Author Topic: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50  (Read 107872 times)

BigCyp

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Many budding bodybuilders beginning their quest to craft a decent physique can be discouraged at the extra food bill this often involves. With the price of even the most basic foods increasing well above inflation rates and annual pay increases, just adding more protein to the weekly shopping list can be too expensive for some budgets.

   One of the reasons I dragged my first 2kg bag of whey to the counter at the GNC store (and left with an even heavier chunk missing from my part-time earnings) was simply because I thought ‘real’ food had to be far more expensive, not to mention time consuming. Over the years I’ve come to realise that not only can you eat ‘bodybuilding food’ that tastes delicious very cheaply, preparing it doesn’t necessarily have to eat into valuable posting time on getbig.com!

   My cooking is something that I’ve always managed to surprise people with, as if somehow having a bit of muscle translates into strictly hand shaken or microwave cooked meals! However, I want to keep the recipes I post in this thread quick and simple to follow. What’s the point of making breakfast for 50p/75 cents, if it takes an hour to put together?

   The vast majority of my grocery shopping takes place at beloved ALDI, but I do pass through Sainsbury’s (U.K. getbiggers) to pick up some items from the basic range simply because the price can’t be beat (none of the recipes I post in this thread will involve adding protein powders or other supplements). Not everyone who tries these recipes will be able to put them together for exactly the same cost overall, but if you’re saving money and eating well as a result – I'll be a happy getbigger. When I get a chance I'll update these recipes to include my own pictures, to keep it a bit more interesting - please feel free to add your own creations to the thread!

1.Simple Banana Protein Pancakes – 69p/$1.05
(30g protein, 35g carbs, 20g fat, 440 kcals)


What you’ll need: 1 banana, 4 whole eggs, ½ cup dry oats (cinnamon/mixed spice to taste if you need it)

Simply throw everything in a blender and blitz until smooth and put a small pan on a low heat with a splash of oil/butter/low kcal spray. Pour in around 1/3 of the mixture once the pan’s hot and give it a few minutes on each side until nicely browned. Sprinkle with cinnamon/splenda/whatever you prefer and start eating the first one, while you browse the G&O board and cook the rest! These have a lovely texture to them and the mix of oat & banana reminds me of my wife's banana loaf, yum.

Cut the yolks for a low fat/lower calories option, or reduce the oats to 1/4 cup to bring it down to around 26g if dieting with low carbs. If you need 600kcals for breakfast, make enough for another pancake!

Should look something like this:



(Eggs: 15 for £1.35 Aldi, Rolled Oats: 1kg for £0.60 Aldi, Bananas: 8 for £0.69p Aldi - you could eat these for breakfast every day of the week for only £4.50)

The True Adonis

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2013, 05:57:57 AM »
Where is the flour and buttermilk?  ???

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2013, 06:00:16 AM »
Where is the flour and buttermilk?  ???

Blended oats instead of flour, and I don't even know what buttermilk is my brother lol  ;D

Granted it would probably taste better with both of your suggestions Adam!

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2013, 06:49:40 AM »
This next installment was inspired by a recipe on my sister's food blog, which I've amended a tad to up the protein content. With protein comes extra pennies, however at 24p a burger I'm sure no one will be complaining to the moderators!

2. Egg, Carrot, & Kidney Bean burgers with a hint of curry  - £0.64p/ 98 cents (makes 4)
(35g protein, 44g carbs, 12g fat, 600 kcals/150 per patty)

What you'll need: 1 can of red kidney beans, 2 eggs (whole), 1 large carrot, 1 sm onion, heaped teaspoon of hot curry powder, 1 tablespoon dry oats, sm handful coriander (optional) salt/pepper to taste.

 1. Drain the can of beans and rinse thoroughly in cold water (gets rid of gloopy 'tinny' taste) throw them in a small pan and cover with boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes to soften them.
 
2. While they are boiling, finely chop the onion, grate the carrot, and add coriander and curry powder with a little salt and pepper. Saute in a frying pan with a little oil/butter/no kcal spray and stir until the onion softens (usually 4-5 mins) and remove from heat.
 
3. Once the beans have softened, drain away all the liquid and add to a bowl along with the carrot and onions. At this point add 2 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, and a large tablespoon of oats. Mash it all together with a fork/potato masher until you have a smoothish consistency
 
4. Heat a drop of oil in a pan on a medium heat, and spoon the mixture into 4 large patties (at this point you'll need to keep 'shaping' the patties for 30 seconds so they hold their shape). Cook each side for around 5 minutes on each side until browned/your sure the egg's cooked (handle gently while turning!).

