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A couple months ago, I was gifted this book. It’s basically a collection of easy-to-throw-together breakfast bowl recipes. I liked the idea of it so much, I bookmarked a bunch of recipes that seemed Megan-simple. I even gifted the book to Ariel for her birthday, because it reminded me of her “cooking” method.
But bookmarking and passing it on is where it stopped. Because my problem with this book is this…
Each bowl is made up of a base of grains, two seasonal fruit and vegetables, some protein, a delicious dressing, yogurt or milk, and an optional topping. There are sweet and savory ideas, and basic recipes to make your own granola, muesli, and dairy-free nut “yogurt.”
That’s a lot of ingredients that I don’t have: grains, seasonal fruit, delicious dressings? I don’t even cook, so my cupboards are bare. And there is no world in which I will be creating my own dairy-free nut quote-un-quote yogurt.
So my question for you guys is this…
What are your favorite STUPID-EASY to throw together meal in a bowl? (That doesn’t require making your own yogurt, or having some rare healthy grain?)
Uh …. cereal? With milk? That’s all I’ve got.
(This isn’t meant to be snarky, more indicative of my lack of cooking skills for stuff like this.)
My breakfasts usually consist of 30 grams of oatmeal, 250 grams of store-bought plain yoghurt (or vanilla yoghurt if I can get my hands on a lactose-free variety) and 125 grams or so of fruit. The fruit is either fresh and chopped (an apple, two peaches,…) or frozen berries in summer. I can’t be bothered with more work than that in the morning. I used to have to weigh the amounts (because I am really bad at gauging healthy portion size) but by now I know the proportions.
My lunch today: Couscous, oven-baked pieces of hokkaido Squash and feta cheese, in pieces. all in one glass, taken to work.
That’s literally my exact breakfast, except with dried fruit instead, because it keeps for longer! Also I’m in the US, so it’s 1/2 cup of oatmeal (microwaved with just under 1 cup of water), 1 cup of yogurt (plain or vanilla) or milk, and 1/2 cup of dried fruit. It’s really filling, too!
well, if your cupboards are bare, you’re probably going to have to go to the store no matter how easy and simple the recipe is…
I’m thinking more of lunch/dinner dishes than breakfast here, but, you can do grain bowls with “normal” grains, they don’t have to be rare. I’m pretty sure rice isn’t considered “rare”, right? And buy a bottle of pre-made dressing or sauce at the store. I’m guessing if keeping fresh fruit on hand is an issue for you, you probably don’t have many fresh vegetables either… you can use frozen ones, but they won’t be as enjoyable. I think making a small lifestyle change like going to the store once a week to buy fresh produce isn’t that big a deal, and will make you happier in the long run.
My point is, you might have to make a few changes re: buying groceries and keeping a few new items in your cupboards. But you don’t have to go to the extreme of making your own yogurt… there IS a middle ground. It sounds like you’re resistant to the idea of cooking at all, no matter how simple or how few ingredients, because surely you know there are recipes out there that don’t require you to obtain rare ingredients or make your own yogurt…
Rice with broccoli and your protein of choice and a sauce (from a jar!) is a great, simple dish. You can even use frozen broccoli if you must.
My favorite simple grain dish is quinoa with arugula and white beans, with a simple tahini lemon dressing that takes me 60 seconds to whip up. I feel like you’re probably going to read that and say “oh too many weird ingredients and too much work”, but if you just buy some cans of beans, a box of quinoa, a jar of tahini and a bottle of lemon juice, then your pantry is stocked. The only thing you have to buy more often because it needs to be fresh is the arugula (which EVERY grocery store carries these days, it’s not rare).
