During this time of social distancing, many people are cooking more than usual. Grain bowls are an easy, guilt-free option for lunch or dinner because they're filling and full of health benefits. For instance, zucchini is rich in several vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Chickpeas are high in both protein and fiber and contain several essential vitamins and minerals. The egg adds a nice boost of protein. You can get creative with these and throw in your favorite veggies. Here is one of my favorite combos:
Prep time: 1.5 hours
Yield: 2
Serving Size: 1 bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups of uncooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup of dry rice/quinoa
- 1/2 zucchini
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 2 eggs
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- garlic powder
Directions
- Roast the chickpeas: preheat the oven to 450 degrees; drain the chickpeas and blot dry; mix in a bowl with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper; spread out on a baking pan; bake for 30-40 minutes until crispy and brown.
- Roast the cauliflower: preheat the oven to 375. Then chop the cauliflower into florets and mix in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper. Mix until all the florets are coated and then spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Cook the rice/quinoa.
- Cut the zucchini into half moons and then sauté them.
- Scramble the eggs.
- Layer the bowls with the rice/quinoa on the bottom and the goodies on top.
If you've ever picked up a carton of nut milk at the grocery store and thought, "what are all these strange sounding ingredients?" you're not alone. Non-dairy milks make great alternatives for people who are vegan, or lactose intolerant or have trouble digesting dairy, but store-bought versions contain unnecessary sugar, lecithins, gums, and who knows what else, and if you do find a dairy-free milk without these things, you'll most likely pay a hefty price for it. The good news is that making your own nut milk is not only cheaper and healthier; it's really easy too!
Here's how I did it:
Materials
- Blender (any old blender will do)
- Cheesecloth, sieve, thin dish towel, or nut bag (if you're feeling fancy)
- Wide mouth mason jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4-5 cups water (depending on whether you want it thinner or thicker)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 tablespoons honey (optional - maple syrup and agave work too!)
Directions
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Measure out 1 cup almonds, cover with cold water, and let sit for at least 8 hours to soften. For a quicker option, pour very hot water over the almonds and let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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After the almonds have soaked, place them in the blender, add the optional vanilla extract and honey, and blend on high power until almonds are fully incorporated and milk is white in color.
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Place your strainer of choice over a wide mouth container or bowl (if using a cheesecloth, secure with rubber band or hair tie) and slowly pour the almond milk over it, allowing the milk to strain through the cloth. Take your time for this part. Depending on the size of the container, this step might need to be done in batches.
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Once all of the almond milk is poured out of the blender, squeeze the pulp-filled cloth to release any additional milk. Put the mason jar lids on the jars and store in the fridge to enjoy for a few days! Or use the almond milk to make some chia pudding.
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Don't just throw out the leftover pulp; instead, make homemade almond flour! Preheat your oven to it's lowest setting, spread the almond pulp out as thin as possible on a baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and let the pulp dehydrate for 4-8 hours. Once dehydrated, place the dried out pulp into a food processor and blend until it becomes a fine flour. Use it right away, or store in the freezer for a longer shelf life.
An Israeli salad is a chopped vegetable salad. It's extremely easy to make (10 minutes total!), inexpensive, refreshing and delicious. It's also low in calories, and full of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. It's usually dairy-fee, but I love feta cheese, so I included it here, but you could easily make it without that!
Usually on this blog, I post recipes for 16oz mason jar salads. That size is great when your mason jar salad is your entire meal. For this recipe, though, I switched things up and made an 8oz mason jar salad so that it can be more of a side salad. You can enjoy it alongside other Mediterranean foods such as falafel (as pictured), hummus, grilled fish, kebabs, shawarma, etc.
Here's my version of an Israeli salad:
Prep time: 10 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 8oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 1 onion
- 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 5 oz olive oil & vinegar salad dressing
Directions
- Prep the ingredients: chop the cucumber and onion, cut the tomatoes in half, cut the lemon into quarters.
