Cooking an easy, balanced meal doesn’t have to be complicated; it’s all about how you approach it. You can put together a different healthy balanced meal every night simply by switching up your combination of ingredients.
At a loss for what to make for dinner? Use this step-by-step balanced meal guide and use any combination of healthy ingredients that you like, or have leftover in your fridge!
Step 1: Pick a protein
-Fish
-Organic chicken
-Organic ground turkey or pork
-Beans or legumes (black, navy, adzuki, lentils, organic shelled edamame/soy)
-Organic tofu
Step 2: Pick some veggies (as many as you like!)
Best Raw:
-Leafy greens: kale, spinach, bok choy
-Red pepper
-Cucumber
-Cherry tomatoes
-Carrots
-Cabbage
-Snap peas
-Avocado
Best Steamed/Stir-fried/Oven-roasted:
-Zucchini
-Broccoli
-Cauliflower
-Brussels Sprouts
-Mushrooms
-Beets
-Sweet potato/Parsnip/Squash*
*Potatoes, roots and squashes are higher-carb veggies, so you can skip Step 3 (don’t have to!) if you include these in your bowl
Step 3: Pick a healthy whole grain carb
-Quinoa
-Brown rice
-Brown rice or whole wheat pasta
-Buckwheat or soba noodles
-Wheatberries
Step 4: Pick a healthy topping
-Nuts: slivered almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans
-Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, chia
-Cheese: feta, goat cheese, parmesan, white cheddar
-Savory: olives, sundried tomatoes, capers, artichokes
Step 5: Make a dressing (2:1 oil to acid ratio)
a. Pick a healthy oil: flaxseed, hemp, walnut, sesame, extra virgin olive oil
b. Pick an acid: fresh lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar
c. Add some flavors: garlic, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, maple syrup or honey
d. Make it creamy: tahini, avocado, natural nut butter, Dijon mustard
e. Add some spice: salt, pepper, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric
f. Make a pesto: combine 3 cups leafy greens, 1/2 cup nuts, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 lemon juiced, 1 clove garlic & salt
Step 6: Pick a fresh herb (optional)
-Parsley
-Basil
-Cilantro
-Mint
I made a yummy Spinach Pesto Bowl a couple weeks ago, and here’s a recipe for the Sesame Brown Rice Pasta bowl I made the other night…
Sesame Brown Rice Pasta Bowl
Ingredients
Navy beans (sm can)
Half head of broccoli
1 cup shaved carrots
Half red pepper diced
1 small avocado
Half package of brown rice fusilli
3 tbsp sesame seeds
Dressing:
1 tbsp sesame oil or grapeseed oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari or organic soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup tahini
Method
Drain & rinse beans.
Chop all your veggies.
Steam broccoli for 5 minutes or until just done (retains most nutrients when slightly cooked).
Bring water to a boil, and cook brown rice noodles according to package directions.
While noodles are cooking, make your dressing by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl or blender.
Combine beans, veggies, noodles and dressing in a large bowl, and stir until everything is coated in dressing.
Serve into individual bowls, sprinkle with sesame seeds – enjoy!
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