Learn how to create a weekly food menu and then plug and play your way to easy macro balanced meals!

In my experience as a nutrition coach, when women are struggling with inconsistency in their nutrition it’s typically because they are overwhelmed with creating meals that are balanced in a way that fuels their bodies and supports their goals. 

All this takes is a little meal planning, minimal food prep, and a simple roadmap. 

Have you ever heard the saying “if you’re failing to plan, you’re planning to fail”? Whether your goal is fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain, you can’t just wing your food every week and then hope for the best. You’ll be able to adhere to healthy eating and be much more effective with reaching your goals when you have a plan and system in place each week.

To avoid the overwhelm, I’m sharing three steps you can take to simplify your weekly food planning and prepping, as well as a plug and play roadmap to help you pair certain foods together to easily build your macro balanced meals.

1. Decide and plan for which foods you will purchase and prep for your weekly meals, and then head to the store with your grocery list one time!

Meal planning is KEY! I recommend sitting down each weekend to make a food menu for your week. If you want your meals to be macro balanced you’ll need to include all three macronutrients in each meal: a protein, a carb, and a fat, as well as a non-starchy vegetable. 

To keep this simple, make a list for each macro category so you can easily build your macro balanced meals from these food groups and then include a list of seasonings or sauces you may need to cook with (see examples below):

Examples lists of protein, carbs, fats, and veggies:

Proteins:

• Extra lean ground ground beef 
• Lean ground turkey
• Chicken breasts
• Tuna Packets

Carbs:

• Potatoes and fruit
• Microwavable brown rice/quinoa
• Gluten free or whole grain pasta
• Gluten free or whole grain crackers, bread, tortillas, and/or buns

Fat:

• Shredded cheese
• Olive oil and butter
• Nut Butter, Nuts, and Seeds
• Salad dressing and mayonnaise

Veggies:

• Salad kits
• Raw veggies for snacks and basics (lettuce, celery, cucumbers, carrots)
• Raw veggies for roasting (brussels sprouts, asparagus, zucchini, squash)
• Steam in bag veggies (broccoli, green beans)

Seasonings/Sauces:

• Taco seasoning and basic seasoning for cooking
• Bbq sauce (low sugar)
• Marinara sauce (low sugar)
• Tamari sauce

Creating meals with a balance of protein, carbs, fat, and veggies will keep you fuller longer, help to prevent cravings, stabilize your energy through the day, and help you to reach your goals more efficiently.

Once you have your menu and categories of macros written down you’ll need to make a grocery list and then head to the store one time to stock your kitchen. This will not only save you time during your week, but it will also help to avoid frustration around “what’s for dinner” and help you to stay on track with meals that are supporting your goals. 

2. After grocery shopping you’ll want to prep a simple make ahead protein, as well as some veggies, potatoes, and fruit.

Stay with me here…prepping these foods ahead of time is going to change your life when it comes to following through and putting your healthy meals together with ease!

Make Ahead Protein: 

Protein is the one macronutrient that most women struggle to eat enough of and this can have negative impacts on reaching optimal health and performance goals. This is why it’s so important to have convenient proteins that are stocked in the fridge and ready to eat. When you have a protein ready you can easily throw it on top of a salad, in a tortilla, or eat it paired with other carbs and fat.

Examples of simple make ahead proteins:

• Crockpot shredded bbq chicken
• Crockpot chicken fajitas
• Taco meat made with ground turkey

Prepping Veggies and Fruit: 

There are two ways to prepare these foods…

Rinse and Chop Raw Veggies and Fruit:

When you’re busy you need convenience so having fruit and veggies rinsed and ready to eat is sometimes the only way you’re going to eat them. These foods are great to pair with hummus, peanut butter, or other healthy dips to round out your macros. You can even go as far as storing them in single serving ziplocs if you know you’ll be more inclined to reach for these nutrient dense foods when you’re in a hurry and running out the door. Having fresh fruit and veggies that are grab and go also means your kids are more likely to opt for these when they want a quick snack! 

Examples of fresh fruits and veggies to prep:

• Grapes
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Carrots
• Snap peas
• Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries
• Apples
• Oranges
• Watermelon
• Broccoli and Cauliflower

Roast Vegetables and Potatoes on a Sheet Pan:

When it comes to eating the color of the rainbow, women always tell me they struggle to eat enough veggies. Typically the reason for this is that vegetables take time to cook and who wants to cook veggies every time they eat? I don’t know about you but I don’t really have time for that! This is why roasting a sheet pan of veggies early in the week is so important. Ever heard the saying, “Cook once, eat all week.”? Roasting a huge pan of veggies and potatoes, and then storing them in the fridge means that they will always be convenient to add as a side to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners throughout the entire week.

Examples of veggies to roast:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Asparagus
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Peppers
• Onions
• Mushrooms

Potatoes:

• Sweet potatoes
• Baked potatoes
• Red potatoes

Pro Tip: If you’re short on time over the weekend and can’t roast your veggies for the week, add one roasted veggie to your Monday night dinner menu. When you roast that veggie on Monday night, just add a variety of other vegetables to roast and store the extras in the fridge to spread out through your week. If you’re really short on time, just purchase a few bags of steam-in-the-bag veggies! These are great options to have on hand when you’re in a pinch.

Vegetables are rich in disease fighting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also help to decrease inflammation and improve gut health.

Remember to keep it simple when it comes to food prepping. You don’t necessarily have to slave in the kitchen to have these foods ready to eat. When you’re short on time use your crockpot instead of the stovetop for proteins and when you’re roasting veggies just add olive oil spray or olive oil, plus a little salt and pepper.

3. Use your prepped and purchased foods to easily build your macro balanced meals!

Now that you have your prepped protein, carbs, fats, and veggies prepped and stocked in your fridge and pantry it will be a breeze to create your macro balanced meals. 

How to build your meals with ease:

Imagine your hands as your macro portion visual every time you are putting a meal together. Select one macronutrient from each category and use the guide below to build your balanced meals:

Examples of Macro Balanced Meals: 

• Taco meat (protein) + whole grain tortilla (carb) + cheese (fat) with lettuce and tomatoes and a side of steam in bag broccoli (veggies)
  
• Crockpot bbq chicken (protein) + whole grain bun (carb) + side salad kit (veggies) with dressing (fat)
  
• Ground turkey (protein) + low sugar marinara sauce + gluten free pasta (carb) + parmesan cheese (fat) with a side of roasted veggies (vegetable)
  
• Grilled chicken breast (protein) + roasted diced sweet potatoes (carbs) + roasted veggies that were cooked with olive oil (vegetable and fat)
  

Fueling your body with macro balanced meals can be done in just a few simple steps each week. Although this is a very basic way to balance your meals, it is a great starting place. Even if you’ve never tracked macros or when you need to keep things very simple. 

Once you’re able to eat in the correct macro balance for your body, you will see just how effective this is when you have goals of feeling and looking your best! 

Want to make this even easier?

One of the most essential macros when you are considering meal planning is protein. Get started with adequate protein by downloading my free guide to easy waste increasing protein!