Completely dumped protein powders and "bulking" ten years ago. I eat 2500-3000 calories a day from butterfingers to steak. I feel great. My lean body weight is 180, my Pillsbury Dough Boy weight is 200. Anything in between is me being happy.
If you are natural, there is nothing you can do to get big and lean but a few short bouts of intense exercise followed by enough rest and moderate calorie intake before you do it again.
I'm currently in training for an intense bicycle race series in July. I monitor just about everything regarding exercise and recovery and have found the biggest factor in my progress is rest. Not food, not how many intervals I do, not some magic supplement- just rest.