Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

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Sueven
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Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Sueven »

I'll go first.

Whip up a stir-fry sauce out of something sweet (orange juice, etc), some kind of vinegar, some soy sauce, and a bit of cornstarch.
Heat some olive oil in a wok or something similar.
Add chopped onion, stir til translucent.
Add sliced carrots, stir til beginning to get soft.
Add chopped broccoli (w/ stems for maximum nutrition & environmental friendliness), stir til beginning to get soft.
Add sauce, chopped greens (kale, spinach, collards, chard, etc), and a heaping helping of textured vegetable protein or tofu.
Stir til greens are cooked and sauce has thickened.
Cook up a pot of quinoa.
Serve stir-fry over quinoa.
Voila: Veggie-healthy, good amount of protein, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, inexpensive.

Your turn!
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by miir »

I usually only use TVP in vegetarian chili. I've never tried it in a str fry.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Sueven »

It's good!
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Leonaerd
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Leonaerd »

My carefully concocted protein shake:

3 scoops whey protein powder, I prefer Met-RX chocolate
8-12 ounces Trader Joe's Green Protein Juice blend
~3 cups water
1 banana, ripe but becoming sugary
scoop of raspberries (or another berry if you don't like the texture of blended raspberry)
Orange juice to taste

The green protein juice blend is pricey but worth it.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Aabidano »

2 cod loins per person (or boneless fillet in fish stick-ish portions)
3-4 bay leaves
2 tbsp salt
Garlic & onion to taste - smashed clove of garlic & 1/4 onion works

Bring water to a rolling boil water in large pot, add salt & bay leaves, etc... Allow to boil a couploe minutes until bay leaves begin to wet.
Add cod, cook for 5-6 minutes at a rolling boil
Remove from pot with a slotted spoon, fish should flake if done. Serve immediately or chill and serve later.

Decent with any solid, white fish.
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Sueven
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Sueven »

For some reason the term "cod loins" cracks me up. Hahahaha
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Ashur »

Cheese?
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Zamtuk »

This is my type of thread, since I am on this very diet.

First and foremost, bulk is your friend. I know a good butcher so I get 10 pounds of chicken on the cheap (1.88 lb). Take all ten pounds and either grill them or roast them. Since its cold, I roast them using a variety of spice blends so I have a nice little selection. After all of that is cooked, put it all in a tupperware container and store in the fridge. Now you have chicken on demand for whenever you want it.

Now to accompany said chicken, I will use a lot of brown rice. I find that a cheap and easy way is to get those premade Uncle Bens 90 second heat up kind. I microwave the rice, then mix it with some siracha and soy sauce, and crushed black pepper, and voila, cheap stirfry. Also, get some of those veggie steamers in the frozen food section and you have another side. This all can be made within 4 minutes time since you precooked all the chicken.

Another quick/cheap recipe, and probably my favorite is blackened tilapia (or any other high protein fish) with Zatarains Jambalaya rice.

I do have more recipes of actual dishes that don't require premade or boxed ingredients. If you want those let me know. (My stir-fry is kickass)
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Midnyte_Ragebringer »

Greek Olive Hummus and Wheat Pita Bread.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Canelek »

Trader Joes - For all your (roasted garlic) hummus and pita needs.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Midnyte_Ragebringer »

Canelek wrote:Trader Joes - For all your (roasted garlic) hummus and pita needs.
We don't have one of those around here, but I've seen their store on Foodnetwork and it looks like heaven for me. I do not recommend Artichoke and Spinach Hummus. OMG it made my belly hurt and my breath reek for days.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Canelek »

Yeah, I believe it is still just west coast. I love the place. Great quality food and CHEAP! The stores in CA also sell hard booze, which is nice. It is like 3.99 for a tub of hummus, in about 5 varieties.

Good times. Now I am hungry.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Midnyte_Ragebringer »

I used to scoff at people eating hummus. I tried it about a year ago and have been eating as part of a diet/exercise program and it is a fanastic food to eat for lunch after a good workout. Tasty and healthy. Can't beat it.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Sueven »

Midnyte: I know it's not quite "around here" for you, but you can find Trades Joes in Philadelphia in a few spots, if you ever find yourself down there. It's worth dropping by to stock up on a few things that they do really well and really cheaply-- nuts and dried fruit, for instance-- and I have no doubt that hummus is among them.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Midnyte_Ragebringer »

Awesome. Thanks Sueven. Philly is about 2 hours away. So that is a possibility.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Funkmasterr »

Glad to find this thread and get a few ideas! I've been overweight my whole damn life and finally got fed up with it and have been eating good and running a lot. I just went shopping at Trader Joes for the first time recently and love it. Stocked up on chicken/fish so I figured I'd look for some recipes to keep it interesting.