For breakfast, I love warm polenta with vegan sausages and a fried egg on top. I always have polenta in the pantry, vegan sausages in the freezer, and eggs in the fridge. I switch it up by replacing the vegan sausages with some lightly sautéed fresh tomatoes and kale.
i agree that you can’t really expect to have a deliciuos meal without the appropriate ingredients…
i am used to cooking from scratch all of my meals (and don’t think it’s a big deal), but i have never had breakfast in my life apart from a cup of milk and coffee. at the beginning of this year, during a vacation, i got used to having breakfast for a couple weeks, because it was such a nice moment at my friends’ place, because everything had a slower pace and the weather was beautiful and the food yummy and… i decided i wanted to continue once i got back home.
so this is what super breakfast lazy me does: i kept my usual cup of milk and coffee, and then have: a slice of toast with butter and/or jam, or sweet bread with raisins, or pancakes with maple syrup, or something similar (i usually prepare one of these things in the weekend, then portion and freeze/put in the fridge the leftovers, then reheat/toast accordingly. you absolutely don’t have to bake your own bread, but i’d encourage to buy the nice stuff from a baker, not the industrial kind), or yogurt and muesli, or overnight oats.
i make my own muesli about once every two months with a recipe from that friend i was staying with, because i love it, but really, find a nice brand without added sugar (i have nothing against sugar unless it is not justifiable, and in muesli it’s really not) and you’re good to go. my breakfast bowl is: plain white yogurt, muesli, fruit, sometimes a splash of maple syrup. i usually have fresh fruit, but sometimes i’ll chop it and cook it with a bit of water so it won’t stick, and then keep it in a jar and use it over the next few days (i do this when i have too much fruit that needs to be used, or with fruit that i prefer cooked over yogurt, like apples).
about overnight oats, i make them in a jar, just layering: oats about 1/4 of the jar. some raisins. 2 tsps of chia and 2 of flax seeds. pour almond milk until it’s barely covered (i like the flavor, normal milk would work as well). top with yogurt – until 2/3 of the jar. add a few whole almonds. top with fresh fruit and honey or maple syrup if you want. put the lid and leave it overnight in the fridge.
sometimes i’ll change the raisins or almonds to other fruit/nuts. sometimes i’ll add shredded coconut (it’s yummy with bananas, and chocolate chips would be heavenly as well).
and in the morning it’s there, ready and waiting for you 🙂
my point is that even if something isn’t an habit for you, you can get used to it… and even like it better than it was before… you just have to be motivated and willing to adjust your routine.
So true: no one can cook anything if their cupboards are bare, no matter how simple the recipe and ingredients! And a lot of people think quinoa is weird because they’ve never heard of it, but if you cook with it a few times it’s no longer weird – it’s all a matter of perspective. Also instead of quinoa you could use cous cous or rice (they’re all cooked the same way: simmered in water or vegetable stock until they’ve absorbed it and gone soft), so if you think of it like that it’s not weird at all. 🙂
i agree that you can’t really expect to have a deliciuos meal without the appropriate ingredients…
i am used to cooking from scratch all of my meals (and don’t think it’s a big deal), but i have never had breakfast in my life apart from a cup of milk and coffee. at the beginning of this year, during a vacation, i got used to having breakfast for a couple weeks, because it was such a nice moment at my friends’ place, because everything had a slower pace and the weather was beautiful and the food yummy and… i decided i wanted to continue once i got back home.
so this is what super breakfast lazy me does: i kept my usual cup of milk and coffee, and then have: a slice of toast with butter and/or jam, or sweet bread with raisins, or pancakes with maple syrup, or something similar (i usually prepare one of these things in the weekend, then portion and freeze/put in the fridge the leftovers, then reheat/toast accordingly. you absolutely don’t have to bake your own bread, but i’d encourage to buy the nice stuff from a baker, not the industrial kind), or yogurt and muesli, or overnight oats.
