This is still very much in-progress, but I’ve been working on a recipe for a cheap, healthy meal replacement shake so I can be healthier without killing myself or my bank account x3

The macros are based on data from the IFFYM calculator I did adjust them to fit the ingredients a bit, and the macros are based on my height, weight, and gender, so this recipe isn’t truly universal.  I still have a lot to learn about macros, so as I said before this is still a work in progress.

I also graded each ingredient (whenever possible) on Fooducate to do my best to verify that I was using healthy ingredients.  Fooducate it a handy app that assigns a letter grade between A – D- to take a lot of the guesswork out of determining what food are actually good for you.  Not all of the ingredients where on Fooducate, so for those I found grade for similar items to approximate their letter grade.

Lastly I got all the food items off of Amazon.  I choose Amazon because of their selection, and so I could really take my time and look through all of the nutrition facts of each item.

Ingredient	Carbs	Protein	Fat	Fiber	Calories	$$/serving	Grade	FP	Amazon
Nutribiotic Rice Protein (2 serving)	4	22	0	0	120	0.82	B	2	Buy
bob's flaxseed meal	5	3	3.5	4	60	0.25	A-	2	Buy
hooster powdered egg	1	6	5		80	0.51	A?	2	Buy
Ocean Spray Craisins	33	0	0	3	130	0.46	B-	3	Buy
bob's pea meal (2 servings)	18	8	0	8	100	0.02	A?	2	Buy
Totals	61	39	8.5	15	490	2.06		11

I couldn’t find the powdered eggs or pea flour anywhere on Fooducate.  But all of Bob’s Red Mill flour and peas all got straight As, so I think it’s save to assume the pea flour is also an A.  And for the eggs, I couldn’t even any kind of powdered eggs with a letter grade D:  But liquid eggs and regular eggs all got As, and I did a bit of research and everything I found had nothing but good things to say about powdered eggs.  That they kept all the nutrients while staying for much longer without having any drawbacks, so I’m assuming it’s an A.

My only big issue here is the cranberries, and their only issue is that there is too much sugar :/  But the ingredients are just ‘Cranberries, Sugar” and sugar is the only issue with them, so it could be worse.  There are healthier alternatives to that specific brand of dried cranberries, but their cost per serving is crazy!  They’re one of the more expensive items on the list as it is, and the sugar does improve the taste quite a bit, so it’s hard to complain too much.

And, while the rice protein is also a B, it’s top of it’s class according to Fooducate so I’m pretty happy about that.  This is actually my second rendition of this recipe, and I was using Optimum Nutrition’s protein before.  I was pretty shocked to discover it got C’s and worse for it’s flavors.  It’s worse graded flavor even got a D-, which is the worst grade you can get on Fooducate!  I am concerned about the flavor or NutriBiotic, but I’m happy that it’s a much healthier, or at least more natural, alternative 🙂

So, for a smudge over $2 a meal, I can get 500 calories a day of pure goodness, including a serving of fruits and vegetables 😀  And for me, I plan to eat whatever I want for my remaining calories, as long as I stay under my calorie limit.  So I can be healthier, without getting tied down to a restrictive meal plan! 😀

EDIT

After trying it out for a few days I have determined that NitriBiotic is in fact nasty x3   The pea flour is very bitter too, but if you mix it in water and pop it in the microwave it evens out.  I have been experimenting with adding in a hint of sugar, cinamon, and lemon juice, and it’s potable – but not quite enjoyable :X  I’m looking into different combinations, and after reading this article about spices with health benefits I’m considering trying coffee, nutmeg, mint, lavendar, and saffron.

I also think I’ll try some of the other highly rated protein powders and different flavors too, but after looking through comments I’m not too confident.  If all else fails I can always go back to optimum nutrition, it’s less natural, but very tasty 🙂  These are some of the other protein powders I’m considering:

• Nutribolic Rice Protein Vanilla/Mixed Berry
• Bob’s Red Mill Hemp Protein Powder
• Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein
• Nutivia Hemp Protein
• Tera’s Whey (I think this one is real expensive :X)
• Perfect Fit Rice Protein
• Garden Of Life Organic Vanilla Flavor Meal Replacement