Ideas for whole food protein sources? « Back to Group Discussions

[jacquelinej]

So it's a little tricky for me, but I am finding that if I am eating protein about every 1-2 hours, I don't get nearly as sick.  The problem is that the only source of protein I can make and carry with me (that I can think of) is homemade chicken fingers.  And since I am celiac, the food has to be gluten free.  Anyone have any ideas?

Eating sugar makes me more ill...and most foods are not appealing especially if they are heavily seasoned.  I am trying not to overdo the carbs (because it also seems to make me more sick!) but there are few easy sources of protein I can think of.  Cheese doesn't seem to have enough protein, and hardboiled eggs are ok.  

So the only whole food sources I can think of is chicken cooked some kind of plain way so I can make chicken salad, eggs either hardboiled of salad style, and chicken fingers.  DH made a plain Jane shepard's pie tonight and it was perfect (and had extra servings of veges in the meat too).  Really stumped...

[Lynann]

Peanuts. A spoonful of peanut butter often helps me fight of the nausea. Or any nut butter if you can't do peanuts. I also find tahini and honey together work well for me, and are healthful foods.

For on the go I will resort to protein bars in my purse, although they are my last resort.

[MarieWalter]

Is Greek yogurt available to you in Japan? Some are lightly sweetened or you could get plain. A small container would be ok in your purse for at least a couple hours, I would think. Beans - this is more of a Chinatown thing so I have no idea if they're available to you, but if you could get beanpaste buns that could be good, although not sure what your standards are for whole foods. If I'm not mistaken, I think baked potatoes have a decent amount of protein - you could bake cubes in some olive oil and take as a room temperature snack in a baggy. Of course a lot of these options are carb-heavy. Good luck finding some stuff that works for you!

[MarieWalter]

Thought of one more - dried peas! I get dried wasabi peas here, which is what made me think maybe you could find them!

[CoBabyMaker]

Nuts are easy to pack.  roasted chickpeas  I think eggs are one of the best options, the just have to much protein and nutrition.  Can you get or make some decent beef jerky that isn't full of junk?  ( I know it's hard to find without soy sauce so that may be hard)  Maybe a little container of quinoa with olive oil and salt?

Sorry I can't think of more right now, morning sickness and food aversions are my issue right now.  Although chicken fingers don't sound completely repulsive so thank you for that idea.

ETA:  Smoothies with nut butter added also seem to help for me

Edited by CoBabyMaker - 9/28/12 at 10:49am

[jacquelinej]

Whoa, good ideas here!  

DH just took a trip to the US and is bringing back nuts.  Nuts in Japan and nuts to pay for, they are too expensive, as is the nut butter.  But at least I can get nut butter.

MarieWalter, Greek yogurt, I don't think I have seen it here.  But I am cautious about the yogurt because sometimes I don't know if it is gluten free and nothing in Japan is labeled as gluten free.  I might have to try it to see, because it does sound appealing with some fresh fruit (we eat a lot).  I've had wasabi peas in the US, but never seen them in Japan.  But that makes me remember edamame...steamed soy beans and those are good and high protein!

Roasted chickpeas, how could I make those?  All I can get are dried chickpeas and maybe canned ones occasionally.  Beef jerky would be an idea, but I would have to work on that.  We don't have standard ovens here, just toaster ovens.  I do have a stand alone oven I bought but it's a bit tricky to use.  Successfully made a cake a few weeks ago and just about jumped for joy.

Smoothies!  And smoothies with nut butter, I've never tried that!  Oh, I need a blender so badly!  I really wish we had brought ours, it was a debate but we were told everything would be provided...for a Japanese kitchen maybe, but not for a US one!

You have all given me much to think about, thanks!  Will update on more when I figure out some things.  I've got some ideas...like homemade granola....

[BaileyB]

Originally Posted by Lynann 

Peanuts. A spoonful of peanut butter often helps me fight of the nausea. Or any nut butter if you can't do peanuts. I also find tahini and honey together work well for me, and are healthful foods.

For on the go I will resort to protein bars in my purse, although they are my last resort.

