Poor Man's Clean Bulk Food

[Raleighwood]

Since I am a full time student, I don't have too much $ to spend on supplements and food. I am willing to guess that many others are in this same position...

What cheap foods do you eat to clean bulk? Or, in other words what foods do you eat that are low in carbs and high in protein/fat and easy on the wallet?

Tuna melts are my go to poor food...

-1 can of Tuna
-Mayo
-Hot Sauce
-2 slices bread

Almost 35g of protein for under ~$2.50.

Whole Milk is another source of cheap calories/protein.

Another cheap, high cal/protein meal is Ramen noodles cooked with 2 eggs.


What do you guys eat when you're broke?

[Astreocclu]

Both my dad and his gf were raised by depression era scotts...which makes them the cheapest people on the planet im pretty sure... they wait till tuna goes down cheap for a sale...and then buy like 50 cans. Which is fune by me cause i love tuna XD, protein powder with some bulk fruit isnt all that expensive either.

[cant hit bombz]

I'm lucky. I live in a state of tons of cheap sources. 25 bucks a year gets me a fishing license...all the fresh trout i want to eat. Also once a year in Sept i go elk hunting. Last year i paid 35 for the license and 75 to process the elk. The total weight of meat was a shade under 400 lbs. that's less than 28 cents a pound for some of the leanest red meat you can buy. But like i said I'm lucky.

I would have to say eggs and milk for sure.

[Spartan936]

Brown rice, lentils, wheat bread, wheat noodles, whole milk, olive oil, eggs, hamburger, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc...

[TXslapshot]

Im extremely cheap because hockey is such a damn expensive sport. My diet consists of lots of eggs, milk, turkey, cheese, wheat bread, cottage cheese, peanut butter, tuna, hamburger meat, brown rice, tilapia and salmon from walmart(4 filets, $4), and my fav semi expensive concoction, 3lb chili, 2 lbs of ground beef and one pound of steak, someone has a good recipe for it on here.

[pigout789]

That Ramen one is pretty good too although the sodium is a killer in the ramen noodles. I guess it depends on what flavour you get for that.

[J.C.]

Tuna
Cheese
Whole milk
Minced beef and pork. Good quality sausages.
When I'm more adventurous I can get rabbits and pheasants from the farmers market for real cheap too. I want to do this more often. I don't know if you get that kind of thing in the US?
Cheap fish. Varies where you live but I can get herrings, mackerel and sardines for cheaper than chicken. And they're better for you!
Although its not that "clean", eating fast food once or twice a week provides plenty of cheap calories and probably won't adversely affect your diet too much.

The real secret tho is buying end of day discounts. I used to live about 30 seconds from a small supermarket and I used to go down about 9-10pm each night and buy all the stuff reduced to clear. I could get rump and sirloin steaks for 50p on good days (what's the conversion rate now? That's less than a dollar anyway). I'm not close enough to do that now but I still get discounts as much as possible. Before Christmas I bought about 20 pork chops that were 50% reduced and stuck them all in the freezer. I bought two pork chops for 50% price today actually.

Befriending a local butcher and asking what deals they have got will help out in the long run. Cheaper, less popular cuts of meat too. I slow-roasted a lamb shoulder a couple of weeks ago. Cook it for ~4 hours and you've got a tasty tasty meal and sandwiches for a couple of days. Brisket is meant to be really good but I've never tried it myself. You don't need a smoker.

[Raleighwood]

Forgot to mention frozen chicken breasts... you can get a 4lb bag for under $7 at Walmart.

[Astreocclu]

im in canada...everything is about double price :P

[Nicky]

Forgot to mention frozen chicken breasts... you can get a 4lb bag for under $7 at Walmart.

I go through SOOOOO many of these!

[skinny99]

I really try to check for deals at my local supermarket (Winn Dixie). I am on a recomp/cut and really try to eat meat two-three times a day. My store does buy one get one free on different kinds of meat during the week and stock up on chicken breast,pork chops and all kinds of beef.

Another suggestion is to cook large amounts of soups and chilis and freeze them. Just watch the pasta and beans,and they will be in line with a clean bulk andare relativly cheap and easy.

[ThomasG]

Why low carb for bulking? A lot of the foods you listed aren't low carb either.

[SMK41]

Since I am a full time student, I don't have too much $ to spend on supplements and food. I am willing to guess that many others are in this same position...

What cheap foods do you eat to clean bulk? Or, in other words what foods do you eat that are low in carbs and high in protein/fat and easy on the wallet?

