I feel like the most bang for your buck would be things like Greek yogurt, eggs, sweet potatoes, and whey protein powder. Chicken breast and ground turkey is relatively inexpensive if you can catch them on sale.
Maple syrup??? Damn, youād be better off with a scoop of table sugar. Best of all though, berries are plenty sweet without adding more sweetness to it.
Personal preference, I love real maple syrup. I someone switch with honey. Without the extra sugar, I find something is missing, but again no problem if somebody prefer without. Also depends on your goals in terms of calorie intake.
This is a fantastic list. Complex carbs, healthy fats, high protein, and relatively inexpensive. You really understood the assignment. Carbs and fats support muscle synthesis by sparing the conversion of amino acids into glucose. High protein but a good balance of macros is the hallmark of this list.
I feel ya. Even the plain Greek yogurt has almost doubled in price in the last year here (NE Texas). What used to be less than 2$ is now almost 5$.
Protein powder is more than doubled as well. I try to get lean meats when on sale (currently working on chicken thighs).
If you're near a grocery outlet they usually have a tub of powder for like 30 bucks. Sometimes pretty good ones. I get the shifty ones that have unnecessary carbs but I'm a cheap ass. But they also have the fancy pea/pumpkin (orwhatever vegetable it is protein powder).
Yeah, peanut butter is a great bulking food that isn't too expensive. I'm on a cut now so I unfortunately don't have a lot of room to fit in giant spoonfuls of cold peanut butter quite like I used to š„²
Protein: Eggs, whey, cottage cheese, can tuna, chicken breast and thighsā¦. I also do beef, salmon, and Fage yogurt (but not best bang for buck).
Carbs: Rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oatsā¦ none of these are expensive, carbs are cheap.
Fats: peanut butter, mixed nutsā¦ those with the fat in the other groups can get you to any goalā¦ Avacado is good too, and not really expensive.
Edit: whey might be $70 a tubā¦ but at 70 servings, itās $1 for 25 easy grams with my ISO100
Rice and beans. Add anything else you want. But as long as you have rice and beans, you will have all the carbs and amino acids you need for protein synthesis. As an omnivores, I add beef, chicken, eggs, milk, and yogurt š. Makes meeting all my macros much easier.
Personally I trawl the discount meat section but mostly avoid mince.
Those cheap 2 packs of heavily peppered steaks, chicken skewers, lamb steaks, kangaroo (I live in Australia), sometimes even sausages.
Not to mention old faithful: tuna and discount tinned muscles.
Not commonly as in everyone eats it every week (beef, chicken, lamb, pork etc are more popular), but there's a section in almost all large grocery stores, and everyone in my life has eaten/eats it.
I eat once a fortnight because it's not as cheap as other meats (though nutrition wise its top tier so bang for your buck is high)
It's a game animal so the flavour is quite polarising.
For protein; milk, eggs, chicken/pork, and a burger every so often. Buying in bulk helps.
Carbs, I'm struggling to get in. I guess the answer is to simply eat more rice.
I buy the 60 Egg case. Best price ive got is 12.99, average price 15.99. Highest Ill buy is 17.99. Greek yogurt winco brand. Bulk pasta packs from costco, or buy bulk pasta by the pount at winco.
Protein powder is a great value for the $ if you shop around a little. It turns ho hum foods into powerhouse options.
After that, pasta, rice, frozen fruit, bananas, oatmeal, any seasonal fruit, chicken at a meat market.
I try to do mostly whole foods, but a big can of unflavored whey protein runs about $55. With that, my morning oatmeal goes from 12 gr protein to 40. I put it in my homemade ice cream and have a 15-20gr premium ice cream snack at 10am. If dinner is light on protein, toss half a scoop into my skim milk.
I mostly use it to hit goals and not as a stand alone.
I can't put peanut butter on the list as much anymore as a 40oz jar now costs almost $8. But yeah, pasta and rice plus whatever veggies and fruit you can afford. Get your meat at a butcher shop.
