Bowls, Bowls everywhere, big beautiful bowls filled with grains and greens are all the rage right now. And for good reason, they fit the bill when you break down the nutrition, and if you choose the right ingredients they are flavorful and full of eye-appealing color. They generally contain an abundance of fresh greens, protein, healthy grains and a few extras like seeds, nuts, dried fruit and such.

So how do you make a bowl of your own? I am here to tell you that they are super easy and also travel well. They are a great way to have a healthy lunch salad that is filling and satisfying.

First, make sure to have the ingredients below on hand at all times. That will make it easier for you to whip up a bowl super fast when you need one.

Keep in your Pantry and fridge:

Fresh Greens like romaine, kale, chard, spinach, arugula, or mixed greens (raw spinach, chard and beet greens contain oxalic acid which can cause some people kidney issues so it’s not a good idea to consume too much of them at one time).

Protein like chicken, beef, garbanzo beans or tofu (a quick and easy tip is to buy the prepackaged already baked and seasoned tofu from the natural section of your store) just cube it up and your set.

Dried fruits like cranberries, raisins etc.

Grains like bulger, quinoa, rice, and oats or beans

Other veggies like beets, carrots, peas, broccoli, tomato, peppers, cabbage, sweet potato, and avocado

Cheeses

Nuts and seeds

Dressings, salsa, guacomole

The first step is to decide if you want a theme, this might be more important when making them for more than just yourself, like, a mexican night for the family. It’s more important to make sure you are covering all the bases for nutrition.

To assemble a bowl start with a big one, make sure it can hold a salad plus everything else. Then start with your greens, add your grain, ie: quinoa, bulger or rice, (get creative here) and protein. Now top it with some raw or cooked veggies like (shredded carrots or beets, chopped broccoli, artichokes, asparagus) make sure these are colorful not only for the nutrition that color brings but for the eye-appeal.  Now for the nuts, seeds, dried fruit and cheese if you want. Lastly, drizzle a little light dressing over the top and Walla! you did it all by yourself.

If you plan to take it with you put your dressing in a tiny container to add at lunch time and close that puppy up, throw it in your work/school bag and your off for the day. It’s really that easy. If you find that you like to eat this way, it is a good idea to follow my advice and fill your pantry and fridge with the staples mentioned above. You can always use left over veggies and protein, it is a good way to use up food before it goes to waist.

You can also do this for breakfast with eggs, quinoa, sweet potato, and avocado or try oatmeal or granola, fruit and yogurt. Again, get creative.

Happy bowling! I know it’s corney, but I couldn’t resist 🙂

Enjoy!