High protein / lower carb snacks on a super strict budget??

sunnishine22

Edit: I think I put this in the wrong place. Copying it over to the recipe board.

I'm struggling with getting enough protein.

I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but pretty close. I don't eat much meat and prefer not to eat more processed foods than necessary (both a personal preference and a budget thing). We eat a lot of meals with eggs and beans, but I'm more of a grazer than a meal eater - always have been. I'm also disabled so I need things that I can prep ahead of time that will keep for a bit in the fridge or are shelf-stable.

I've discovered that my actual diet isn't as problematic as I thought (mostly because of the meat and processed foods things), but I'm aiming for more protein and fewer carbs. My daily base calorie goal is 1820, and most days I've had a problem hitting that with my usual eating habits now that I've cut out Sprite (my weakness).

If anyone has some ideas for finger foods that I can prep ahead of time and keep on hand, I'd be grateful. I already keep boiled eggs in the fridge and celery with peanut butter, but I'm looking for some variety that's preferably lower in sugar without having sugar substitutes.

My budget for all food (2 adults) is $200 USD/month, so the more budget-friendly the better. I do have access to a local farmer's market for in-season things (Arkansas US) and a little bit of a budget to fill out my pantry (I just moved so have next to nothing).

I'm also new here, so if anyone would like to add me as a friend and share tips/recipes/motivation through messages, I'm definitely open to that.

IAmTheGlue

Do you like Chickpeas/garbanzo beans? You can roast them in your oven on a baking sheet or air fryer if you have one. I think they keep for a while, but my 12 year old will eat them the day I make them so they don’t last here to know how they hold up to storage.

You can also make hummus or a chick pea sandwich spread. I’ve never made hummus but I make chick pea sandwich spread all the time. You can make it anyway you want. You can add carrots, celery, onion and then like mayo or mustard or pickle juice. Honestly, probably look up a recipe because it would have the actual instructions and amounts. I don’t generally eat bread so I usually eat it either with a spoon or wrapped in lettuce.

AnnPT77

Dry roasted soybeans, crispy chickpeas or broad beans, reduced fat string cheese, lowfat cottage cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt (make sure it's one that has actual high protein, there are a few brands that use the word "Greek", but don't have the truly high protein).

With the Greek yogurt, I get a giant tub of plain nonfat Greek yogurt at Costco, then combine it with frozen berries & peanut butter powder as a desert, put it on my oatmeal, use it as a sour-cream substitute, and more. Very versatile, pretty affordable. Even large plain tubs at the grocery store can be quite affordable, especially the store brands.

If you like, you can pickle your hard-boiled eggs (lots of recipes on the web, basically you're peeling, submerging in vinegar with seasonings) - they keep longer pickled (refrigerated).

It's also possible to make your own yogurt, even from powdered milk - that method is very affordable. (I used to do it when I was in college.) I understand that you're disabled, so I don't know whether that's realistic for you. (It's pretty much just heating the milk, using some yogurt from the last batch (or commercial plain yogurt) as a starter, then keeping it at the right (warm) temperature for some hours to get the culture to develop.

sunnishine22

Oh! I hadn't thought of making my own hummus. I love love love hummus and veggies, but the premade is a bit out of my budget to get it regularly. Never tried a spread or roasted ones, but I do buy them canned for salad toppers. I will look up some recipes. Thank you!

I don't know that I have the patience to make my own yogurt, but I do buy it occasionally. I guess I never realized that some varieties had higher than normal protein. I will check that out. I've actually never even bought greek yogurt.

I don't have a Costco membership, but now that I live where it is a possibility, I've thought about getting one. I did just buy a blender today with the purpose of making smoothies with frozen fruits, high protein smoothies are even better.

AnnPT77

sunnishine22 wrote: »

Oh! I hadn't thought of making my own hummus. I love love love hummus and veggies, but the premade is a bit out of my budget to get it regularly. Never tried a spread or roasted ones, but I do buy them canned for salad toppers. I will look up some recipes. Thank you!

