You know those beautiful "Buddha Bowls" you see all over Instagram looking real fancy? Well, I'm here to tell you that with a little planning ahead, you too can have fancy lunch bowls all week long,
even if it's in a not-so-fancy tupperware container in the lunchroom at work (rather than this
gorgeous pottery bowl hand-made by my mom).
I gave a talk at Vancouver's first ever Fertility & Adoption Expo this past weekend (thanks to everyone who came out!) and I emphasized that one of the keys to healthy eating for fertility (and for everyone!) is to EAT REAL FOOD. Because real food provides all the necessary nutrients in a format that your body recognizes and can easily absorb. Real food comes from nature, and not a factory. And that also means it's usually going to require some effort on your part to transform it into something delicious. There's no way around it. Healthy eating requires planning ahead, setting yourself up for success, and that's a big part of my job as a Holistic Nutritionist; helping you find ways to ensure REAL FOOD is the mainstay of your diet.
Enter the Buddha Bowl. Or, "Fancy Lunch Bowl" as I've affectionately named it. Prepare an assortment of real foods, keep them in the fridge all week, and throw them together with a delicious sauce each day at lunch. If lunch needs to travel with you, carry the sauce in a separate jar but allow the rest of the ingredients to get acquainted in their cozy tupperware (or, preferably, glass container or jar). Fancy Lunch Bowls taste wonderful warm, cold, or room temperature. Here are the basic categories you should cover:
GRAINS
Choose one of the following:
Brown rice
Wild rice
Quinoa
Farro
Millet
Buckwheat
Wheat Berries
GREENS
Choose one of the following:
Spinach
Shredded kale
Lettuce of any kind
Sprouts
Parsley
Etc. etc. etc.!
RAW OR ROASTED VEGETABLES
Anything goes, really! Use up whatever's in your fridge or whatever's looking at you at the market!
Roasted sweet potato
Roasted squash
Roasted cauliflower, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts
Radishes
Bell peppers
Cucumber
Avocado
Carrots, roasted or raw
Beets, roasted or shredded raw
Green beans, roasted or steamed
Roasted or sautéed mushrooms
Etc, etc, etc!
PROTEIN
Black beans
White navy beans
Butter beans
Garbanzo beans
Lentils
Hummus
Tempeh
Chicken
Beef
Wild Salmon
OPTIONALS
A sprinkling of...
Hemp hearts
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Hazelnuts
Walnuts
Fresh herbs such as basil, sage, lemon balm, oregano, etc.
Dried seaweeds such as dulse or crumbled kelp
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickled carrots, pickled onion, etc.
Olives
SAUCE
This is really what brings it all together, and I recommend something creamy and rich like the Miso Turmeric Sauce below. But there are lot's of other options involving peanut butter, almond butter, etc. that you can find all over the internet by googling Buddha Bowls.
My fancy lunch bowl in the picture involves the following real foods:
-Sweet potatoes & cauliflower tossed in plenty of avocado oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of cinnamon and roasted for 30 mins at 400F
-Cooked sprouted brown & wild rice
-White navy beans cooked in my Instant Pot (canned works too though!)
-Spinach from a box (easy peasy)
-A sprinkling of hemp hearts
-Miso Turmeric Sauce (recipe below)
Set aside an hour or two, once a week, to prepare some REAL FOOD so you always have it on hand. When it runs out, don't stress! Eat out if you must, guilt-free! And feel good knowing that you filled your body with all of the real food that you possibly could have. Once you make this practice a habit, it's kinda self-perpetuating, so just start where you are, take baby steps, and watch your life transform!!!
Miso Turmeric Sauce:
1/4 cup miso paste
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (or use fresh turmeric root if it's available)
A knob of fresh ginger, shredded (approx 1 inch piece) or, use 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1.5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or use 1 clove fresh garlic, which I find a bit too intense for a work lunch...)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon raw honey
1/2 - 3/4 cup water (start with 1/2 cup and then add more if necessary while blending)
Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge for 1 week.