OP, no you do not need protein shakes. They can be a helpful supplement to your diet if they fit within your nutritional needs, but they are by no means mandatory. Some damn fine bodies have been built over the years without them. Think back to the old days of bodybuilding where guys got really big and strong on 3 squares per day. Meat and potatoes kind of eating + gallons of whole milk.
There are two very good ways that I've used with my clients depending on their goals and their training methods and what their body could tolerate eating.
Method 1:
anabolic approach (I use an ancestral anabolic approach that means only eggs, meat, garden vegetables, nuts, seeds, safe starches like sweet potatoes and potatoes, and some fruit.
Simply find your daily caloric needs and divide by 5. Have about the same amount of calories spread over 5 meals each day.
Keep carbs under 30g/day for 5 days straight then carb load with the starches and fruits for 24-36 hours. Just like with DiPisquale's old anabolic diet. Yes, it still works without binging on breads and pastas. And the way he originally presented works pretty good too but as a fitness guy who promotes a more primal/paleo instead of neolithic way of life I don't generally suggest it for long term health... but if you don't have issues with grains... it's very effective.
Method 2:
Find your daily caloric needs and divide by 5. Eat about every three hours for five meals each day. Make your plate with:
1: An animal protein (meat, eggs)
2: A starchy vegetable (sweet potato, white potato, winter squash, etc...)
3: A green vegetable (green beans, turnip greens, etc...)
1-3 should be about equally proportioned.
4: A little bit of fruit should be added to a couple of your meals each day.
**Again, if you don't have issues with grains, legumes, or other neolithic foods... then by all means have them with your starches. The body doesn't know the difference as far as muscle building or fat burning goes...although I believe it does when it comes to preventing diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and other medical issues.