Southwest Rice Power Bowl with Citrus Vinaigrette

I'm keeping on track - for the most part - with my decision to eat {and cook} with more intention in 2017. Instead of grabbing just a granola bar and maybe a string cheese for lunch while I'm home by myself during the day {or sometimes skipping lunch altogether}, I set out to invest a little more time and effort into what I feed myself. Yes, doing so has meant better planning while shopping, greater investment into meal prep and taking the extra time to actually make myself sit down to eat a wholesome, healthful lunch. But, I know that eating more intentionally is worth it. This power bowl has found its way into my meal rotation over the past few weeks. So darn good. And, definitely worth the bit of extra effort.

 

Although it's a breeze to make, it does take a few minutes to chop and assemble everything. With some music cranked, I pop the sweet potatoes into the oven to roast while I prep the other ingredients. The dressing could not be easier to whisk up, then it's time to arrange everything nicely {I like pretty-looking food} into a big bowl and grab a fork.

I take a little help in this recipe by utilizing a bag of frozen microwavable brown rice and a small bag of frozen microwavable corn. Obviously, you could use leftover rice or even something like, cooked quinoa if you'd like {in place of rice}. This whole power bowl is pretty versatile, so play around with what you like or what you have on hand.

This, basically, consists of cubed sweet potato that gets coated with olive oil, salt, pepper, a little ground cumin and a pinch of cayenne pepper before roasting. Some canned black beans, brown rice, corn and vegetables get piled onto some fresh greens before the whole thing gets drizzled with an ultra-simple citrus dressing. Oh, and I love this with some quick-pickled red onions on top, so I'm providing the recipe for those at the end of the post.

You'll feel amazing knowing that you're feeding yourself something super good for your body. And, it's a lunch that will definitely power you through the afternoon.

Yields 2 servings.

Sweet Potato, Kale and Wheat Berry Citrus Buddha Bowls

My readers know that I'm a sucker for loaded salads, arranged salads and salad bowls. I particularly love the inclusion of whole grains, beans or the like in them. Have you heard of Buddha Bowls? A Buddha Bowl is, basically, a form of a loaded salad. It, typically, includes some type of cooked grain (or legume), lots of chopped vegetables, some greens of some sort, sometimes fruit and nuts/seeds. It's usually topped with a sauce or dressing. Basically, I've come to find that I can pretty much throw whatever wholesome foods and/or healthful leftovers that I have on hand together to create something magical. And, these types of all-in-one meals are perfect for those of us trying to be mindful of making healthy food decisions.

So many make majestic and often extreme resolutions at the start of each new year. For me, I have committed to simply eating more "intentionally" in 2017. It's not about dieting, restricting carbs, omitting sugar or cutting calories. Rather, I'm taking a more conscientious, vigilant approach to what I feed myself. I am pledging to eat more wholesome, "real" foods. And, I'm making more of an effort to include way, way more vegetables into every meal.

Working from home and living a busy life with kids means that a string cheese and a protein bar is often my lunch. While not entirely bad, it just doesn't provide me the nutrition that I know that I need on a daily basis. So, I've set out to be more thoughtful with what I consume ... taking time to meal prep for myself more and spending a little time making myself healthy meals - especially lunches since that meal is the one I find that I skip or skimp on the most.

Buddha Bowls are amazing for me. I just love how versatile they can be. And, I love how creative I can be when making them. This recipe is a good starting point if you're new to the BB game. I'd love to hear if you've tried making your own at home ... and what your favorite combination of ingredients/components is.

Yields 2 servings/bowls.