i make my own muesli about once every two months with a recipe from that friend i was staying with, because i love it, but really, find a nice brand without added sugar (i have nothing against sugar unless it is not justifiable, and in muesli it’s really not) and you’re good to go. my breakfast bowl is: plain white yogurt, muesli, fruit, sometimes a splash of maple syrup. i usually have fresh fruit, but sometimes i’ll chop it and cook it with a bit of water so it doesn’t stick, and then keep it in a jar and use it over the next few days (i do this when i have too much fruit that needs to be used, or with fruit that i prefer cooked over yogurt, like apples).
about overnight oats, i make them in a jar, just layering: oats about 1/4 of the jar. some raisins. 2 tsps of chia and 2 of flax seeds. pour almond milk until it’s barely covered (i like the flavor, normal milk would work as well). top with yogurt – until 2/3 of the jar. add a few whole almonds. top with fresh fruit and honey or maple syrup if you want. put the lid and leave it overnight in the fridge.
sometimes i’ll change the raisins or almonds to other fruit/nuts. sometimes i’ll add shredded coconut (it’s yummy with bananas, and chocolate chips would be heavenly as well). sometimes i’ll use different seeds. it’s really adjustable.
and in the morning it’s there, ready and waiting for you 🙂
my point is that even if something isn’t an habit for you, you can get used to it… and even like it better than it was before… you just have to be motivated and willing to adjust your routine.
I don’t have any recipes to add, but what I will say for cookbooks like this is: you don’t have to follow the recipe to a T! Buy your yogurt of choice (because seriously, I love cooking and still can’t be bothered to make certain staples from scratch), whatever grains work for you (have I heard you can get precooked quinoa in those steamer bags now?), and fruits that appeal to you, and use the pictures and recipes as inspiration! It’s a bunch of stuff dumped (or arranged, as Ariel would say) into a bowl – it is definitely not a science.
Apple cinnamon oatmeal: Soak steel cut oats in yogurt or milk of your choice in the fridge overnight (1:2 oats to milk ratio is a good starting point). Throw in some chopped apples and cinnamon in the morning and enjoy! Can be served hot or cold. Delicious variations include adding almond butter or maple syrup.
Cooked pasta (I like the spiral ones for this recipe) topped with chopped tomato, lettuce and sliced deli ham. Then tossed with (bottled) Italian dressing. I got this recipe from the Poor Girl Eats Well Facebook page, except she used smoked salmon instead of ham (and maybe she used a fancier dressing?) You could also substitute cooked chicken breast, canned beans (like chick peas), hard boiled egg, or sliced egg omelet. Or substitute cucumber for the lettuce, etc. No cooking needed other than for the pasta which only requires boiling water. Pretty easy and delish!
Or cooked pasta topped with olive oil, garlic powder (fry up some minced fresh garlic if you have it, though), and parmesan cheese (yeah, the stuff from the shaker, or leftover packets from pizza deliveries). Then add sliced cherry/grape tomatoes and chopped green onion, if you have them. It’s incredibly delicious, and very simple. You can also add red pepper flakes.
I’m not a big fan of sweet foods for breakfast, and I’m lazy in the morning. I like to prepare a big pot of whatever grain (quinoa, white or brown rice or whole wheat couscous are some of my favorites) over the weekend, along with some sauteed veggies (I love spinach, onion, mushroom and tomato in any combination), and then scoop out individual servings on weekday mornings to top with a fried or scrambled egg. Sometimes I add some feta or blue cheese or Parmesan if I feel like it, or some sliced avocado. The key is to have the grains and veggies pre-cooked so breakfast can be ready as quickly as I can cook an egg! Sometimes, if I’m tired of eggs, I’ll scramble up some crumbled seasoned tofu over the weekend instead, and then all I have to do is assemble my bowl and microwave it. Also, did you know oatmeal could be savory too? (Top with leftover cooked veggies, fried egg, drizzle of olive oil, Parmesan = yum!)
For non-breakfast meals, my favorite easy bowl is kind of like a deconstructed vegetarian taco salad. Black beans (from a can), rice, tomatoes, black olives, shredded cheddar, avocado and/or sour cream, salsa and a few tortilla chips crumbled on top.
