Poor student need help with low cost high protein meals

[Woollster00]

Hey guys so what i'm basically looking for today is some low cost high protein meals calories are irrelevant i'm not cutting at the moment nor bulking but preferably a good balance of carbs to protein i am a bit fussy though and i like my food to taste good not a big fan of vegetables either also i live on a shoe string budget because i'ma student £40 for food i have 2 protein shakes a day and then i have to fill 4 other meals any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[mockery]

peanut butter, oats, pasta, bananas, powdered milk, bread, chocolate milk , eggs, tuna, honey, lettuce, sprouts

[DanB]

Hey guys so what i'm basically looking for today is some low cost high protein meals calories are irrelevant i'm not cutting at the moment nor bulking but preferably a good balance of carbs to protein i am a bit fussy though and i like my food to taste good not a big fan of vegetables either also i live on a shoe string budget because i'ma student £40 for food i have 2 protein shakes a day and then i have to fill 4 other meals any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

you in uk yeah?

frozen chicken from farm foods usually a deal like 3bags so 3kg for £10 tesco tuna, eggs, oats for pennys and watch the shelves for the reduced food that nearly at its sell by date (still good for a week) you will get steaks pork etc for a fraction of listed price

pasta and jars of tesco sauce (actually pretty nice) and tesco rice and jar of sauce or season and marinade the meat and stirfry it

do all this and you might even have a lil change each week

[JohnnnyBlazzze]

When I'm strapped for cash my diet just stays basic and bland.

I can usually get a massive packet of chicken for like 10$ and that last me a week or less. That's all my protein. 1 big can of oats is about 6$ and that last me over 2 weeks. That's all my carbs. Then I buy natty PB for my fats or eggs, 1 jar of natty PB usually last me a few weeks but it's kind of expensive. I can pretty much spend 30-40$ at the grocery store and have healthy foods to last me for 2 weeks +.

It's incredibly boring but I care, It's about the nutrients and my macros, not so much the taste or diversity. When I have a cheat day is when I worry about all that other crap

[AXx]

Like others have said oats, tuna, and eggs.

[Woollster00]

Tuna and eggs and chicken are a staple of my diet i've never really explored into oats yet call me a fussy eater i suppose what do you guys do with them? and like i said i'm just a recreational bodybuilder not trying to achieve some ridiculously low bf percentage so i don't mind a few extra calories ephedrine and cardio pretty much allows me to eat whatever i want and stay lean

[Woollster00]

you in uk yeah?

frozen chicken from farm foods usually a deal like 3bags so 3kg for £10 tesco tuna, eggs, oats for pennys and watch the shelves for the reduced food that nearly at its sell by date (still good for a week) you will get steaks pork etc for a fraction of listed price

pasta and jars of tesco sauce (actually pretty nice) and tesco rice and jar of sauce or season and marinade the meat and stirfry it

do all this and you might even have a lil change each week

I'll look into the farmfoods thing as i have a store close but sadly no tescos it's a morrisons :P

[Shadowmaker]

i'm basically looking for today is some low cost

i like my food to taste good

i dont know how its in the UK. but where i come from, these 2 things are not supposed to be in the same sentence.
its either i eat beef and rice and vegetables and pay lots of money for that tasty stuff + electricity bill for cooking or i just do what i do :

boiled or grilled chicken breast... no spices, no sauces, no extra stuff - it costs money... so what you do is - take a chinken breast and put in in the water and boil it or put it on the grill...
as far as carbs - oats... costs 1$ for 500g = 335g of carbs. just open the box/packet/thingy take a spoon and eat them... when mouth gets dry, drink water...

it tastes awful and its hard to eat that way, but you just have to choose what you like better - food or bodybuilding... tasty+healthy+bodybuilding is impossible to combine unless you have at least like 600$ a month just for food.

