Hello Grits and Honey family! In the last year and a half, I have taken on a different role at G&H. In stead of throwing parties, catering large events for individuals and cooking for multiple families, I now work for one family as thier personal chef. In the last year, I have thrown parties but they are ususally for close friends and my own family. We threw a beautiful party for my Dad’s 70th birthday (which I will write about later). So, now I get to have two families that I adore cooking for! But, where I had a little more liberty to make meals for my own family, I don’t have that time now. I, like you, don’t have the time to cook!
I am here to help guide you making your life (and mine) easier with meal prepping and it works better than just a meal in the fridge that has sat their all week. You actually look forward to coming home and heating up this bowl of goodness. It is fresh, it gives you so many of the vitamins and minerals you need, it stays delicious thoughout the week, you can mix it up, and it is sustainable!
What is a Budda Bowl? Ultimately it is whatever you want it to be but your grain is usually your base. You can use any color quinoa, any style rice, farro, or purple wheat berries. Then you add all the yummy fresh or cooked veggies on top, making a wopping healthy bowl of BAM! – flavors in your mouth.
On Sunday, after my yoga class is when I head to the farmers market. You can go on whatever day you have the most free time, so that after you shop, you can get to preparing for the days you have no time. I try not to do anything else on Sundays besides my spiritual healing and prepping for the coming week. Otherwise the week can start amiss. This doesn’t always happen but I know when I have prepared because I feel great! I have slowly learned that if I am not taking care of myself then, everyone else is going to lose me. At the farmers market, I get all the most beautiful organic veggies that I can get my hands on. There may be purple, green or white cauliflower, sweet potatoes of various types, rapini, broccoli, brussel sprouts, any mushroom you can think of, golden beets, red beets, dinosaur kale, heirloom tomatoes, avocadoes, etc. Whatever is in season, organic, or is just mouth watering, grab it! For those of us who like cheese, sprinkle it on too!
It does take a little time, but I think of it as a little self care and meditation. And, the point is to make extra so that you can have it throughout the week which helps in the long run with saving time. I could eat this everyday for lunch and/or breakfast with an egg.
I have put together one of my favorite grain bowls here for you to try first. After you get the hang of it, you can choose and add your favorites to your own bowl. It is so fun to experiment with the colors. Go wild!
Ingredients
1 cup Red Quinoa
2 Sweet Potatoes cubed
10-15 shiitake mushroom sliced
2 tsps Coconut aminos
1 bunch Dinosaur Kale trimmed and chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 beets
1 ripe avocado
1 lemon or lime
Handfull of micro greens
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions
After getting back from the farmers market I go right to the stove preheating the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. I peel the sweet potatoes and cut them up in ¼ in cubes. They don’t have to be perfect. I toss them with a bit of olive oil and season with kosher salt. Then I pop them into the oven for about 20 minutes tossing them around half way to make sure they don’t burn on one side. But if they do a little,it is ok. It’s still crispy good.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, I wrap the beets in foil after drizzling a little olive oil and kosher salt on top it. They will bake in the same oven with the sweet potatoes but for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how big your beets are. To test their doneness, just push a fork or toothpick through it. It should go in easily.
Now, while the sweet potatoes and beets are in the oven, start your quinoa. First, rinse your cup of quinoa for about 20 seconds under running cold water. Then add the quinoa to 1 ⅔ cup water in a pot. Sprinkle with a little salt. When the water and quinoa come to a boil, turn the temp down to low and simmer for 15 minutes with a lid on. Fluff with a fork when the water has all absorbed. It is just like cooking rice. This should make three cups of quinoa.
For the mushrooms, we will sauté on the stove with a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Don’t over cook shiitakes, or they can get mushy. Take them off the heat, place in a bowl and add your coconut aminos.
In the same sauté pan, add another teaspoon of oil, add your trimmed and chopped dinosaur kale, and cook until a deep bright green, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic for one more minute and turn off the heat.
So here is where the fun begins – stacking up your bowl! Start with the quinoa, add a scoop of the sweet potato, a few slices of your beets, a scoop of mushrooms, a scoop of kale and finally, a few sliced of freshly cut avocado. Squeeze half of your lemon or lime on the top. Sprinkle with micro greens and Viola! Here is your healthy dinner for Sunday, lunch for Monday and breakfast for Tuesday.
The trick to all this cooking is to make a TON more than you need in one sitting! All these cooked veggies and grains stay nicely in your fridge in seperate containers all week. You can add anything more to your grain bowls. I love roasted cauliflower and/or brussel sprouts. I bake them just like my sweet potatoes. Simple, nutritious, fills my belly up, gives me good energy and so delicious. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments on what you like to put in your Buddha Bowl!