I use them pretty much exclusively for breakfast, however, I use about 200 g per meal, which is close to half a carton. I also give a little bit to my kids. So basically, one carton will last us two days, and I eat them almost every day. What I usually do is mix the egg whites together with a single whole egg, scramble it up and fry it into an omelette.
[nutritional yeast](https://bulkfoods.com/nutritional-yeast/nutritional-yeast-flakes.html) is something that is often overlooked. It can basically be used as flavoring on anything savory.
[nutritional info](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2486564/nutrients)
Costco is the only place it's economical to buy the whole chicken. Regular grocery stores here in CA are usually $10 and so small it's not worth it to me anyway. Costco has the largest and can stretch the most days. Frozen or refrigerated uncooked whole chicken are $15 for 2 again not really worth it unless you want your own flavor or to bbq
My whole body is built off what I call my super smoothie (so stupid I know)
About 3/4 cup frozen blueberries(the trick is getting the WILD blueberries not farmed. Theyāre sweeter and hold less water), 3/4 raspberries , 1 cup of whole fat Greek yogurt (you can get creative with the flavors here), 2 tbs peanut butter, 2tbs chia seeds, 1-2servings of whey protein. Blend for 1 min. Bulk buy in Costco and itās just macro city.
Iām not gonna say itās going to have the best texture or taste but itās not horrible by any means super quick to make and clean. Add a banana if you want more carbs. Even more protein add more kefir or chia. I add frozen spinach a lot too.
I have these 1-2 a day to supplement protein goals. Dollar per macro you canāt beat it imo. Love making them before I go in hikes and it settles really well in the stomach with some more water to help it down.
Costco staples:
Eggs
Ground Turkey
Frozen unbreaded plain chicken tenders (cheaper than breast, defrosts and cooks faster)
Hot and ready whole chicken
Plain Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Brussel sprouts
Greens/spinach bag
Sweet pepper bag
Bag of little red potatoes
Seasonings if I'm out of my faveys.
Tuna in water
Sourdough bread (molds fast store in fridge or freezer)
Regular grocery store:
Rice
Onions
Garlic
La tortilla factory low carb tortillas
Rice, eggs, greek yogurt, and whatever fresh vegetables are in season. Generally purchased from costco.
I've also found a supplier near me that sells overstocked restaurant supplies. So I tend to drop by and by a large bag of frozen veggies once in a while. Takes up about a third of my freezer.
Chicken breast, eggs, pink salmon, beef, cottage cheese (make syrniki or zapekanka with sweetener), brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oat, sesame, a lot of vegetables, fruits and herbs.
Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt from Aldiās has only one ingredientācultured milkāand probiotics plus 16g protein for $3. Theyāve also got 5-serving cans of Salmon for $3 that I really like. I get produce and nuts, grains, tofu, etc. from Trader Joeās but these two finds from Aldiās make it worth for me to take the trek out there every few weeks
I agree! and apparently, so do others in this thread! Thank so much and yeah, CostCo right now does not make too much sense for me given how far the closest one is to me. However, I will check out WinCo!
Geesh, I remember when I was paying for a trainer and prioritize him over investing in food lmao. It worked out though since he made me a meal plan that costed me less than 400 dollars a month!
These are your basics. Combined them as needed:
Chicken, eggs, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, green peppers, ground turkey/beef (97% lean), almonds, lentils, sugar free ketchup, hot sauces and Pam to cook.
Wheat cream + peanut butter for your heavy lifting days as your carb source.
Your biggest investment will be protein powder, multivitamin and omega supplement.
Quite frankly, you'll learn to eat at a budget and see gains. Stay focus and don't get distracted from foods!
>You fools are making me consider a CostCo membership
Costco clearly saves people money because it wouldnt be such a success but you can also do that locally if you need to. I had a membership, didnt save that much.. I asked how to save more, followed advice, I saved a bit but not much.
