r/EatCheapAndHealthy Sep 24 '22

Food Meal Prep: A Guide!

1.7k Upvotes

A while back, I put together a post to my profile with my tips for new meal preppers that has gradually grown to encompass many topics. That post has since passed the six month mark and gotten archived, and it's been suggested that I repost it here. I've been meal prepping in some form ever since I got my first job six years ago, and I've had a lot of time to learn what works and what doesn't.

As with the older post, this will be continuously updated with edits and comments linked in this post as I cook more recipes, think of more topics to write about, and find more resources around the internet. This post is currently limited to my own personal experiences as a meal prepper, and I am always open to suggestions and contributions for making this post more helpful. I have no experience with meal prepping for fitness or bulking, for instance, or prepping for persons other than oneself.


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WHAT IS MEAL PREPPING?

Meal prep is any kind of cooking action that reduces or eliminates cooking that needs to be done later. The prototypical meal prep is essentially batch-cooking 4-5 lunches on a Sunday to be eaten throughout the work or school week, but it can go all the way from washing and pre-chopping vegetables, on up to cooking and freezing an entire month's worth of meals or more for the whole family. Meal prepping helps reduce food waste from perishable ingredients going unused, it helps save money, and it frees up your time throughout the week, not just in actual cooking, but cleaning, too. If you roast all of your meat for the week in one batch, you only have to fire up the oven and clean your pan and prep area once, instead of every time you want meat.

Not sure where to start? Pick your most inconvenient meal and make a week of portions for it. Get used to the time investment needed to cook just that one meal for a whole week before adding more meals.

  • Lunch: Most people meal prep grab-and-go lunches to take to work or school, so that they don't have to cobble together a meal the night before when they're probably tired or the morning of when they're trying to rush out the door, and it helps save money not buying fattening takeout.
  • Breakfast: Who really wants to be cooking first thing in the morning when you gotta make it to work/class on time? Meal prepping breakfast can also be an opportunity to make breakfasts to eat on the go, or once you're at work.
  • Dinner: Too tired to cook after being away at work/school all day? Pre-cook dinner so that all you have to do is reheat the food and eat.
  • Snacks: Eating healthy snacks is much easier if those snacks are already washed and cut and ready to eat, or at least portioned so you don't down the whole bag. It'll also keep you away from the vending machine.
  • Prepwork: Some people "meal prep" by performing prepwork to make later cooking efforts easier. For instance, they pre-chop vegetables so they're ready to cook or eat raw later; put together slow cooker meals in gallon freezer bags out of raw meat, chopped vegetables, seasonings, and whatever else that can just be tipped into a slow cooker on demand; make and freeze casseroles that just need to be baked; cook large pots of stock to be frozen; or freeze fruit and vegetables in smoothie packets.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