I don't know that I have the patience to make my own yogurt, but I do buy it occasionally. I guess I never realized that some varieties had higher than normal protein. I will check that out. I've actually never even bought greek yogurt.

I don't have a Costco membership, but now that I live where it is a possibility, I've thought about getting one. I did just buy a blender today with the purpose of making smoothies with frozen fruits, high protein smoothies are even better.

Dried beans are even more affordable than canned, if you're up to it. You'd need to pick them over (occasionally there are little stones or something, but it's rare), rinse, soak for a few hours (overnight is good), rinse again, then bring to a boil on the stove, cook at low heat for quite some time. (Doing this in Winter heating season, if you have that, reduces the cooking cost.)

Lentils are higher in protein than some other types, and also cook quicker. The red lentils cook really fast, but are not as inexpensive as what I'd call "commodity beans", i.e., things like kidney beans, navy beans, great northern, pinto, some other lentils, etc. Some dried beans can be cooked in a slow cooker, but be aware that a few types (kidney beans are one) need a short boil to start, for food safety. (Do a web search to learn if that's true for the type you're cooking.)

Picking them over can be done seated. I find it easiest to dump a manageable amount on a plain plate (patterns are distracting), throw out any questionable ones or foreign objects, dump the good guys in a big pan. You can pick over masses, store them, cook later. I like to cook big batches, freeze in manageable amounts. This works somewhat with a smaller fridge freezer, though I admit I have a big chest freezer, so can do truly large batches. Be aware that the volume increases *greatly* as you soak/cook. If you have space limitations, start with your pan/soaker at most half full of dry beans.

As a bonus, picking over beans, seated, is a good distraction in what would otherwise be snacky moments. You can do it while watching TV, even.

Costco: At most US locations, you can visit and look without joining, as I understand it. You can even buy, as a non-member (there's an up-charge). A visit will tell you whether the lowest-tier membership will pay off for you, or not. I don't know whether it will apply generally, but as a person with freezer space, I find the frozen veggies a good value, as well as some fresh produce, and other items.

Sinisterbarbie1

Since you are not vegetarian, fish is an excellent source of protein, and there are great uses for canned fish like tuna and salmon in particular both of which can be purchased on specials with coupons etc. If you join a food club like costco I would also look out for specials on things like frozen salmon, cod, tilapia filets and frozen shrimp, It sounds expensive, but when they have a sale and its on special you can get large family packs for reasonable prices and frozen fish, if not thawed, keeps for up to a year in your fridge. Sometimes they are actually packed in ways that make sense, sometimes you have to repackage yourself. If you just bake in the oven simply on a sheet pan or sautee in a pan on the stove or someone grils outside these preparations can then be used on salads, sandwiches, in pasta dishes ,wraps or tacos, and other ways to further stretch them, Considering a serving size is actually 3.5-4 oz (though Americans routinely consume 3-4 times as much at a time) for meat and fish, my husband and I typically split what are sold as the 6oz single portions of fish in grocery stores and there is way more than enough (also those 6 oz portions are routinely 7 or 8 oz portions, and yes, you pay for the actual weight not the “avg. weight” as you know!)

Other thought since you eat eggs …. Make a frittata - basically cook up whatever veggies are getting wilty in your fridge or left over from dinner, toss in anything else you feel like (maybe a bit of cheese or herbs or seasonings) and then pour in whisked eggs with a bit of milk or water whisked in to make it fluffier, plus salt and pepper, cook on low/medium flame on stove top for a few minutes until edges start to set , then transfer to oven at 375 to finish cooking to desired doneness on top and in center (depends on size & depth of pan, but maybe 7-10 mins or so). Cut into wedges and eat hot or room temp. Alternatively you can oil and bake these in muffin tins. .

sunnishine22

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Dried beans are even more affordable than canned, if you're up to it. You'd need to pick them over (occasionally there are little stones or something, but it's rare), rinse, soak for a few hours (overnight is good), rinse again, then bring to a boil on the stove, cook at low heat for quite some time. (Doing this in Winter heating season, if you have that, reduces the cooking cost.)

