Non-meat protein ideas

[Elisabet1]

I would love non-meat protein ideas. Preferably things that can be grabbed quickly. But other things are good too. I do not like meat so protein has gotten difficult to make sure I have plenty of. So far, it is just nuts, cheese, and milk. And tons of peanut butter.

 

Thanks!

[Spryte]

Hard boiled eggs.

[LucyStoner]

I've been eating a lot of bean salads and chickpeas lately.

[Just Kate]

Greek yogurt? I love it with some fresh fruit and a sprinkling of nuts.

[Jasperstone]

What about a banana protein shake?

[Elisabet1]

What about a banana protein shake?

Do you have a recipe? Anything involving a banana shake would probably be something I would love!

[Rosie_0801]

Chia pudding takes all of about five minutes.

[Jasperstone]

Do you have a recipe? Anything involving a banana shake would probably be something I would love!

milk

 

whey powder

 

vanilla essence

 

banana

 

stevia or xylitol

 

mixed well together. ..

 

also you can add half a teaspoon of cocoa powder

[Immi]

What about a banana and nut butter shake?

[LibraryLover]

In addition to the above, cottage cheese, seeds & nuts, tofu. You said no meat, but what about light tuna or anchovies in a salad?

You might also consider fats in the form of coconut , olives, avocado (which also has protein), olive oil on food etc.

[Joyoustxmama]

Ground up raw or toasted nuts in lattes, smoothies, baked goods

Pumpkin seeds

Greek yogurt (add to everything smoothie related, and in lots of baking too! Great in pancake, muffin and waffle batter, you can load the batter with yogurt, extra egg, ground nuts, make, freeze, and have quick snacks/meals)

Cottage cheese (plain, with fruit, or weelicious website has a cottage cheese pancake recipe)

Add extra eggs in recipes or make French toast

"Scrambled"Eggs baked in muffin cups (tons of flavor variations, will freeze, and they are easier than boiling individual eggs or scrambling one batch at a time).

I know you said meatless... But some people who don't like a lot of red meat/pork/chicken etc still do like fish, like canned crab or tuna, which can be fast and easy.

(Can you tell I have kids who are poor protein eaters? I have to hide it in other stuff.) :D

[livetoread]

Seitan. You can buy it pre-made, but it's cheaper and tastier if you make it at home. I often substitute it for beef and chicken in recipes. 21 grams of protein in 3 oz. You can't be gluten sensitive though, because that's basically what it is - a big hunk of gluten!

[Tsuga]

Hummus with veggies is very easy and you can get the snack-packs as well. It also goes well with chips.

[Hunter's Moon]

Tofu, beans, eggs.

 

I like salsa and beans with tortilla chips. Easy and cheap.

 

Hard boiled eggs.

 

Nut butters. Soy, sunflower, almond, etc.

[redsquirrel]

refried beans, black beans, hummus, navy beans, seitan, baked tofu, quinoa, hemp seeds, avocados,

 

smoothies with whey powder or brown rice protein powder, or any other plant protein type powder (plant fusion etc)

 

if you bake you can make any baked goods (bread, pancakes, brownies, pizza crust etc) using the 'cornell formula':

 

6 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup full-fat soy flour
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons wheat germ

 

You mix this up and use it in place of plain flour, cup for cup.  Keep it in the fridge if you are not going to use it for a few weeks, because the soy powder can go off after a while. I use whole wheat powder instead of white for that much more fiber. I use this for almost all of my baking and it really does boost the protein content.

[Tanaqui]

You need about 50 grams of protein every day unless you're pretty active, pregnant, or breastfeeding. A little less than 50 grams, most likely

 

Protein - that is, amino acids - are in most nearly every food. Some foods provide more protein than others, and many provide a more complete source of protein than others, but if you eat a varied diet you will be at no risk of developing kwashkior.

 

If every day you have a hardboiled egg (17 g) for breakfast,  8 oz of yogurt (8 g) for snack and a cup of lentils or beans (18 g) with rice or quinoa for lunch, you could basically eat cotton candy for dinner and still have met your daily protein requirements. That's not even counting the small amount of protein found in fruits and vegetables, which I assume you're eating.

 

People are obsessed with protein, but you really don't need that much, and it's just not that hard to get enough of it.

 

*thinks*

 

Actually, I never have a whole cup of lentils at a time. Half a cup serving is more usual (that's already cooked, too!) So let's say that's for dinner and for lunch you had a peanut butter jelly sandwich or a grilled cheese sandwich downed with a glass of milk.