5. Serve hot with your favourite complex carbohydrates - you could even bake a few sweet potatoes and have Pat Banya round for tea!  ;D (I just eat all 4 four on their own with some hot sauce)

My sisters version:



(Eggs: £1.35 for 15 - Aldi, Kidney Beans 21p Sainsbury/Tesco, Carrot 8p loose Sainsbury, Onion 8p loose Sainsbury, Oil 5p, Oats 2p)

Mazda323

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2013, 07:33:37 AM »
Those pancakes are my offseason special breakfast!!!

I just change the eggs, i put 5 egg whites and 1 whole egg. I don't pay for the eggs, because my grandmother provides me when i go to my village every Sunday.

Cinnamon, stevia, and it's perfect!!!

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2013, 07:40:10 AM »
Those pancakes are my offseason special breakfast!!!

I just change the eggs, i put 5 egg whites and 1 whole egg. I don't pay for the eggs, because my grandmother provides me when i go to my village every Sunday.

Cinnamon, stevia, and it's perfect!!!

Exactly how I have mine with cinnamon and stevia!!!  ;D

I might move to your grandmother's village so I can amend the recipe to 'Free banana pancakes'

Mazda323

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2013, 07:43:49 AM »
I will send you eggs, you will send me halloumi and tsamarella...

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2013, 07:45:30 AM »
I will send you eggs, you will send me halloumi and tsamarella...

If my children were made of Halloumi I would eat them  ;D

The True Adonis

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2013, 07:47:13 AM »
Big Cyp, don`t forget the Value Menu Burger King.  You can get a lot of good stuff for a dollar 50 there also.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2013, 08:02:59 AM »
Big Cyp, don`t forget the Value Menu Burger King.  You can get a lot of good stuff for a dollar 50 there also.

Good point Adam - you could definitely eat there once a day from that menu to keep food costs down. What's the most calories you think one item from the $1.50 menu could yield - 450?

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2013, 08:04:39 AM »
The 'Pound Saver Menu' in British Mcdonalds chains sell Double Cheeseburgers, however they are £1.39 each (probably $2) you only get 400 kcals, but the protein is high enough.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2013, 08:19:03 AM »
3. The Cheapo Chocolate MRP Shake (40g of protein) - £0.54 / 82 cents!!!
(40g protein, 32g carbs, 26g fat - 522 kcals)

What you'll need: 2 whole eggs (yolks optional - but why throw them!), 7 tablespoons of skimmed milk powder, 350ml semi skimmed milk, 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, splenda/stevia to taste, ice if preferred.

1. Put all of the above into your mixer cup (I'd recommend adding the milk first to avoid anything sticking at the bottom)

2. Shake for 30 seconds with the fury of Galeniko's 3rd climax of the night!

Trust me guys, this shake tastes decent enough and costs a third of the price. Try adding a TB of PB, vanilla essence, or any coffee flavouring syrup (be careful with the simple sugars!).

(Generic photo)



Eggs - 9p each (£1.35 for 15 Aldi) Skim milk powder - 16p (£1.40 for 400g Tesco) Semi milk - 17p (99p for 2 litres Aldi) Cocoa - 3p (£1.00 Asda).
 

BikiniSlut

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2013, 09:21:33 AM »
Your pricing is quite a bit off....at least for what things cost here.

However I look forward to trying to those pancakes.....great recipe and they look good! :P

Man of Steel

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2013, 11:04:03 AM »
Cyp pancakes = MOS boner

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2013, 11:05:09 AM »
Your pricing is quite a bit off....at least for what things cost here.

However I look forward to trying to those pancakes.....great recipe and they look good! :P

If you're in the U.K they're very accurate in the supermarkets i've mentioned as I worked out the costing to the penny, then rounded up. I'm sure there must be something comparable? Correct me if i'm wrong though.

BigCyp

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irishdave

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2013, 02:21:41 PM »
Cyp, I just made those pancakes, good recipe!!

Hulkotron

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2013, 04:02:31 PM »
Great thread, pancakes and burgers sound great.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2013, 04:34:23 PM »
Dave - glad you enjoyed them pal, I had them myself yesterday!

Hulk - cheers my man, there's plenty more recipes where they came from, keep an eye out tommorow for a couple of good ones.

BS - I've added the breakdown at the bottom of the recipe so it should be clearer now.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2013, 04:14:35 AM »
4. 30 Second Cashew & Raisin Yoghurt mix – 58p/85 cents
(30g protein, 35g carbs, 27g fat - 503 kcals)

What you'll need: Half pot of 2% natural yoghurt, 4 tablespoons skimmed milk powder, 40g cashew nuts, handful raisins, splenda/stevia to taste.

So what's the BigDeal here? Is yoghurt with nuts/fruit even a recipe bro?

Try getting in 30g of protein from decent natural sources such as natural yoghurt and cashews for less than 90 cents! This meal/snack idea tastes great, is super quick to put together and makes a tasty alternative to eggs & oats, tuna & salad etc. Change is good. Try a big blob of this on top of my banana protein pancakes  ;)

1. Take a large cup/bowl, throw in 40g of salted cashews (much cheaper!!!) and rinse a couple of times to remove the sodium. Don’t worry about draining every last atom of water away as it will mix into the yoghurt anyway.

