Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Power Protein Bowls

It's that time of year when I'm really starting to crave healthy foods. All winter long I indulged those carb cravings and the scale does not make me happy. But more than that, I don't like the lethargy that comes after a winter of slacking off the healthy eating.

So, little by little, I've been trying to work my way back into healthier meals and snacks. But as I mentioned last week, lack of time and energy steal the inspiration all too often.

This past week I was determined to make something I could use for dinners and lunch.
I made a wonderful bowl.

Are any of you familiar with the fabulous healthy food blog - Oh She Glows?

She has a recipe for something called the Power Protein Goddess Bowl.



Mine wasn't quite the same thing, but it was good and the perfect thing to help during the weeks of crazy NYS testing.

I started with a variety of roasted foods:
red cabbage
sweet potatoes
kale
beets
sunflower seeds


While those were roasting, I made a big pot of brown rice and another pot of my sprouted lentils. I mixed the lentils with the leftover hummus from last week and baked for about ten minutes.

When everything was ready, I just mixed an assortment of the ingredients and topped with toasted sunflower seeds. Gotta love that crunch!




It was good - and just what I wanted. Because of the rice and lentils, it was totally filling but in a non-bloating way. The roasted veggies just gave a nice crunch.


It tasted great chilled too.

I need to look into something similar with spring veggies for some variety.

Do you have any ideas. Does this kind of meal appeal to anyone?


28 comments:

  1. Just this week someone brought by a huge cake for my husband's birthday. (Yay. Not. But it was a sweet thought and the kids ate it.) And then another friend brought the most amazing fruit platter for hubby's birthday (same day) and I almost fell at her feet in gratitude. It came with a bowl of home made greek yogurt sweetened with honey and some delicious grape nut type things she made and roasted herself. I really need the recipe. It was so light, but filling, and had protein, low sugar, delicious crunch. I was in heaven!

    So, to answer your question, YES I'm craving healthy foods! But... perhaps not those dishes. I'm just not a cabbage fan. Or kale. Or beets. Or sunflowers seeds (I know, weird!).

    I'm just really bland when it comes to veggies. Carrots, potatoes, leafy greens (not kale). But I do like spinach! We'd had lots of baby spinach and asparagus here lately. Ahhhhhhh. So glad winter is over!

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    1. I hear you. I have to remind myself that I really do like them. It's far easier to remember that I like cookies. :)

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  2. Question: did you flavor it with anything? Salt? Herbs? Lentils and brown rice are so bland to me. I LOVE hummus. My neighbor makes batches of garlic/ roasted red pepper hummus and we trade her for fresh French bread.

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    1. I didn't flavor it with anything this time because I was using the kalamata olive hummus. That gave it enough salt and flavor.

      I have used garam masala before when I didn't mix in hummus.

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  3. This looks marvelous. I tend to go beyond simple because I'm working at night once the kids are picked up. So a pot of something we eat for three days (sauce, soup)

    Or tuna on broccoli slaw.

    (or a bagel if I'm shrugging off carbs!)

    Or cottage cheese and an apple. I don't take the time to do real cooking for something like this, mostly because there's always so much to do at night and we're both grown-ups.

    I've found that using that method, when I do cook now, I enjoy it.

    And Finance Boy is coming home from Manhattan for a week, so of course there will be cooking this next week.

    Because he's so appreciative of non-restaurant food!!!

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    1. Enjoy having your "kid" home, Ruthy! :)

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    2. Agreed on all counts. But when I do that is when I feel all lethargic so I'm *trying* to be better.

      Enjoy having him home. I love when they come back to visit.

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  4. I would love something like this! I noticed that the Oh She Glows recipe uses red peppers and tomatoes, which would add a lot of brightness and some acidity. So many ways you can go with this! And it would be great for leftovers. :) Thanks for sharing, Mary Cate!

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    1. Missy, YES! We were still in winter mode here. It was 29 degrees the day I made this, so I was still thinking root veggies and winter stuff.

      My daughter does the spring like veggies all the time. Very good.

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  5. I actually made a "Buddha Bowl" for the first time yesterday! Guess "great minds think alike" and all that. Mine had spinach, quinoa, avocado, black soybeans, shredded carrot, grated havarti and black bean puree. I'll be eating it again today, and I think I actually have that recipe bookmarked on Oh She Glows to try next...love these "bowl" recipes, prepping more than you need = fast meals for a few days!

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    1. That sounds heavenly, Michelle. I actually had an avocado that I planned to include, but I ended up using that for something else.

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    2. Oh, that sounds delicious! We're big black bean fans here. I have some soaking right now. I boil them with a small chile de arbol and a clove or two of garlic.

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    3. Oh, Mary Jane, I have a black bean pie recipe I've been saving. It has an avocado corn meal crust. I'll have to dig it out and make it.

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  6. I am a fan of all those foods, except beets...just not all together. Couldn't they be in their own little spot on the plate? I could eat a bowl of each. All separately. hahahaha. Sad but true.

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    1. Tina, many of the Buddha bowls do show the separate foods each having their own separate space.

      http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S01_ZNLNclM/VI89_Np6H8I/AAAAAAAATmE/-XhGL2IUgNA/s1600/super-food-bowls-17.jpg

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    2. HAHAHA! I'm with you. In tidy compartments like bento boxes and a little adorable fork and tiny salt shaker... I'd be set.

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  7. As I was reading the blog, I was thinking that it sounded so good. Such a great blend of flavors. And then - "Would it make a good cold salad?" And then you answered my question!

    So one lunch hot, and then chill the leftovers for a quick salad the next day. Win/win!

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    1. I think I actually liked it better cold, Jan. Or maybe I just liked that it was all ready for me. :)

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  8. Mary Cate, this would be good with some quinoa instead of rice. And the quinoa would also provide some protein, which I didn't see in this dish, save for the lentils and sunflower seeds. Do lentils have that much protein? I know beans in general are a good source of protein, but you usually need a decent size helping.

    The combination of your roasted veggies looks fantastic, though.

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    1. Mindy, the lentils actually have as much as or more protein and when combined with the brown rice they form a perfect protein.

      The lentils I use have 9 grams of protein per serving. The hummus also has some protein (2 grams).

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  9. Quinoa -- I was thinking the same thing, Mindy. Question: what is leftover hummus? Ours always disappears quickly.

    This is good even without beets, right? :-)

    Nancy C

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    1. LOL Nancy. My husband won't eat it.

      You certainly could do this with quinoa. My daughter often does. I tend to prefer the taste of the brown rice. With quinoa you definitely would need to spice it up.

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  10. Oh, I LOVE Oh She Glows. Gave my daughter her cookbook for her birthday and she's made a lot of the recipes. And I love lentils. And you can switch this up with any kind of veggies you like. I'm with Nancy though -- what is leftover hummus? LOL

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    1. My daughter has her cookbook too, Kav.

      LOL on the leftover. I couldn't eat ALL of it myself in one sitting.

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  11. Ohhhh, kalamata olive hummus! I missed that part. I just read hummus, which can be pretty bland.

    Of course, I just had fire roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and grilled chicken breast and my mouth is HOT. Lol. we have a lot of spice around here.

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    1. That was my fault. I just said the leftover hummus, but in last week's post I listed it as the olive tapenade hummus. Sorry.:( I blame state testing for destroying my brain.

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    2. Haha! You're so nice to take responsibility when ACTUALLY I missed an essential previous post.
      Someone just brought us a batch of baby spinach. I love my neighbors!

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    3. And I'm sorry about state testing. We get stressed and we're just taking the tests, not shepherding a whole group of kids through it. :(

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