Good sources of protein?

I barely eat any beef or chicken either and am on a grad student budget so trying not to be extravagant either. When I started MFP I also noticed I was low on protein and high on carbs. I still rarely hit my protein goal and commonly go a bit over my carb goal, but I made some switches that brought me a lot closer to the target. Some of the protein sources I eat also have carbs but it's better that than all carbs (plus you do still need carbs anyway).

Breakfast: I switched to Kashi Go Lean cereal with 1% milk, which has the most protein I've seen in a cereal. Sometimes I'l go with oatmeal which is not as high protein but you have more control over the amount of sugar that goes in. Weekends I sometimes have eggs.

Lunch: I started making a big thing of rice (medium grain rice holds up better in the fridge than long) and beans on Sundays and dividing it into containers to bring for lunch. It's high protein and high fiber so it's very filling.

Snacks: good ones are string cheese, hard boiled eggs, veggies and hummus (and i still do pretzels and hummus b/c again, you do need some carbs), crispy chickpeas

Dinner: Here is where I frequently had way too little protein. I've been working on having fish more frequently and have found that buying frozen fish helps since I don't have to worry about using it right after buying and it's MUCH cheaper (plus it's fresher in my particular land-locked region). I typically go for marinated salmon baked or broiled in the oven. I've also upped the number of times/week I have tofu, which I usually make by draining, cubing, marinating, and baking at 400. On the nights I want pasta, I still have it but just have less and add in ricotta or cottage cheese for the protein. Breakfast for dinner with eggs is also a good idea and if you're not too sick of beans from lunch go for those too.

Oh, and a recent discovery was cauliflower rice, which you make by putting pieces of RAW cauliflower in a food processor, pulsing until it's rice sized, then cook in a pan with a bit of oil. I made fried "rice" with this and it was really good. It's definitely not identical to rice by any means but it's a nice substitute.

Some recipe links:
crispy chickpeas
sesame ginger salmon
cauliflower rice
baked tofu

Beans have a lot of protein and they are one of the cheapest foods you can buy. Last week I made a cold bean salad and added a little bit of corn to it for flavor. Soooo good.

just as an aside, if you're not eating meat it's nearly impossible to get enough protein without eating something that has protein with every meal. and unfortunately, things that are easy, on the go, and don't require preparation are commonly expensive and won't get you all the way to your protein goal anyway. so you may need to do a bit more preparation than you might like to meet your protein goals. a lot of the foods I suggested are relatively simple to prepare and can be made on the weekend and reheated, which may help with busy weekdays?

Premier pre mixed shakes, Pro7ein powder...

I'm a vegetarian, and I get plenty of protein! Beans... you could roast and season chickpeas for a grab and go snack, edamame, nuts, hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and string cheese.

chasingyouu wrote: »

I know the obvious sources of protein but I'm not the biggest fan of meat and I struggle to get protein in without getting an even bigger dose of fat. Most days I'm over on carbs and fat and under on protein. I can't afford powders and shakes and I'm looking for something that's more on-the-go rather than something I have to spend time preparing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Leaner cuts of meat for one thing...like chicken breast...very little fat...pork tenderloin, very little fat....cuts of beef like London Broil, very little fat (and cheap...but you need to prepare it correctly or it will be tough). Eat some fish, etc.

Beyond lean poultry and lean cuts of meat and fish, most sources are also going to be either carb heavy or have more fat...i.e. eggs, nuts, etc.

Non fat Greek Yogurt is another good source.

Also, don't be afraid of fat or carbs.

Most of my protein sources have been mentioned by others, but I'm typically always over on my protein and I eat the following: cottage cheese, a lot of cooked egg whites, edamame, tuna.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

chasingyouu wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

chasingyouu wrote: »

I know the obvious sources of protein but I'm not the biggest fan of meat and I struggle to get protein in without getting an even bigger dose of fat. Most days I'm over on carbs and fat and under on protein. I can't afford powders and shakes and I'm looking for something that's more on-the-go rather than something I have to spend time preparing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Leaner cuts of meat for one thing...like chicken breast...very little fat...pork tenderloin, very little fat....cuts of beef like London Broil, very little fat (and cheap...but you need to prepare it correctly or it will be tough). Eat some fish, etc.

Beyond lean poultry and lean cuts of meat and fish, most sources are also going to be either carb heavy or have more fat...i.e. eggs, nuts, etc.

Non fat Greek Yogurt is another good source.

Also, don't be afraid of fat or carbs.

Thanks for everyone's replies!
I'm not vegetarian or anything, I just tend to make myself something with meat in and not enjoy the meat as much... I was wondering if I bought pre-sliced meat and just ate it like that? Also would individual cheese portions be ok?
I have Greek yoghurt so I'll definitely eat more of it! I'll try cottage cheese too.
And I'm not afraid of fat or carbs, I just like to avoid saturated fats where I can.

Also about the powders, I live in the U.K. where the powders average £30-£50 and I can't really find any small containers anywhere. I also don't really want to rely on powders (that I might not even like) to get my protein intake.

While cheese does have some protein, I would generally not consider it to be an optimal source...it's nice that it can add some additional protein to my sandwich for example...but generally cheese would be considered more of a fat source.

1 ounce of cheddar cheese has roughly 9 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein. Compare that to a grilled chicken breast; 4 ounces @ roughly 140 calories with 3 grams of fat and 28 grams of protein...

The exception to this would be cottage cheese, which packs a lot of protein.

Egg whites.

Canned Tunas always been a staple for me. Pretty cheap when you get a sale and will stay ready and at tour disposal for a good long time. I was partial to tuna melts, but it's also great on a salad

I use pre-sliced meats...deli turkey or chicken especially. I am in my car most of the day and pack "finger foods", a sliced apple some veggies, and some sliced meat. Yesterday was turkey salami with light cream cheese. The downside for me is the salt content. I also get protein from NF greek yogurt and cottage cheese.