Also known as buddha bowl, macro bowl, bliss bowl or power bowl, the nourish bowl is having a moment as far as lunch is concerned – and for good reason.
Curious as to what this even means?
A nourish bowl is a well-balanced, healthy meal – often served in a bowl – containing a variety of nutrient-dense ingredients (veggies, healthy fats, quality proteins and carbs).
They are super nourishing – as the name says – because of their high levels of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, giving you an extra nutrient kick with each meal.
Fancy trying to make your own nourish bowl? Here are five pointers for what you can add:
- Complex Carbs - Use brown rice, quinoa, wholewheat or even gluten-free pasta. Complex carbs provide slow-release energy that will fuel your day, as well as being a good source of B Vitamins and fibre.
- Greens - raw or lightly steamed. Use rocket, spinach, kale, broccoli, sugar snaps. This is your source of iron, B vitamins (especially folate), calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fibre.
- Colour plus Texture - use an array of different veggies and prepare them in a range of different ways. Lightly steam your cauliflower, boil it in water or roast it - then mix it with herbs. Chop your tomatoes raw, or roast them with garlic. Steam your carrots, or grate them raw. Grill your peppers, or julienne them raw. Steam your brussels sprouts or sauté them in olive oil. The point is, you can be as creative as you want with your veggies, but the less prep required, the quicker you’ll put it all together.
- Lean Protein - omnivore, vegetarian, vegan. You decide which protein source you want to use, but keep it lean and minimally processed. Grilled chicken, turkey breasts, smoked mackerel, tinned sardines, boiled or poached free-range eggs, halloumi, beans, lentils, and hummus.
- Healthy Fat. Whole, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are priority - avocado, seeds, hummus, or nuts. Use refined fats such as olive oil and coconut oil sparingly and opt for unprocessed whole fats as the priority. This means when you consume your healthy fat, you also consume the added fibre and protein from the whole food.
Summer nourish bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pack of Mash Direct Red Cabbage and Beetroot
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 red pepper
- 1 courgette
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Cooking spray
- Pinch of salt & black pepper
- 1 pouch of quinoa (You can use a microwaveable pouch)
- 1 avocado (thinly sliced, to top)
- 1 tbsp of sour cream or crème fraiche
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Peel and dice the sweet potato into approximately 20mm cubes. Place the potato into a saucepan of boiling water for 5 mins to soften.
- While the sweet potato is boiling, dice 1 red pepper, 1 red onion and 1 courgette into similar size pieces.
- Drain the sweet potato and add to a baking sheet along with the red pepper and onion. Spray with oil and season with salt and black pepper.
- Remove the leaves from your thyme and peel and finely slice your garlic. Add both to your vegetables and toss them together.
- Cook for 12 – 15 minutes or until the edges begin to caramelise and crisp up.
- Heat the quinoa pouch and Mash Direct Red Cabbage & Beetroot as per pack instructions.
- Assemble your nourish bowl with the grains at the bottom then topped with the rest of the vegetables. Add a thinly sliced avocado on top of the bowl, with a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraiche.
