Trying to establish a new lunch routine can appear daunting. Whether you’re looking to cut out fast food lunches, save money, or eat healthier, getting into meal prep is a worthwhile addition to your weekly care tasks and one that we want to help you with. One of the biggest hurdles when starting meal prep is figuring out what to cook that you’ll be excited about having Monday through Friday, and that will last the week. Here’s one of our favourite recipes that creates five delicious grain bowls and tips on how to build upon this to make your own!
INGREDIENTS
- Grain: the base of your dish, 1/2 cup of cooked grain per bowl (rice, quinoa, millet, barley, etc.); in our recipe, we’re using 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice: 2.5 cups total
- Cooked Veggies: for flavour and nutrition, you will need 1/2 of cooked veggies per bowl; in our recipe, we’re using 1/2 of sauteed broccoli or broccolini: 2.5 cups total
- Protein: to satiate you and keep you fueled, you will need one serving of protein per bowl (chicken, steak, boiled eggs, beans, etc.); in our recipe, we’re using baked chicken breast: 2 medium chicken breasts total, sliced
- Raw Veggies: a much-needed freshness and full of fibre, you will need 1/2 cup of raw veggies (radish, carrot, tomato, arugula, etc.); in our recipe, we’re using chopped red cabbage: 2.5 cups total
- Healthy Fats: this helps keep you full and will pack your lunch with flavour; in our recipe, we’re using avocado: 3 avocados total, sliced (distributed evenly throughout the bowls)
- Garnish: whether you use something crunchy like wonton strips or seeds, or a herb like cilantro, or some fresh chopped chillies, a garnish will help elevate your meal; in our recipe, we’re using cilantro but substitute what you like best!
- Dressing: a couple of tablespoons of dressing, whether soy sauce, plain yogurt, or your favourite salad dressing, will pair perfectly with your grain bowl; in our recipe, we recommend 2 Tbs of plain yogurt per bowl
DIRECTIONS
- Once you have all your ingredients cooked, get five containers for the grain bowls and five small sauce containers. Divide the rice, sauteed broccoli, baked chicken breast, red cabbage, avocado, and cilantro between the five bowls. Fill each sauce container with 2 Tbs of plain yogurt and refrigerate.
- To reheat each day for lunch, heat your meal prep for two minutes and thirty seconds in the microwave.
- Top with yogurt dressing, and enjoy!
Tip: Thinking of your meal prep with these categories in mind will help streamline the process and get you cooking creatively without having to rely on scrolling the net for recipes Sunday night!
