Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (2024)

These macro friendly recipes are the best meal prep recipes for counting macros because they’re well balanced between protein, carbs and fat!

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (1)

Have you heard of counting macros? My mom recently started and has raved about her results, so I’ve set out to learn more!

The reason I wanted to give this a try is because it does not restrict certain foods. You can eat whatever you love! You just have to try to reach certain goals for how much Protein, Carbs and Fat you’re eating every day.

The most difficult part about following a macro diet is that you have to log everything you eat. But in doing so, you learn SO MUCH about the nutritional value of what you’re eating. Rather than eating tiny amounts, the goal is to find foods with lots of volume but are low in calories and high in protein.

What Are Macros?

I can’t explain it as well as some others have, so here are some articles that explain it in more detail:

How to Calculate Macros

Here’s a macro calculator that will tell you how many grams of each macronutrient you should eat per day based on your weight, age and activity level.

Once you’ve figured out your macro goals, it’s time to start planning! I use the app MyFitnessPal to track everything I’m eating.

The Best Macro Friendly Recipes

I found it’s much easier to plan out your meals ahead of time so you know exactly how your food fits into your macros in advance. If I don’t plan, I sometimes find myself way out of balance halfway through the day and it’s hard to fix it.

That’s why these macro friendly meal prep recipes are here to help! Each one includes the macronutrient count so you can easily plan in advance.

Just make these meals a couple days in advance and refrigerate them for lunches or dinners.

By popular request, here’s the link to the Ello glass meal prep containers I use!

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (2)

Macro Friendly Recipes

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (3)

15-Minute Chicken Sausage Pasta Meal Prep Bowls

Use chickpea pasta for even more protein!

405 calories, 16F 49C 24P

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (4)

Mango Salsa Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Mango Salsa Chicken Meal Prep Bowls is a healthy meal prep recipe with chicken, cilantro lime rice and mango avocado salsa.

541 calories, 18F 60C 39P

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Easy Cheesy Baked Pasta

This Easy Cheesy Baked Pasta is just like the Tik Tok feta baked pasta, but instead of feta it uses Laughing Cow Cheese, which is just a bit lighter!

304 calories, 16F 30C 15P

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Easy Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls

These Easy Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls are the perfect healthy recipes to save time and stay on track during the week!

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (8)

Chicken Meal Prep Bowls: 4 Ways

These Chicken Meal Prep bowls are the perfect way to stay on track with well-balanced meals for lunch and dinner!

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (9)

Photo Credit:www.kitchensanctuary.com

Spicy Chicken Nourish Bowl

Love anything with a little spice because it helps motivate me to drink more water.

462 calories, F18 38C 36P

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Paleo Pancake Breakfast Meal Prep Bowls

Kodiak Cakes is my favorite brand of protein pancakes. I make these bowls once per week!

360 calories, 16F 34C 24P

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Make-Ahead Breakfast Meal Prep Bowls: 4 Ways

These are perfect if you're looking for macro friendly meal prep recipes for breakfast.

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (12)

Fall Harvest Meal Prep Bowls

For fewer carbs, cut down a bit on the sweet potato and apples.

308 calories, 18F 14C 36P

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Veggie-Packed Chicken Salad Meal Prep

Use a low fat mayo or plain Greek yogurt to keep the fat count down on classic chicken salad.

403 calories, 14F 8C 65P

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Photo Credit:www.foodfaithfitness.com

Healthy Burger in a Bowl | Food Faith Fitness

If your family is having burger night, have a burger bowl instead!

423 calories, F19 30C 33P

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One Pan Sausage and Vegetables Meal Prep

This macro friendly recipe is SO easy.

162 calories, 7F 17C 10P

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Instant Pot Greek Chicken Power Bowls: Healthy Meal Prep Recipe

An Instant Pot is a must-have for macro counting. It makes prep so easy.

556 calories, F30 31C 43P

Zucchini noodles are perfect if you need a lower carb meal.

560 calories, F35 33C 34P

Plus don’t miss my list of the best macro friendly foods from Walmart. It’s a list of healthy groceries that are perfect for macro counting.

Items That Help Me with Macro Couting

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Digital Food Scale

Easiest way to make sure you're tracking correctly

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Souper Cubes 1-Cup Extra-Large Silicone Freezing Tray with Lid

Perfect for meal prepping sauces and soups to freeze in portions

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Ello Duraglass Glass Food Storage Meal Prep Containers

The best food storage containers for meal prep + leftovers

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Ninja Air Fryer

Lets you fry food without using any oil!

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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

Super easy to cook chicken from frozen when you're in a pinch.

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (23)

OXO Good Grips 3 Piece Squeeze & Pour Silicone Measuring Cup Set

Come clean super easily and perfect for pancake mix.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (24)Lynise says

    I can’t locate the macros for the ground turkey bowls above. I made the taco one and it was really good.

