Eating enough to build muscle gets expensive fast if every meal is steak and salmon. It doesn't have to be. Rice, oats, eggs, chicken thighs, beans, and frozen vegetables do most of the work.
Pick the budget option in the quiz and MacroPlate builds a calorie surplus around cheap staples, with meals you can batch-cook on Sunday.
Your macros and Day 1 are free. No account needed.
A real plan made by MacroPlate for a 24-year-old man, active, building muscle on a tight budget. Yours will be built from your own stats and preferences.
Using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, your resting needs are about 1,730 kcal. With an active lifestyle that comes to roughly 2,680 kcal to maintain, and I added about 270 kcal for a modest surplus to support muscle gain. Protein is set near 2.2 g/kg, fat at about 26% of calories, and the rest goes to carbs to fuel training.
Simmer the oats in the milk for 3-4 minutes and top with sliced banana. Scramble the eggs in a nonstick pan and serve alongside.
Season the chicken and cook in the oil with the garlic for 6-7 minutes per side until cooked through. Cook the rice, steam the broccoli, and portion into a container.
Brown the beef with the onion, then stir in the tomato, beans, and herbs and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss with the cooked pasta and portion out.
Stir the oats and cinnamon into the yogurt and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight. Top with sliced banana before eating.
Get your own targets, a full week of meals, and a combined shopping list.
Eggs, dried lentils and beans, chicken thighs, canned tuna, milk, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter are usually the best protein per dollar.
Yes. Choose "Same meals every day" in the quiz and you'll get one menu to cook in bulk, which is the cheapest and fastest way to prep.