Pleas help!! My protein intake!

Oh, and if you like seafood, shrimp and lobster also are high in protein!

I'm not a big meat eater either - and I can't eat any of it if it is on the bone. No bones for me, thanks. I use a protein powder to get more protein in my diet. I also eat one egg with spinach and a 1/2 serving of cheese each morning. I have a small amount of chicken or fish (salmon) with my lunch time salad and for dinner, it varies from day to day. I find without the protein powder, I can't get anywhere near my daily protein macro. I just mix it with 1/2 c water, 1/2 milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter, handful of frozen strawberries, ground flax seed and cinnamon - all zooped up in my Magic Bullet after I workout. I love Quinoa, hate tofu, like most fish etc. Protein is tough to get when you don't eat a lot of meat and if you can't use a protein powder - definitely ask the pediatrician the next time you're there about that one.

You can always add beans to your meals - I don't know #'s, but it's certainly something that vegetarians add to their meals as a protein source. I was a vegetarian for about 2 years. It was not difficult for me to cut out meat, but then I got pregnant and started craving hamburgers, LOL. Figured it was best for my baby to eat some meat, so I started eating it again. My ds, on the other hand, could eat meat all day long. He'd gladly survive on meat alone.....

Milk, yougurt, cottage cheese... and protein powder if you really struggle to eat enough protein, shouldn't be a problem it's still a dairy product after all

I forgot about Greek yogurt - I have one of those a day too - protein is higher in Greek yogurt than in regular yogurt.

Eat greek yogurt, cheeses, milk, beans, nuts, legumes, etc.

Edamame has a decent amount of protein. So do most beans. Make hummus out of chickpeas for dipping veggies in or spreading on sandwiches/wraps/crackers.

Eat peanut butter or another nut butter. Peanut butter on celery or on apples is great. Make your own protein smoothie by blending some milk, greek yogurt, and berries together. Or skip the berries, add in a banana and some peanut butter.

Proteins I love: Peanut butter ( high in fat, watch your portion!), Greek yogurt, Milk, Eggs, Chicken, Salmon, Tuna, Cheese (high in fat again), Tofu, and I basically have a protein shake each day because I like a quick breakfast.
I hear it's not a great idea to eat too much Tofu, because of estrogen stuff ( I don't know all the facts but the internet does!).
I like red meat, but I rarely ever eat it, or any meat really, because my fiancee is a vegetarian. I just don't buy it much for myself. Luckily he eats eggs and dairy, so we don't have vegan worries!
I think you'll find there are a lot of protein powder recipes online that may be useful to you as well.
Good luck!!

Greek yogurt
Oatmeal (I was surprised to realize it has 5g of protein per 1/2 cup serving)
Green, leafy veggies
Nuts/nut butters
beans and lentils (I've been making summer bean salads and they're good! Google some recipes)
Cheese (I bring cheese sticks or the Cabot cheese squares for lunch)

Have you ever had chicken sausages? I get the Al Fresco brand and they are really good. My favorite is spinach and feta.

I've heard conflicting things about whey protein shakes while breastfeeding so definitely talk to your doc.

Quinoa, which I love, is NOT high in protein. I see that a lot and it's a fallacy. It has 8 of the essential amino's yes, but not a great quantity of them.

Can't imagine why drinking a whey protein mix would hurt breastfeeding? In fact I find that a strange concept.

Look at Legumes and nuts etc that the vegans use to get their protein and consider a protein bar like 'Premium Protein' (30g) or a protein shake like Cryosport (27g for 8oz).

I would think a lack of protein when breastfeeding would be worse then taking a shake.

bumpity bump! Same problem :flowerforyou:

I make a delicious shake.

With cottage cheese, chocolate hemp protien power (trader joes, organic, no crap in it) cocao power a few ice cubes and almond milk. blend and be amazed!!

I cant wait to get home and make one now. some times i add a little instand coffee (mocha creamy cold goodness) sometimes pb or pb and banana.. OOOOh num.

You just made me drool a little! I couldn't believe how great cottage cheese was in a shake the first time I had it. Amazing!!

I couldnt believe it either!! so gorgeous!!
*sings "a whole new world" from Aladdin*

Given the limitations that you mentioned, you may want to consider protein powder derived from whey isolate. I use Primal Fuel which also includes healthy fats from coconut (20% calories from carbs, 40% from protein, & 40% from fats); but there are a number on the market. Additionally, unlike soy, there are no issues with phyto-hormones that you might be concerned about passing on to your child. I hope that helps.

Have you tried Quest Protein bars? I love them and they are 20-21 grams of protein filled with fiber. Yummy! Lots of people pop them in the microwave for a few seconds. Light and fit dannon greek yogurt has protein, cheese, cottage cheese, peanuts, almonds,
Do you like Pork chops? steak? fish?

Crockpot recipe:
4 frozen boneless chicken breast placed in pot
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 jar salsa

Mix ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook 4-6 hours, shred chicken with a fork. ADD cheese. This is yummy.

Quinoa, which I love, is NOT high in protein. I see that a lot and it's a fallacy. It has 8 of the essential amino's yes, but not a great quantity of them.

It's a complete protein.. however as you pointed out isn't packed with protein though.

Adding hemp powder might help too. I think 3 tbsp is 80 cals and 11 grams. Not too bad and it blends right in.

A filling snack I have discovered for evening snacking at home is frozen mukimame (shelled soybeans, like edamame, only without the pods). I usually prepare 1/2 or 1 cup, depending how hungry I feel. It's simple (boil, drain, and put on a little salt), quick (boil for 5 to 6 minutes), reasonably priced (I think the bag costs $2.79 and contains 5 1/2 cup servings), easy prep (open the freezer, open the bag, dump into boiling water), easy to eat (they are already shelled), low cal (120 calories per 1/2 cup serving), moderately high protein (12 g per 1/2 cup), and I can honestly say, it's one of those foods that stick with me as far as feeling full. If I eat a serving (or sometimes two when I'm totally starving), I don't feel hungry for the rest of the night, and sometimes I'm not even hungry at breakfast.

Adding protein at snack-time might help you reach your daily protein goals.

What makes quinoa (keen-waa) unique is that it is a grain that is a complete protein. So, while it not be high in protein as someone stated, it is a complete protein by itself. I love to use it in place of couscous in a salad.

And it's good for dietary fiber too -- I eat it almost every day mixed with whole grain rices.

On the topic of being a complete protein recent studies suggest that isn't really accurate -- actually what isn't accurate is that other grains are not -- and the level of essential amino's in order to be called a 'complete' protein is very subjective. Furthermore, you can simply eat beans and rice in the same day and get a complete protein that way (doesn't have to be the same dish or meal) but we love quinoa and add it to rice all the time.

Someone mentioned that it wasn't flavorful but I disagree and it's almost nutty flavor is quite excellent

I'll be eating some with sprouted rice and quinoa and short grain brown rice for lunch with a tbs of olive oil and some low sodium seasonings It's a daily staple here.

But as I eat it daily I am familiar with the small amount of protein it contains and supplement my protein intake with powders and bars in order to balance my cals and continue my weight-loss. I'm a big meat eater but I can get more protein and less cals this way.