    Reply

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Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (2024)

FAQs

How do I calculate my macros for meal prep? ›

How to Calculate Macros for any Homemade Dish
  1. Find the macro numbers for each ingredient in your dish. This is the tedious part, but it's not hard. ...
  2. Add everything up. Fat: 35g Protein: 29g Carbs: 96g.
  3. 3, Decide how much is a serving, and then divide by how many servings you have in the dish.
May 5, 2016

How do I make a macro friendly meal plan? ›

A basic strategy would be to divide your total daily targets including calories, carbs, fat and protein by four. This would give you even macro targets for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Then, divide that 1/4 number by two to get the target macros for your two snacks.

What is a macro menu? ›

A macro diet involves counting the intake of three macronutrients — proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It divides daily calories into proportions, such as 10–35% proteins, 20–35% fats, and 45–65% carbs.

What is the easiest way to count macros? ›

The most convenient way to track macros may be through a nutrition app like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, or My Macros +. These apps are user-friendly and specifically designed to simplify tracking macros. In addition, a digital food scale may help you track your macros — though it isn't necessary.

How do I figure out my macros? ›

Calculate Your Macros
  1. Carbohydrates: Daily calories * 0.40 / 4 = grams of carbs per day.
  2. Proteins: Daily calories * 0.30 / 4 = grams of proteins per day.
  3. Fats: Daily calories * 0.30 / 9 = grams of fats per day.
Mar 11, 2024

What are the best macro rich foods? ›

What Are the Top Foods Rich in Macronutrients?
  1. Oats. Oats are among the commonly consumed breakfast cereals across the world. ...
  2. Peas. Peas are low in calories but rich source of fibres, protein, vitamins A, K, C, zinc, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and other nutrients. ...
  3. Broccoli. ...
  4. Potatoes. ...
  5. Apples. ...
  6. Oranges. ...
  7. Peaches. ...
  8. Mango.

Is there an app to enter macros and create a meal plan? ›

Generate. Meal Plans. for Your Macros. Get instant, personalized meal plans with the Prospre meal plan generator.

What is the 40 30 30 macro meal plan? ›

The 40/30/30 macros refer to a specific ratio of macronutrients – 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. This balanced macro split has become one of the most well-known and recommended approaches for those looking to build muscle, lose fat, or simply eat healthier.

What food has carbs but no protein? ›

Banana: A medium banana has 27 grams of carbohydrates with only a trace amount of protein and no fat. Apples: A medium apple has 25 grams of carbohydrates, no protein and no fat. Simple and easy. Blueberries: 1 cup has 21 grams of carbohydrates, .

Is peanut butter a macro? ›

It's a good protein source

Peanut butter is a fairly balanced energy source that supplies all of the three major macronutrients.

Can you eat potatoes on a macro diet? ›

All of those things factor into how well you're able to stick to your healthy eating plan. For example, here are healthy choices in every macronutrient category: Carbohydrates: Healthy carbs are typically high in fiber, including whole grains, legumes, leafy greens, potatoes, and fruit.

What is the 5 meal a day plan? ›

Five meals a day equals breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. To do this right, you need to plan what you'll eat every day for each “meal.” And you need to schedule eating every 2 to 3 hours. Stock up. Face it: You're going to grab whatever food is closest.

What Macros should I eat to lose weight? ›

What's the ideal macronutrient ratio for weight loss?
  • Protein: 10–30% for people ages 4 to 18 years; 10–35% for people older than age 18 years.
  • Fats: 20–35% for people ages 4 years and older.
  • Carbohydrates: 45–65% for everyone.
Feb 15, 2024

What is an example of 5 meals a day? ›

According to the theory of five meals a day, you should eat every three hours. Therefore, examples of eating hours for five meals are: 7:30 (breakfast), 10:30 (second breakfast), 13:30 (lunch), 16:30 (afternoon tea), 19:30 (dinner).

How do you calculate meal prep portions? ›

The basic portion sizes that we want to aim for are this: 4 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of grains and 2 cups of veggies per meal. I use containers that hold 3 cups of food. My containers always contain around 2 cups of veggies, 1/2 cup of protein and 1/2 cup of grains — and that's enough for ME, a 5'3” woman.

How do you measure protein for meal prep? ›

Use the palm of your hand to measure protein.

A portion will be anywhere from 3-6 ounces, depending on your size. Our 'go-to' options include grass-fed beef, chicken breast, turkey, salmon, cod, and eggs.

What is the 45 35 20 macro meal plan? ›

Follow the macronutrient ratios of 45% protein, 35% carbs, and 20% fat and your body turns into a fat burning and muscle building machine. This is called FITNESS SPECIFIC NUTRITION and geared towards those who will be utilizing this energy 3-6 times per week at a moderate to intense exercise level.

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