded and frozen at -18°C with a 6-month shelf life. You bake only what you need (no thawing, no reheating in bulk), so the texture stays intact through the whole prep week. Order a Family Box (30 empanadas) and you have between 10 and 15 meals already portioned for you.
Can I freeze pre-cooked empanadas?
Yes, but the texture is best if you bake from frozen on demand rather than batch-baking and refreezing. If you must batch-cook, bake fully, cool, then freeze in a single layer. Reheat in an air fryer at 180°C for 5 minutes from frozen to restore the crust. Avoid microwaving, which softens the wholemeal pastry.
What is the best post-workout empanada?
The Athlete is built for it. Free-range chicken (lean protein), wholemeal dough (slower-burn carbs to refill glycogen), green olives (sodium and healthy fats for electrolyte balance), curry (anti-inflammatory turmeric), and mozzarella. Two Athlete empanadas plus a green salad land at roughly 30g of protein and a sensible carb load within 60 to 90 minutes of training.
Are Argentum empanadas low carb?
No, empanadas are not a low-carb food because of the dough. Each empanada carries an estimated 20 to 28g of carbohydrates. They are well suited to active people who need carbs to fuel and recover from training, less suited to a strict keto plan. The Athlete uses a wholemeal dough that digests more slowly than white-flour pastry.
Are Argentum empanadas gluten free?
Not as a standard retail option. Gluten-free empanadas are available for larger catering orders with at least one week's notice. They are not part of the regular Chef's Box, Family Box, or single-pack retail range. Contact us for catering quotes if gluten-free is essential for your event.
How do I cook empanadas for meal prep without losing texture?
Bake from frozen at 190°C for 18 to 22 minutes, or air-fry at 180°C for 12 to 15 minutes. Do not thaw first and do not sauce them before storage. If you bake ahead, store cooled in an airtight container in the fridge and refresh in an air fryer at 180°C for 5 minutes before serving. Microwave reheating works in a pinch but softens the crust.
Stock the freezer with The Athlete.
Twelve free-range chicken empanadas, wholemeal dough, hand-folded in Bondi. Or set and forget with the Family Box subscription at $122 a fortnight, delivered across Sydney.
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