[Jasperstone]

refried beans, black beans, hummus, navy beans, seitan, baked tofu, quinoa, hemp seeds, avocados,

 

smoothies with whey powder or brown rice protein powder, or any other plant protein type powder (plant fusion etc)

 

if you bake you can make any baked goods (bread, pancakes, brownies, pizza crust etc) using the 'cornell formula':

 

6 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cup full-fat soy flour

3/4 cup nonfat dry milk

3 tablespoons wheat germ

 

You mix this up and use it in place of plain flour, cup for cup. Keep it in the fridge if you are not going to use it for a few weeks, because the soy powder can go off after a while. I use whole wheat powder instead of white for that much more fiber. I use this for almost all of my baking and it really does boost the protein content.

 

Would you believe hemp seeds are illegal to consume in Australia! Yep, last packed had a huge warning on it. It is only allowed to be used as a face scrub here! It basically said I needed to fly to the States to consume it. Crazy!!!!

[KungFuPanda]

Just add peas or garbonzo beans to everything. Keep 'em in the freezer and toss a handful into . . . everything. That should give you the bump you need to reach your RDA if you're low.

[Jenny in Florida]

You need about 50 grams of protein every day unless you're pretty active, pregnant, or breastfeeding. A little less than 50 grams, most likely

 

[snip]

 

People are obsessed with protein, but you really don't need that much, and it's just not that hard to get enough of it.

 

As I recall, Elisabet is, in fact, pregnant, which may be why she's concerned.

[Laura Corin]

We eat a lot of lentils, beans and fish.

 

l

[KungFuPanda]

Never thought of garbanzo beans as a freezer food.

 

I buy garbanzo beans in a can and it is one of the only healthy snacks ds will gladly eat. I like to put them in my salads. And I like to add peas to stir fry or casseroles.

I freeze them when I cook a few pounds at a time from dried. I wouldn't freeze them if I'm using canned.

[Elisabet1]

As I recall, Elisabet is, in fact, pregnant, which may be why she's concerned.

Yes.

 

Yesterday, I made the mistake of starting breakfast but not finishing. As a result, I only had the carb half. Then, for lunch, son made noodles with spaghetti sauce, no protein at all. Shortly after, I had a horrible head ache and was exhausted. I slept the entire afternoon. I usually do not sleep during the day. But I was constantly on the go until then (I still had things to do, but just had to go to bed, could not go on). I thought if I had some quick and easy protein ideas, I can make sure I at least snack on it throughout the day. Like, added a few nuts to breakfast. 

[Stacia]

If you like smoothies, this is a good one. It's modified slightly from a recipe I found online (don't remember which site)...

 

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp nut butter (I use almond butter)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I use unflavored & add a splash of vanilla; the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup Vanilla Greek yogurt)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other form of milk)

4 cups fresh baby spinach (or more, or less; I will often put in a 5 oz. bag of spinach leaves)

Sometimes I will add a Tbsp or two of hemp seeds

 

Put it all in the blender & blend until smooth.

 

Delicious & refreshing! (You do not taste the spinach. It is more of a creamy, nut-buttery tasting smoothie.)

[Tanaqui]

As I recall, Elisabet is, in fact, pregnant, which may be why she's concerned.

 

Well, now I feel like a presumptuous doofus. Sorry :)

 

If you're pregnant you need about 70 g of protein, so we need to add 30 g in. Elizabeth, if you'll eat fish you can get that with 1 serving of fish. Or if you'll eat meat once a day, a single serving of chicken or beef will do it. I'm not re-reading the entries, but you said you don't like meat, not that you have ethical concerns, right?

 

Let me think. You can definitely get some of that from your vegetables - you're not going to just eat lentils, quinoa, cheese, and eggs! You can, as suggested, add some nut or seed based snacks to your day. You could add wheat germ to the aforementioned yogurt or greek yogurt or cottage cheese, that'll add some protein right there, or maybe add it to the oatmeal you're eating with your eggs-for-breakfast (18g for a 100g serving of oatmeal). If you do that, and have a second snack of yogurt or cottage cheese mid-day (because you're eating for two?), you should be pretty much in the clear. Peanut butter on crackers will also tide you through and be all comfort food-y. A cup of milk or soy milk, maybe? Plenty of prepared hummus?

 

I'm still looking at vegetable and fruit sources of protein. Thank goodness for nutritiondata.com. In addition to the vegetables mentioned in the links above, I'm finding that most vegetables, like peppers, asparagus, cauliflower have at least 1.5 g protein for every 100 grams of food. You can also try eating dried fruits, which are comparatively higher in protein than their non-dried versions.