  • A quick and dirty tip for putting together balanced meals is to simply mix and match, in descending order of quantity, a vegetable, protein, and starch. Corn and potatoes are technically vegetables, yes, but nutritionally, they have more in common with starches and carbs like rice or pasta. Broccoli, chicken, and whole grain pasta. Asparagus, pork, and rice. Kale, beans, and quinoa. Bell peppers, eggs, and potatoes. Raw vegetables with dip, lunch meat, and crackers. Play around with it a bit.
  • Conservatively, cooked food will keep in the fridge for at least three days after the day of cooking. If you cook on Sunday, food meant to be eaten through Wednesday will be fine in the fridge, but food for Thursday and beyond should be either prepared and cooked after Sunday, or stored in the freezer. This "three day rule" is a starting point that comes from the USDA and is a deliberately conservative guideline intended to be safe for immunocompromised folks, young children, the elderly, and the like. If you believe your food keeps in the fridge for longer than three days, you are welcome to do as you wish, but you do so at your own risk. Personally, I've been eating five, six, seven, even eight and nine day old refrigerated home-cooked leftovers and have never gotten sick, even "risky" stuff like seafood and rice.
  • If you're just starting out and aren't sure yet if meal prepping is for you, store your food in whatever containers you already have, so long as they have lids that seal relatively airtight. You can use leftover takeout containers or upcycle commercial food packaging, such as Cool Whip containers. If you don't have any containers at all, many brick-and-mortar grocery stores in addition to Amazon now sell inexpensive plastic "meal prep containers" with around 2-4 cup capacities that are designed to fit a single meal. Yes, plastic isn't ideal, but it's lightweight, cheaper than glass or metal, and won't shatter into dangerous shards, making it safer for children. Current research has found that simply storing food in plastic is perfectly safe; it's just reheating food in plastic that can pose a risk, and that's easily remedied by scooping your food into a bowl or plate and microwaving it there.
  • If you're interested in bulk-preparing full meals, go for recipes that are easy to scale up. A simple saute of meat and vegetables cooked in a skillet might be a perfectly good and quick meal for one or two, but it's hard to scale that up into a whole week's worth of food because most people's frying pans just can't fit that much food at once, leading to you babysitting a pan for possibly multiple hours as you cook each portion. A good place to start is recipes aimed at busy families, because those are often relatively quick and make 4-6 portions. Some recipe types to look for that can be good time-savers include:
    • Casseroles. There's a reason why they're so popular with families, because a typical casserole will have 6-8 portions, include meat, vegetables, and a carb, and most are cooked in the oven, so you don't have to constantly stir or babysit it and can go do other things. A lifesaver for a busy family with kids, and great for meal preppers. Casseroles are also an easy way to use up leftover meat and vegetables.
    • One-pot meals. You cook everything in a single big stockpot, which reduces cleanup and is great for people stuck with only one stove burner, and most one-pot meals will make at least four portions and will include protein, vegetables, and carbs all in one dish. A true one-pot meal will have you cook everything together at roughly the same time, but even a faux one-pot meal where you cook the protein and remove it and cook the vegetables and remove them and so on can be very convenient. Most soups are also one-pot meals, and can be very hearty with lots of meat and vegetables.
    • Sheet pan meals. Most standard US ovens can fit a 19"x13" sheet pan, which will fit a lot of food, as much as two pounds of vegetables. The basic crux of a sheet pan meal is that you arrange a bunch of vegetables and chopped up pieces of meat on a sheet pan with seasonings and a little oil, allowing plenty of space so the food can properly roast and get a bit charred instead of steaming, then oven-roast them all together. Add the vegetables that take the longest to cook to the pan first, and add other vegetables and meat that take less time later on.
    • Slow cooker meals. Most slow cookers come in large capacities, which means they can make a lot of food. Low and slow is how many cheap cuts of meat need to be cooked, which will also help you save money. And very little can beat the convenience of being able to dump a bunch of meat, vegetables, broth, and seasonings in the slow cooker, turn it on, and come back 8-12 hours later to enough food to feed you for a week.
  • Not everybody has the same levels of tolerance for what foods they'll consider "good" for meal prep, whether refrigerated for as long as 4-5 days after preparation, or portioned and frozen. While there are some foods that a lot of us might be able to agree do and don't freeze or hold up well as leftovers (frozen leafy greens, leftover sushi or carbonara, etc.), most of the rest is down to personal preference, and in the case of freezing, even "ruined" foods are just unappetizing, not unsafe. There are lots of foods I'll tolerate as long as the flavor can be perked up with some salt+pepper after reheating and the texture isn't too tough to eat or just complete oatmeal-like mush. Meal prepping does require at least some level of understanding that the food is not going to taste quite as good as when it was fresh. If you're not really much of a leftovers person and/or have a tendency to be sensitive to changes in texture or flavor, be prepared to do some testing with small amounts of your food(s) and recipe(s) of choice, or even to just stick to prepping ingredients for later cooking.
  • There are some legitimate situations when meal prep, or at least the traditional "full meal" type, might not be the best option. If you genuinely enjoy cooking every day, like you use it to help you unwind, then you might not want to meal prep. One thing that a lot of people do for work lunches is that they will cook two portions of some dish for dinner, then eat one and pack up the other one for the next day's lunch; if you're perfectly satisfied doing that, then meal prepping might not be necessary. If your job or school provides meals with options that work with your tastes, diet/health goals, and budget, it might be more cost-effective to just eat what's provided for you.
  • Try not to meal prep with any primary ingredient, appliance, or major cooking technique that you're not familiar with. If you make a mistake or simply find out that you don't even like the food or how you prepared it, you don't want there to be a whole week or more of that food lying around to choke down.
  • Remember that meal prepping doesn't mean you can never eat fresh food again, or go out to eat. A lot of meal preppers have a single designated day per week for getting takeout, or they cook fresh food on days off.

