single girl’s dinner

There comes some sacrifice with being married to a coach.  During the fall and especially the spring, I find myself at home by myself many evenings and Saturdays.  However, I try to make the most of my time without Matt by getting stuff done around the house, like doing extensive cleaning, baking, and cooking delicious meals that Matt definitely wouldn’t appreciate as much as I do.

Unfortunately, even though both cross country and track seasons are over, Matt is busy coaching at cross country camp this week, leaving me to make some delicious dinners for myself.  I have a slight obsession with Crazy Bowls and Wraps.  I absolutely love rice bowls!  Packed with healthy whole grains, tons of vegetables, vegetarian protein options, and seasoned perfectly, you really can’t go wrong.  But, it’s summer and I’m not exactly getting paid right now, so I have to forgo eating out every night he’s not home.

Therefore, I have developed my own rice bowl creation that I never get sick of since you can mix and match with what you have on hand and what flavor profile you are going for.

I always start out by picking some sort of whole grain, whether it is brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat pasta.  I LOVE quinoa for it’s sort of nutty taste and the fact that it is considered a complete protein – perfect for this vegetarian gal.

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Next, I gather up a bunch of veggies that I have on hand, fresh or frozen, and chop them up into bite sized pieces.  I always have onion, peppers, and carrots on hand since they keep in the fridge awhile.  I usually try to find some vegetarian protein source, like beans or tofu, to round out my meal a little more.  Heat up about a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet, add some minced garlic for flavor, and add your veggies + protein.  Cook them until tender.

Green pepper, onion, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and black beans.

Green pepper, onion, carrots, corn, and lima beans.

Now, what really makes the meal are the seasonings and sauce.  I usually go for Asian (soy or teriyaki sauce) or Mexican (salsa, cheese, guacamole)flavors, but sometimes other flavors just work, like barbeque sauce or pasta sauce.  Whatever your mood, you can totally make it work.

 Barbeque sauce just felt right on top of my lima bean bowl – and it worked perfectly, of course!

Add everything in a bowl together, season with some garlic pepper (the mandatory condiment in the VH household), and BAM!  Delicious and healthy dinner for one very hungry gal!

To my black bean bowl, I added salsa and nutritional yeast, which gives a sort of cheesy flavor to the dish.  Perfect for vegans and vegetarians alike!

So, even though I miss Matt like crazy the nights he’s not home to eat dinner with me (or cook for me), I really wouldn’t mid eating this dinner every single day.  A ton of variety, a GREAT nutrition profile, and it fills me up.  Plus, it’s much cheaper than ordering take out from CBW.  Sounds like a perfect meal to me!