A play off our popular menu items,  The Big Salad, and The Big Soup, comes The BIG BOWL!   We have been eating these almost every night of the week.  You can do a lot of the meal prep ahead of time, and even make big batches of the veggies, quinoa, and protein and assemble them on a busy weeknight for a high protein, low carb, super satisfying dinner!  You can switch up the roasted veg and protein options to suit whatever is in your kitchen.  Some changes we’ve been making for healthier options are featured in this bowl such as:

  1. Swap out mayo for a sour cream and hummus mix.
    1. We add equal parts of sour cream and hummus to our egg salad, tuna salad, or regular salads for a creamy dressing.  It’s a lower calorie, higher nutrient version of our friend, mayo.
  2. Roast veg without oil!
    1. During our calorie counting research we realized how easy it is to cut out oil.  Not only is oil low in nutrients,  but it’s very high in calories.  We roast all of our veg dry.  Just add salt and spices!
  3. Poached egg instead of fried
    1. Another great way to avoid butters and oils is to poach eggs.  Here’s a great resource on how to poach eggs perfectly: https://downshiftology.com/recipes/poached-eggs
  4. Salsa is your friend.

The BIG BOWL

1 Cup Roasted Sweet Potato
1 Cup Roasted Broccoli or Cauliflower
2 Poached Egg OR 3.5 oz Grilled Chicken
1/2 Cup Quinoa, cooked per instructions on package
1 Cup Cherry Tomato, cut in half
1/2 Cucumber (with seeds removed), 1″ pieces
1 Pickle, 1″ pieces
1/4 Cup Salsa
1 Tbs Sour Cream
1 Tbs Hummus
1 Wedge Lemon

 

To roast the veg: 

  1. Preheat oven to 450F.  Cut sweet potato into 1″ chunks and broccoli into smaller florets.  Place veg on its own parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt & cajun seasoning (or whatever seasoning you prefer.  I usually just salt & pepper the broccoli and load the cajun spice on the sweet potato).
  2. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes (depending on how tender you like your veg.  I personally like a bit of char and crunch on the outside, so go for the full 45 minutes).

Assemble: 

  1. Place 1 cup of each roasted veg in a large bowl.
  2. Add the cherry tomato, cucumber, pickle, quinoa,  and salsa.
  3. Add the poached egg or chicken (cook to desired doneness)
  4. Top with sour cream, hummus, and lemon.

I like to mix everything up in the bowl before I eat so that everything is coated with the sour cream and hummus, which acts as a creamy dressing. I know the pickle may seem random, but it helps balance the bowl with salty, sweet, spicy, and sour.   If you want to add more bulk, you can mix in some Firmly Rooted Signature Mix.  The nutritional information is below and is based on the first recipe items above (broccoli, not cauliflower; egg, not chicken).  This meal is under 500 calories, and it is incredibly filling and satisfying.  Everyone has different macronutrient needs.  My body needs more carbohydrates than fat or protein to function properly, but you can adjust the amount of protein and reduce the carbs, for example, if that works best for your body.

Nutritional Information: 

491 Calories

18g Fat

76.7g Carbohydrates

26.1g Protein