I second peanuts or peanut butter, especially if I need something immediatley.

Lynann - And thanks for the reminder on the protein bars, I meant to get some this weekend and totally forgot.

Jac - a tip on the sugar making you sick is eating more garlic. From what I am reading, when yourr immune system is low (like when you are pregnatn) you can get a yeast infection in your intestines. I have one now and just got some garlic tincture and probiotics to fight it. I had it with my first pregnancy, too. It causes nasty heartburn and that coated-tongue-dry-mouth-nasty-taste-in-your-mouth thing.

Sorry for any typos, my contacts really need to get out of my eyes.

[Quinalla]

Is there Kashi cereal available there? They have a few that have as much protein as an egg and are easily transportable. Not sure about gluten in that though, hmm. I'm a big fan of hard boiled eggs, various nuts (if you don't like plain nuts mix it yourself or buy pre-made nuts with a little chocolate or dried fruit), string cheese, yogurt (especially greek yogurt), peanut butter (usually I spread it on celery and stick it in a little container). Meat is definitely the best source, but it isn't as easily portable. Could you get a small cooler bag with an ice pack or two to carry meat around? Oh, and I am a big fan of liversausage (Braunschweiger), some people think it is pretty gross, but if you like it it is pretty portable and you can spread it on crackers/toast or just eat it with a spoon. It needs to be kept refrigerated, but it is more easily portable. It tends to be pretty salty, but otherwise it isn't bad. I'm not sure how whole food that is, but I figured I'd throw it out there!

And yeah, protein bars or other cereal bars that have more protein in them are nice and portable.

[nstewart]

Jackie, you could make your own Greek Yogurt if you can get milk, and if you can get cheese cloth.  Greek yogurt is just regular yogurt that's been strained.  That way you know what's going into your yogurt and don't have to worry about gluten or other additives.  You can also then flavor it without sugar, just with fruit or whatever suits your fancy.  Add some homemade granola (to again, avoid the gluten) which you can definetely make in your toaster oven and you're set!  (Now, where to get the energy to do that at this stage, right?  But seriously, the yogurt is really easy.)  Here is a link:  http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/  I would suggest keeping the milk at 185F for a while as this prevents the yogurt from being stringy.

You can roast chickpeas in the oven or in a skillet on top of the stove.  You can add flavor as well by putting just a tiny bit of oil in the pan, bloom some spices (cumin or chili powder would be nice) toss in the canned chick peas (or fresh soaked ones) and then just stir them around in the skillet until they're browned a bit and crispy.

Have you tried to find Nori (sea weed)?  I know you can almost certainly find nori snacks that you can carry in your purse since you are in Japan!

Nori

Nori is sold in thin sheets and is the seaweed that sushi is made from. Nori is very high in protein (up to 48% dry weight), beta-carotene and minerals. It stimulates circulation, decreases cholesterol, aids digestion and provides energy.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori  This sounds way easier than the yogurt!

[MarieWalter]

I would never have guessed that seaweed had so much protein! Trader Joe's has started carrying dried seaweed snacks - maybe I'll grab some.

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by MarieWalter 

I would never have guessed that seaweed had so much protein! Trader Joe's has started carrying dried seaweed snacks - maybe I'll grab some.

Marie,

Different types of seaweed have different protein levels.  All types seem to be quite high in minerals though.  Check out this link: http://mysticnaturals.com/blog/2010/03/04/seaweeds-a-natural-health-cure/ (not sure how trustworthy it is, but appeared to be confirmed by other sites)

[cadybh]

I make my own hummus, it's super easy to do from dried chickpeas.  You cook them till tender then blend with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini (sesame seed paste - which I guess you could make too, or sub peanut butter maybe?), add salt and pepper to taste.  It's delish with veggies/crackers and cheese/on sandwiches, etc.  You can just buy it too, if you can find it :)

[momme2b]

Sprouts!  sprouting usually increases the amount of protein... try mung bean, alfalfa, or any nuts or seeds that you know can eat because it is gluten free... pumpkin, sunflower maybe?

