I’m looking for some recommendations on good protein bars, or other protein sources, at breakfast. Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot of dietary restrictions that make breakfast a tricky meal for protein. These are:
[ul]
[li]Allergic to eggs[/li][li]Allergic to all ground and tree nuts[/li][li]Allergic to all seafood, saltwater and fresh[/li][li]Can’t / won’t eat beef[/li][li]Can’t / won’t eat pork[/li][/ul]
I’ve tried some Greek yogurt, and I really hate the thickness of it - makes me feel like I’m choking, it’s weird. But maybe it was just the brand I tried.
Seems like I’ve seen some Dopers mention protein powder, and I’d be up for most things that do fit my requirements, like protein shakes, as long as they weren’t also weight-gain shakes. I definitely don’t need to gain weight.
Bars are going to be hard for you to find because a lot of them use nuts as protein and fat sources.
If you put the Greek yogurt in a blender with fruit and/or juice and protein powder and stuff, and give it a whirl, it will definitely get to be thinner than regular yogurt. Frozen fruits are my favorite add-ins for smoothies as they are usually cheaper than fresh (except maybe when fresh is in season) and they don’t go bad.
Trader Joe’s and Target are good places to find nice-price protein powder. Just keep an eye out for egg allergy info.
Single-serve blenders are awesome for smoothie making. I usually put my ingredients in the blender the night before and whip it up before I drink in the morning - right out of the blender cup!
Hard to find this brand without nuts. Lots of protein bars use nuts to build up the protein and good fats.
Premier Protein has a chocolate protein bar that’s not bad, Met-Rx has several different bars without nuts, very tasty (almost too good*). Both of these you pretty much have to order from the internet. Cliff’s Builder’s Bar has one flavor, Chocolate Chip, that has no nuts. You can usually find these in packages at Target, among other places.
For shakes I recommend Met-Rx meal replacement powder shake (mix with water). Good amount of protein for the calories, much better in that respect than any of the bars.
*A word of caution about protein bars - they are usually very calorie dense, and can be very tasty, so you might be tempted to over-eat on them if you don’t have good food discipline.
Roddy
Just note that if you are watching your sodium, there’s about 800g of sodium in 8oz of cottage cheese versus about 120g in the same amount of Greek yogurt.
If you’re not watching sodium - then go at it! I love cream cheese and fruit yum! You can use it as a smoothie base or eat it un-blended.
Since dairy isn’t on your “no” list, would plain ol’ regular milk do the trick for ya? Some breakfast cereals have a decent amount of protein, and IIRC Special K doesn’t use nuts (in some varieties) so that could be a good start.
I water down Greek yogurt sometimes and then add chia, hemp seeds, wheat bran, All-Bran, sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, and dried or fresh fruit, in various combinations. If that is still too thick add more water. Or kefir over a high protein cereal. (Whole Foods 365 “protein and fiber” one is pretty good that way.) Or a smoothie that is part carrot juice, a scoop of whey powder, and OJ plus minus other juices in the fridge (cherry, pomegranate, whatever).
I definitely would try fridge oatmeal; some ingredients will be on my shopping list this weekend. Thanks, all, for the recommendations. I can’t wait to try out many of your ideas!