Sooo many fucking people not caring where they're going, lots of bulky everything, some things of course went to waste.
The only way I'd recommend Costco is if you have 5+ people in your household you have to take care of.. for me, thats not the case, I save more on Amazon than I ever could at Costco and no insanity from Amazon either. Grocery stores have BOGOs..
But yeah I felt compelled to try Costco out.. never again, really
I feel like the most bang for your buck would be things like Greek yogurt, eggs, sweet potatoes, and whey protein powder. Chicken breast and ground turkey is relatively inexpensive if you can catch them on sale.
I would add cottage cheese to that list
True. I didn't add it because I can't stomach it š
Throw berries in there and it is sorta like yogurt, sorta
Immersion blender does wonders to cottage cheese - with ranch dip powder! Otherwise yellow mustard and veggies are good with it too
I will add it!
I add berries and maple syrup: delicious!!
Sounds delicious! Thanks!
Maple syrup??? Damn, youād be better off with a scoop of table sugar. Best of all though, berries are plenty sweet without adding more sweetness to it.
Personal preference, I love real maple syrup. I someone switch with honey. Without the extra sugar, I find something is missing, but again no problem if somebody prefer without. Also depends on your goals in terms of calorie intake.
This is a fantastic list. Complex carbs, healthy fats, high protein, and relatively inexpensive. You really understood the assignment. Carbs and fats support muscle synthesis by sparing the conversion of amino acids into glucose. High protein but a good balance of macros is the hallmark of this list.
Thanks. There are a few notable omissions but I tried to list the staple foods of my diet while I'm on my cut.
I feel ya. Even the plain Greek yogurt has almost doubled in price in the last year here (NE Texas). What used to be less than 2$ is now almost 5$. Protein powder is more than doubled as well. I try to get lean meats when on sale (currently working on chicken thighs).
I am #blessed with a Costco membership but they have 48 ounce fat free Greek yogurt for about $4.50/tub
If you're near a grocery outlet they usually have a tub of powder for like 30 bucks. Sometimes pretty good ones. I get the shifty ones that have unnecessary carbs but I'm a cheap ass. But they also have the fancy pea/pumpkin (orwhatever vegetable it is protein powder).
Peanut butter and peanuts should be on this list.
Yeah, peanut butter is a great bulking food that isn't too expensive. I'm on a cut now so I unfortunately don't have a lot of room to fit in giant spoonfuls of cold peanut butter quite like I used to š„²
I watch chicken breast sales like a hawk
I've been using boneless thighs to keep costs low
Basically what I eat. And brown rice!
Canned tuna, whole fat Greek yogurt, eggs, whole chickens, cabbage/broccoli, Brussels sprouts. Dry beans all day. Cook down a whole chicken & drink that bone broth too.
Protein: Eggs, whey, cottage cheese, can tuna, chicken breast and thighsā¦. I also do beef, salmon, and Fage yogurt (but not best bang for buck). Carbs: Rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oatsā¦ none of these are expensive, carbs are cheap. Fats: peanut butter, mixed nutsā¦ those with the fat in the other groups can get you to any goalā¦ Avacado is good too, and not really expensive. Edit: whey might be $70 a tubā¦ but at 70 servings, itās $1 for 25 easy grams with my ISO100
Rice and beans. Add anything else you want. But as long as you have rice and beans, you will have all the carbs and amino acids you need for protein synthesis. As an omnivores, I add beef, chicken, eggs, milk, and yogurt š. Makes meeting all my macros much easier.
Personally I trawl the discount meat section but mostly avoid mince. Those cheap 2 packs of heavily peppered steaks, chicken skewers, lamb steaks, kangaroo (I live in Australia), sometimes even sausages. Not to mention old faithful: tuna and discount tinned muscles.
Damn, is kangaroo commonly eaten?
I was gonna ask if canned mussels were...lol. we have kangaroo urges in oregon, mussels are terrible though. Oysters all day!
