Make your healthy eating resolution easy and delicious by devouring this Winter Buddha Bowl with Mustard Vinaigrette.
Did anyone feel like Christmas was over too quickly!? So much build up and then POOF done.
Now it’s already the 6 of January! Crazy right! Where did December go!
Let’s talk January though.
I’m sure most of you have thought about or made resolutions. Whether you want to admit it or not 😉 Have no shame it’s all good.
I feel there is certain stigma nowadays with resolutions because it’s become this huge commercialize thing. But at the heart of it, looking at the year ahead with some goals in mind is a really good and smart thing to do.
I kind of hate calling them resolutions though. Let’s call them goals. Goals sound better right?
Obviously we are talking realistic goals. Not “I’m going to lose a ton of weight” or “I’m going to be happier this year” or “I’m going to stop spending and save a bunch of money.” Although they are possible, it’s more helpful to be more specific about things that can lead you to that goal.
Something like, “I’m going to go to the gym 3 days a week” or “pack healthy lunches 4 days a week.” Or “I’m going to not work on the weekends.” Or “I’m going to make more food at home scratch rather than eating out.”
And yes, sticking to goals for a whole year is hard. Like really hard. Especially if you work in a cool downtown setting with food trucks or great restaurants. Or if you get home tired from work and would rather binge watch Netflix instead of working out.
I get it.
My advice to you is: give yourself a time frame (not 365 days), but 2-3 months. Then look back and reevaluate. How did you do? What can you change? What can you do better next time? When is next time? Is it the next 2-3 months?
Make your goals friends, stick with them, do the best you can and don’t beat yourself up if you slip a little. It’s OK. Get back at it.
In honor of healthy goal setting and living a healthier life-style, I’m eating and sharing one of my favorite lunches!
A nutritious, delicious and perfect for Sunday weekly meal prep kind of recipe. Winter Buddha Bowl with Mustard Vinaigrette
And just to clarify a Buddha Bowl is a bowl packed with all the good stuff including veggies, healthy grain, protein, and healthy fat. All served up in 1 bowl for easy eating, easy lunch packing and easy clean up.
Today’s Buddha bowl is loaded with roasted beets and sweet potatoes, protein packed chickpeas, nutritious quinoa, lovely roasted broccoli and tangy vinaigrette to tie it all together. Girl pleases! It doesn’t get much better than this!
Makes 3 large bowls
Ingredients
- 4 Beets (any kind), medium sized, peeled and chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups broccoli, stemmed and chopped
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (coconut oil works as well)
- 1 cup white quinoa, well rinsed
- 1 3/4 cup water
- Healthy pinch of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons pure maple syrup, or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Drizzle a baking sheet with a little olive oil and arrange beets on top. Drizzle a little more olive oil and salt over the beets and use your hands to coat them. Bake for 30-40 mintutes. Shake up the pan half way to flip beets.
- On another cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil and arrage sweet potatoes and broccoli. Drizzle a little more olive oil and salt over the sweet potatoes and broccoli, and use your hands to coat them. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Shake up the pan half way to flip potatoes and broccoli.
- While vegetables roast, drizzle a little oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rinsed and drained quinoa. Cook for 1-2 minute to let water evaporate and toast the quinoa.
- Stir in 1 ¾ cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Or until water is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork once done.
- In a small mason jar, add the vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Screw on lid and shake vigorously to combine. Remove the lid and add in the olive oil. Secure lid and shake up again until completely combined. Taste for salt or maple syrup/honey.
- Assemble all vegetables and quinoa in a big bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette. Enjoy!
- Don’t forget these makes a mean packed lunch too!
Notes
This is a really easy recipe, but the trick is to stagger the different cook times. Also I would recommend whipping this together ahead of time and making lunches for the rest of the week since this heats up beautifully. Also note the beets take the longest to cook by far.
Originally posted 2017-01-06 06:50:22.
Looe Eddy says
Valerie says