Between eating better and my workout (I run about 5 miles a day and do situps, etc) - I've lost 45 pounds or so in the last 4-5 months. Another 20-30 to go and I'll be happy :D
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Aslanna »

Zamtuk wrote:First and foremost, bulk is your friend. I know a good butcher so I get 10 pounds of chicken on the cheap (1.88 lb). Take all ten pounds and either grill them or roast them. Since its cold, I roast them using a variety of spice blends so I have a nice little selection. After all of that is cooked, put it all in a tupperware container and store in the fridge. Now you have chicken on demand for whenever you want it.
How long does 10 pounds of cooked chicken last in the refrigerator? That doesn't sound safe unless you eat a lot of chicken! I usually buy 6 pounds or so and freeze most of it then thaw it as I go by taking some out in the morning and cooking it that night.
Last edited by Aslanna on June 14, 2010, 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kluden
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Kluden »

Foreman grill is your friend, leave it frozen :)

Grats Funk. I'm also on the kick and started a rotation of p90x. Gonna see how it works out. I'm guessing I won't have Kwon type guns by the 90th day, but I'll settle for half-Kwon.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Sueven »

Badass.

My new kick is lentils. Bag of dried lentils is like a buck or two. And that's a lot of lentils, and they're good for you. Can boil them with broth and some vegetables and spices and make a soup, or drain them and mix with some herbs and vegetables and dressing and make a salad. Two best recent versions have been a feta/onions/chives kind of deal, and a carrots/onions/parsley/oranges/lime juice one.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Leonaerd »

The lentil is mighty. I occasionally get refridgerated lentils from Trader Joe's. Delicious and a good amount of +health. I've been meaning to attempt cooking them but haven't taken the time off from my quinoa kick yet.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Xatrei »

Ditto on lentils. They're super versatile. About 2 months ago, I decided to stop eating meat. Initially, I shifted to a pescatarian diet, keeping 2-3 servings of shrimp/fish a week, but after a couple of weeks I eliminated the seafood, too. I haven't entirely eliminated dairy and eggs (yet), but I don't eat eggs directly (if they're in something, I'll eat it) and I have easily reduced my dairy intake by 90%. Chickpeas, lentils, blackbeans, quinoa, flax, nuts, hemp and some soy have become my primary protein sources (plus whatever random protein content is in my other seeds, grains, cereals and vegetables). I didn't make this change to lose weight, but it has had the unintended bonus of me dropping 11 pounds as of the last time I looked.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Tyek »

Xatrei wrote:Ditto on lentils. They're super versatile. About 2 months ago, I decided to stop eating meat. Initially, I shifted to a pescatarian diet, keeping 2-3 servings of shrimp/fish a week, but after a couple of weeks I eliminated the seafood, too. I haven't entirely eliminated dairy and eggs (yet), but I don't eat eggs directly (if they're in something, I'll eat it) and I have easily reduced my dairy intake by 90%. Chickpeas, lentils, blackbeans, quinoa, flax, nuts, hemp and some soy have become my primary protein sources (plus whatever random protein content is in my other seeds, grains, cereals and vegetables). I didn't make this change to lose weight, but it has had the unintended bonus of me dropping 11 pounds as of the last time I looked.
Just curious why you would go to that level of veganism (is that a word?) Is it health related, medical or just a lifestyle choice?
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Funkmasterr »

Kluden wrote:Foreman grill is your friend, leave it frozen :)

Grats Funk. I'm also on the kick and started a rotation of p90x. Gonna see how it works out. I'm guessing I won't have Kwon type guns by the 90th day, but I'll settle for half-Kwon.
Thanks! I've heard good stuff all around about P90X, just stay disciplined!
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Xatrei »

Tyek wrote:Just curious why you would go to that level of veganism (is that a word?) Is it health related, medical or just a lifestyle choice?
Hopefully I can answer the question without the thread being derailed by a certain contingent of VV that goes apeshit over stuff like what I'm about to say. If it that happens, we'll fork to a different thread. Let me preface my answer by making clear the fact that I recognize that many people do not share my opinion on the matter. That is their right. I'm not out to convert anyone, and I don't want to take the rib eye off your plate. This is just what I feel I should do.

Primarily, it was a decision to align my eating habits with my personal ethics. I've long had issues with modern factory meat production methods that dominate the meat supply. These feelings have made appearances in at least a couple of threads here over the years. I believe that factory farming is inherently cruel to animals. Further, I find the environmental consequences of factory farming to be unacceptable. I'm not speaking about climate change issues (although meat production is certainly a huge contributor), but of the issues related to massive amounts of animal waste, chemical and biological pollution and the massive input of antibiotics necessary to for factory animals to survive long enough to be slaughtered. I simply do not wish to be a party to the animal cruelty or environmental degradation that I associate with the meat industry. In the past, I felt that merely reducing my consumption was an adequate step, but recognizing that I don't need meat to thrive, I've come to believe that the only ethically acceptable step for me to take is to separate myself from it to the greatest degree possible. This is why I'm working towards eliminating eggs and dairy and animal byproducts from my life.

Not long after making my decision to change my eating habits, a friend recommended a book to me that really reflects my feelings on the matter. This book had nothing to do with my choice - it was already made, but it has served to reinforce my belief. If you're inclined to know more about my thinking on the subject Jonathan Safran Foer's excellent book Eating Animals is a perfect summary.
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Re: Healthy Cheap Proteiny Food

Post by Tyek »

Thanks, interesting response Xatrei. I was curious as the the thought process, and that was very clear.
When I was younger, I used to think that the world was doing it to me and that the world owes me some thing…When you're a teeny bopper, that's what you think. I'm 40 now, I don't think that anymore, because I found out it doesn't f--king work. One has to go through that. For the people who even bother to go through that, most assholes just accept what it is anyway and get on with it." - John Lennon
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