Affordable sugar free protein powder and peanut butter

[Case]

Every weekeday i have a huge smoothier which gives me the needed calories to recover from a workout and last most of the workday without passing out.  However, im annoyed that some ingredieints have either unnecessary sugar or artificial sweetners.  My smoothie already has bananas which provide adequate sweetness and sugar.

I have searched for sugar free PB (or at least low sugar), and it is rare and usually a hippy 'natural' product with a high price tag.  I eat approx 2 lbs PB per week, so lower cost is appreciated.  Has anyone found a good bulk supplier of low sugar PB?  I think it tastes better this way too.  I dont care whether or not it has the stabilizers that prevent it from separating.

For the Protein powder, i usually buy meijer brand on sale.  It has a small amount fo sugar, but more concernign is the sucralose.  I know that research on artificial sweetners is in its early phases and there really arent strong unanimous conclusions on whether they are bad.  But i have some digestion issues i have posted abotu before, and generally avoid artificial sweetners in order to err on the side of caution.  Therefore, anyone know an inexpensive source of protein powder that doesnt have this crap in it?  typically this shows up in expensive hippy protein powders, which is fancier than i need.

[ketchup]

You could always blend your own peanut butter out of just straight peanuts and salt.  If you've got a powerful enough food processor, it's super easy; just dump them in and go.

[Sailor Sam]

Smuckers has an option to buy bulk Adam's peanut butter. Looks like it's around $3.00 for a 36 oz jar. Shipping is free for orders over $75, but you'd have to buy 2 cases.

[NextTime]

The Kroger's affiliate in our area has a grinder next to the bulk nuts where you can make your own peanut butter. Perhaps you can look into that.

[sunnyca]

What is the peanut butter for?  For fat, flavor, etc?  Depending on your needs, there may be a cheaper substitute.

[Case]

You could always blend your own peanut butter out of just straight peanuts and salt.  If you've got a powerful enough food processor, it's super easy; just dump them in and go.

I thougth about this, but the problem is the necessary scale.  Since i Eat close to 2lbs per week, i would be doing a ton of prep.

[Case]

Smuckers has an option to buy bulk Adam's peanut butter. Looks like it's around $3.00 for a 36 oz jar. Shipping is free for orders over $75, but you'd have to buy 2 cases.

Thanks for this idea!

[Case]

What is the peanut butter for?  For fat, flavor, etc?  Depending on your needs, there may be a cheaper substitute.

Flavor, fat, protein, cheap.  Works well in smoothies.

[Hotstreak]

If you like isolates try "NOW Sports Whey Protein Isolate" in 5lbs for $51 on Amazon.  The container has 81 servings at 25g each, and the only ingredients are isolate and <1% soy lecithin.

[lbmustache]

There is this: https://www.costco.com/PB%2526Me-Powdered-Peanut-Butter-1-Lb%2c-6-pack.product.100316038.html

Which is cheaper in-store.

[Mrs. PoP]

Our Publix used to carry a store brand natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) that was great tasting and cheap!  $2.29/16oz!  Our local store can't get it anymore, so the next best option is Trader Joe's natural peanut butter (again, just peanut with or without salt) which is $2.49 for 16 oz and in my opinion not quite as good because they grind the peanuts even finer than I like.  I like it a little gritty. =)
In. A pinch, smackers natural isn't too bad, just pricey - $2.99/16 oz. 

[Dicey]

There is this: https://www.costco.com/PB%2526Me-Powdered-Peanut-Butter-1-Lb%2c-6-pack.product.100316038.html

Which is cheaper in-store.

If you're lucky enough to have a Winco, you can grind your own in-store. Really yummy. We buy the powdered PB in-warehouse at Costco, too.

[Rural]

There is this: https://www.costco.com/PB%2526Me-Powdered-Peanut-Butter-1-Lb%2c-6-pack.product.100316038.html

Which is cheaper in-store.

If you're lucky enough to have a Winco, you can grind your own in-store. Really yummy. We buy the powdered PB in-warehouse at Costco, too.

I just saw a store brand powdered PB this week. I think it was Walmart.