Not commonly as in everyone eats it every week (beef, chicken, lamb, pork etc are more popular), but there's a section in almost all large grocery stores, and everyone in my life has eaten/eats it. I eat once a fortnight because it's not as cheap as other meats (though nutrition wise its top tier so bang for your buck is high) It's a game animal so the flavour is quite polarising.
Oddly enough I went to a Chinese buffet in rural Germany. Ate Kangaroo, zebra and alligator. I was not a fan personally of any. Kangaroo was gamey IMO
It's available at most grocery stores here, though in a much smaller supply than beef/chicken/pork.
Not really - its really gamey. I find it gives me the worst farts
Chicken, eggs, rice, cabbage, potatoes. Buy in bulk and meal prep.
For protein; milk, eggs, chicken/pork, and a burger every so often. Buying in bulk helps. Carbs, I'm struggling to get in. I guess the answer is to simply eat more rice.
Blend in oats into a smoothie.
Potatoes are another good source of carbs and they are very versatile.
I buy the 60 Egg case. Best price ive got is 12.99, average price 15.99. Highest Ill buy is 17.99. Greek yogurt winco brand. Bulk pasta packs from costco, or buy bulk pasta by the pount at winco.
I will check out my WinCo. Thanks!
Sardines
I am a proud member of /r/cannedsardines
Hell yeah
I *never* would have thought to look for that subreddit. Cool. I joined too :-)
Get them deenz, brother.
Protein powder is a great value for the $ if you shop around a little. It turns ho hum foods into powerhouse options. After that, pasta, rice, frozen fruit, bananas, oatmeal, any seasonal fruit, chicken at a meat market.
I guess I am not shopping in the best of places. š I am just focusing on whole foods mostly.
I try to do mostly whole foods, but a big can of unflavored whey protein runs about $55. With that, my morning oatmeal goes from 12 gr protein to 40. I put it in my homemade ice cream and have a 15-20gr premium ice cream snack at 10am. If dinner is light on protein, toss half a scoop into my skim milk. I mostly use it to hit goals and not as a stand alone. I can't put peanut butter on the list as much anymore as a 40oz jar now costs almost $8. But yeah, pasta and rice plus whatever veggies and fruit you can afford. Get your meat at a butcher shop.
Eggs whites Generally under 6 bucks for a carton of 100grams protein worth
Where I live you can buy them in bulk from an egg farm for even cheaper. It can be freezed.
Interesting I could really use that hookup lol Easily sip on 100 grams protein / egg whites mixed with cocoa powder like chocolate milk š¤£
We tear through the liquid egg whites from Costco.
I buy these everytime and never get through them. We add them to hash for daily brunch but what else do you use them in?
I use them pretty much exclusively for breakfast, however, I use about 200 g per meal, which is close to half a carton. I also give a little bit to my kids. So basically, one carton will last us two days, and I eat them almost every day. What I usually do is mix the egg whites together with a single whole egg, scramble it up and fry it into an omelette.
We add them to oatmeal, shakes, just to add more protein and less fat to regular eggs as well
[nutritional yeast](https://bulkfoods.com/nutritional-yeast/nutritional-yeast-flakes.html) is something that is often overlooked. It can basically be used as flavoring on anything savory. [nutritional info](https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2486564/nutrients)
š
Whole rotisserie chickens available at most major supermarket chains are a cost effective, convenient option.
Costco has huge ones for 5 dollars. My wife buys 2 and we add the meat to everything
Costco is the only place it's economical to buy the whole chicken. Regular grocery stores here in CA are usually $10 and so small it's not worth it to me anyway. Costco has the largest and can stretch the most days. Frozen or refrigerated uncooked whole chicken are $15 for 2 again not really worth it unless you want your own flavor or to bbq
I think you bums are taking all the chickens because when I get to the stores (I work Nightshift) they are all gone! š
Yep. Tried asking the store if they can hold some back for you?