Rice (if you have it, but actually doesn’t require it), a can of black beans, shredded cheddar cheese. Throw in microwave and heat up til the cheese starts to melt. Add things like pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste (I throw in a lot of each). Eat.
You can put spinach or kale under the rice and beans before microwaving to cook it at the same time.
Also, trader joe’s sells pre-seasoned black beans- I think they are called Cuban-style. They are nice because they add flavor with fewer ingredients.
Yes! Flavored beans are already delicious. And I have put kale in this mixture before, and it was quite tasty! Added a nice crunch as fresh, but I’ll have to try microwaving it under the beans as you said! 🙂
“You can put spinach or kale under the rice and beans before microwaving to cook it at the same time.” You fucking genius, you!!! That just blew my mind.
My Beloved Flatmate (emerita) and I used to have a joking name for our bowl recipes: Pasta With Things! Especially in high summer, one of my favorites is this: throw together minced garlic (a couple of cloves), fresh tomatoes, and if possible fresh herbs to taste. If you’re feeling fancy, add a zucchini. Add liberal quantity of fresh ground black pepper, drizzle the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil, and let sit… either for a whole afternoon, or for as long as it takes pasta to boil, but the longer the better. Then boil your pasta water, cook and drain pasta, throw delicious tomato mixture on top, add optional cheese (because who doesn’t like cheese?)
I also recently found this, which I love: http://www.heathergnutrition.com/2015/07/23/summer-squash-ribbons-with-sage-and-manchego/
Back when I was cooking for just me, I had a stash of “Cheap & Easy Single Girl (double entendre intended) Meals” that were all variations on a theme:
1. Rice or quinoa and beans, season with your favorite tex-mex flavors (cumin, onion, garlic, oregano, some chili flakes), add in whatever of the following floats your boat/you have on hand: diced avocado, ground beef, diced chicken, chedder, pepperjack, corn, diced pepper, sour cream, etc. Voila, taco bowl!
2. Make polenta, stir in a shit ton of cheddar or goat cheese and (a) some frozen peas OR (b) just put an egg on it (fried capers are amazing with this one but I fear that isn’t Megan Simple)
Ohmygods fried capers are amazing!!!
I don’t like yogurt on its own, so recipes like that don’t usually do it for me. My partner does like yogurt though, especially with granola. It sounds daunting, but homemade granola is super easy to make, and much much cheaper than store bought. I use a slow cooker recipe my partner found and it’s great, though I’m cheap and use rice crispies where the author uses a fancy organic brown rice cereal, http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/01/12/healthy-5-ingredient-slow-cooker-granola/
Another good, quick breakfast option is smoothies. All you need for a basic one is frozen fruit, a liquid component, and yogurt. One of my favorites is half a frozen banana, 1/4 cup each frozen strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, 1/3 (ish) cup of orange juice, and a serving of lemon yogurt. Nut butters are also good in smoothies, this is one of my personal favorites, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pie-for-breakfast-shake/ I always prep mine the night before, just put the frozen fruit and liquid in your blender cup the night before and leave it in the fridge. The fruit will soften a bit but stay cold, then in the morning add your yogurt, nut butter, honey, etc, and blend away!
A note to people: if you’re going to have frozen banana, definitely peel and preferable chop the banana BEFORE freezing it – even a mostly-peeled banana is a pain to use straight from the freezer 😀
Hahaha, very true! Also good to note, freezing fresh fruit yourself can be cheaper, and is very easy. Just line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, wash/peel your fruit and cut as needed, then stick it in the freezer for a few hours, then transfer to a zip top bag. Also great for saving fruit that you bought and then forgot about!
I actually freeze bananas whole and unpeeled. Just take a banana and throw it in the freezer; no preparation or containers/bags needed. To use them (in smoothies, any kind of baking or banana pancakes) I put them in a bowl of room temperature water for about 15 minutes. The peel will basically just fall off when you start peeling it and you end up with cold, mushy bananas that are super easy to blend or just mash with a fork.