[Case]

Every weekeday i have a huge smoothier which gives me the needed calories to recover from a workout and last most of the workday without passing out.  However, im annoyed that some ingredieints have either unnecessary sugar or artificial sweetners.  My smoothie already has bananas which provide adequate sweetness and sugar.

I have searched for sugar free PB (or at least low sugar), and it is rare and usually a hippy 'natural' product with a high price tag.  I eat approx 2 lbs PB per week, so lower cost is appreciated.  Has anyone found a good bulk supplier of low sugar PB?  I think it tastes better this way too.  I dont care whether or not it has the stabilizers that prevent it from separating.

For the Protein powder, i usually buy meijer brand on sale.  It has a small amount fo sugar, but more concernign is the sucralose.  I know that research on artificial sweetners is in its early phases and there really arent strong unanimous conclusions on whether they are bad.  But i have some digestion issues i have posted abotu before, and generally avoid artificial sweetners in order to err on the side of caution.  Therefore, anyone know an inexpensive source of protein powder that doesnt have this crap in it?  typically this shows up in expensive hippy protein powders, which is fancier than i need.

Thanks for all of teh replies. 

Powdered PB wise, this is not what i want.  I need the calories!

Currently i get PB from Aldi.  It is like $3 for 2 lbs, an unbelievable deal.  My ideal solution would be to have aldi make the same thing but without the sugar.  They do have a 'natural' pb, but it is more expensive and has the same sugar loading.  I will check out the Adams/Lauras recommendation.

I am just frustrated to have to pay more money fro somethign that could be produced very inexpensively.

[yachi]

For the protein powder, I was looking for the same thing and found this unflavored, and unsweetened :
https://www.nutritionexpress.com/protein/whey+protein/unflavored+unsweetened
You can add your own fruit or whatever to flavor it, or just chug it as is.

[chemistk]

Our Publix used to carry a store brand natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) that was great tasting and cheap!  $2.29/16oz!  Our local store can't get it anymore, so the next best option is Trader Joe's natural peanut butter (again, just peanut with or without salt) which is $2.49 for 16 oz and in my opinion not quite as good because they grind the peanuts even finer than I like.  I like it a little gritty. =)
In. A pinch, smackers natural isn't too bad, just pricey - $2.99/16 oz.

Our regional store chain (Giant) offers the same thing, for the same price!

It's some seriously good PB. My wife and I have been on it for 2 years now, and whenever we have Jif, both of us kind of gag a little because of the sweetness.

[GuitarStv]

It's been a while since I was attempting to bulk up, but I remember finding several places online that sell bulk unflavoured whey isolate for pretty reasonable prices (much better than I could find in stores around here).

[Blonde Lawyer]

I use the Bob's Redmill Protein Powder Nutritional Boost (or something like that).  It has chia seeds and has a bit of monk fruit for sweetness.  It has 20g of protein per serving w/ 3g of sugar.  I usually use half of the serving size.  If you are searching online it looks pricey but I was able to get it at Hannaford for $16 with a $5 rebate via Ibotta.  The $5 rebate is good through the end of the year so you can stock up.  They have chocolate, vanilla and chai flavors.

[slappy]

Posting to follow. I have a similar issue.  Plus my kid loves peanut butter.

[NeonPegasus]

Our Publix used to carry a store brand natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) that was great tasting and cheap!  $2.29/16oz!  Our local store can't get it anymore, so the next best option is Trader Joe's natural peanut butter (again, just peanut with or without salt) which is $2.49 for 16 oz and in my opinion not quite as good because they grind the peanuts even finer than I like.  I like it a little gritty. =)
In. A pinch, smackers natural isn't too bad, just pricey - $2.99/16 oz.

I LOVED the Publix pb. I am so sad they no longer offer it. Smuckers Natural is what I use now because it's widely available. The online price for the Adams Natural is cheaper than the Smuckers Natural in the super large jar.

To the OP, how about full fat Greek yogurt? If you have an instant pot, it's easy to make yourself. I make at least 2 gal of yogurt a week. I make it with whole milk and then strain it so you get all of the fat and the protein is concentrated. Hubby stirs protein powder into that.