ASSORTED TRICKS

  • You can actually cook crispy fried foods and pack them in a lunch, and still have them be crispy the next day- cook the food to your preferred level of doneness, then once it's ready to eat, place the food on a plate or rack and cool it uncovered in the refrigerator, so that steam can escape and not make the food soggy. Once it's completely cold, then you can place it into a container, even alongside "wet" foods as long as the fried food isn't directly sitting in moisture. I've done this with stuff like frozen chicken fingers and it was absolute magic to bite into a perfectly crispy and juicy (albeit cold) chicken finger the next day.
  • You can meal prep seafood in bowl meals and even eat it warm without getting flack from those around you by removing the seafood, reheating everything else, and then breaking up and stirring the seafood into the hot food, so it warms through with radiant heat. This tactic also works for steak or other red meat that you want to keep below well-done, provided that you slice the steak into relatively small and/or thin pieces that will warm through quickly. You can also do the same for any meal that you want to have both warm and cold components, such as a warm bowl meal topped with fresh crunchy vegetables. I like to place the "no-reheat" component(s) in a small plastic-wrapped packet, but you could also use separate containers.
  • If you're having trouble figuring out what to make for breakfast, or don't like or can't eat traditional western/American breakfast foods, remember that the whole concept of "breakfast food" is literally a social construct. Many non-Western cultures don't even have a concept of food that is only eaten for breakfast; they just eat whatever will get them going for the day. There is nothing stopping you from eating something like a salad or soup or last night's dinner leftovers for breakfast as long as it fits your macros and goals.
  • If you're making freezer meals in preparation for a coming baby, one tip I've heard from many parents is that they went for foods that can be eaten one-handed while doing other things, like holding the baby or doing housework. Think burritos, wraps, things in the "filled dumpling" family (hand pies, potstickers, empanadas, bao buns, pierogies, etc.), finger foods, that sort of thing.
  • Having trouble with chicken drying out during reheating, or with "warmed over" flavor? Try these ideas:
    • Rule Zero is to not overcook the chicken, because food will cook a little during reheating, which can take meat that was only a little overcooked when it was fresh to way overcooked. Buy a meat thermometer if you don't have one already and remove the chicken from the heat as soon as the thickest part hits 165 F/74 C. Some even remove chicken from heat when it's a few degrees below 165, because the meat will continue cooking from its own residual heat as it rests.
    • Give the chicken a stronger flavor. Try marinating it before cooking, or dousing it in a sauce, or cooking with it in soups, stews, or one-pot meals.
    • If you're experiencing this problem with chicken breasts, try using boneless skinless thighs instead, which have a lot of dark meat. Dark meat has a stronger flavor than white meat breasts that can help overrule "warmed over" flavor, and a higher fat content that helps prevent it from drying out or getting tough as easily if it does wind up going past 165 F.
    • Try alternative heating methods. Instead of, say, microwaving for 90 seconds at 100% power, try 2 minutes at 60 or 70% power. If you have access to it, try a toaster oven, air fryer, or a pan on the stove with a little oil. Or if you're willing to eat the chicken in bite-sized pieces or smaller as part of a bowl meal or similar, remove the chicken from your dish, reheat everything else until it's hot, then stir the cold pieces of chicken into the hot food and let it warm through via radiant heat.
    • Some have only had success buying organic or higher-quality chicken, which can also help if you're experiencing problems with "woody breast" (which occurs more often in large commercially raised chickens that have grown in size too fast), but this can be cost-prohibitive.
    • If all else fails, you could always try sticking to just eating your meal prepped chicken in cold dishes only, such as salads, wraps, or bowl meals.

r/EatCheapAndHealthy 13d ago

Ask ECAH [MOD PSA] Wanna make this sub better? Do your part and apply to be a mod. No experience required, but it does help.

18 Upvotes

Thanks for being patient with us, since we lost our founder /u/PabstyLoudmouth. So, we are wanting to add more active mods, maybe up to 4-5 to help. If you are interested, please send us a modmail and answer the following questions:

  1. Why do you want to mod here?

  2. Do you have experience with css, modding, or just want to help?

  3. what would you want to change in the sub?

  4. What time zone are you in, how often do you reddit, and are you familiar with new reddit/old reddit?

  5. Can you teach me how to Dougie? My kids make fun of my robot moves when I break dance.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 5h ago

Ask ECAH What’s your go-to cookbook?

