Cheap sources of protein?

lemur_lady

I have been struggling to get enough protein some days. I find I am all good on the days I get enough meat but it is so expensive I cant afford to eat it all the time. I also get pretty sick of protein shakes and prefer to eat my calories rather than drink them. I like lentils and mycoprotein but find they dont tend to have half the protein that meat does.

Any ideas of things I can perhaps snack on during the day or things I can add to main meals that are good sources of protein without making a huge dent in my shopping budget? Or any ideas of things I can do with my protein powders that would allow me to 'eat' something rather than drink it down?

TIA

stevencloser

It might sound gross but organs have a good bunch of protein and are usually a lot cheaper than your regular meats. Liver for example.

kmglennie

Eggs and canned tuna are my favourite inexpensive sources of protein. I've heard of people making pudding out of protein powder. I mixed some in with my greek yogurt the other day, and it wasn't bad.

Calliope610

I have 1 cup (226g) full fatted cottage cheese (large curd) w/ 3/4 cup (154g) frozen berries for a breakfast that packs 26g protein in 300 calories. $2.18 per 3 cup container.

erickbrian

Legumes, Seitan, Kale, Spinach, Almonds/Nuts, Quinoa, Peas...

You'd be surprised how much protein you can get from blending/juicing vegetables, and vegetables are cheap. (So are beans.)

nigelwood3

Assuming you have a friendly butcher or market Turkey drumsticks are very cheap. Roast them, portion up and freeze. Heart is also very cheap but is best pressure cooked or slow cooked.

lemur_lady

It might sound gross but organs have a good bunch of protein and are usually a lot cheaper than your regular meats. Liver for example.

Thats not a bad idea actually. Would have to get my head around what I was eating first though lol. Not sure if Id be able to get it into my mouth. Silly really given its probably not much different to what I already eat.

ZombieEarhart

Eggs and whatever greek yogurt is on sale that week.

neveragain84

I have 1 cup (226g) full fatted cottage cheese (large curd) w/ 3/4 cup (154g) frozen berries for a breakfast that packs 26g protein in 300 calories. $2.18 per 3 cup container.

This. If you like Greek yogurt, you can buy the individual cups usually for around $1 depending on the brand. About 12g of protein per serving. If you get the low calorie kind, you can pack in a lot of protein for very little calories.

lemur_lady

I have 1 cup (226g) full fatted cottage cheese (large curd) w/ 3/4 cup (154g) frozen berries for a breakfast that packs 26g protein in 300 calories. $2.18 per 3 cup container.

Wow I didnt know cottage cheese was so high in protein. Will have a look next time I do my shopping! Thanks!

1PatientBear

Must.......control......................self..............

knra_grl

eggs, cottage cheese, peanut butter, yogurt

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Eggs, tuna, 80% lean ground beef, pork chops, chicken thighs, the almost expired clearance meat?

kommodevaran

If fat is not a problem for you, go for fatty cuts of meat, they are usually cheaper than lean meat, even in grams of protein per dollar.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Must.......control......................self..............

THAT doesn't really have much protein in it anyway. Stop spreading lies.

kelseyhere

Stock up on canned tuna and salmon when it's on sale. Also check for buy one, get one free meat sales, and then freeze what you don't need for later. Most grocery stores will also mark down meat nearing it's expiration, another good thing to stock up on and freeze. Not sure if they have Albertson's where you live, but they even have buy one, get two free meat sales.

You can also get with other like minded individuals and consider splitting an animal. Basically you buy a cow, have a butcher chop it up, split between a few families. I did this once and got over 100 pounds of organic, grass-fed meat for a good price. Just do a google search for small meat farms in your area. You can also check with hunters. Sometimes you can get leftover meat from people who hunt elk just for the trophy, but don't want the meat.

Greek yogurt is a good breakfast food with a lot of protein. If you buy in the big containers it's way cheaper than the individual containers.

You can make eggs even cheaper by buying your own chickens (or again consider going in with neighbors). Once you get the coop up and running they are very low cost to maintain. You don't even need to buy feed, chickens can eat compost.

royaldrea

Must.......control......................self..............

Don't be gross

skullshank

for protein:calorie:cost ratio, it's really tough to beat bone-in chicken.

my super market often runs sales on chicken quarters for around 1.89/lb.
granted, some of that is bone, but 36gr for a 4oz. serving is pretty damn good in my book.

my other cheap source is body fortress whey protein. 30gr per scoop and only ~$16 for a 2lb tub.

be careful with the nuts, nut butters, and cheeses.
while they do offer decent protein, they are quite caloric.

lemur_lady

If fat is not a problem for you, go for fatty cuts of meat, they are usually cheaper than lean meat, even in grams of protein per dollar.