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 8oz mason jars in this order: dressing, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, cheese. Squeeze some lemon juice throughout the layers.
- Store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long!
Whether you're topping off your breakfast or taking it on the go, granola is a convenient and tasty way to start the day. However, many store-bought granolas are high in sugar and fat because they contain unnecessary ingredients and fillers. Don't worry though, making your own granola at home is an easy way to enjoy all of the benefits that granola has to offer without the drawbacks of many store-bought versions.
This recipe only requires seven ingredients, is packed with fiber and iron from the oats, and contains some heart-healthy unsaturated fats and protein from the peanuts and peanut butter.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Yield: 3.5 cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.
- In a pot, mix together peanut butter, honey, and maple syrup.
- Heat the mixture on the low-medium heat until the peanut butter begins to melt.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add in oats, peanuts, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- Spread granola mixture evenly on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes (or until browned), stirring every 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before eating or storing.
- Optional: enjoy on top of a chia pudding parfait.
Click here for the Chia Pudding recipe.
Halloween may be over, but roasted pumpkin seeds are a tasty guilt-free snack all throughout the season. Besides being deliciously crunchy, they're high in fiber, antioxidants and several valuable nutrients.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. After cutting an opening in the top of the pumpkin, use your hands and a spoon to remove the pulp, stringy fiber and seeds. Take off as much pulp as you can from the seeds.
- Carve your pumpkin! I always go for the classic jack-o-lantern. Here are my friends and my pumpkins for some inspiration. Check out that pirate ship!
- Wash and dry the seeds- place the seeds in a strainer and run cold water over them to remove any remaining pulp. It's important to make sure the seeds are dry before roasting them- it makes them crispier! You can let the seeds dry overnight in a bowl, or if you're impatient like me, you can use a blow dryer on low temp and speed (otherwise they'll fly out of the bowl!) to speed the process up.
- In a bowl, add the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder to the seeds. The exact amounts are up to your taste, but just make sure they are thoroughly covered.
- Spread the seasoned seeds out evenly across a baking pan and place in the oven at 350 degrees. Bake them for about 20-30 minutes, until they are slightly browned and crispy. Check the seeds and stir every 10 minutes.
It's finally fall, although with record-setting high temps in New Orleans, you'd never know. Despite the oppressive weather holding on, fall is my favorite season, so this mason jar salad is inspired by some of my favorite flavors from the season. Pomegranates are one of the healthiest fruits (and most delicious, in my opinion). They're full of nutrients, such as Vitamins C & K, as well as potassium, fiber and protein. I paired the seeds with Farro, which contains more fiber than other grains like rice and even quinoa, and is high in protein. This salad is full of other interesting flavors and textures, such as goat cheese and mandarin oranges. Here's the full recipe.
Prep time: 45 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 1 pomegranate
- 1/2 cup of goat cheese
- 1 cup of dried farro
- 1.5 cups of mixed greens
- 1/4 cup of walnuts
- 1.5 cups of manadarin oranges
- 5 oz of olive oil & vinegar dressing
Directions
- Start by cooking the farro: rinse 1 cup of farro then place in a pot and add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and then refrigerate.
- Remove the seeds from the pomegranate (I use the under water method for this- cut the pomegranate in half, then submerge one half into a bowl of water and use your hands to break the pomegranate apart and separate the seeds from the white membrane. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the white membrane will float to the top. Then remove the large floating pieces and strain the seeds).
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 mason jars in this order: dressing, mandarin oranges, farro, cheese, pomegranate seeds, mixed greens, walnuts.
- Store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long!
The star of this week's salad is one of my favorite summertime vegetables, the yellow crookneck squash. Like it's cousins, straightneck yellow squash and zucchini, this type of squash is a great low-calorie alternative to pasta. It's also full of vitamins (A and C) and potassium as well as fiber (most of the fiber is in the skin, which is edible AND tasty, so no need to peel it). I paired it with couscous in this salad (and it's quite delicious!), but if you are looking for a healthier version, just use quinoa instead. Quinoa contains more protein and fiber with fewer calories, but a little couscous every once in awhile isn't so bad!
