One of the most intimidating aspects of getting fit and eating healthy is fitting it all into your real life. Unless you intend on becoming a made-to-order chef, you may need to find family-friendly meals that fit your macros.
The recipes below are all from my Instagram account, @mandy__eats. They are kid-tested, and 5/5 family-approved! They show that you can eat delicious meals without sacrificing your goals. A day in our life!
Using our macro calculator, I aim for 1475 calories per day: 111 grams of protein, 148 grams of carbs, and 49 grams of fat. The macros are listed for each recipe, and you can add more or less of certain components to fit your individual needs and goals.
Breakfast: Blueberry Breakfast Cake
This recipe is a crowd favorite and is so versatile and adaptable to personal preferences. Change your add-ins from blueberries to chocolate chips, add cranberries and white chocolate chunks, add apples and cinnamon – the possibilities are endless!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup ground quick oats (blast those in the food processor)
- ½ scoop of protein powder (I used a lemon-flavored one here, but vanilla would work great, too)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (I used a Monkfruit blend)
- ½ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add wet ingredients to dry, then stir in blueberries. Pour in a small pan, ramekin, or other oven-safe dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. I use a 5-inch mini cast iron pan for these and many other great one-serving breakfast options. This recipe makes one generous serving.
Scale this recipe using a larger oven-safe pan. If the batter is deeper than 1-inch, bake longer and check the center every 5 minutes until done. I do 4 times the recipe for 5 of us and bake it in a 9×11 glass pan for 30-35 minutes.
Breakfast
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | 18 grams | 50 grams | 4 grams |
Lunch: Mini Pizza Bar
There are few things more family-friendly than pizza. These mini-buns (also called naan rounds or breakfast buns) are the perfect base for quick mini-pizzas. Use up leftover taco meat in the fridge, last night’s BBQ chicken, or deli meat diced up. Serve with raw veggies or a side salad and you’re set! I like this Mediterranean-inspired version best.
Ingredients:
- 2 mini whole wheat naan rounds
- 2 tbsp pizza sauce (or leftover pasta sauce)
- ½ cup baby spinach
- 2 slices (about 30 grams) deli turkey, chopped up
- 2 green olives, sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- Extra veggies as desired!
Directions:
Gather ingredients, chop, and dice toppings. Allow everyone to add what they like. My kids don’t like veggies on pizza but will happily eat a salad or raw carrots and cucumbers with every meal. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees for a soft crust, lower and longer for a crispier crust. My kids like a soft crust – baking for 5 minutes at 450 degrees warms the toppings and melts the cheese. 400 for 10 minutes is better for denser, topping-heavy pizzas, so everything is warmed through, and the crust gets crispy. I take out the kids’ pizzas after 5 minutes and leave the adults’ pizzas in longer while I assemble plates.
Lunch
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 455 | 21 grams | 59 grams | 15 grams |
Supper: Taco Bar
A salad bar is a great meal to adapt to the nutritional needs and preferences of a group of people. This taco salad bar for supper has a great source of lean protein, healthy fats, and loads of low-calorie colorful vegetables! Tacos are ALWAYS a win in our house. I always have small whole wheat wraps on hand that double as soft taco shells for the kids.
If you track your macros as you go throughout your day, or plan your meals in advance, you can adapt this recipe to fill your remaining needs. For this sample day, I know I need more protein and healthy fats. The recipe below fits perfectly into my macro goals.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 cup extra-lean ground beef, fried, drained, and seasoned with taco seasoning. Substitute with shredded chicken, seasoned the same way if you prefer.
- ¼ of an avocado, diced
- 2 tbsp guacamole
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup salsa
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp diced red or green onion
- Jalapeños to taste
Optional (not included in macros below): You can add ranch dressing or sour cream on top for a saucier salad, although guac and salsa can be enough once the salad is mixed up. I also often add black beans and corn if I have room in my macros for more great carbs.
Directions: Fry beef, drain, and season, as described above. While that is cooking, chop and prep veggies, and condiments. Build your salad!
Dinner
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 399 | 45 grams | 12 grams | 19 grams |
Today’s Meal Plan Nutritional Breakdown:
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Goal | 1475 | 111 | 148 | 49 |
| Breakfast | 308 | 18 | 50 | 4 |
| Lunch | 455 | 21 | 59 | 15 |
| Dinner | 399 | 45 | 12 | 19 |
| Remaining | 315 | 27 | 27 | 11 |
Today’s meal plan leaves you with 315 calories to spare. Planning your meals somewhat in advance, or at least logging/tracking your meal before you eat, will help you to make informed choices all day long.
You could use these extra calories for snacks, extra condiments – or whipped cream on the Blueberry Cake! Maybe you are hungrier at lunch and need more to feel full. Add a cup of raw carrots and cucumbers with hummus to dip. Maybe you want a cookie or ice cream with the kids, the beauty of this style of tracking means if it fits your macros, go for it! High protein snacks will keep you feeling full longer, so a turkey pepperoni stick might be a good option if you haven’t hit your daily protein goal. The options are endless!
Enjoy!
Note: Log or track your meals and learn about the macros in your food by using a nutrition calculator app. We like MyFitnessPal as it seems to be the most accurate of those we have tried.