I have issues with my gallbladder (the reason I started losing weight actually) so really fatty stuff is not really allowed on the menu. I usally cut the fat off before I cook.

MaiLinna

Go to your cheapy grocery and find some chicken breasts. Portion those babies out. Real food isn't as expensive as you think it is if you know which ones to get. Also chicken thighs here (I only like breast meat so it's a little more expensive for me) go down to 79 cents a pound, so...yeah...try those if they're on sale. We also happen to have these giant smoked hams for only $7. If you could get something like that in bulk that you can portion out when you get home you can see how much you can save.

If you're not eating the meat itself, like they said, nonfat greek yogurt will get you 12g of protein for only 100 calories, cottage cheese is only 60-80 calories, a can of salmon will make about 8 salmon cakes for only $2, and the best thing you can buy are low sodium canned beans. Omfg they have everything you need in them. Fiber, protein...MMM I LOVE BLACK BEANS!!

lemur_lady

Must.......control......................self..............

Haha my partner would love that but he should be so lucky!

Next....

snappyapples

I've recently fallen in LOVE Dannon light & fit greek blends. 80 calories, 12 g of protein, and I can normally find them on sale for $1/each. And there's so many flavors you don't get bored. (Seriously, check my diary, I eat them like every day lol)

You can snack on nuts, add more beans and lentils to your diet, quinoa is pretty high protein and you can find it for cheap. I just learned today there's a ton you can make with canned tuna (and salmon), both of those are very affordable lean protein sources. Make egg salad for lunch, buy whole chickens and roast them- depending on how many you cook for it'll give you enough for a few days.

I will normally buy cheaper cuts of beef and find a slow cooker recipe to make- the slow cooker makes it so tender and moist you can't tell its low(er) quality.

lemur_lady

Looks like I'll be picking up some cottage cheese and greek yogurt this weekend! I should be getting my order of PB2 tomorrow so might try mixing this into the yogurt and see if its good.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

eggs, cottage cheese, peanut butter, yogurt

I would say these, too. Watch the peanut butter. I would weigh it. And Greek yogurt over regular yogurt. About 22 g of protein in most Greek yogurts. They're not all the same, so try different brands to see which one(s) you like best.

AbsolutelyAnnie

Must.......control......................self..............

THAT doesn't really have much protein in it anyway. Stop spreading lies.

HAHA!! Thanks for the laughs. I was starting to get really cravey.

Some_Watery_Tart

Must.......control......................self..............

Haha my partner would love that but he should be so lucky!

Next....

Glad to see OP's sense of humor is in tact. :drinker:

Eggs and bone-in chicken were my protein staples when I was broke. Also, check the bargain bin in the meat department. Sometimes you can find great deals.

servicedograiser

for protein:calorie:cost ratio, it's really tough to beat bone-in chicken.

my super market often runs sales on chicken quarters for around 1.89/lb.
granted, some of that is bone, but 36gr for a 4oz. serving is pretty damn good in my book.

my other cheap source is body fortress whey protein. 30gr per scoop and only ~$16 for a 2lb tub.

be careful with the nuts, nut butters, and cheeses.
while they do offer decent protein, they are quite caloric.

I saw a recipe on YouTube to make protein powder peanut butter cookies (just so wrong to have dessert be the main course) and protein powder with oats bars!

ThatSoundsHard

I have 1 cup (226g) full fatted cottage cheese (large curd) w/ 3/4 cup (154g) frozen berries for a breakfast that packs 26g protein in 300 calories. $2.18 per 3 cup container.

Wow I didnt know cottage cheese was so high in protein. Will have a look next time I do my shopping! Thanks!

I like the dry cottage cheese curds, myself. Around 22g of protein per 110 calorie, half cup serving

KoopaSix

Whole chickens...trust me. You get so much meat for your $. When I was bulking during the winter I'd go out and bake 3 whole chickens, pick the meat off and put it all in a container. I'd then mix the meat in several rice/pasta dishes. Was very cost effective. Next bulk I plan on aiming for 1 whole chicken per day.

You can also get 20/80 ground beef and rinse it repeatedly. It will usually come out to be around 90/10 or 93/7 somewhere along those lines. Alot of guys on a budget do this and it works just fine.

KoopaSix

Also a little trick..get a cheap meat grinder for around 20-30.00, buy some eye of round or london broil (both lean and cheap)

Now you have very lean, cheap ground beef

You're welcome

BerttiBott

Tofu is $2 per pound where I live and can be made into nearly anything. Chicken livers are cheap too. Don't knock em til you try em. They're high in cholesterol, but they're very nutritious and tasty.