[AmandaLynnH]

I'm eating cheese and peanut butter (not together) and just got some of the Silk Pure Protein and fruit smoothie drink and some special k protein shakes to try to eat more protein.  I find it helps with the nausea and keeps me from getting too shaky when all I want are carbs.  My husband sometimes makes his own hummus with peanut butter and that's pretty yummy too.

[jacquelinej]

Originally Posted by Quinalla 

Is there Kashi cereal available there? 

Kashi does have gluten, but I do have a gluten free cereal and I have forgotten to refill my container...thanks for the reminder!

Originally Posted by momme2b 

Sprouts!  sprouting usually increases the amount of protein... try mung bean, alfalfa, or any nuts or seeds that you know can eat because it is gluten free... pumpkin, sunflower maybe?

Yes, I have sprouts too! (they don't sell them in Japan, I brought them with me).  Got to start a new batch though.  I am so far behind on 'normal' stuff.

 

 

Wow, there are some great ideas and directions here too...now if only I had the energy...

I can get milk, but I'd have to make yogurt with almond or rice milk.  We stay away from milk as DD has an allergy.  Although, I did buy plain yogurt for me this week, and I have yet to eat it.  I am a little scared I might have a negative reaction since I have had them in the past.  And getting cheesecloth...ugh.  I meant to ask DH to get some on his grocery shopping trip but I forgot!  Blah.  I'll be stateside in 6 weeks.

I LOVE nori!  I do have nori, and crave it pretty steadily.  Getting chickpeas is proving to be hard, but maybe I could try to order dried chickpeas.

Poor DD, DH left this weekend for a trip to the US and she is stuck with me.  And all she's been getting to eat are leftovers and broiled chicken.  I can't seem to manage much else at the moment.

Quote:

Jac - a tip on the sugar making you sick is eating more garlic. From what I am reading, when yourr immune system is low (like when you are pregnatn) you can get a yeast infection in your intestines. I have one now and just got some garlic tincture and probiotics to fight it. I had it with my first pregnancy, too. It causes nasty heartburn and that coated-tongue-dry-mouth-nasty-taste-in-your-mouth thing.

Well, that explains a few things for me BaileyB.  Because I definitely have that coating and I have the symptoms of a vaginal (sorry tmi) yeast infection which is usually (for me) a result of an over-abundance of intestinal yeast.  So time to hit the probiotics and garlic.

Thanks for the cooking directions on chickpeas nstewart and on making my own hummus cadybh!  I've never done either, its on to do this weekend list if I can find chickpeas.

[jeanblu]

Now I am craving hummus 

Great information and ideas in this thread. :)

[Kate&Joey]

Thanks for the cooking directions on chickpeas nstewart and on making my own hummus cadybh!  I've never done either, its on to do this weekend list if I can find chickpeas.

jacquelinej - you can also make hummus with edamame! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by Kate&Joey 

jacquelinej - you can also make hummus with edamame! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

I also saw a white bean hummus with avocado on pinterest recently...can't get on pinterest at work, but you can try google! It looked like a yummy cross between guacamole and hummus.  The guacamole is great for all those healthy fats that are essential for brain development!

[jacquelinej]

Originally Posted by Kate&Joey 

jacquelinej - you can also make hummus with edamame! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/edamame-hummus-recipe/index.html

Oh boy!  Now I am really excited!  I can get some serious edamame!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nstewart 

I also saw a white bean hummus with avocado on pinterest recently...can't get on pinterest at work, but you can try google! It looked like a yummy cross between guacamole and hummus.  The guacamole is great for all those healthy fats that are essential for brain development!

 

That does sound so good...DH makes our guacamole from scratch and it's good but lately I have not been wanting it.  And hummus, well, when we get canned chickpeas I can make it but I am eager to try it completely from scratch.

Anyone have any clue how to make chicken schwarma?  I have tried a couple different recipies off the web but nothing quite gets it right...there's this restuarant in Baton Rouge called Albasha and they have the most awesome chicken schwarma....I am have tried to make it so many times....

I haven't tried gyro meat yet, but maybe I should try that...

I guess you all know what I'm having first night in Baton Rouge in t-minus 48 days...!