MEAL INSPO FOR MACROS | PART 1 FRIDGE BUFFET

If you are a 50-plus female like me looking to boost your metabolism and build/maintain muscle, eating adequate protein is a must.

Eating the right amount of protein, having four-five balanced small meals a day, and kicking some arse at the gym have been instrumental to my clients’ success.

If you have been following me, you know I love sharing meal ideas. In this blog post, I share the meal prep tips that I share with my clients when they start tracking their macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats).

There are many ways to plan and prep meals; the best approach is to find what works best for you, your time constraints, and your cooking style. Here is the first of a three-part series sharing three different ways to meal prep.

I do hope that this will spark some fun creations of your own.

Let me know how I can support you.

OPTION 1
MEAL PREP – Fridge Buffet (here in this blog post)
With this method, you can prep/cook 2-3 foods in each macro category and store them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, you can pick and choose what you like and toss together a quick meal. This option allows you to have 4-5 days of meal prep.

OPTION 2
MEAL PREP – Simple (click here for Meal Prep – Simple)
This meal prep style is perfect for those with limited time because most of the meals I suggest using mostly healthy prepared foods with minimal cooking that make throwing a meal together easy peasy.

OPTION 3
MEAL PREP – Sophisticated (click here Meal Prep – Sophisticated)
This option is for those who like to cook and have the time to do so. The clients who enjoy this option want to be creative in the kitchen and tend to like to use some unique ingredients. With this method, you can cook one meal and make enough leftovers for at least one additional meal. With this option, you will be doing most of your cooking every other day.

Most clients generally tend gravitate towards one option that works well for them, but some use a combination of all three options.

Let’s dive into Option 1…

THE FRIDGE BUFFET – Meal Prep for Macros

With this meal prep method, you turn your fridge into a buffet. The concept is to stock your fridge with prepped/cooked foods so that you have food ready to easily and quickly put together a meal. I recommend having 2-3 proteins cooked, 2 starchy carbs cooked, 3 types of raw veggies prepped, and healthy fats to add. This way, you can toss together a variety of meals in minutes. I suggest you have fresh herbs, spices, and flavor bombs on hand. Flavor bombs brighten your food, such as lemons, limes, apple cider vinegar, hot sauces, etc..

Here is a list as a guide to get your wheels turning. The good news is that you can combine foods to meet your macro goals, whether you are an omnivore, pescatarian, or vegetarian.

PROTEINS – 2-3 cooked
preferably pasture and humanely-raised animal protein and wild-caught seafood

Beef, Top Sirloin
Eggs
Dairy (if tolerated)
Cottage Cheese, low-fat
Fish
Cod
Salmon
Trout
Pork, Pork Loin
Poultry
Chicken Breasts
Turkey Breast 
Seafood wild caught
Crab
Shrimp
Soy
Miso
Tempeh
Tofu
Protein Powders/Collagen – vegan and omnivore

HIGH-STARCH CARBS – 2 cooked
Legumes (bonus contains high protein)
Non-Gluten Bread
Oats
Potatoes
Quinoa
Rice
Sweet Potato/Yams
Winter Squashes

LOW-STARCH CARBS – 3 prepped
Any vegetables – shoot for a rainbow of colors

FATS – on hand
Avocado
Chia Seeds
Flax Seeds
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Nuts/Seeds

FRESH HERBS – 1-2 on hand
Parsley
Cilantro
Basil
Dill
Thyme

STAPLE SPICES
all gluten, yeast, filler + sugar-free
Fresh Ground Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Sea Salt 

FLAVOR BOMBS
Apple Cider Vinegar
Lemon
Limes
Salsa
Kraut

FUN ADDITIONS 

MudWtr – click here to find out more about MudWtr
This wonderful coffee alternative consists of 100% organic cacao, ayurvedic herbs, and functional US-grown mushrooms. It tastes amazing blended with my collagen for a quick meal.

Pique Life – click here to find out more about Pique Life
I am obsessed with their beautiful teas and electrolytes. I enjoy their BT Fountain Beauty Electrolyte and their teas, such as Hibiscus Beauty Elixer and Sun Goddess Matcha. They use a cold extraction technology that gently extracts and preserves active compounds and phytonutrients, distilling them into bioavailable form. They are also triple toxin screened for purity and bioactivity, win-win.

Putting a meal together now that your fridge is stocked is simple. I provide my clients with a customized macro plan, where they have a macro goal for the day and per meal. If you would like to track your macros to ensure your meals are balanced and you are getting enough protein, start tracking your macros in a macros app, such as MyMacros. It is best to enter your carbohydrates first, as they contain some protein. Next, enter your protein because most protein contains fat. Now that you have your carbs and protein entered, you can now enter your fat and adjust your macro portions as needed to meet your macro goals. This part gets easier with practice, I promise.

TIPS:

+ Season your food with sea salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder. I prefer to add different flavors depending on my mood when putting a meal together. For example, if I am in the mood for Mexican food, I might add cumin, fresh cilantro, and salsa. For Indian food, I might add ginger, turmeric, and freshly squeezed lime. For Italian food, I might add marinara, Italian seasoning, and fresh parsley.

+ If needed, you can measure out your meals ahead of time and put them in containers to grab and go.

For more meal ideas, be sure to check out @jdnourish