How to Create your Own Nourishment Bowl

Hi Guys!!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far this year! I have been soaking up as much sun as possible, traveling, and biking as much as I can. I really love summer days as nothing makes me feel more alive than doing this types of activities! <3

Along with being super active, I make a high priority to keep myself fed and nourished! And since vegetables are super abundant and fresh this time of year – It is easy to eat a wide variety! But I really don’t like spending hours in the kitchen, all the time! Don’t get me wrong I love trying new recipes, but definitely not every night!

So what I like to make is nourishment bowls!!  These are so flexible, easy, and require little pre-planning. They are perfect to make when you have random leftover veggies! And the extra bonus is that 1) They look pretty and 2). Have a variety of flavors which always makes the nourishment bowls satisfying!
Recently, I had an article published over on Best Kept Self where I shared my favorite nourishing summertime bowl recipe! Lately this has been one of my go-to meals!  So check it out here if you are curious.

But today, I want to share with you how to make your own custom nourishment bowl! I really encourage you to make up your own because everyone has different likes and different foods available to them! I suggest picking out not only your favorite veggies but also try new veggies!  When I shop I don’t  prepare much of a grocery list, I just literally buy veggies that look tasty and of course I always am on the look out for specials! So don’t stress about making a super long list! Save the nourish bowl graphic in your phone and use it for inspiration and ideas!

Ok, on to the good stuff!

How to Make your Custom Nourishment Bowl!!

Step 1: Start with your Greens! – We all know we need more greens in our life and this is an easy way to get them in! I personally go with either kale or spinach. They are easy to prep and my favorites to eat! Collard greens are good too…but they have too big of leaves so that means more work to cut haha…but that is kind of a lame excuse so I will challenge myself to use these next time!

+Organic Spinach
+Organic Kale
+Collard Greens
+Arugula
+Any Green Leaves!!

If I am doing kale, I like to squeeze some lemon juice on the kale and let it sit. This is a great way to add flavor and soften up the kale.

Step 2: Roast the Veggies! – I love half cooked/half raw veggies in my bowl! So cook some and keep some raw! Whatever your heart desires! I have 2 simple ways that I cook my veggies.

Option 1: Roasted veggies are so delicious and extremely simple to make! Turn the oven to 400 degrees, pull out the aluminum foil and toss some of your favorite chopped up veggies in either grass-fed butter or coconut oi! And of course you cannot forget the salt! You can cup up any variety of veggies so chop them up and toss them in the oven! Typically, I let them cook for about 15-20 minutes depending on how brown you want them.  If there is lots of water on the veggies or if you have a ton of veggies on the pan, it will take longer.

Option 2: You could also lightly saute them in water or oil and mix in Himalayan salt, chili paste, tamari sauce, etc. I like to cook it this way when I create an Asian inspired bowl!  You could also mix in other sauces or flavorings.

Step 3: Cook the protein! – There are tons of options for this.  Personally, these are the variations of recipes that I usually cook….

Teriyaki Salmon
Lemon Butter Salmon – I just put fresh squeezed lemon and 1 pat of butter….easy huh?
Dijon Crusted Tilapia  – This recipe is SO good! But sometimes I get lazy…so instead of almonds I use oatmeal! This switch has worked great for me and still gives a good crunch and flavor!

Ok, first I must start off by sharing this recipe. The best and juiciest baked chicken recipe ever. No matter what I put on top of my chicken this is the recipe that I follow. <3

BBQ Chicken – Bake your chicken and brush on your favorite BBQ sauce.
Honey Mustard Chicken
Crockpot Verde Chicken – This is packed full of SO much flavor and is a great base for ANY type of mexican-style bowl.

These are my favorite recipes because I typically have all the ingredients on hand so I can whip up any variety of these fairly quickly! Besides the crockpot recipes which I usually make a big batch of when I cook!
Now depending what protein recipe you pick, this really sets the stage for the type of meal you are making. Asian, Mexican, or American? (I don’t know what type of food Dijon tilapia is???? lol)

You can pick your veggies based around that or just pick your favorites! (Heck do foods really need to go together!? I think not!)

Step 4: Add your FATS! – This is simple for me. Avocado. Avocado. And MORE Avocado. I don’t really switch it up much! Avocado is soo good for you and I just love adding a bit to all my meals and it makes the meals so much more rich and satisfying!

You could also add hummus, extra virgin olive oil, or sprinkle on some nuts!  You can also make a dressing to add.  But for me, my recipe usually has enough flavor and so if I want a bit more flavor the avocado + lemon juice is perfect dressing for me! (plus no prep)

But if you want to create a lighter salad or want to skip the protein, you might want more flavor.  So here are some of my favorite dressing recipes:

Tumeric Tahini Dressing
Avocado Dressing
Spicy Almond Dressing 

Step 5: Add your CARBS! 

My favorite carbs = sweet potatoes, red potatoes, quinoa, rice, bananas, plantains, black beans, lentils, etc.

I like to add about one serving of carbs which is about ½ cup. This part I like to customize depending on how hungry I am, how intense my workouts are, and if I feel like I need to eat more carbs. The nice thing about these bowls is that everything can be put together intuitively.

Feel free to pick whatever sounds good to you.

Step 6: Add your the CHERRY ON TOP (EXTRAS)! – The extras are what make your meal really special! You could just eat the veggies and protein, but that gets boring! The extras make it prettier (and more sparkly) and heck way more satisfying!! (and yes these will definitely be instaworthy lol)

Extra Ideas: Sprouts, Roasted Chickpeas, Raw Veggies, Pickled Beets, Sauerkraut, Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, etc. There are probably lots more so be creative! You could just explore Whole Foods and you will find lots of ideas!

Ta da!! Save this graphic on your phone so you can have a reference for things to buy at the grocery store to make your OWN nourishment bowl! <3

AND I want to SEE your creations! Post a comment below or Tag me on instagram @chelseajolene and share your beautiful and yummy nourish bowls! <3  Make sure to follow me on instagram for healthy recipes and inspiration @chelseajolene.

What is your favorite combination of flavors!? Asian/Mexican/American/Random? Post below and let me know!