How to Add a Recipe to MyFitnessPal

Hello everyone! I know I said I was going to do something on meal prep again but last week was the holiday and I didn't really meal prep. This week I did make chicken broccoli and rice and will share that recipe with you. I also wanted to share with you how to add a recipe to MyFitnessPal to track your macros.

I never intended for this blog to actually have me writing recipes to share with you all, but I had some one request it. While I will continue to share ones I find and enjoy Iam in no way pretending to be a cook. If I could get away with just my husband cooking I would, but that isn't going to happen.

I am in no way saying that I create recipes either. The one I will be sharing today was something that I used by combining a couple different recipes together. The goal was simple: to make it as easy as possible for myself, and to use the least amount of ingredients.

Simply put the least amount of ingredients mean it's easier to track for you macros and usually healthier. The making it simpler is just because I am not interested in spending a lot of time cooking. I have better things to do with my time.

Macros

One of the other things I don't like wasting time doing is counting Macros. I definitely rely on technology for this. The two main apps I use are MacroStax and MyFitnessPal. MacroStax is great for helping determine the quantity of each macro you need a day and the best time to consume them. I then use MyFitnessPal to actually track them. You can track your food inside the MacroStax app but I have found it doesn't have as broad of a database for food options as MyFitnessPal.

In MyFitnessPal you can choose all the the ingredients you use in a recipe and quantities to help determine overall nutritional value.  I like this because I don't always follow recipes like they are laid out, then I am guessing on my macros.

I will give you the recipe for my chicken, broccoli and rice and then show you how I uploaded it into MyFitnessPal.

Recipe For Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 Heads of broccoli cut into florets
• 3 Cups of Brown Rice
• 3 Chicken breast (about 5 oz each)
• 1 Qt Chicken Broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1 Bag Shredded Cheese
• season as desired (I used garlic powder and pepper)

Directions:

1. In the inner pot add broccoli and water. Place lid on the pressure cooker. Select Veggies and let steam. It took 2 minutes and then I drained and set aside.
2. In the inner pot melt butter using saute. I just had it on keep warm from the broccoli and melted it that way. Add rice and chicken broth and season as desired. Close lid. Select Rice/risotto twice for brown rice. It cooks for 18 minutes.
3. On the stove cook chicken breasts (cut in 1 in cubes) with pam olive oil and seasoning. Cook until there is a golden brown crust on the chicken.
4. Once everything is done cooking, mix it all together in the pressure cooker. Add the cheese and mix well allowing it to melt.
5. Now it's ready to serve!

I created 7 meal prep containers and my husband and I each ate a plate that night.

I didn't measure the exact weight or portion size I used.

MyFitnessPal

As for adding to the MyFitnessPal App here is how I did it:

• Open the App.
• Press the + Button.
• Select a meal (Dinner)
• Select Recipes in the top menu bar.
• Press Creat a Recipe
• I then pressed add ingredients manually but you can also link to a menu found online.
• Name it and list how many servings it created.
• I also selected bulk Import Ingredients to make it easier.
• Under ingredients start typing a list of ingredients.
• Select the arrow to go to the next screen.
• Verify all ingredients are correct including name brand and amount. ie Swanson Chicken Broth 32 oz.
• Select the arrow to go to the next screen once done.
• Verify information saved and either hit Save or Save and Log it. If you need to go back and correct something use the back arrow.

By doing this you can easily add some of your most used recipes to MyFitnessPal to help track your Macros. Even if you don't track macros you can track calorie and other nutritional information. I always suggest tracking your nutrition in some form or fashion.

You never realize how much you are actually eating until you start tracking it. Or in my case how little I was eating.

If you have questions please let me know and I hope you enjoy the recipe!