I feel bad for lunch. It seems like the most overlooked meal of the day. Sure, you know that breakfast is the “most important” meal of the day, and dinner is where you get creative and connect with your favourite people. But lunch? Lunch is made up of stuff you didn’t finish the night before. Or it’s running out to the corner store on your break and grabbing something not-so-great for you.

I know I used to be super bored with lunch. So, I set out to find something I was delighted to eat around the noon-hour. That’s when I found nourish bowls. Also sometimes called Buddha bowls or macro bowls, these delicious meals are enhanced, one-bowl salads with added protein, grains, and healthy fats.

These are my favourite lunches right now, as I can create different flavours by mixing up the seasonings and dressings, but still use similar whole foods. Plus, they are super easy and quick to do!

Another big bonus is that they are perfect for almost anyone because they are so easy to customize to your personal tastes.

Here’s a quick, handy guide to making your own nourish bowls.

What you’ll need

• Veggies: Leafy greens, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion are a great start, but remember: You get to choose what tastes great to you, so grab what you love.
• Protein: Chicken, fish, or chickpeas (or hemp hearts and pumpkin seeds) are perfect proteins for nourish bowls.
• Fibre: Sweet potatoes, quinoa, or high fibre veggies are good places to get lots of fibre.
• Healthy Fats: Avocados add amazing pops of flavour to nourish bowls in large chunks or slices, but you can add avocado and other healthy fats in your dressings as well.
• Dressing: Make any kind of dressing you want! (Three of my faves are: Sesame Ginger Dressing, Guacamole, Super Green Goddess Dressing.)
• Tools: Cutting boards, strainers, chopping/dicing knives, your food processor, multi-purpose steamer, and your prep/take away containers. (You can even use mason jars as an easy and portable container!)

How to make it

Start by cooking up your protein, fibre, and any veggies you’re not going to eat raw. (This is my go-to sweet potato recipe.)

You might also want to use up leftovers for veggies or proteins. I often use pulled chicken and roasted vegetables from the night before.

Next, cut up your ingredients as you’d like them to be in the salad – bite-sized bits of protein and veggies are good.

Then, put it all together in your prep/take away containers. Start with a case of your veggies, then add the fibre, and finally, put the protein on top.

Finally, make your dressing and put it in a separate take away container. I use prep bowls to make them in and then smaller containers to take just the right amount of dressing away with me.

Then, you eat it

This part is obvious. Put it in the fridge until it’s time to head out, then dream about eating it all morning. See? Lunch is no longer boring or left out of the creative meal planning process. I can’t wait to see what you make! Post your nourish bowls on Instagram and tag me @firedupaboutfood.