Lentils are higher in protein than some other types, and also cook quicker. The red lentils cook really fast, but are not as inexpensive as what I'd call "commodity beans", i.e., things like kidney beans, navy beans, great northern, pinto, some other lentils, etc. Some dried beans can be cooked in a slow cooker, but be aware that a few types (kidney beans are one) need a short boil to start, for food safety. (Do a web search to learn if that's true for the type you're cooking.)

I use dried beans for most things, except for some reason garbanzo... I couldn't even tell you why LOL but I honestly don't recall ever seeing them? I don't think I've ever bought them in a bag. - it's one of like 4 things I buy canned lol I might need to pay more attention next time I'm in the store.

Lentils are my absolute favorite thing. I tend to toss lentils, rice, and frozen veggies in my rice cooker and just add sweet chili sauce or something and call it a meal, especially in winter or if my son is working extra hours. Or I fill the crockpot in the morning when I'm making coffee. I buy navy beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils all in 2-lb bags and occasionally the 9 bean (or is it 7?) blend that comes all mixed in a bag. Others too if I see them on sale. Beans are for sure one of our staples though since they are on the easier side for me to make myself.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Picking them over can be done seated. I find it easiest to dump a manageable amount on a plain plate (patterns are distracting), throw out any questionable ones or foreign objects, dump the good guys in a big pan. You can pick over masses, store them, cook later. I like to cook big batches, freeze in manageable amounts. This works somewhat with a smaller fridge freezer, though I admit I have a big chest freezer, so can do truly large batches. Be aware that the volume increases *greatly* as you soak/cook. If you have space limitations, start with your pan/soaker at most half full of dry beans.

I usually pick through beans when I first open the bag and then transfer them into my canister... it's one less thing for my son to concentrate on (he's autistic with ADHD -- so the better I'm able to accommodate him, the less likely it is that he decides to just order a pizza on the days I am unable to cook or at least supervise) and just makes meal-prepping easier. And like you said, I can do it seated while I'm doing other things like catching up on podcasts or whatever.

I haven't worked my way up to actually prepping and freezing whole meals, mostly because I didn't have the space. We just moved states, and next month I'm getting a deep freezer. The plan is to start making a bit extra of the meals that are able to be frozen and fill my refrigerator freezer with leftovers. I do keep most refrigerator things prepped and easy to use by cutting/cleaning veggies as soon as they come to the house and repackaging/cutting meat before freezing it so that we are only defrosting for one meal at a time.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Costco: At most US locations, you can visit and look without joining, as I understand it. You can even buy, as a non-member (there's an up-charge). A visit will tell you whether the lowest-tier membership will pay off for you, or not. I don't know whether it will apply generally, but as a person with freezer space, I find the frozen veggies a good value, as well as some fresh produce, and other items.

I will call ours and check out the details - I wonder if they do a trial like Sam's used to? I buy meat from the meat store (a ~100lb bundle for $80 and it lasts us most of the year) and get most fresh veggies from the farmer's market. We primarily eat frozen vegetables though - like almost every meal. In theory, if they do a trial I could do that and just do one gigantic shop, fill my freezer, and probably not need to go again for around a year. Part of my moving budget was set aside to restock my pantry and freezer, so I will definitely look into this.

sunnishine22

Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »

Since you are not vegetarian, fish is an excellent source of protein, and there are great uses for canned fish like tuna and salmon in particular both of which can be purchased on specials with coupons etc. If you join a food club like costco I would also look out for specials on things like frozen salmon, cod, tilapia filets and frozen shrimp, It sounds expensive, but when they have a sale and its on special you can get large family packs for reasonable prices and frozen fish, if not thawed, keeps for up to a year in your fridge. Sometimes they are actually packed in ways that make sense, sometimes you have to repackage yourself. If you just bake in the oven simply on a sheet pan or sautee in a pan on the stove or someone grils outside these preparations can then be used on salads, sandwiches, in pasta dishes ,wraps or tacos, and other ways to further stretch them, Considering a serving size is actually 3.5-4 oz (though Americans routinely consume 3-4 times as much at a time) for meat and fish, my husband and I typically split what are sold as the 6oz single portions of fish in grocery stores and there is way more than enough (also those 6 oz portions are routinely 7 or 8 oz portions, and yes, you pay for the actual weight not the “avg. weight” as you know!)