Prep time: 30 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 2 yellow squash (or zucchini)
- 1 mozzarella cheese ball
- 4 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup dry couscous
- 1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 5oz pesto sauce
- 1 bell pepper
Directions
- Start by cooking the couscous: bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and then add in the couscous. Cover and remove from heat, let stand for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add some garlic powder or other seasoning if desired. Refrigerate until cool.
- Prep the other ingredients: cut the tomatoes in half, cut the cheese into bite-size pieces, chop the bell pepper and spiralize the squash.
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 jars in this order: pesto, tomatoes, peppers, couscous, cheese, squash, spinach, pine nuts.
- Replace mason jar lids & bands, then store upright in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy.
I have always loved Caesar salads, so I decided to make a delicious twist on the classic salad. The kale makes it healthier (and tastier) than the traditional version and the cauliflower and pumpkin seeds add some unique textures and flavors.
Prep time: 60 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 bunches of kale
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 5 slices of bread (I used a multi grain seeded bread)
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
- 5 oz Caesar dressing
- garlic poweder
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Directions
- Roast the cauliflower: preheat the oven to 375. Then chop the cauliflower into florets and mix in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper. Mix until all the florets are coated and then spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes. Once they're done cooking, place in a bowl and refrigerate until cool.
- Cook the croutons: preheat the oven to 375. Cut the bread into bite-size squares, then combine them in a bowl with some garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then drizzle the olive oil and stir until all the bread is coated and the oil is absorbed. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown (the time may vary slightly depending on the freshness of the bread). Once they're done, refrigerate until cool.
- While the cauliflower and/or croutons are cooking, chop the cucumber.
- Layer ingredients evenly across 5 mason jars in this order: dressing, cucumber, cauliflower, croutons, cheese, kale, pumpkin seeds. Or if you prefer your croutons to be more crispy, since they do absorb some of the moisture from the salad (which didn't bother me), layer the jars without the croutons and add them in after you've poured the jar into a bowl to enjoy.
- Store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long.
On the lunch menu this week is a Thai Peanut Grain Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas and Mango. The star of this recipe, mango, adds a unique texture and flavor to the bowl. Besides being tasty, mango provides several health benefits. Mango contains antioxidants as well as high levels of fiber and vitamins C and A. I hope you enjoy this bowl as much as I did!
Prep time: 60 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 cups of mixed greens
- 2 cups of uncooked chickpeas
- 2 mangos
- 1/2 cup of dry quinoa
- 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 5 oz Thai peanut dressing
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
Directions
- Start by roasting the chickpeas: preheat the oven to 450 degrees; drain the chickpeas and blot dry; mix in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper; spread out on a baking pan; bake for 35-40 minutes until crispy and brown. Refrigerate until cool.
- While the chickpeas are roasting, cook the quinoa: bring the 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil and then cover and let sit for 15 minutes or until nice and fluffy. Refrigerate until cool.
- Prep the other ingredients: chop the bell pepper and cucumber; peel and chop the mango.
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 mason jars in this order: dressing, peppers, cucumber, carrots, quinoa, mango, chickpeas, mixed greens.
- Store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long.
In honor of the America's birthday this week, I decided to make a patriotic salad. It's very quick to prepare and would be the perfect addition to a 4th of July party.
Prep time: 20 mins
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 1 16oz mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 cups of spinach
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 1/2 cup strawberries
- 1/2 cup dry red quinoa
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 5 oz balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
- Start by cooking the quinoa: bring the 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil and then cover and let sit for 15 mins or until nice and fluffy. Refrigerate until cool.
- Cut the strawberries into bite size pieces.
- Layer the ingredients evenly across 5 mason jars in this order: dressing, strawberries, quinoa, feta cheese, blueberries, spinach, pecans.
- Store upright in the fridge and enjoy all week long.
