I’ve been buying Whey Protein Isolate in bulk from Bulk Nutrients since 2016 now. The quality is excellent. I get the raw flavour AKA totally unflavoured because I like to add my own flavours to my shakes, and if you get raw protein you can add it to soup without even blinking. Yes, soup. Sounds crazy? It actually isn’t, though I suspect I am one of the few people on the planet who do this.
I bought 5kg of protein in December 2017. One serving of protein is 40g though sometimes I use a little less depending on how active I have been and how long it is till my next meal. My protein shake is very filling so if I have left my shake a bit late, I will not be hungry enough for dinner unless I cut down the amount of protein to 30g.
So a quick math workout – 1000g of protein = 25 servings. Therefore each 1kg bag of protein should last me 25 days.
I should have got 125 days of protein out of this last order, right? However on weekends we often both have a shake, which muddles up the maths. There is now a new variable, which is The Other Half having protein shakes for lunch at work. It would be fine maths wise if it were X days a week. But it never works out that way.
What I usually do is wait until I open my last 1kg bag and make another order of 5kg. But this time I did a little maths first.
It costs me $7 flat rate shipping no matter how much I order. Also when you buy more, the price is slightly cheaper. Here is a quick table. OMG listen to me doing maths like I like it! ;)
.10 cents per serving does not seem like a big saving. When you consider there are 375 servings in 15kg, it works out to $37.50. But you also have to consider, if I bought 3x 5kg, I would have to pay an extra $14 in shipping. Suddenly we are up to $51.50 in savings. I’m going to buy the protein anyway, it keeps long term, and I won’t have to order it again for some time, so we bought 15kg.
We’ve worked a rough calculation for how many protein shakes The Other Half might have, and essentially we think this is enough protein for the two of us for 250 days. If that turns out to be correct, I will next need to order protein in December 2018, but I might be able to make it to January 2019, because I only just opened the final 1kg bag from the last order.
Protein Soup
If you do a quick google there are not a lot of places talking about adding protein powder to soup, so it is not Officially A Thing. But I did it all last winter and it worked out great for me. With my present thyroid issues I really feel the cold so a shake with frozen stuff in it is not the most optimal for me on very cold days.
It works best in soups you have whizzed up to a creamy consistency. You do need to stir it in well – whisking might work best but I just use a spatula and stir like a person possessed. You could also use a immersion blender, like the Thunderstick.
If you want to see other places you could squeeze in some extra protein, here are a couple of good articles – 15 Genius Ways to Add Protein Powder to Foods – 41 Sneaky Ways to Add Protein Powder Into Every Meal.
Part of me misses my protein shakes (oh how I miss my chocolate peanut butter shake!), but I really don’t need them anymore since I eat enough to get my protein in. Since I’ve had weight loss surgery, shakes don’t keep me full the way they do for someone else. I’ve bought whey isolate protein powder a few times over the last year or two and I never use it up. No sense in drinking them if they don’t keep me satisfied, so I end up wasting the powder and then eventually bring it to work where the vultures swoop in and snag it. (LOL It’s a great way to get rid of food I buy and end up not liking!)
Good for you for doing your best to save money! That goes hand in hand with your Buy Nothing initiative. Both will leave you with more in your bank account.
Worth watching ABC’s The Checkout as they this week had a segment on protein. I think the conclusion was you doing yourself no harm.
I never thought of adding unflavored protein to soup although I’ve addd it when baking muffins. Great idea!
We rarely eat meat so we sometimes add protein powder to things like spaghetti sauce.