Other thought since you eat eggs …. Make a frittata - basically cook up whatever veggies are getting wilty in your fridge or left over from dinner, toss in anything else you feel like (maybe a bit of cheese or herbs or seasonings) and then pour in whisked eggs with a bit of milk or water whisked in to make it fluffier, plus salt and pepper, cook on low/medium flame on stove top for a few minutes until edges start to set , then transfer to oven at 375 to finish cooking to desired doneness on top and in center (depends on size & depth of pan, but maybe 7-10 mins or so). Cut into wedges and eat hot or room temp. Alternatively you can oil and bake these in muffin tins. .

I love fish but it never occurred to me to prep it ahead of time too. I generally keep canned tuna and salmon on hand to put on top of salads and buy a large bag of tilapia and one of salmon a few times a year. Walmart sells big bags with shrink-wrapped individual portions for around $1/lb or so -- at least when they're on sale lol.

I've never had frittatas but it sounds delicious -- I will for sure look for some recipes. Can they be frozen?

springlering62

Not a finger food, but homemade skyr is easy to make. It’s about $6.99 a 5-serving tub in the grocery right now. Skyr is very high protein, and is made from skim milk.

I can use a gallon of skim (under $2 here) and reap about 9 serving plus two quarts of liquid whey.

I then use the whey in baked goods- pancakes, scones, biscuits and bread. The whey makes baked goods rise more, especially if you add a little baking soda, salt or baking powder, and the whey itself adds protein. Some people use the whey in drinks or smoothies in lieu of water or juice.

It’s super easy to make, just requires a little supervision while it heats up. It’s made the exact same way as Greek yogurt, but that’s so cheap at Lidl it’s not worth the effort. The only difference is that skyr requires several drops of liquid rennet, so technically it’s a cheese.

If you really drain some of the skyr, you wind up with a super low cal spread similar to cream cheese. I usually drain about half a cup when I can’t find acceptable light cream cheese in the store.

Kefir is also easy to make, high protein and likewise does amazing things in baked goods. I loved using kefir but it replicated (?) so fast I couldn’t keep up with it even after we started adding the grains to meals for the supposed probiotic properties.

Did you know you can used boxed cake mix and nothing else but kefir or Greek yogurt to make moist cake? No egg, no oils, no butter. Just those two ingredients.

springlering62

Guess it would help to explain how I use skyr. I make homemade low cal ice cream, or add sugar free pudding mix to it and whip it into a mousse. Also use it in smoothies, but it has to be super hot before I go that route. I stay cold most the time following weight loss, so I have to be brutally hot to reach for the smoothie supplies.

Tbh, I’ve gotten to the point where I value the whey as much as the skyr. It makes the morning pancakes light as air.

MsCzar

I've recently discovered the wonder of homemade bean pastes. In fact I have a pot of navy beans on the boil as I type. I am going to make a bean/peanut butter powder/chili paste.
Breakfast this morning: chickpea/almond/sesame oil/soy sauce/chili pepper paste spread onto a whole wheat wrap with sauteed onion, cabbage, grated carrot as the filling. VERY filling, delicious and cheap! I recently made these wraps to eat cold. They were equally delish and held up well in a travel cooler.
I also make my own yogurt - about 1/4 the price of store-bought.

With the rising price of eggs, when there is a good sale, I pounce and buy several dozen. Two dozen to eat fresh and the rest to throw in a blender, portion and freeze for binding, cooking, coating dips and baking. Silicone muffin pans work great for this.

