MACRO-FRIENDLY MEAL IDEAS: CREATING EASY MEALS USING PANTRY STAPLES
If you’re new to tracking your macros, the idea of creating meals or planning a day that hits your macros can feel incredibly overwhelming. You may think you need to create or follow complex recipes, only shop at Whole Foods or the farmer’s market for it to be “healthy” and that easy can’t also be nutritious. That’s certainly not the case!
Many of our clients are parents, professionals, and really busy individuals who don’t have a ton of time to spend on food but have health or weight loss goals and we believe you can absolutely do both! It’s not necessary to be a master chef or even a chef at all to feed yourself and/or your family.
In today’s post, I’m sharing some easy meals that you can make from convenient pantry and freezer staples as a way to keep your meals simple and streamlined, while still aligned with your goals.
Building meals can be much easier when we think about following the pattern of building meals around an identifiable protein + carb + fat + fruit or veggie (also a carb, but more for the fiber and micronutrients). Not every meal will look perfectly balanced, and that’s ok! It doesn’t have to be.
Following this pattern can help us simplify meals while also making choices that help us better hit our macro targets. And know that using packaged or frozen foods can not only support us in working towards our goals, but can totally follow this pattern while still offering your body plenty of nutrition.
For more help on creating balanced meals, check out this post here.
STOCKING YOUR PANTRY & FREEZER
The first step in creating easy meals is to have a stocked pantry and freezer. The goal here is to always have some staples on hand when you’re in need of creating a quick and/or easy meal and don’t want to have to think about it too much, let alone get to the store to grab ingredients. Here’s a list of some things I like to keep on hand:
Instant oatmeal
Kodiak Cake mix
Microwave rice/quinoa packets
Single-serve mac-n-cheese cups
Canned tuna/tuna packets and/or canned chicken
Canned beans (usually tri-blend)
A box of Banza pasta
A jar of marinara sauce
A variety of frozen veggies
Frozen fries or tots
Frozen chicken nuggets (these ones from Costco are my fav!)
Cooked frozen shrimp
Cooked frozen meatballs
Frozen meatless crumbles
Below are some balanced meal ideas using some of these items. Remember that it doesn’t have to be complicated and convenience can still be nutritious!
FAST & EASY BREAKFAST IDEAS
Instant oatmeal + protein powder or egg whites (sounds weird, but try it like this)
Kodiak Cakes or Mighty Muffins + Greek yogurt
Jimmy Dean’s Delights frozen breakfast sandwich (the veggie kind is actually my favorite!) + fresh fruit or Greek yogurt
EASY LUNCH & DINNER IDEAS
Single-serve mac-n-cheese + canned chicken or tuna or meatless crumbles + steamed frozen veggies (like peas or broccoli)
Flavored tuna packets + crackers
Dry soup mix (check out these ones from Kroger) + broth + canned chicken
Grilled cheese sandwich with low-fat cheese + canned tomato soup + collagen protein added to soup
Bird’s Eye Power Blends frozen meals + canned chicken or tuna
Banza pasta and marinara + frozen meatballs (we like these turkey meatballs) or meatless crumbles + side salad or steamed frozen veggies
Frozen chicken nuggets/tenders + fries in the airfryer + side of steamed frozen veggies
Aidells pineapple & teriyaki chicken meatballs + fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies
Cooked frozen shrimp + microwave rice packet + fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies
Any of these super quick and easy dinners (tortilla soup, buffalo chicken bake, stir fry)
Check out this post by Coach Zach with some more ideas for easy and convenient meals, especially during stressful times.
And for more macro-friendly recipes and resources, you can check out our free Resources page. To learn more about 1:1 Flexible Nutrition coaching, you can read more here or fill out an application here.