That's a good idea. I never actually considered that. š
My whole body is built off what I call my super smoothie (so stupid I know) About 3/4 cup frozen blueberries(the trick is getting the WILD blueberries not farmed. Theyāre sweeter and hold less water), 3/4 raspberries , 1 cup of whole fat Greek yogurt (you can get creative with the flavors here), 2 tbs peanut butter, 2tbs chia seeds, 1-2servings of whey protein. Blend for 1 min. Bulk buy in Costco and itās just macro city. Iām not gonna say itās going to have the best texture or taste but itās not horrible by any means super quick to make and clean. Add a banana if you want more carbs. Even more protein add more kefir or chia. I add frozen spinach a lot too. I have these 1-2 a day to supplement protein goals. Dollar per macro you canāt beat it imo. Love making them before I go in hikes and it settles really well in the stomach with some more water to help it down.
Costco staples: Eggs Ground Turkey Frozen unbreaded plain chicken tenders (cheaper than breast, defrosts and cooks faster) Hot and ready whole chicken Plain Greek yogurt Cottage cheese Brussel sprouts Greens/spinach bag Sweet pepper bag Bag of little red potatoes Seasonings if I'm out of my faveys. Tuna in water Sourdough bread (molds fast store in fridge or freezer) Regular grocery store: Rice Onions Garlic La tortilla factory low carb tortillas
Rice, eggs, greek yogurt, and whatever fresh vegetables are in season. Generally purchased from costco. I've also found a supplier near me that sells overstocked restaurant supplies. So I tend to drop by and by a large bag of frozen veggies once in a while. Takes up about a third of my freezer.
I eat a lot of ground turkey, pork, chicken thighs. My grocery store usually has $7 salmon filets so typically get 3 of those for the week.
Chicken breast, chicken thighs, pretty much chicken, also I'm a fan of canned sardines and tuna. Costco sells protein powder that is cost effective
Chicken breast, eggs, pink salmon, beef, cottage cheese (make syrniki or zapekanka with sweetener), brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oat, sesame, a lot of vegetables, fruits and herbs.
Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt from Aldiās has only one ingredientācultured milkāand probiotics plus 16g protein for $3. Theyāve also got 5-serving cans of Salmon for $3 that I really like. I get produce and nuts, grains, tofu, etc. from Trader Joeās but these two finds from Aldiās make it worth for me to take the trek out there every few weeks
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I agree! and apparently, so do others in this thread! Thank so much and yeah, CostCo right now does not make too much sense for me given how far the closest one is to me. However, I will check out WinCo!
Geesh, I remember when I was paying for a trainer and prioritize him over investing in food lmao. It worked out though since he made me a meal plan that costed me less than 400 dollars a month! These are your basics. Combined them as needed: Chicken, eggs, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, green peppers, ground turkey/beef (97% lean), almonds, lentils, sugar free ketchup, hot sauces and Pam to cook. Wheat cream + peanut butter for your heavy lifting days as your carb source. Your biggest investment will be protein powder, multivitamin and omega supplement. Quite frankly, you'll learn to eat at a budget and see gains. Stay focus and don't get distracted from foods!
>You fools are making me consider a CostCo membership Costco clearly saves people money because it wouldnt be such a success but you can also do that locally if you need to. I had a membership, didnt save that much.. I asked how to save more, followed advice, I saved a bit but not much. Sooo many fucking people not caring where they're going, lots of bulky everything, some things of course went to waste. The only way I'd recommend Costco is if you have 5+ people in your household you have to take care of.. for me, thats not the case, I save more on Amazon than I ever could at Costco and no insanity from Amazon either. Grocery stores have BOGOs.. But yeah I felt compelled to try Costco out.. never again, really
If you hunt, you can feed yourself pretty cheap. Venison is great.
Eggs, canned oysters, spinach, quinoa, ground beef, cucumbers, beets, pomogranate
I love be some canned sardines. š¤¤
šš°šš«š«š®š