When you’re trying to cut down spending on food, it’s difficult to get enough protein in the process. Cheap meals do not always satisfy, and they often don’t have all of the nutrients you need. Protein, especially, gets lost in the shuffle. It’s extremely intimidating when a lot of forms of protein seem expensive or bland-tasting. That’s why RecipeLion is here to provide you with ideas of what to make to ensure you get enough protein in your diet without compromising flavor.
When you eat the right kinds of protein, you feel satisfied and don’t feel the need to eat additional unhealthy snacks. So, by buying these ingredients, you will automatically save yourself money because you won’t feel the need to have so much extraneous food sitting around the house.
You will be so surprised by the inclusion of some of these ingredients. For example, some protein-rich ingredients might seem a little pricey, but they’re so filling that you don’t need to use as much per serving, and in the end you don’t pay as much! Other ingredients naturally contain far more protein than you would expect. Either way, these ingredients are crucial components for your everyday meals. For each ingredient, we’ve included several recipes, so you’ll soon be on your way to making balanced, delicious meals!
Protein Rich Food That Won’t Break Your Budget
1. Eggs: Start the day off right with a recipe that packs in the protein. In addition to the eggs, this breakfast casserole can be made with frozen hash browns and whatever leftovers are in your fridge, so the rest of the recipe doesn’t cost very much either.
Empty-the-Fridge Breakfast Bake
2. Cottage Cheese: You can slather cottage cheese on a sandwich or toast to automatically add protein, but this recipe adds vegetables to it for an “anytime” snack.
Cottage Cheese Taco Dip from Yummy Healthy Easy
3. Beans: Beans are great on their own, but you can mix them with one other type of protein for a stellar protein-rich meal. This recipe, for example, is a meaty chili. Best of all, beans are perfect if someone in your family is vegetarian.
4. Peanut Butter: Don’t forget about dessert and snacks! While peanut butter can be used to add protein to meals as well, this recipe is perfect to serve as a dessert dip or as an afternoon snack with bread or apples.
5. Canned Tuna: Canned tuna should be a staple in any cheap diet. This tuna salad recipe is great for lunches, and it only includes five ingredients, so it’s guaranteed to be a budget-friendly meal!
5-Ingredient Classic Tuna Macaroni Salad
6. Greek Yogurt: You might assume that Greek yogurt is expensive, but it provides so many more nutrients than regular yogurt or other dairy products like sour cream, that it’s actually more cost effective! Try out this surprising dinner recipe with Greek yogurt as a main ingredient.
Creamy Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese from Cooking ala Mel
7. Chicken: The fact that chicken breast is a great source of protein probably doesn’t surprise you. And, while dark meat chicken is cheaper than white meat, it doesn’t have quite as much protein. Either way, you can easily make cheap casseroles with either type of chicken that will satisfy the whole family.
Dollar Store Ranch Chicken Casserole
8. Ground Beef: Of course, ground beef is an easy, cheap ingredient that makes for great family dinners. Goulash is an easy dish to make with ground beef that doesn’t require many other ingredients and will easily fill everyone up.
What is your favorite cheap source of protein?
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