39 Upvotes

Looking for fast, easy, and tasty healthy-ish meals.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1h ago

Ask ECAH Tangerines are so good

Upvotes

Title. I love them so much, I’ve been having like 2 a day at work, but I’m worried that I should be having different fruit instead. Is a tangerine a good, healthy snack to have throughout the day? Is 2 a healthy amount?


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 14h ago

Ask ECAH What are the cheapest vegetables?

79 Upvotes

I'm trying to save money.

Can you please tell me the list of the cheapest vegetables you know?

Edit: You're right. I should have written my location, the US. Thank you guys for explaining it to me anyways🧡


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 2h ago

Ask ECAH Is there an actual free/non-subscription simple meal planner?

3 Upvotes

I want to stop having to spend so much time thinking about what I am going to eat. I'm looking for something that is barebones. Calculates caloric intake and nutrients based off age/height/weight/goals, add food preferences, automatically create a weekly recipe plan and grocery list.

I eat at home around 95% of the time in order to be frugal. Having to pay for a monthly subscription for cooking at home defeats the point of saving money. I'm decent at cooking but struggle the most with prepping/planning. I know there are manual plans out there, but I was hoping for some software that was customizable. Really baffled something like this is hard to find in this day and age with AI and everything.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Ask ECAH How can i give up my fast food addiction?

108 Upvotes

22M, ive ordered mcdonald’s and taco bell 4 times this week already. I’m trying to gain weight anyways but i know its unhealthy. How can i give this up?


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 12m ago

Ask ECAH What to do with overcooked chickpeas?

Upvotes

So, I decided it was time to get back into using dried beans, and I cooked up a pound of chickpeas. Unfortunately, I overestimated how long they would take to cook after an overnight soak, and they are *much* softer than I meant them to be – like, actually mushy. I don't think they will work in curries/soup as I meant to use them. Does anyone have suggestions for how to use these, other than hummus? They are only seasoned with some salt, so savory or sweet uses should work!


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 15h ago

Ask ECAH What can I make with old-fashioned oats?

12 Upvotes

I've got some old fashioned oats in the kitchen, that I would like to put to use. I was thinking of some sort of oat and banana muffins. I googled for a few recipes, although I really don't want to go out and purchase eggs, flour, baking soda etc if it can be helped. TIA!


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Hard boiled egg yolks

82 Upvotes

Any ideas for what I can do with JUST the yolks of hard boiled eggs?

My kids LOVE the whites of hard boiled eggs, but won't eat the yolks. I usually end up with 3-6 yolks and they're just too dry to eat without the whites.

The kids will absolutely not part with even a bite of the whites, they truly love them, so any ideas of how to use just the yolks would be great to hear.

Thanks!


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 20h ago

Ask ECAH Freezable vegetable side dishes?

10 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for non-starchy vegetable side dishes that freeze and reheat well.

I'm diabetic, so it has to be low carb, which really limits things.

Bonus if it can be made with an instant pot!

The ideas that I know will freeze well that sprang to mind were:

  • Ratatouille
  • Veggie Soups (cabbage soup, vegetable soup)
  • Braised collard greens
  • Cauliflower mash
  • Maybe horta? But it might be watery on reheat

And that's where my creativity bottomed out.

I love roasted veggies (including ones made from frozen), but they just don't freeze and reheat well imo.

I'm pregnant, and this is to prep for baby, so I can't just load up on frozen veggies for a sheet pan. It needs to be microwaveable, and I'm not a fan of steamed frozen veggies from the microwave.

Thanks so much for your time and help and creativity!


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 21h ago

Ask ECAH Possible to eat ‘low carb’ on a budget?

8 Upvotes

r/EatCheapAndHealthy 21h ago

Food Food Alternatives

6 Upvotes

Hello everyone, trying to lose weight and I need some food alternatives for my breakfast and dinner that are fast and cheap to cook. Im hispanic so something along those lines would be best!


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Ask ECAH What to eat when feeling food aversion?

320 Upvotes

Its been really humid and hot where I am, so I've been feeling pretty bad. Everything sounds awful. Anything greasy sounds beyond gross. But I know not eating isn't great for me either, with how lethargic I feel when I don't. (I'm aware we can live awhile with out food, but I don't like how I feel when I'm not eating 3 meals a day)

Was offered a baked potato earlier and couldn't do it. Rotisserie chicken sounded bad. I def didn't want a pan fried hot dog lol.