Tuna melts are my go to poor food...

-1 can of Tuna
-Mayo
-Hot Sauce
-2 slices bread

Almost 35g of protein for under ~$2.50.

Whole Milk is another source of cheap calories/protein.

Another cheap, high cal/protein meal is Ramen noodles cooked with 2 eggs.


What do you guys eat when you're broke?

Protein shakes are actually one of the most affordable ways to get extra protein in on a bulk. If you buy Nitrean (which is good but certainly not the cheapest protein) and you get it with the multi-unit discount and do it when they have a 15% off sale (which is probably every other month or so), it works out to ~$41 for 4.6 lbs (30 servings - 22g protein/serving). At that price 35g of protein costs ~$2.17.

[Raleighwood]

Why low carb for bulking? A lot of the foods you listed aren't low carb either.

That's true... at least concerning the ramen noodles + eggs.

However, for the pure cheapness of ramen (~$0.20 for 2 servings), I added it to the list.

[depotman]

A can of baked beans is normally pretty cheap depending on the brand you buy. These pack a good bit of protein in them.

[pandospace]

get some trail mix from a bulk food store!

the one from the bins that you get to scoop out and weigh i get this mix of almonds/cashews/cranberries for 3.99 a LB

and then i get soy protein ((and list it as wheat flour)) for .79 cents a pound

..im broke LOL

[slangincain]

Im new to the forum and I just recently started a blog. I too am a student with not alot of income so i rely on the basics. Ive started to throw up my diets up on my blog so check it out and let me know what you think. Eggs, tuna, chicken, chocolate milk are all good sources for cheap great protein. I find that nuts and fruits u can get for cheap also serve as a good placebos when the funds are low.

[Mercuryblade]

Im new to the forum and I just recently started a blog. I too am a student with not alot of income so i rely on the basics. Ive started to throw up my diets up on my blog so check it out and let me know what you think. Eggs, tuna, chicken, chocolate milk are all good sources for cheap great protein. I find that nuts and fruits u can get for cheap also serve as a good placebos when the funds are low.

Food can't be a placebo.

[HongMan_Choi]

Food can't be a placebo.

lol yeah, wtf that some stupid ass ****, how can food be a placebo.

[Skalami]

probably just used the word wrong, dont be a dick hongman

[jAy_Dub]

This is what I've found to be the absolute cheapest foods for my goals. I get it all from either Wal Mart or Costco.

Fresh chicken breasts
Ground beef/turkey
Eggs
Milk
Oats
Rice
Salad lettuce
Opticen is also a great choice ($2/serving- very cheap meal)

These are the only things I eat, day in and day out.

[hammerin adam]

Dry milk from Sams Club has been a godsend. It doesn't taste terrible and its very good in shakes. To make milk you mix the powder with water, very simple.

It costs $8 for 5.5 gallons of milk, 7040 calories and 704 grams of protein. 40 cents per 35 grams of protein
Also I get 90 eggs for the same price which is another 6300 calories.

[4g64fiero]

Dry milk from Sams Club has been a godsend. It doesn't taste terrible and its very good in shakes. To make milk you mix the powder with water, very simple.

It costs $8 for 5.5 gallons of milk, 7040 calories and 704 grams of protein. 40 cents per 35 grams of protein
Also I get 90 eggs for the same price which is another 6300 calories.

I compared the price of milk with powdered milk at walmart and they are the same per serving. I will be sure to check out sams club though... That is some cheap protein.

[Unholy]

As far as cheap protein sources go I have found that powder tends to be the cheapest for me.

I like to cook with whey and it cuts down my meal costs by a TON.

5lb tubs of PB from Wegmans are awesome for around 5-6 bucks.

Sludge is cheap PB+Whey+warm water to get a thick pudding like consistancy.

As far as carb sources go, pasta is redic cheap. 8 servings for 1$. Cereal is pretty inexpensive, as is rice. I always buy house brand or stuff thats on sale.

Whey + Milk shake poured over cereal is a fave for pre/pwo.

Eggs are $1 for a dozen and you can add in whey to make protein pancakes, top with bananas and PB for a win combo.

As far as fruit, bananas tend to be the cheapest around here.

Meats are the most expensive so lately I haven't been buying them.

Believe me when I tell you that I know about eating on a budget. I can eat for a week for 20-25 bucks no problem.

[JesseM]

Unholy, you've got some pretty good ideas there. I want to try this "sludge" you speak of. Aproximatly how much pb and water to a scoop of protein do you recommend? Do you eat it just like that or do you have it with something else?