5 Ways To Reduce The Protein Bill

We all know how hard it can be to get enough protein on a tight budget. Even more difficult if you’re looking for something a little healthier than the stuff at the average supermarket.

Here are five delicious ways we’ve found to reduce that cost:

• Lentils – One of the most famous uses for lentils is to add them to ground beef dishes, such as taco meat, in a 1:1 ratio. As you can imagine, this significantly reduces the cost of protein.
• Chickpeas – One of the best, tastiest ways I’ve found to stretch meat salads, such as chicken, tuna, or egg, is to add mashed chickpeas to the mix. We even like chickpea salad sandwiches without meat.
• Organ meat – Organ meat grosses a lot of people out, but it’s really nutritious, and usually, really cheap. It can be chopped or ground and mixed with ground beef, and nobody would be the wiser. The heart, in particular, is well-suited for this. I must admit, I’ve only tasted kidneys once – and it was just a small taste – but I recollect that they had the basic texture of liver, but without the intense flavor. If you can find a local grass-fed producer who sells meat by the cut, he may be able to sell you organ meats at rock bottom prices.
• Eggs – It’s pretty common knowledge that eggs are an inexpensive source of protein, even if you buy good-quality eggs. Egg yolks are a superfood! Not only do you find half of the protein in the yolk, but also all the beneficial fats and (gasp!) cholesterol, which, by the way, is an essential nutrient for young children.

Photo by my sister

• Bone broth – We don’t throw our bones away; they all go in the crockpot (hopefully with some meat still attached, but not always), along with some water to simmer for 24+ hours. By the time it’s done, the bones are softer than corn chips. This makes a delicious, rich broth like no other. It also contains health benefits like no other. As the bones cook, many of their minerals and gelatin leach into the water. Bone broth has the interesting characteristic of attracting water, whereas meat repels it. Because of this, when the broth is eaten with hard-to-digest foods, such as meat, it makes them much easier to digest. It also makes the protein more usable by the body, effectively reducing the body’s need for protein, which makes it an ultra-frugal food. I highly recommend the book Nourishing Traditions for more information on that.

There you have it! Five yummy ways to increase your protein intake without increasing the food bill.

These may be a no-brainer to you, or maybe you think some of them are a little “out there.” In any case, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject!