Protein alternatives to meat and shakes???

Lentils are my new friend.  I went to India this past spring and fell in love with lentil curries (dahl).  They are very high in protein and fiber and can be made into a puree.  Jamie Oliver has some great recipe's as well as Manjula's Kitchen.  Sometimes I find placing the meat (beef, chicken, turkey) between two sheets of wax paper and beating them with a rolling pin (very fun that) tenderizes the meat enough that I can eat it with less difficulty (I have a Lap Band and getting foods to go down is a long time challenge for me).  I have also found that a tablespoon of guacamole wrapped up in the thin slices of  chicken breast deli meat is a quick, delicious snack or meal on the go.  

Hope something sounds good....

Ashley

I have some high protein cereal I eat plain. Maybe I just need to get over my carbophobia! 

Ive done the same with eggs. I can be fine with hard-boiled, but scrambled or fried (cooking spray!) doesn't work anymore. 

So many recommendations for beans/lentils. I'm giving them another try. Seven bean soup is my favorite... I'm going to the store now! :) and I'll look up recipes from the above mentioned names. Unless meat is really special I just don't see it being a main part of my diet in the foreseeable future (and we raise grass-fed cattle!). 

Carbs are not all bad.  It's just the "white" carbs that you need to be concerned about.  I have never counted anything but protein, and never worry about healthy carbs from veggies, beans, whole grains, or fruit (but avoid white carbs lie pasta, non-whole grain breads, rice, etc.) and I lost 190 pounds and am maintaining it.  My six year mark is later this month.

Lora

Beans are a great source of protein.  They also have lots of fiber, are low in fat, are cheap, and you can do a million things with them.

Some people that are lactose intolerant can tolerate cheese because it has less lactose than millk.  You can also try Lactaid brand milk, which is regular milk with the enzyme lactase added to it, which helps you digest the lactose.  Also, many people that are lactose intolerant can tolerate raw milk (unpasteurized) just fine, because milk naturally contains the enzyme lactase, it's just that pasteurizing milk destroys the lactase in it.  So you might want to try raw milk if you can get it.

Also nuts and seeds are high in protein.  How do you do with eggs?

I really like beans! Going to give them another try and see if they stall me. I do okay with cheese except cottage cheese (which I used to love). Eggs hard boiled are fie, scrambled, fried, omlettes, not so much. I just ordered some watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds. Back to beans - I could be happy having them for at least one meal everyday. I added smashed black beans to hamburger today, and they seemed to tone down the awful 'mouthfeel' I get with meat alone these days. 

I've started using almond and coconut milk. Have never bought Lactaid but willing to try it! 

 

I appreciate everyone's input so much. I feel better about going back to beans since you all seem to have done well by keeping them as a staple in your diets. 

I eat a ton of beans, have since I started soft foods at two weeks post op.  Didn't keep me from getting to goal or staying there.

So completely off topic but I saw your comment about raising grass-fed cattle. Where are you located? My dad is an organic grass-fed grass-finished cattle farmer in SC. Gibson Farms

We're in Oklahoma, but not considered organic :(  I wish we were. A lot of government hoops, and for no more than we raise these days it's not worth it. But at least we know what's in our meat and how the animals are raised and treated. :)