When I’m in the mood to pretend I like a healthy breakfast (instead of buttered white toast) I do one banana (fresh, because they last about a week in the bowl so are easy to top up), a large spoonful of peanut butter, a large spoonful of cocoa powder, and milk. Blitz, drink, feel like you’ve got the whole health thing sussed while still getting to drink what’s essentially a chocolate milkshake for breakfast.
My go to lazy dinner (with many leftovers for lunches): Couscous topped with salad greens and roasted sweet potatoes with a drizzle of Annie’s Green Goddess Dressing. Sometimes when I am not wanting to turn on the oven I do a microwave baked sweet potato instead of roasting them.
I have ryebread and peanutbutter in my fridge as my daily go to breakfast. Neither ever goes bad. Toast the bread and eat while warm with the nut butter or basically whatever’s left in the fridge of cheese, cuts, meat etc. Or with a fried egg.
I always keep falafels and pitabread in the freezer which cam be mixed with almost any veg.
When home alone i have pasta with a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil and italian arrabiata mix ( dried chili-parsley-garlic).
My favorite new breakfast bowl consists of dumping plain yogurt, blueberries, pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes into a bowl. Mix and eat.
My go-to easy lunch that I make about once a week is a collard greens and black eyed peas concoction. The only fresh produce I need is collard greens. And to wash it, I use this AWESOME spin top-esque salad spinner: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001QTVT4A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469641075&sr=1-1&pi=SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41n8Sy0slyL&ref=plSrch. It actually makes washing greens fun! For the rest of the ingredients, I use frozen, pre-chopped onions, a can of black eyed peas and a jar of minced garlic. For the full recipe you can go here: http://our.lonestar.life/2015/04/30/sauteed-collard-greens-with-beans-and-onions/.
i agree that you can’t really expect to have a deliciuos meal without the appropriate ingredients…
i am used to cooking from scratch all of my meals (and don’t think it’s a big deal), but i have never had breakfast in my life apart from a cup of milk and coffee. at the beginning of this year, during a vacation, i got used to having breakfast for a couple weeks, because it was such a nice moment at my friends’ place, because everything had a slower pace and the weather was beautiful and the food yummy and… i decided i wanted to continue once i got back home.
so this is what super breakfast lazy me does: i kept my usual cup of milk and coffee, and then have: a slice of toast with butter and/or jam, or sweet bread with raisins, or pancakes with maple syrup, or something similar (i usually prepare one of these things in the weekend, then portion and freeze/put in the fridge the leftovers, then reheat/toast accordingly. you absolutely don’t have to bake your own bread, but i’d encourage to buy the nice stuff from a baker, not the industrial kind), or yogurt and muesli, or overnight oats.
i make my own muesli about once every two months with a recipe from that friend i was staying with, because i love it, but really, find a nice brand without added sugar (i have nothing against sugar unless it is not justifiable, and in muesli it’s really not) and you’re good to go. my breakfast bowl is: plain white yogurt, muesli, fruit, sometimes a splash of maple syrup. i usually have fresh fruit, but sometimes i’ll chop it and cook it with a bit of water so it won’t stick, and then keep it in a jar and use it over the next few days (i do this when i have too much fruit that needs to be used, or with fruit that i prefer cooked over yogurt, like apples).
about overnight oats, i make them in a jar, just layering: oats about 1/4 of the jar. some raisins. 2 tsps of chia and 2 of flax seeds. pour almond milk until it’s barely covered (i like the flavor, normal milk would work as well). top with yogurt – until 2/3 of the jar. add a few whole almonds. top with fresh fruit and honey or maple syrup if you want. put the lid and leave it overnight in the fridge.
sometimes i’ll change the raisins or almonds to other fruit/nuts. sometimes i’ll add shredded coconut (it’s yummy with bananas, and chocolate chips would be heavenly as well).
and in the morning it’s there, ready and waiting for you 🙂
my point is that even if something isn’t an habit for you, you can get used to it… and even like it better than it was before… you just have to be motivated and willing to adjust your routine.