[Woollster00]

I don't think that's true i think you can find a balance nothings impossible :P

[DanB]

i dont know how its in the UK. but where i come from, these 2 things are not supposed to be in the same sentence.
its either i eat beef and rice and vegetables and pay lots of money for that tasty stuff + electricity bill for cooking or i just do what i do :

boiled or grilled chicken breast... no spices, no sauces, no extra stuff - it costs money... so what you do is - take a chinken breast and put in in the water and boil it or put it on the grill...
as far as carbs - oats... costs 1$ for 500g = 335g of carbs. just open the box/packet/thingy take a spoon and eat them... when mouth gets dry, drink water...

it tastes awful and its hard to eat that way, but you just have to choose what you like better - food or bodybuilding... tasty+healthy+bodybuilding is impossible to combine unless you have at least like 600$ a month just for food.

it can be done in UK, I have done it myself using the method outlined above, and no matter how tight your budget you can sqeeze in a couple jar of seasoning etc for pennys each, you just need be smart with your money

[DanB]

I'll look into the farmfoods thing as i have a store close but sadly no tescos it's a morrisons :P

robbing fvckers lol, even try get a lift or bus once a week to tesco to stock up, it worth the hassle of making the trip

[Woollster00]

To be fair since coming home for summer and using tescos i've actually found more bargains in morrisons the only thing tesco beats morrisons on is potatoes the price of jacket potatoes and sweet potatoes is a joke it's like £1 for 4

[DanB]

Tuna and eggs and chicken are a staple of my diet i've never really explored into oats yet call me a fussy eater i suppose what do you guys do with them? and like i said i'm just a recreational bodybuilder not trying to achieve some ridiculously low bf percentage so i don't mind a few extra calories ephedrine and cardio pretty much allows me to eat whatever i want and stay lean

stick 100g oats into the shake, or put into a bowl with tin tuna, chilli flakes, red onion and use a egg white to bind it together, make into 2 burgers and stick under grill for few minutes each side and you have a couple tuna burgers, they cheap, quick, easy, good macros and damn tasty

[DanB]

To be fair since coming home for summer and using tescos i've actually found more bargains in morrisons the only thing tesco beats morrisons on is potatoes the price of jacket potatoes and sweet potatoes is a joke it's like £1 for 4

really? i always found the meat there alot more expensive but hey fvck it, go with whatever works for you

[Shadowmaker]

it can be done in UK

well, it depends on the country you're in and the money you have...
for me - spices and souces can double the food bill in no time...

[DanB]

well, it depends on the country you're in and the money you have...
for me - spices and souces can double the food bill in no time...

hate that, most the knorr seasoning is 99cent a jar, fresh basil etc is around the same, fresh chillis are only things that get a lil pricy but even that wont break the bank here or in the uk

[< <Samson> >]

Right there with ya, wish I could eat steaks and high quality fish all the time.

As for reality, chicken, tuna, eggs or egg protein and whey. That about covers the cheap low end proteins.

[Shadowmaker]

Right there with ya, wish I could eat steaks and high quality fish all the time.

As for reality, chicken, tuna, eggs or egg protein and whey. That about covers the cheap low end proteins.

in here, there are no cheap end... chicken and eggs costs a lot... whey costs twice as much.
a bodybuilder in here spends around 300-400$ on protein foods a month... average salary in here is 400-500$ a month if lucky - it goes as low as 300$...
chicken breast at cheapest prices alone adds up to 120-150$ which is 40% of your total income.

[baseline_9]

cook up big batches of chicken curry and chilli con carne and freeze them in freezer bags

find a butchers to get your meats.... Check the pack on the frozen chicken, make sure its 100% chicken, no water or additives

I get my chicken from east Ends cash and carry... 10KG for £35 and its 100% chicken breast.

Store brand oats, basmati rice, white fish, tuna.

[< <Samson> >]

I just get all my shit from Sam's Club. My food doesn't cost me too much, just mine maybe about 350 Bucks a month. But all my whey and powder egg is free. I use about another 100 a month in just powder.

