I was really hoping that the last two weeks the stores would have some good Memorial Day sales. Usually things like hot dogs, brats and ground beef go on sale for cookouts. This year the sale ads were disappointing. This week our Kroger has hamburger for $2.77 a pound, so I got some for tacos since we stretch that with lentils and also have black or refried beans on the side. I will also be using some chicken quarters I froze a couple of weeks ago and another package of hot dogs from the freezer. I also seriously thought about cutting eggs out since they have gone to a whopping $3.39 a dozen but they are still a cheap protein option at 29 cents each, so they are staying.
Here and Here are previous posts I made that include tips for stretching meat.
Right now protein from meat is the most expensive part of our diet. We have trimmed a LOT of meat out of our diet, but we still want to have meat occasionally. I looked up how much protein we need every day and found the following:
- Babies need about 10 grams a day.
- School-age kids need 19-34 grams a day.
- Teenage boys need up to 52 grams a day.
- Teenage girls need 46 grams a day.
- Adult men need about 56 grams a day.
- Adult women need about 46 grams a day (71 grams, if pregnant or breastfeeding)
Below is a list from Health Beet so you can compare different sources of protein.
I try to have some source of protein at every meal. I find that we seem to stay full longer and need less snacks between meals if they have protein, and anything that I can do to think about food less often, the better! We use eggs, beans and meat as sources of protein. I don't use enough dairy most of the time to consider it a protein source in a meal, we use it more for flavor than to be able to rely on it as a protein most of the time. Every once in a while, I will get cottage cheese on sale, some of my family really like it and it is high in protein, but it is not a regular staple here. If not on sale, it can cost more than actual meat so sometimes doesn't make sense as a substitution.
Here is this week's menu plan, how is your menu plan going? Let me know! If I can help in any way, let me know that too. Have a great week!
Monday-
- Breakfast- Leftover pancakes, banana
- Lunch- Hot dogs, chips, watermelon, baked beans
- Dinner- Leftovers, sandwiches
Tuesday-
- Breakfast- Egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, banana
- Lunch- Sandwiches, pretzels, strawberries
- Dinner- Spaghetti, green beans and garlic toast
Wednesday-
- Breakfast- Peanut butter Oatmeal, applesauce
- Lunch- Pasta salad, boiled eggs
- Dinner- Chicken quarters, zucchini fritters, boxed mac and cheese
Thursday-
- Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, toast, banana
- Lunch- ham and cheese roll ups, pretzels, strawberries
- Dinner- Pot pie made with lentils instead of chicken. This is one of those non-recipes. I mix frozen mixed vegetables with cream of chicken soup and cooked lentils, then top with a biscuit crust made from Bisquick. Easy and yummy.
Friday-
- Breakfast- Toast, egg, banana
- Lunch- Ramen, crackers, canned peaches
- Dinner- Tacos made with cooked lentils, refried beans and Easy Mexican Rice
Saturday-
- Brunch- Frittata, toast, fruit salad
- Dinner- Mexi-mac skillet using leftover taco meat, green beans
Sunday-
- Brunch- Pancakes, homemade pancake syrup, scrambled eggs
- Dinner- Leftover bean and rice stuffed burritos served with chips and salsa
An article about High Protein Alternatives to Meat
~Sarah
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