DS Vets -Budget Protein Suggestions

I'm 3 1/2 years out, and meat prices are out of control where I live.

I know the beans and rice trick, but vegetable protein is not as bioavailable, and I'm also seeing steep price increases in my WPI supplement ( I do buy in bulk, but a 10# bag of unflavored is nearly $100 bucks these days!) I've learned to love hard boiled eggs, which I could barely choke down before.

Hamburger tends to "swell up" on me, even though I'm past my first year.

I always buy on sale and use coupons, and that helps some.

Any other suggestions?

Money i****ting me hard, too. Things are flat out expensive.  If I simplify what protein foods I buy, that seems to help - by that, I mean focus on one primary protein a week, making a protein theme each week.  I like chicken thighs and they seem to be okay affordable.  Another staple of mine is baked eggs - I put eggs in a pyrex dish, coating the dish wtih heavy whipping cream, and topping off with some shredded parmessean cheese plus a little more heavy cream.  They are all staple items that don't spoil quickly (so, no unintended lossage due to food spoilage).  And, depending on the eggs you're getting, it's a protein dish that can be cheaper than some of the alternatives.

Oh!!!  And, if you can handle them - gizzards!  Chicken gizzards.  They can be a great protein option that is really inexpensive.  I like to slow boil them for about 30 minutes.  Drain them.  Add a couple of large cans of diced tomatoes plus some onion powder and let them simmer awhile longer.  And then when I get ready to eat them, I add a big dollop of sour cream.  The sour cream helps to cut the acid from the tomatoes.  Anyway - gizzards are a very cheap protein option AND if you look up their protein numbers - something like 1/2 a cup (chopped) has 44 grams of protein!!!  Wow.. I hope I'm getting that figure right. 

Mind me asking what WPI supplement you use? 

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions! I totally forgot about gizzards! I do like them, and I eat chicken livers, too! Try the crock pot method for gizzards, too. My Mom used to cook them that way, even before the slow-cooking appliance became popular. I like chicken thighs too. My sister made some yesterday, wth this home-made BBQ sauce she does that's not sweet, but tangy.

I've never had baked eggs...I think I'd have to do an individual one in a ramekin to see if I liked them first.

I use Now Sports Whey Protein Isolate, unflavored, 25 g per scoop, plus what comes from the whole milk, about 11 g I think. I use Decaf hazelnut coffee for flavoring, wih a splash of heavy cream and Splenda to taste. I make other flavors, but this "iced coffee" is my favorite, and unlike the one at McDonald's, has some nutrition in it!

Pork shoulder and country style ribs are still pretty reasonable. I put those in the crock pot or cook them low and slow in the oven. Then I shred them and mix North Carolina style BBQ sauce into the shredded meat. DS friendly for sure.

--gina 

I'm learning to like pork again, though I would prefer a nioce juicy Porterhouse.

I stopped eating it for religious reasons, I hadn't had it since  I left home to go to college, but after my DS, I tried bacon again after hving difficulty eating early out, and I LOVE it!  It truly is "meat candy"! Jerky too!

Acts 11

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.

⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

 Ricotta Ricotta Ricotta - 28g per cup.  
 Zone protein bars at Target, $3.79 for 8 (15g each)
Kefir - $2.50 per bottle (40g protein plus probiotics) at Walmart

Yes...Ricotta Fluff!  Anyone have the recipe for that?

I bought a box of Pure Protein  (Chocolate Deluxe) at Walmart for about the same as the zone, but they have 20 g per bar. That's probably why you only get six...more expensive.

I have looked at Kefir, but it didn't seem like something I would like.  Does it taste like yogurt?

Thanks, "OG"!

 Ricotta fluff is my brainchild (recipe on my profile, honey)

 I use Kefir, its more tart than yogurt. Add it to protein powder shakes, with SF sweetener. 

Add cottage cheese to quiche recipies. It melts into the egg. I dont like cottage cheese any other way. 

Deli rare sliced beef is less expensive than steak. I add it to a small salad w/ italian dressing. The oil and vinegar help to moisten it. I cant eat ground meat unless it is in the form of a meat ball, made with bread crumbs. I add eggs, italian bread crumbs, parm cheese to ground turkey. Use an ice cream scoop to form the balls, bake, or saute in pan with olive oil. Cover all cooked meat immediately when cooling to retain moisture. Freeze individual portions of any kind of meat to prevent wasted spoiled food. 

Rotisserie chicken from Sams or Costco is $6. I get about 8 meals from one. Save the bones from a few chickens in the freezer till you are ready to make  a stock from the bones, add chunks of dry breast meat for soup, or make a cream sauce with the stock. I like to reduce the stock, keep it frozen in ice cube tray chunks for small additions to any meat. Chicken breast has the most protein, but its too dry for me to enjoy without gravy or sauce. French cooking style sauces are healthier than thickened gravies using flour. Arrowroot is a good quick easy gravy thickener. Add the powder to a bit of cold water before adding to hot  reduced broth.

 Cottage cheese is a great protein staple that I have in the fridge at all times.  I mix it with my favorite yogurt  and each serving is 32 grams of protein.  For me this can be breakfast, lunch or a snack.  Play around with different brands and flavors until you find one you like.  I use Michigan brand large curd cottage cheese (I buy 3 large containers per week) and Yoplait White chocolate strawberry yogurt ( you will need 9 yogurt for the 3 large cottage cheeses).  

I know this sounds like a strange combination, I even thought so when I first heard about it from my daughter but it is really good.  Back about 10 years ago she was doing Body for Life, a weight loss diet, and this was one of the meals they suggested. I have been eating it since.