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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (5)

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

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

491 calories, 19F 40C 43P

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (7)

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

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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (14)

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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (15)

One Pan Sausage and Vegetables Meal Prep

This macro friendly recipe is SO easy.

162 calories, 7F 17C 10P

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (16)

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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (18)

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

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (20)

Ello Duraglass Glass Food Storage Meal Prep Containers

The best food storage containers for meal prep + leftovers

Macro Friendly Recipes: The Best Meal Prep Recipes for Counting Macros - Smile Sandwich (21)

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

What foods to eat when counting macros? ›

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

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 my own meal plan to match my 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 a macronutrient meal plan? ›

A macro diet involves counting the intake of three macronutrients — proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

How do I count my macros to lose belly fat? ›

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 is the 30 30 30 macro split? ›

To put it simply, the 30 30 30 rule is a dieting guide that advises a balanced intake of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in the ratio of 30:30:30, respectively.

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.

What is the best macro split for fat loss? ›

Your perfect macronutrient ratio depends on your goals, activity level, age, health, and genetics. For weight loss purposes, a moderate carb (30%-40% of calories), moderate fat (20%-30% of calories), and high protein diet (25%-35% of calories) tends to work for most people.

How to start a macro diet? ›

First, figure out how many calories you're aiming for in a day, then figure out your macro goals. If you're on a ketogenic diet and taking in 2,000 calories a day, you might want about 70 percent of your calories to come from fat. So, you would multiply 2,000 by 0.70 to get 1,400 calories.

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. "I have lost 60 pounds with this app! ... This app is the ONLY system that has worked for me and I know I can easily carry these new habits for the rest of my life.

What are the ideal macros per meal? ›

As a general rule, Albert advises a macronutrient breakdown of 20%-30% fat, 30% protein and 40%-50% carbohydrates. "Focus on getting healthy fats from things like nuts, seeds, olive oil, salmon, and avocados," Albert says. "Keep portion control in mind, because fats are higher in calories.

What is the best meal plan generator? ›

Best for Shopping on a Budget: MealBoard
  • Our Top Picks.
  • Paprika.
  • Mealime.
  • PlateJoy.
  • Eat This Much.
  • Prepear.
  • MealPrepPro.
  • BigOven.

What is the 30 30 30 rule for weight loss? ›

The 30-30-30 rule involves eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, followed by 30 minutes of low-intensity, steady state cardiovascular exercise. Beyond these steps, the 30-30-30 method doesn't require any changes to other meals or behaviors, restrictions or counting calories.

What macros should I be eating to lose weight? ›

A good macro diet for beginners could follow the macronutrient recommendations for adults in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 . Of your daily caloric intake, 45–65% should come from carbs, 20–35% from fat, and 10–35% from protein.

Can you eat anything while counting macros? ›

There Are No Forbidden Foods

No foods are forbidden on IIFYM, as long as they fit into your macros. This can be a great way to teach balance and help people understand where the majority of their protein, fats and carbohydrates are coming from.

How do you eat out while counting macros? ›

Focus on a balanced plate consisting of a protein source (ex: grilled chicken or baked salmon), vegetables, a starchy carbohydrate, and some fats. If you're ordering a salad, be sure to ask for your dressing on the side! They're often a sneaky high-calorie item that goes unnoticed at times.

What is the best 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.

What is the ideal meal macro? ›

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 suggests the following daily macronutrient ratios: 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.

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