[Judah]

People may think protein powder is expensive but bang for your buck it's cheap. 5lbs of protein powder for $60 bucks breaks down do $0.02 per gram. So one 28gram scoop that has 25 grams of protein in it costs about $0.70. If you need 200 grams of protein a day you would use 8 scoops a day and it costs you $5.60 for all your protein per day. Can't beat that with whole foods. Obviously you want some whole food protein sources but you can see the power of protein powder dollar for dollar for protein delivery. That's what it was designed for =)

[Judah]

Hey guys so what i'm basically looking for today is some low cost high protein meals calories are irrelevant i'm not cutting at the moment nor bulking but preferably a good balance of carbs to protein i am a bit fussy though and i like my food to taste good not a big fan of vegetables either also i live on a shoe string budget because i'ma student £40 for food i have 2 protein shakes a day and then i have to fill 4 other meals any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

People may think protein powder is expensive but bang for your buck it's cheap. 5lbs of protein powder for $60 bucks breaks down do $0.02 per gram. So one 28gram scoop that has 25 grams of protein in it costs about $0.70. If you need 200 grams of protein a day you would use 8 scoops a day and it costs you $5.60 for all your protein per day. Can't beat that with whole foods. Obviously you want some whole food protein sources but you can see the power of protein powder dollar for dollar for protein delivery. You can find 5lbs for less than $60 too, thats just what i pay at my local guy down the street.

[< <Samson> >]

[QUOTE=Judah;6115129If you need 200 grams of protein a day you would use 8 scoops a day and it costs you $5.60 for all your protein per day. Can't beat that with whole foods. Obviously you want some whole food protein sources but you can see the power of protein powder dollar for dollar for protein delivery. [/QUOTE]


Ehh, not so much man. . . You want most of your protein from foods and not powder. I use a lot off egg protein powder and that shit would be quite pricey if I paid for it. The more protein you get from food the better. I know powder seems like a good way out, but from experience the more powder in the diet the more I shit. Solid protein rich foods are much much better. Personally I try to go to about a 1 to 3 ratio of powder to food. Even that seems a bit high.

[DanB]

People may think protein powder is expensive but bang for your buck it's cheap. 5lbs of protein powder for $60 bucks breaks down do $0.02 per gram. So one 28gram scoop that has 25 grams of protein in it costs about $0.70. If you need 200 grams of protein a day you would use 8 scoops a day and it costs you $5.60 for all your protein per day. Can't beat that with whole foods. Obviously you want some whole food protein sources but you can see the power of protein powder dollar for dollar for protein delivery. You can find 5lbs for less than $60 too, thats just what i pay at my local guy down the street.

but does your brand of protein actually have the amount they claim? I posted an article that shows none of the brands tested have what they claim and some only have a fraction of what they claim

[mockery]

but does your brand of protein actually have the amount they claim? I posted an article that shows none of the brands tested have what they claim and some only have a fraction of what they claim

I agree, Hence the no pharma grade protein powder. Alot of it is hype from magazines and marketing.

[Judah]

Did I recommend getting all your protein from powder? No I did not. In fact I specifically mentioned you want protein from whole foods. So why did you post that???

[Judah]

but does your brand of protein actually have the amount they claim? I posted an article that shows none of the brands tested have what they claim and some only have a fraction of what they claim

Even if it has only 75% of what it claims it's still cheaper on a cost per gram of protein basis.

Is healthier and more effective than whole foods? Of course not, it's cheaper gram for gram.

[--->>405<<---]

man u guys make me think i need to rethink how i shop! im spending like 200+ per week on my food alone! of course i have all kinds of stuff..

[mockery]

i spend 200 a week too, our weight calories and such are too freakliy close, yoru help with my body comp has me turning me into you

blueberry pankakes tomorroW!

[mockery]

Pizza by the slice, probably 300- 700 calories only 2bucks.! BEAT THAT

10 bucks Ive hit my calorie load for teh day and all euphoric from the fats and carbs.

[Cheifjuana]

Cottage cheese. Crazy amount of protein in it.