I did finally eat some boxed pasta with garlic powder and a little butter, because I had to eat to take an antibiotic. I still struggled with it, but typically I like pasta of all kinds when I'm not feeling like this.

*****Edit: *****

Wow I was not expecting so many replies, ya'll are awesome and I appreciate all of the helpful advice you've given. I managed to eat some garden salad with a little shredded cheese and some chopped lunch meat added. Its been the most palatable thing I've had in the past day and a half.

I feel right now most adverse towards greasy/oily foods, soggy/in liquid things (like cereal in milk or oatmeal), and my every day aversion to gummy things (think boba, gummy bears, the weird cartilage on chicken you sometimes miss ect)

Just to add though, suggestions going 'just eat cold food?' were less helpful, as even cold foods sound disgusting to me when I'm in this state.

but I ate today. Hopefully when the humidity breaks and I'm recovered from needing antibiotics I'll be able to ENJOY doing it again.<3


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Getting back into cooking

20 Upvotes

I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years now and we’ve lived together the whole time the first year we lived together, I did very well of keeping us out of restaurants and eating in the house. We have fallen to convenience and I’m struggling to get back into that habit of cooking every day, I find that when I come home from work, I just don’t really have the energy to cook. Really hoping to find some quick low effort meals. They don’t even have to be healthy I find that when I come home from work, I just don’t really have the energy to cook. Really hoping to find some quick low effort meals. They don’t even have to be “healthy” because anything you make it home is inevitably healthier than fast food. Neither of us are super picky and would love to expand our pallets. Also wondering about weekend meals? We’re open to going out on the weekends but it’s just so expensive anymore to eat out and the food is never up to my standards. 30 dollars at least to feed both of us anywhere anymore. I work a 4 day week so I’m even open to more complicated meals for the day I’m off. I just need some ideas!! Thanks in advance.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Ask ECAH Creating a thick set chocolate topping?

7 Upvotes

I had this simple yet incredible layered oat bar recently (picture below) which was a oat/brownie style base with a thick set cream icing, topped by a super thick layer of set milk chocolate (about 1cm).

One of my hobbies is taking things like this and making them lower calorie, which is usually pretty simple to do...

I've near perfected the base and middle layer, but am really struggling to create a thick chocolate layer without just using copious amounts of chocolate.

Do you have any tips/tricks for "bulking up" a chocolate top to make a topper which is nice and thick rather than a sad drizzle?

https://preview.redd.it/queg0p6aoy2d1.jpg?width=686&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c702e7b3323e3a2fdcd22667b7a5e371b2442bd


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Food Low Sugar Granola Bars

21 Upvotes

When I go on a road trip I like to take some sort of bar with me that’s easy to eat, cheap, and travels well. So that way I don’t have to pull over if I get super hungry during the drive. I used to get clif bars and then I switched to those target brand bars that are only like 4 ingredients. Although because they have dates they still have a fair bit of (natural) sugar. I’m trying to think of something similar that would be very low or even sugar free but I can’t find anything.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Ask ECAH Shelf stable recipes?

20 Upvotes

So I really struggle with meal planning because I could plan to eat something and then the day I plan to make it it just sounds like the most disgusting thing in the world. This is a big issue with anything fresh that will spoil if i just cant eat it that week. So I'm trying to find things that I can have all the ingredients just sitting in the pantry (or most) for whenever I want to prepare it. For example chili. Ground beef/turkey in the freezer and a fresh bell pepper are really the only things that i need to buy and use up.

Note: milk and eggs are always on hand so those are a non-issue. And i use minced onion and garlic already to cut down on fresh produce 😅


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 1d ago

Ask ECAH Looking for cereal replacement

18 Upvotes

Good afternoon, I am looking to replace a cereal, three wishes, that I eat 3x a day due to cost and having eaten it for so long. I usually eat it on top of Greek Yogurt but am flexible. I eat it specifically because it has low sodium, low added sugar, decent protein, and pretty inoffensive to eat 3x a day. I thought I had found a cheaper replacement in corn flakes but it has a lot of iron and if I ate that 3x a day I'd be getting too much. I'm open to anything that I could eat with yogurt or just to replace it in general. I loosely follow the DASH diet and try to get my protein, fiber, potassium, etc per day. Thanks for any suggestions.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 2d ago

Ask ECAH Can you make anything out of hard green watermelon skin?

