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!

knra_grl

eggs, cottage cheese, peanut butter, yogurt

1PatientBear

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

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....