[Hotstreak]

For the protein powder, I was looking for the same thing and found this unflavored, and unsweetened :
https://www.nutritionexpress.com/protein/whey+protein/unflavored+unsweetened
You can add your own fruit or whatever to flavor it, or just chug it as is.

Little bit spendy at 31.4grams/dollar (including their estimated shipping charge of $5.95).  The NOW product linked above is 39.9grams/dollar, or 27% more protein per dollar, and is also unsweetened/unflavored.  If you prefer concentrates over isolates the NOW concentrate is 38.8grams/dollar - but I'm not sure why anybody would order this when the isolate is cheaper per gram of protein.

[WhiteTrashCash]

I use a powder called Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal. It's vegan and has 20g of protein per serving. It also has less than 1g of sugar (which is natural in origin). It's all from raw organic plants. I buy it on Amazon for about $40 for 28 servings and use it as a replacement for one meal per day.

[cats]

If you are  already using fruit in your smoothies, how about buying a plain (unflavored) protein powder?  The NOW sports brand has quite a few options, and their unflavored proteins are generally quite a bit cheaper than anything flavored.

For peanut butter, we found that peanuts at our local Indian grocery were something like $1.70/lb, so it might be worth just buying peanuts and making your own PB.

[Hotstreak]

I use a powder called Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal. It's vegan and has 20g of protein per serving. It also has less than 1g of sugar (which is natural in origin). It's all from raw organic plants. I buy it on Amazon for about $40 for 28 servings and use it as a replacement for one meal per day.

Very expensive at 14grams/dollar, contains gluten, and doesn't list amino acids - is this a complete protein?

[WhiteTrashCash]

contains gluten

Oops, I didn't realize that the OP has celiac disease. In that case, she wouldn't want to use this particular product.

[Case]

contains gluten

Oops, I didn't realize that the OP has celiac disease. In that case, she wouldn't want to use this particular product.

I'm a he, and I love eating gluten.

[Case]

If you like isolates try "NOW Sports Whey Protein Isolate" in 5lbs for $51 on Amazon.  The container has 81 servings at 25g each, and the only ingredients are isolate and <1% soy lecithin.

Thank you for this link!  I knew someone on the mustache forum would have figured this out already!

The price is not perfect, as I get my Meijer brand protein powder at somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-80% of the cost (assuming I hit the right sales such as buy one get one free), but this is close enough that I'll give it a try.

[Hotstreak]

If you like isolates try "NOW Sports Whey Protein Isolate" in 5lbs for $51 on Amazon.  The container has 81 servings at 25g each, and the only ingredients are isolate and <1% soy lecithin.

Thank you for this link!  I knew someone on the mustache forum would have figured this out already!

The price is not perfect, as I get my Meijer brand protein powder at somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-80% of the cost (assuming I hit the right sales such as buy one get one free), but this is close enough that I'll give it a try.

Oh man, you can't beat a sale price like that.  I'm looking at a jug next to my desk at work which was on a huge sale (since it expires this month) at 63.1grams/dollar.  It's flavored and has a few other ingredients I'm not super excited about, but for the price it can't be beat.

If you want to give it a shot, it's still on sale through Amazon "Cytosport Monster Whey Protein Shakes, Isolate Supplement Mix, Chocolate Flavored, Powder, 2.2 Pound (About 29-30 Servings)".

[mm1970]

I buy natural peanut butter only, no sugar.

Laura Scudders from Costco, 2 jars at a time.

Find a big box type store.

[bortman]

I tried Jif peanut powder recently for camping, not for smoothies. The only ingredient is roasted peanuts. I found it at my local Copps/Pick'n'Save. It makes disgusting peanut butter if reconstituted with water only, but I could see it being good in smoothies.

https://www.amazon.com/Jif-Peanut-Powder-6-5-Ounce/dp/B00Y1C97HU

Otherwise, as others mentioned, I've found that Trader Joe's peanut and treenut butters are a reasonable price.

Lastly, have you considered using tofu in your smoothies? It's also reasonably priced at TJs.

I keep writing "reasonable price", but I've never used protein powder and have no idea what it costs.