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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Chicken Avocado Rice Meal Prep Bowls

These are great with Banza chickpea "rice" for more protein.

491 calories, 19F 40C 43P

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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!

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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!

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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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (13)

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.

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

Come clean super easily and perfect for pancake mix.

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

What foods to eat when counting macros? ›

Best Foods for Macronutrients
  • Carbohydrates. Foods to consider: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt.
  • Fats. Foods to consider: plant oils (olive/canola), avocado, nuts/nut butter, seeds, egg yolks.
  • Protein. Foods to consider: lean means, dairy, seafood, beans, soy, eggs.
Aug 16, 2021

How do I make a meal plan to hit macros? ›

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 considered a macro friendly meal? ›

A macro-friendly meal is one with a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat to make a balanced meal. Most will usually be high in protein with a moderate amount of carbs and fat. Not only does having a balanced meal help with having a variety of foods, but it is also beneficial for our bodies in many ways.

Is there a free app that counts macros? ›

Cronometer's free version offers more than most comparable apps. However, people who are new to counting macros may benefit from the app's paid version, which recommends foods that help you meet your targets and macronutrient goals.

What are the best macros for fat loss? ›

Distribute Your Calories Among Macros & Set Your Macro Ratios. The optimal starting point for weight loss is often suggested as 40% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, and 30% fats. However, these ratios should be adjusted based on your individual response, preferences, and specific dietary needs.

Is there an app that creates meal plans based on macros? ›

Because Prospre can make a meal plan for any calorie and macronutrient combination, we can make the perfect diet for any goal. Create a meal plan that you actually want to follow. Prospre tailors your plan to suit your tastes.

What is the best order to eat macros? ›

Some experts advise eating vegetables, followed by proteins and healthy fats, then finishing your meal with carbohydrates.

What is the 20 30 50 rule for macros? ›

One approach to getting healthy is the so-called 50/30/20 diet. It's based on the idea that 50 percent of your daily calorie intake should come in the form of carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein and 20 percent from fat. But you can also use the 50/30/20 rule to get into better shape financially.

What is the most macro friendly food? ›

Green Vegetables are the most macro friendly. They give you the most bang for your buck. These include: Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Peppers, Green Beans, Asparagus, Cucumber, Zucchini, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Celery, Brussel Sprouts, and many more.

What is the most macro friendly fruit? ›

Fresh Berries

This includes strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, making them the perfect macro friendly fruit option for most people. Nutrition per 1 Cup Serving (Mixed Berries): Protein: 1 gram. Fat: 0 grams.

What are macros food wise? ›

"Macros" is short for macronutrients, a term used to describe the nutrients your body needs in large amounts, specifically carbohydrates, fat and protein. "Macronutrients are basically what your body runs on," Albert says. "You want your diet to have a balance of carbs, fat and protein."

How do I figure out my macros? ›

To identify your specific macro amounts, divide each according to the calories per gram. As a reminder, that's 4 for protein, 4 for carbs, and 9 for fat: (2580 x 0.40 (protein) = 1,032 calories) ÷ 4 = 258g. (2580 x 0.40 (carbohydrates) = 1,032 calories) ÷ 4 = 258g.

How to figure out portions for meal prep? ›

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.

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

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

What is a good macro ratio per meal? ›

Macronutrients refer to carbs, fats, and proteins — the three basic components of every diet. The acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges are 45–65% of your daily calories from carbs, 20–35% from fats, and 10–35% from protein.

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