2. Scoop half a 500g pot of 2% natural yoghurt on top of the cashews, along with the milk powder, raisins, and whichever sweetener you prefer.

3. Fold together to dissolve the skim milk granules and sweetener and enjoy while pondering whether Bikinislut is truly a woman.

I came up with this quick mixture out of sheer oatmeal and egg boredom, plus it has the added bonus of being a zero cooking time breakfast if you’re on the run. Another good tip is to keep the rest of the yoghurt in the pot to make another batch of the same nutrient content for the office, or refrigerate for your last meal of the day.
 
(I’ll update the whole thread with my own pictures as I make each meal this week)



2% Yoghurt – 23p (£0.45 for 500g Sainsbury’s) Skim milk powder - 10p (£1.40 for 400g Sainsbury’s) Cashews – 17p (79p for 200g Aldi) Raisins - 6p (£0.98 for 500g Sainsbury’s) Sweetener 2p (99p for a container Aldi)

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #20 on: May 17, 2013, 04:45:03 AM »
Is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight too difficult to acheive with my recipes?

Let's take a look so far:

Meal 1: Banana Protein Pancakes:              30g Protein (440 kcals for 3 pancakes) - £0.75
Meal 2: Cheapo Choccy Protein Shake:       40g Protein (522 kcals per shake) - £0.60
Meal 3: Egg, Kidney Bean & Carrot burgers: 43g Protein (600 kcals for 4 patties) - £0.96
Meal 4: Cashew/Raisin Yoghurt Mix:           30g Protein (503 Kcals per serving) - £0.58
Meal 5: Cheapo Choccy Protein Shake:       40g Protein (522 Kcals per shake) - £0.60

Total protein consumed: 183g of quality protein from food sources!

Total calories & cost: 2587 calories for a measly £3.39 / $5.17

I'll post up the total carbs/fat when I get a chance. It's worth bearing in mind that all of the meals I've posted contain hardly any refined sugar, and minimal 'processed' ingredients are used.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2013, 04:45:51 AM »
Not trying to entice Adam into this thread, but it's worth noting that for £4.29 you can buy 1 medium Big Mac meal in UK Mcdonalds which contains a measly 31g of protein in total.

Things that make you go mmmmmmm  ;D

I'd rather be eating 183g of protein for £3.39, along with a variety of foods.

kh300

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2013, 06:21:25 AM »
Good stuff. Made the pancake's this morning. Not bad considering I hate eggs. I added a half cup of pancake mix to bump up the carbs.

I've been keeping track of my food bill and it's out of control so this thread is perfect.

I would like some good ideas on what to do with chicken breast. I get it at $1.99 a pound. So an 8oz meal is only a dollar.

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2013, 06:50:37 AM »
Good stuff. Made the pancake's this morning. Not bad considering I hate eggs. I added a half cup of pancake mix to bump up the carbs.

I've been keeping track of my food bill and it's out of control so this thread is perfect.

I would like some good ideas on what to do with chicken breast. I get it at $1.99 a pound. So an 8oz meal is only a dollar.

Great to hear these recipes will be useful bro. Funny you mention chicken breast - I have 2 recipes i'm putting on here next couple of days with chicken....watch this space!

BigCyp

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Re: BigCyps Frugal Fitness - Part one: BB Meals for under £1 / $1.50
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2013, 06:53:12 AM »
5. Tuna Hummus Protein Wraps - £0.79 / $1.20 per wrap

(32.5g protein, 44g carbs, 7g fat - 400 kcals)

What you'll need: Tin of cheap tuna flakes, 400g tin of chick peas, 2 wholemeal tortilla wraps, 1 clove garlic, 1 lemon, tablespoon of sesame seeds, tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper to taste.

1. Drain both the tuna and chick peas (you’ll want to rinse the chick peas a couple of times) and put the contents into your blender along with the sesame seeds, peeled garlic, olive oil, and all of the lemon juice.

2. Blend the ingredients until you have a pate-like consistency. Give it a taste, and add salt & pepper to season.

3. Warm your wholemeal wrap in the microwave for 15 seconds, spread half of the tuna hummus on one side (you can add salad at this stage if you prefer) and roll like a crepe to enjoy!

32.5g of protein, easy to wrap in foil and throw in your bag for the day – these are amazing, trust me.

(No homo)



Tuna flakes (49p Asda), Chick Peas (400g for 38p Asda), 1 Lemon (27p Asda) Sesame Seeds (£1.00 Tesco), Garlic (30p loose Asda), Olive Oil (99p Aldi), Tortilla Wraps (£1 for 8 Asda).