AnnPT77

sunnishine22 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Dried beans are even more affordable than canned, if you're up to it. You'd need to pick them over (occasionally there are little stones or something, but it's rare), rinse, soak for a few hours (overnight is good), rinse again, then bring to a boil on the stove, cook at low heat for quite some time. (Doing this in Winter heating season, if you have that, reduces the cooking cost.)

Lentils are higher in protein than some other types, and also cook quicker. The red lentils cook really fast, but are not as inexpensive as what I'd call "commodity beans", i.e., things like kidney beans, navy beans, great northern, pinto, some other lentils, etc. Some dried beans can be cooked in a slow cooker, but be aware that a few types (kidney beans are one) need a short boil to start, for food safety. (Do a web search to learn if that's true for the type you're cooking.)

I use dried beans for most things, except for some reason garbanzo... I couldn't even tell you why LOL but I honestly don't recall ever seeing them? I don't think I've ever bought them in a bag. - it's one of like 4 things I buy canned lol I might need to pay more attention next time I'm in the store.

Lentils are my absolute favorite thing. I tend to toss lentils, rice, and frozen veggies in my rice cooker and just add sweet chili sauce or something and call it a meal, especially in winter or if my son is working extra hours. Or I fill the crockpot in the morning when I'm making coffee. I buy navy beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils all in 2-lb bags and occasionally the 9 bean (or is it 7?) blend that comes all mixed in a bag. Others too if I see them on sale. Beans are for sure one of our staples though since they are on the easier side for me to make myself.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Picking them over can be done seated. I find it easiest to dump a manageable amount on a plain plate (patterns are distracting), throw out any questionable ones or foreign objects, dump the good guys in a big pan. You can pick over masses, store them, cook later. I like to cook big batches, freeze in manageable amounts. This works somewhat with a smaller fridge freezer, though I admit I have a big chest freezer, so can do truly large batches. Be aware that the volume increases *greatly* as you soak/cook. If you have space limitations, start with your pan/soaker at most half full of dry beans.

I usually pick through beans when I first open the bag and then transfer them into my canister... it's one less thing for my son to concentrate on (he's autistic with ADHD -- so the better I'm able to accommodate him, the less likely it is that he decides to just order a pizza on the days I am unable to cook or at least supervise) and just makes meal-prepping easier. And like you said, I can do it seated while I'm doing other things like catching up on podcasts or whatever.

I haven't worked my way up to actually prepping and freezing whole meals, mostly because I didn't have the space. We just moved states, and next month I'm getting a deep freezer. The plan is to start making a bit extra of the meals that are able to be frozen and fill my refrigerator freezer with leftovers. I do keep most refrigerator things prepped and easy to use by cutting/cleaning veggies as soon as they come to the house and repackaging/cutting meat before freezing it so that we are only defrosting for one meal at a time.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Costco: At most US locations, you can visit and look without joining, as I understand it. You can even buy, as a non-member (there's an up-charge). A visit will tell you whether the lowest-tier membership will pay off for you, or not. I don't know whether it will apply generally, but as a person with freezer space, I find the frozen veggies a good value, as well as some fresh produce, and other items.

I will call ours and check out the details - I wonder if they do a trial like Sam's used to? I buy meat from the meat store (a ~100lb bundle for $80 and it lasts us most of the year) and get most fresh veggies from the farmer's market. We primarily eat frozen vegetables though - like almost every meal. In theory, if they do a trial I could do that and just do one gigantic shop, fill my freezer, and probably not need to go again for around a year. Part of my moving budget was set aside to restock my pantry and freezer, so I will definitely look into this.

I think no trial like Sam's but if you're calling to get details, ask about non-member shopping with a surcharge. If you're familiar with what you pay for things, some may be more affordable at Costco even with the upcharge (if it's small). There are some good perishables (dairy, eggs, fresh veggies/fruits, etc.) there, though, so membership - if you can afford it - would open that up as a more routine source, too. You'll figure all that out, though.