[Elisabet1]

Well, now I feel like a presumptuous doofus. Sorry :)

 

If you're pregnant you need about 70 g of protein, so we need to add 30 g in. Elizabeth, if you'll eat fish you can get that with 1 serving of fish. Or if you'll eat meat once a day, a single serving of chicken or beef will do it. I'm not re-reading the entries, but you said you don't like meat, not that you have ethical concerns, right?

 

Let me think. You can definitely get some of that from your vegetables - you're not going to just eat lentils, quinoa, cheese, and eggs! You can, as suggested, add some nut or seed based snacks to your day. You could add wheat germ to the aforementioned yogurt or greek yogurt or cottage cheese, that'll add some protein right there, or maybe add it to the oatmeal you're eating with your eggs-for-breakfast (18g for a 100g serving of oatmeal). If you do that, and have a second snack of yogurt or cottage cheese mid-day (because you're eating for two?), you should be pretty much in the clear. Peanut butter on crackers will also tide you through and be all comfort food-y. A cup of milk or soy milk, maybe? Plenty of prepared hummus?

 

I'm still looking at vegetable and fruit sources of protein. Thank goodness for nutritiondata.com. In addition to the vegetables mentioned in the links above, I'm finding that most vegetables, like peppers, asparagus, cauliflower have at least 1.5 g protein for every 100 grams of food. You can also try eating dried fruits, which are comparatively higher in protein than their non-dried versions.

I was never a big meat eater to begin with. But since I have been pregnant, it really grosses me out, even tuna. Sort of like an anti-craving. I still have some. But not much and need to add protein in to the earlier part of the day. If I do have any sort of meat, it would be the end of the day for dinner. So I needed quicker ideas for earlier in the day.

[Tanaqui]

I was never a big meat eater to begin with. But since I have been pregnant, it really grosses me out, even tuna. Sort of like an anti-craving. I still have some. But not much and need to add protein in to the earlier part of the day. If I do have any sort of meat, it would be the end of the day for dinner. So I needed quicker ideas for earlier in the day.

 

I feel you, and I certainly don't want you to be sick. The quickest source of snacky protein is definitely going to be eggs, yogurt, and cheese products, with milk or soymilk, peanut butter, and hummus as secondary options.

 

The advantage of these is that you can keep snack-sized portions of these in the fridge*, ready to go at a moment's notice, plus yogurt and cheese come in different flavors automatically. The disadvantage is that you can get sick of those soooooo fast. Well, you can always mix it up with some fair trade cocoa powder added to your milk - it has protein in it as well!

 

* You really ought to keep peanut butter in the fridge, but you don't have to. Obviously.

 

Edit: Come to think of it, since you're going for snack foods, many companies make protein trail mix bars. Larabars spring to mind, but they're far from the only one. A couple of boxes of those stored in the pantry could make a world of difference, especially if you plan on going out and about. You're pregnant. You shouldn't be cleaning the litterbox, and you aren't expected to cook everything from scratch every time.

 

 

[LucyStoner]

This burrito filling is easy to make ahead and reheat as needed.

 

http://www.thugkitchen.com/roasted_chickpea_broccoli_burrito

 

The book also has a seasoned chickpea wrap with tahini dressing that I could marry. So fast to make and you can make it ahead for a quick lunch later.

[hornblower]

I was never a big meat eater to begin with. But since I have been pregnant, it really grosses me out, even tuna. Sort of like an anti-craving. I still have some. But not much and need to add protein in to the earlier part of the day. If I do have any sort of meat, it would be the end of the day for dinner. So I needed quicker ideas for earlier in the day.

 

what about some of the faux meats, like the Yves Veggie garden veggie burger or the Lentil Quinoa patty

 

& tofu!

 

you can add soft tofu to pasta sauces to increase the protein or make a tofu cream sauce like this

 

I make vegan 'egg' mcmuffins with a slice of firm pressed tofu pan fried & stuck in an english muffin with faux ham & a bit of vegan cheese....

 

I would also keep shelled nuts on hand - handful of almonds or hazelnuts for instance is about 6 g of protein.

[EmseB]

I don't know if you have time, but I just made a huge batch of cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast and froze them.  I pop 2 or 3 in the toaster in the morning.  It's like eating carbs (which I'm craving) but has 6 or 7g of protein per pancake.

 

ETA:  I don't use syrup on them because it's too sweet for me, but I put butter and then have a little bit of jam on the side to sort of dip them in.