Happy Thursday, friend!

Last week I posted about my feelings about understanding macros and why it’s not “disordered” to have awareness of the macronutrient balance of your food.

In the body positivity and “Health At Every Size” community, I feel like there’s an undercurrent of hostility against any sort of dietary focus beyond just eating what you want. That hostility extends to macro counting, as most HAES advocates suggest it’s just another shade of restrictive dieting.

Now, if someone has a true eating disorder I don’t usually suggest tracking macros. But if you’re just trying to better understand how to fuel your body appropriately, ensuring adequate calories and macronutrient intake can be extremely important and health-promoting!

Sure, macros can become disordered when a person gets obsessive about them or freaks out if they’re not hitting their numeric goals perfectly. But if done properly, understanding and implementing some basic macro tracking or meal templates can be incredibly helpful for reaching health goals, improving how you feel, and optimizing your body’s healthiest weight.

That’s why I’m sharing these macro balanced recipes with you all: to encourage you to eat enough and get a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat to fuel your body and feel your best… and enjoy food at the same time!

On that note, here’s the #FedForReal recipe of the week!

Fed For Real
Recipe of the week:

Chicken Soba Buddha Bowl

A “Buddha Bowl,” according to urban dictionary, is “a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded ‘belly’ appearance on the top much like the belly of a buddha.”

Buddha bowls are a simple way of piecing together a balanced meal quickly. Batch-prep ingredients ahead of time, so you can throw together a nutritious meal in a matter of minutes.

You can visually check off your “macros” as you assemble all the ingredients into a bowl, ensuring that the meal contains quality carbs, protein, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables.

Get more great macro balanced recipes like this – along with shopping guides and meal planning tips – in our 14 Day Calorie Challenge!

Chicken Soba Buddha Bowl

Prep time: 10 min / Cook time: 40 min / Total time: 50 minutes

SERVES 2

1 serving =   694 calories, 27g fat, 39g protein, 80g carbs, 9g fiber

Ingredients

• 6oz (170g) 100% gluten free Buckwheat soba noodles
• 2 ½ TB Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 8oz (226g) Organic chicken breasts
• ½ TB Coconut oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2 Cups Broccoli florets
• ¼ cup Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1 TB Sesame seeds
• 1 Tsp Ginger, grated
• 2 TB fresh lime juice
• 2 TB Coconut aminos or organic Tamari (add 1 tsp honey if using tamari)
• 1 Cup Carrots, grated or spiralized

Directions

1. Cook noodles as per label instructions.
2. Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Coat the chicken breasts in ½ TB of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook for ~3 minutes each side, then reduce heat to low and cook for a further 3 minutes each side until meat thermometer reads 160F or the meat is white through the thickest part. Alternatively, pan fry the breasts in a grill-style cast-iron pan on medium temperature, flipping over after about 5-7 minutes to cook through.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet on med-high. Add half the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the broccoli and cook for 4-5 minutes until bright green but slightly crunchy still. Remove from heat, toss through the basil leaves, and sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Combine the remaining garlic, ginger, lime juice, coconut aminos and 2 TB olive oil in a jar or bowl. Shake or stir to combine.
6. Slice the chicken thinly and serve half with half the noodles, broccoli, carrot and dressing drizzled over the top. Store the remaining half in the fridge for the next day.

Share this with someone who needs it!