How to Build a Healthy Lunch Bowl

Typically (thought not as much lately with sick kids) my days start at 4:15 (that’s ideal), I work out at 5, eat breakfast around 6:45, take the boys to school at 8 and 9 (if Ridge has preschool), run errands (aka drive all over Charlotte) or go to appointments or work on my computer or do chores around the house, pick the boys up at 12:45 and 1, get home and get Ridge down for a nap by 2, then finally eat lunch. I usually have a few bites of something in between breakfast and lunch, but I try not to eat too much for a snack. All that to say, I am starving by lunch time. I wanted to share how to build a healthy lunch bowl, because I know that lunch is not always a priority, which leads to unhealthy choices.

Instead of reaching for a snack or your kids’ lunch leftovers, try putting together something filling and healthy. Here are the elements I always try to add to my lunches:

PROTEIN – This is usually either leftover chicken or eggs. Sometimes I have the Aidell’s chicken apple sausage.
GREENS – Always. I either scramble them into some eggs or load the bowl with greens first, then add the other elements on top.
VEGGIES – I try to find at least one other veggie to have in my bowl. If I have a salad, I add whatever vegetables I can find in the fridge. Ideally, I will have roasted vegetables at the beginning of the week, and add those to an egg scramble, a salad, or a warmed veggie bowl with chicken. I have a full post about how to roast almost any vegetable.
FAT – Something healthy. If I make eggs, I cook them in coconut oil. If I am having a salad, I try to use olive oil or avocado oil for the dressing. Sometimes I use Tessemae’s dressing. It is a healthier alternative to other store-bought brands. I also try and eat avocado most days, so if I know that I will not have it at dinner, I add some to my lunch bowl. Some times I add flax seeds to my salads for crunch and a healthy fat. I do like goat cheese as well. I know that isn’t quite as healthy, but it adds some richness and well, who doesn’t love goat cheese?
(bonus!) KRAUT or KIMCHI – I know that some people are not fans of fermented foods, but the gut health benefits are worth it! I love the Wildbrine brand. They offer probiotic salsas, and kraut that is not too strong-tasting. I never liked sauerkraut growing up, but I have come to enjoy that and kimchi, especially as a topping on a big veggie bowl or eggs. The beet and cabbage kind from Wildbrine is really good. Fermented foods such as kraut help heal leaky gut, they are a good source of fiber, they feed the good bacteria in our gut, the nutrients in them are more easily absorbed, and they help boost immunity.

I almost always eat something crunchy with my lunch bowl, like plantain chips. I tell myself that since I am eating something so healthy, I can have a little snack on the side. 🙂

Here are a couple of the recent bowls I have made: