I don't think protein powders are cheating. Some people need protein powders because they struggle to consume enough food to hit their 150g+ of protein in a day, especially if they are vegetarian or vegan, lactose intolerant, live very busy lives, on a budget, etc.
I supplement vegan protein powders (rice, pea, and hemp seed usually) in my diet as I eat mostly vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, and I can't always find the protein I need in the day (though mostly I can). While I only aim for around 50-60g of protein as I'm not active, I occasionally struggle to reach that without adding a spoonful of protein powder in with my smoothie or by swapping my fruit bar desert with a protein flapjack.
But if I were training, I would simply eat more food. Instead of having 350 calories of porridge I would have 500 calories. Instead of having 700 calories of a tofu stir fry, I would have 900. Instead of having one slice of sour dough bread, I would have two. I could double my protein intake easily if I were active and had the metabolism to use the extra calories to fuel my bodies' muscle repair.