Cheap sources of protein?

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  • snappyapples
    snappyapples Posts: 76
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    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
    lemur_lady Posts: 350 Member
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    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
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
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    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
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
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    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
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
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    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
    servicedograiser Posts: 38 Member
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    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
    ThatSoundsHard Posts: 475 Member
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    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
    KoopaSix Posts: 252 Member
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    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
    KoopaSix Posts: 252 Member
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    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 :D
  • BerttiBott
    BerttiBott Posts: 22 Member
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    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.
  • kelli_panzera
    kelli_panzera Posts: 171
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    I LOVE cheese...Low fat, no fat, any kind of cheese! I buy the bulk packages of boneless skinless chicken beasts from Sam's ($1.88 per pound), then portion them out and freeze them. Peanut butter, egg whites (I buy 2.5 dozen eggs at a time, and I don't feel bad about chucking the yolks).
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    Pork is pretty cheap, and while the cheap cuts have a lot of fat it tends to be very localized and easy to cut off (unlike fatty beef which is marbled). Chicken thighs are even cheaper, but I can't honestly recommend it.

    If you like the taste, beef heart is dirt cheap and filled with protein.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    greek yogurt, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, pork, etc..

    my diary is open, feel free to browse it...
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    egg whites (I buy 2.5 dozen eggs at a time, and I don't feel bad about chucking the yolks).

    :cry:
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    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 :D

    thanks for that idea. Onto it.

    Definitely not $20 in oz though. Still worth it.

    buy in bulk when on special. Chest freezers are great for this. chicken is normally around $11-12/kg here. At the moment, $9 so I bought 10kg yesterday.

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