Oatmeal + sugar + cocoa powder + milk (almond milk?) = epic. Especially if you have a zombie head bowl so it looks like you’re eating chocolate brains.
My favourite easy one-bowl meal is a sweet potato chilli from here: http://www.simple-veganista.com/2013/03/sweet-potato-quinoa-chili.html
Cook up some quinoa and sweet potato (bite-size pieces, also you can substitute other orange veg like carrot or butternut squash) in some veg stock, when cooked add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree, a couple of tins of beans (black beans work really well, as do aduki, but any would be fine, and lentils could probably be used too) and all the flavouring – garlic and onion (dried if you can’t be bothered to chop and fry!), whatever herbs you have, cumin, paprika, and salt, pepper and chilli powder to taste. The recipe doesn’t use it but a bit of creamed coconut would probably go well too. Once all that’s heated through it’s ready. It’s so simple and easy I’ve cooked it in one big pot over a campfire for 20 people.
I looked through some of those recipes with the book preview feature on Amazon, and yeah, they seem a bit fussy. So let’s break this down.
Grains: These don’t have to be super-fancy-pants hard-to-find ingredients. You can use rice, oatmeal, or pasta. Try quinoa if you’re feeling fancy.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables: Just use whatever fruits or vegetables you can find in the grocery store that you like.
Delicious dressing: You can literally use a bottle of salad dressing here, if you’re going for something savory. If you want a sweet breakfast dish, try mixing some citrus juice (orange, lemon, or lime) with some honey. Or just use straight honey or maple syrup as your “dressing.”
Yogurt, etc.: If you want yogurt or granola as part of your breakfast bowl, there’s absolutely no reason you have to make it yourself (unless you want to, of course). Just buy some at the grocery store.
My favorite breakfast “grain bowl” is steel cut oatmeal. I use my tiny 2-cup Little Dipper slow cooker to cook the oats overnight: 1/4 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup water, a couple of shakes from the salt shaker, and a little ground cinnamon. In the morning, I add some raisins or blueberries and let it sit for a few minutes with the lid on to “cook” the fruit. That’s it. You can easily substitute pretty much any fresh, dried, or frozen fruit (if you use frozen, run it under some cold water first to thaw it). Add some nuts if you want protein, and the aforementioned honey or maple syrup if you want extra sweetness.
For lunch or dinner: Cook some rice, pasta, or quinoa and dump it in a bowl. Add in some protein (you could use canned beans, cooked eggs, or any kind of pre-cooked meat, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces) and whatever vegetables you like. I typically like to stir fry my veggies, but if that’s too complicated, you could use the steam-in-the-bag microwavable stuff from the frozen section. Then add your “dressing.” I like to combine lemon juice and soy sauce, or sometimes lemon juice with white wine and melted butter. Or you could always use salad dressing or a sauce from a bottle or jar. And now you’ve made a grain bowl!
Overnight oats topped with whatever I feel like (swirl of pb, nuts, jam, syrup, fresh or dried fruit, crunchy coconut chips) are lifesavers and the ingredients just get stirred together and hang out in the fridge until I want them. Same with smoothies; make a few servings worth and store in the fridge. Dinners are usually a bit more structured, but rice or pasta or quinoa (all cook in less than half an hour) make a good base for just about anything. Any of those three mixed with sauteed veggies and a squeeze of lemon is a good bet.
Pasta salads are great ‘bowl food.’ My fave go to is 1 red onion chopped, 1 red pepper chopped, half a cucumber chopped, a handful of fresh basil (shredded), vinaigrette, chickpeas (1 can), and pasta of your choice. Mix and serve cold. Sometimes I add nuts depending on my mood.
