Searching for easy and inexpensive ways to increase your protein intake? It’s simple to incorporate high-quality protein into your meals without going over budget with these cost-effective suggestions.
You don’t have to break the bank to get the protein you need each day. There are many inexpensive ways to boost your protein intake without compromising taste or convenience, regardless of your preference for meat, vegetarian foods, or a combination of the two.
Protein may be easily added to meals while saving time and money with a variety of frozen, canned, and bulk items. Here are ten doable ways to increase your protein intake in a way that is both affordable and pleasurable.
Plan meals around frozen lean meats
Because they keep longer in the freezer and are frequently less expensive than fresh meat, frozen chicken and turkey help cut down on waste.
Stock up on frozen ground turkey, chicken thighs, or breasts to prepare quick dishes like stir-fries, wraps, or sheet-pan dinners with vegetables.
Purchasing frozen food makes it easier to save money and lessen food waste because you can stock up when prices decrease and only defrost what you need.
Keep canned fish as a pantry staple
Cost-effective sources of premium animal protein that don’t need to be refrigerated until they’re opened are canned salmon and tuna. For quick dinners like salmon patties, tuna salad sandwiches, or pasta dishes high in protein, these choices are perfect.
When purchasing, choose canned salmon that is packed in water instead of oil because it has fewer calories and a more adaptable flavor.
Incorporate eggs into everyday cooking
One of the most reasonably priced and adaptable protein sources is eggs. Hard-boil a batch at the start of the week to serve as snacks or salad toppers.
For budget-friendly dinners, try quick egg scrambles, frittatas, or fried rice. Eggs add protein to recipes like vegetable stir-fries while making preparation easy and inexpensive.
Use dried or canned beans to bulk up meals
Low-cost plant-based sources of protein, fiber, and nutrients include beans like black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and pinto beans.
While dried beans are less expensive per serving if you have the time to soak and cook them, canned beans are more convenient and ready to eat.
To make satisfying, high-protein meals, add beans to salads, grain bowls, chili, burritos, and stews. For a crispy, high-protein snack, try roasting chickpeas.
Snack on frozen edamame
A convenient, reasonably priced, and delicious plant protein source is frozen edamame.
Edamame, shelled or in the pod, can be steamed or microwaved for a quick snack or added to salads and stir-fries for a simple protein boost.
Edamame can be added to recipes without requiring additional preparation time because it cooks quickly and stores well.
Choose whole grains that provide extra protein
Compared to white rice or pasta, some whole grains, such as barley, quinoa, and farro, have higher protein content. Cooking these grains in quantity enables you build balanced meals around them.
To add nutrition and texture to vegetable soups, incorporate barley into them or use quinoa as a foundation for salads. For vegetarian meals, combining grains with beans or lentils produces a full protein profile.
Make cottage cheese and yogurt regular parts of your diet
Greek yogurt and plain cottage cheese are great, reasonably priced protein sources that can be used in a variety of ways.
For a quick snack, cottage cheese goes nicely with fresh fruit like berries or pineapple. To increase the protein and creaminess of savory dips and spreads, it can also be added to baked foods like lasagna.
Greek yogurt can be combined with herbs to make a creamy sauce, added to baked potatoes, or blended into smoothies. The cost per serving is frequently lowered by purchasing larger containers.
Slow-cook tougher cuts of meat for tender, affordable meals
Slow-cooking less costly parts, such as chicken thighs, pig shoulder, or beef chuck, makes them tasty and soft.
Use these cuts in recipes for pulled beef, stews, and soups. Slow cooking enhances texture and enables you to prepare greater quantities, resulting in several inexpensive dinners. To extend the protein, pair it with vegetables or beans.
Add peanut butter and seeds to boost protein in snacks and meals
Peanut butter and other nut butters are low-cost protein sources that complement dishes and snacks. Add peanut butter to oatmeal, spread it on whole grain bread, or use it to make easy sauces.
When purchased in large quantities, seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower, or chia seeds are reasonably priced and provide crunch and protein when added to cereal, yogurt, or salads.
Batch cook meals combining multiple protein sources
You may add nutritional variety and stretch your grocery budget by combining different protein sources in your meals. Making chili with beans and ground turkey, for instance, balances plant and animal protein and yields more servings.
Compared to depending solely on meat, combining grains like quinoa with lentils and a boiled egg produces complete proteins at a lesser cost.
Every dollar goes farther when you use a variety of sources to fill meals with inexpensive plant proteins and purchase smaller quantities of more costly proteins.
Takeaway
You can steadily raise your protein intake without going over budget by employing these techniques.
You can eat delicious, healthy cuisine on a budget by organizing your meals around frozen and canned foods, using flexible eggs and beans, and mixing up your protein sources.
Try these suggestions out and see how simple and inexpensive it is to properly fuel your body.