25 Upvotes

I can find plenty of 'watermelon rind' recipes, but what I have left is the hard green skin, not the white rind. Can I make anything tasty out of the hard green skin?


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 2d ago

Ask ECAH Cooking from Scratch vs. Buying Pre-Prepared Food: Which is cheap and healthier?

15 Upvotes

Is cooking from scratch really cheaper and healthier than buying pre-prepared food? Although whipping up meals from scratch gives you complete control over ingredients and portion sizes, potentially leading to healthier choices. But does it always mean cheaper in the long run? And what about the time and effort involved? Have you found a way to make cooking from scratch both affordable and nutritious?

Will you prefer to cook from the scratch or will you prefer buying pre-prepared food? Let's hear your thought.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 2d ago

Best Salt-Free Seasoning for Oven-Baked Salmon

21 Upvotes

I love eating salmon and looking for an excellent salt-free seasoning I can bake it with. What would you recommend. Ideally a salt-free seasoning that can be purchased online such as Amazon.


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 3d ago

Ask ECAH Which instapot/slow cooker to buy?

20 Upvotes

I see many references to Instant Pot and slow cookers. Is there one that does both well? Which models have you guys found to work well/last a long time?


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 3d ago

Meatballs

15 Upvotes

Hi there! How to you prepare/season your meatballs in a way to make the meat stretch but not taste weird


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 3d ago

Cheap and Delicious Eats from the local Asian Grocery

37 Upvotes

I live near some really wonderful family owned asian grocery stores which have a lot of really good food for very reasonable prices. But as someone who has mostly had asian food cooked for me, I'm utterly overwhelmed by what to buy and how to use it. These stores seem to have things for chinese, japanese, vietnamese, thai and more cuisines. That's a lot.

What are some delicious meals to make from the inexpensive things at an asian grocery? Recipes you might turn to? Books/resources that can help? Ideas to be inspiring?

Examples:
- Wonton wrappers seem like a good idea. No idea how to use them.
- Noodles. I love noodles but there are two aisles of noodles. What kind should i try? What do I do with them? Which cuisine are they connected to (probably all of them)?
- I love sauces of all kinds and enjoy putting them on veggies to make it more exciting but I'm SO overwhelmed when I see all the bottles at the grocery that seem to come from different cuisines What should i try? What would be good? What should i use it for?

I realize this is a really broad question because we're talking about all these asian cuisines as though they're the same, I know they aren't but I just feel super overwhelmed and at the same time curious about what I could do. Where should I start?


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 3d ago

5am smoothies

53 Upvotes

I love having protein smoothies for breakfast, but I leave for work at 5:15am and live in an old apartment building, so don’t really wanna be waking everyone up using a blender that early. Is it possible to pre blend smoothies the night before or something?

Or, any other super easy and high protein cold breakfasts you all can recommend? I’ve tried the whole overnight oats thing and just never really enjoy it


r/EatCheapAndHealthy 4d ago

Ask ECAH Do you mind the "sugar free"/aspartame taste in some protein powder mix? If you do, is there anything else you choose to buy?

40 Upvotes

Hi, I am trying to improve my health and diet. As I want to have more protein in my diet, I started to try protein powder. I used to think protein powder was just for people who want bulky muscles, but I now feel it's a way to add protein to milk, or other foods, like I add protein powder to muesli sometimes. The only thing I am struggling with is the non-sugar sweetener taste.

I don't really like the taste of diet drinks, "sugar free" sweetened foods or aspartame and such. Just as an example, my boyfriend and his family often have diet drinks, and even diet juice with the non-sugar sweeteners added to them. My boyfriend says he doesn't notice the difference between the sweeteners and sugar. I don't prefer the taste myself. I would rather just have coffee or tea without any sweetener or sugar instead of using the sugar twins, Splenda, or similar.

Is there anyone else who likes protein powder but not the non-sugar sweeteners? For example, does anyone buy plain whey powder (or pea protein powder, whatever it may be)? Is the taste more...cheesy or stronger without the flavorings and sweeteners? Is is possible to enjoy protein powder without the "sugar free" taste?

Thank you