I also like stir frying veggies in a sauce (there are tons of stir fry sauces out there to choose from) then dumping them in rice, noodles, or couscous (which takes 5 min. to cook, can’t get much easier). You can make it easier by finding a frozen veggie blend for stir fry. You can add in chicken, beef, or bits too.
Tomato basil pasta is a favorite of mine.
1. Cook some pasta of your choosing
2. While the pasta is cooking, cut up some grape tomatoes and fresh basil (we keep a whole plant on the back steps – best $10 spent ever), and throw them in a bowl big enough to fit them and the pasta together.
3. Add some chopped garlic (I use the minced garlic in a jar for freshness minus the chopping, about a kitchen spoonful)
4. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper
5. Drizzle olive oil over the whole thing
6. Add the pasta into the bowl once its done, and mix!
This is awesome hot or cold, and can easily be mixed with cheese and chicken for a more complete meal, but I’m usually too lazy. Spinach would probably be a decent addition too, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Kitchen utensils to splurge on to make it easier: a tomato knife, and food scissors for the basil
Quinoa and avocado. So good, so easy. You can get crazy and microwave a sweet potato to throw in there. Love it. I’ve also been doing a lot with buckwheat groats, nice alternative to rice and more toothy than quinoa. I love My New Roots for amazingly healthy food porn but a lot of it is obscure or requires a lot of prep. But every so often she has a great, easy recipe on there that I flip for. The life-changing loaf of bread is one of my favorites. Her dark chocolate, coconut, groat granola was the reason I ever even tried buckwheat groats in the first place. About once a month I make a batch of that and it’s then a super quick breakfast because I just open the jar it’s stored in and throw it in yogurt. She’s REALLY healthy so sometimes I go off recipe to sweeten things up for my raging sweet tooth or I add some meat; all her recipes are vegetarian.
I like plain greek yogurt, the one with the fat is better because it has less sugar than the nonfat varieties, I then add frozen fruits unthawed ( I like them that way,don’t ask me why) and then I top that mixture with a healthy spread of grape nut cereal. This is my go to breakfast. I love it. The frozen fruit chills the yogurt so it is more like ice cream and keeps it from making the cereal soggy. I never put milk on my cereal. I hate milk and I love crunchy. BTW, when I eat ice cream it must be rock hard so I can chew it. Seriously.
Best dinner after long hot day, Greek salad. Chop up cucumbers so they fit on a fork, tomatoes either chopped or buy the little ones. Feta a lot or a little to taste tossed on top (mozza also good). Olives. (Well if you like olives, I love olives so it’s like half olives, and i put like three kinds on it.)
Dressing can be fancy or not. Vinegar (whatever kind you got) and a little oil drizzled on is where I start, maybe black pepper, maybe basil one night, maybe oregano, lemon juice, any combination. It’s different every time I make it.
Not all meal-in-a-bowl, but my favorite LITERALLY five-minute or less meals:
Avocado and fried egg on toast. Turn on stove burner and crack egg into a skillet. Put a slice of bread in toaster on 4-minute setting. While those cook, cut and mash up half an avocado. When the toast pops up, flip the egg over and take the pan off heat to finish cooking. Spread the avocado on the toast and dot with hot sauce. Move egg to top.
Couscous with veggies. Cook couscous (five minutes). While it’s cooking, cut up tomato, avocado, cucumber, peppers (insert other veggies of choice). Mix together and top with balsamic vinegar.
Ciabatta bread spread with goat cheese, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with dried basil, slices of tomato on top under the broiler for a few minutes.
Yogurt, granola, blueberry parfait.
Quinoa (made beforehand, kept in a tupperware in the fridge) with a dollop of peanut butter. Microwave one minute. Could also sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on.
PBJ is the best handheld meal on the go. My mom made PBJs for breakfast for my sis and I for the ENTIRETY of elementary school because we could eat them in the car with no dishes.
Cereal.