P.S. Garbanzos/chickpeas are pretty available here dried, either in large grocery stores or bulk food places. Sometimes they're in an "ethnic" or "international" aisle rather than with the other legumes. I don't know whether they might be a little more available here because we do have a reasonable number of people whose heritage is Mediterranean, middle Eastern, South Asian, African - where the use of those is more central.

Susanna527

Hi! I can relate a bit - vegetarian 40 years, gluten-free 15 years and dairy-free 2 years (still eat eggs) and I'm on a pretty strict budget. I buy edamame beans when they are on sale (frozen) and eat them plain for a snack, and add them to other dishes, such as stir-fries. How about tofu? Tofu in my area (Connecticut) is fairly cheap and is a decent source of protein. You can get firm tofu, cube it, coat it in cornstarch with some seasonings and bake it. It comes out super crunchy. I serve it with peanut butter dipping sauce. Also, you can make chocolate pudding with silken tofu, cocoa powder, a touch of sweetener and a drop of non-dairy milk in a blender. I fooled my ex once - they didn't even know it was tofu My other favorite snack that has a good amount of protein is sunflower seeds. I buy them in bulk and eat them as is. You can also make vegan "cheese spread" with sunflower seeds which is really good on crackers.

sunnishine22

Susanna527 wrote: »

Hi! I can relate a bit - vegetarian 40 years, gluten-free 15 years and dairy-free 2 years (still eat eggs) and I'm on a pretty strict budget. I buy edamame beans when they are on sale (frozen) and eat them plain for a snack, and add them to other dishes, such as stir-fries. How about tofu? Tofu in my area (Connecticut) is fairly cheap and is a decent source of protein. You can get firm tofu, cube it, coat it in cornstarch with some seasonings and bake it. It comes out super crunchy. I serve it with peanut butter dipping sauce. Also, you can make chocolate pudding with silken tofu, cocoa powder, a touch of sweetener and a drop of non-dairy milk in a blender. I fooled my ex once - they didn't even know it was tofu My other favorite snack that has a good amount of protein is sunflower seeds. I buy them in bulk and eat them as is. You can also make vegan "cheese spread" with sunflower seeds which is really good on crackers.

I found your other comment! I haven't ever had tofu that I've liked, but admittedly only tried it a time or two when made by a friend and I didn't want to be rude by not trying it. I am not sure about the pricing, but I think it's similar to canned meat here (Arkansas) for about the same amount. I will get some and try it. Does it keep/reheat well cooked the way you described?

I guess I'd never heard of edamame beans -- do you just thaw them and eat them or do you eat them frozen when you're snacking? Are the frozen already cooked or would they cook in a rice cooker the way I do lentils (at the same time as the rice)?

sunnishine22

AnnPT77 wrote: »

sunnishine22 wrote: »

I think no trial like Sam's but if you're calling to get details, ask about non-member shopping with a surcharge. If you're familiar with what you pay for things, some may be more affordable at Costco even with the upcharge (if it's small). There are some good perishables (dairy, eggs, fresh veggies/fruits, etc.) there, though, so membership - if you can afford it - would open that up as a more routine source, too. You'll figure all that out, though.

P.S. Garbanzos/chickpeas are pretty available here dried, either in large grocery stores or bulk food places. Sometimes they're in an "ethnic" or "international" aisle rather than with the other legumes. I don't know whether they might be a little more available here because we do have a reasonable number of people whose heritage is Mediterranean, middle Eastern, South Asian, African - where the use of those is more central.

I think there might be a Sam's relatively close as well, I will call both about a visitors pass or whatever and compare pricing/membership plans. We do severely limit our perishable purchases because of budget and if the savings would be substantial I might ask a family member to gift me a membership to one or the other for my upcoming birthday instead of the new sewing machine she was looking to get for me.

I just moved from a very rural area of Missouri to right outside Little Rock Arkansas. There is a much more diverse population here than there was back home, so I will look for dried garbanzos the next time I'm in the store. I did see a couple of Asain/Hispanic markets when we were out exploring the city the other day and plan to check those out as well. I've heard that the smaller neighborhood markets like that have good pricing on dried goods - maybe one of them might have them too.