2 Macro Diet Recipes
One of the biggest advantages of the macro diet is that it allows you to eat whatever you want, If It Fits Your Macros.
That’s the magic phrase.
But there isn’t any magic involved in the macro diet approach.
It’s pure science.
You calculate your daily macronutrient needs, reduce it by 15-20% to lose weight, and prepare your meals around those numbers.
Our macro calculator will handle the details for you if you want to save time.
This leaves a lot of room for flexibility and no need to starve yourself or deprive yourself of the foods you love, for example.
That´s the reason why IIFYM is commonly referred to as tracking macros, or more recently flexible dieting, if you will.
Of course, it works better if you eat mostly non-processed food.
Non-processed foods usually have one or two macros in them and nothing else. This makes it easier for you to track your daily and weekly amounts of macronutrients (macros).
How so?
Because it’s easier for you to weight and calculate how much of each macro every meal has.
For example, lean meats, such as chicken breasts, are nearly 100% protein. They contain only traces of fats and zero carbs which are perfect for those following the IIFYM macro diet.
Frozen pizza, on the other hand, has all three macronutrients, and in varying amounts, depending on the toppings, if you will.
Additionally, processed food is usually high in saturated fats and other harmful chemicals such as preservatives and artificial flavoring.
The process of weighing our food and determining the amounts of macros a meal has can be a little stressful and somewhat confusing at first.
So, to get you started, here are 2 macro diet recipes you can enjoy making yourself and still meet your fitness goals.
Eggplant and Chicken Primavera
This recipe is excellent for a quick, low calorie, and healthy dinner or lunch.
What you’ll need:
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 cups of mushrooms
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 head of broccoli
- ½ an onion (it can be red or white)
- 1 jar of pasta sauce
- ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large chicken breast
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Prepping:
- Cut the eggplant in thin slices and then in four equal pieces
- Cut the broccoli into small florets
- Slice the onion, mushrooms and bell pepper
- Cut the chicken breast in cubes
Method:
- Add two teaspoons of olive oil to a large skillet and sauté all the vegetables, ad a pinch pepper and garlic salt. Cook the vegetables until they are tender and the eggplant looks partly translucent.
- In another pan, fry the diced chicken with one teaspoon of olive oil and the remainder of the garlic salt. Cook it through making sure you don’t overdo it.
- Heat the pasta sauce in a pan and once everything is ready, put ¼ of the veggie mix, the chicken and the pasta sauce in a bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and voila!
This recipe serves four portions.
Nutritional information:
Total Macros (grams):
Fats: 32
Proteins: 88
Carbs: 136
Calories: 1060
Macros per serving(grams): Fats: 8 Proteins: 22 Carbs: 34
Calories: 265
If you divide these numbers by 4, you’ll get the macros per serving.
Are you a vegetarian? Substitute the chicken for chickpeas, lentils or tofu.
Are you vegan? Just don’t sprinkle any cheese on.
Our second recipe is none other than brownies!
Because…why not? If it fits your macros, you can enjoy this delicious dessert.
Chocolate Chip Brownies
What you’ll need:
- ½ cup of dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup of cocoa powder
- ¼ cup of oat flour
- ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
- ½ cup of peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Prepping:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F
- Line a large pan with parchment paper.
- To make the oatmeal flour, first, grind the oats in a blender until they become powder and then measure out 1/4 cup.
Method:
- In a large bowl add all the wet ingredients: peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and applesauce, and mix them well. Then add the egg and continue mixing until smooth.
- In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oat flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
- After that, mix the wet and the dry ingredients thoroughly. Then add the dark chocolate chips and mix. Add the batter to the pan, spread evenly, and top it up with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Put in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
This recipe yields eight portions, and it’s vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, so enjoy!
Nutritional Information:
Total Macros(grams):
Fat: 94
Proteins: 38
Carbs: 138
Calories: 1436
Macros per serving(grams): Fats: 11.75 Proteins: 4.75 Carbs: 11.25
Calories: 179.5
These are scrumptious examples of just 2 macro diet recipes you can prepare at home and while easily keeping tracks of your macronutrients.
Both recipes combined won’t take you longer than an hour, and if you live by yourself, you can save the remaining servings to eat in the next few days, for instance.
You can also divide the ingredients by the number of serving to get the recipe for a single serving, or create the entire batch, for example.
Happy cooking and enjoy your macro diet recipes!