Macro-Friendly Round up Part 2

Jan 253 min read

Here is another round of recipes that are Macro-Friendly and are part of this week's email for the Health and Weight Loss Challenge. See a few more tips below for making recipes "macro-friendly."

How do I make some of my favorite recipes for the family more macro-friendly?

Use leaner cuts of meat. If your favorite meatloaf calls for ground beef or hamburger, choose ground sirloin or substitute 1/2 of the beef with ground turkey. When choosing a leaner meat, be sure to use plenty of seasonings, such as spices and fresh herbs to amp up the flavors. Sometimes I increase the seasonings by one and a half.
Increase the egg/egg white. For meatloaf or meatballs, if your recipe calls for 2 eggs, substitute with 1 egg and 4 whites. You can increase the protein, but ensure the mixture binds together well. For egg bakes or frittatas, you can replace 1/2 the eggs with egg whites instead. For every whole egg, replace with two whites.
Double the protein and half the carbs. This works especially for soups, stews and casseroles. Double the amount of chicken in your favorite chicken noodle soup, then half the noodles. You will get the same flavor, but a whole different ratio of macros for a more filling soup.
Use more veggies! Using ingredients like riced cauliflower, grated zucchini, shaved cabbage or slaw mix and spinach can increase the volume of your food and decrease the carbs by half! When making white rice, I always make half as much (cook 1 cup of dry rice instead of two) and then stir in a bag of riced cauliflower at the end. Add a touch of bone broth and seasonings and you can't even tell its not regular rice! Use extra grated zucchini in a favorite muffin recipe in replacement of 1/2 of the oil and you will have a dense, moist muffin.
Use only partial amounts of oil and butter. If a recipe calls for sautéing onion and garlic in 3 TBSP of oil, cut it to 1 TBSP and add a splash of broth instead.
Use cottage cheese or greek yogurt instead of sour cream, mayo or cheese. If your tuna salad calls for 2 TBSP of mayo, use 1 TBSP of mayo (10gm of fat in one TBSP!) and 1 TBSP nonfat greek yogurt instead. In your stuffed shells recipe, use 1/2 ricotta cheese and 1/2 cottage cheese for the filling.

These are just a few quick and easy substitutes! As you work to balance your macros for longer, you become accustomed to these changes and it becomes more natural. Your palate will also adjust and you can enjoy these favorite foods in lightened-up versions. Just be sure to not sabotage quality of ingredients. Read labels and watch for fake sugars, added gums and fillers. These may make your recipes "lighter" but they can lead to gut issues, metabolic imbalances and hormonal problems.