When you serve a meal that makes your kids say (and I quote) “I could eat this every single night!” you know you did something right.
But when that meal happens to be filled with:
healthy protein,
a rainbow variety of veggies,
wholesome (gluten-free) grains,
and it is served in one simple bowl (hello easy cleanup) then you’re basically high-fiving your own bad self.
So let’s talk burrito bowls.
Rice bowls?
I don’t know, call them what you like, but they are our family’s latest dinner obsession.
Bowls are the new burrito. Bowls are pretty much all of the ingredients inside a burrito, piled on top of a bed of rice (or other grain).
Here’s the base ingredients to make a killer bowl:
RICE (quinoa, or any mix grain you like)
PROTEIN (chicken, steak, shrimp, beans, tofu…you choose.)
CHEESE (if you like – and any you like. Cheddar, goat cheese, pepper jack… or skip it. No biggie.)
VEGGIES (May I recommend: tomatoes, corn, sweet peppers, onion, baked sweet potato, roasted broccoli, and then of course fresh romaine, kale or any leafy lettuce chopped up well.)
DRESSING (Up to you. Ranch, balsamic vinaigrette, your choice. Or forget the dressing.)
AVOCADO. (Not required, but highly recommended.)
FRESH CILANTRO (and/or any herbs/toppings you like.)
The key with burrito bowls (as with life,) is to have a few things prepped ahead of time. A rotisserie chicken can save you a lot of time, but I often just grill extra chicken breasts (or steak) to have on hand for such a time as this. I try to put rice in the rice cooker ahead of time so it’s ready and waiting. (though the packets of pre-cooked rice are nothing short of genius.) Also (for the veggie bowl) I baked sweet potatoes the day before, and refrigerated them to cube up and toss on the bowls. (and then kissed my self the next day.) Most of the other veggies are raw, but there are no rules: I added roasted broccoli on the veggie bowl, and you could also toss on any other cooked veggies that you happened to have on hand. (the creative use of leftovers is a worthy mom-goal.) Even if you’re smack out of fresh anything–a can of beans, salsa, and some cheese will do the job. Bowls are boss, I’m telling you.
Today I’m sharing three of our favorite bowl combos, but the possibilities are endless. In fact, my favorite idea is having a burrito-bowl-bar, where everyone loads up with what they want to make a custom burrito bowl. Who wouldn’t want to come to that party?
BARBECUE CHICEKN BURRITO BOWL (Our family favorite)
My bbq chicken bowl begins with brown rice, which is topped with rotisserie chicken slathered with bbq sauce, a spoonful of black beans, 1/4 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese, a few colorful tomatoes and sweet peppers, kale, romaine, onions, fresh cilantro, avocado, (optional: drizzle with a bit of ranch dressing.)
CHICKEN TACO BURRITO BOWL:
This chicken taco bowl starts with brown rice, and is topped with taco-seasoned shredded chicken breast, shredded cheddar cheese, corn (thawed from frozen,) sweet onion, tomatoes, kidney beans, romaine lettuce, cilantro, a drizzle of ranch dressing, and a lime wedge to squeeze on top. Mmmm.
ALL VEGGIE BURRITO BOWL: (A personal favorite!)
My veggie bowl begins with a delicious blend of whole grain, chia seeds, barley, and flax (I discovered the packets at Costco recently and my quality of life went up immediately.) On top of the rice blend is broccoli — roasted with olive oil and sea salt (YUM!), sweet peppers, colorful tomatoes, Okinawa sweet potato cubes (you can use basic sweet potatoes, too!) and kale. I drizzled a bit of balsamic vinaigrette on top as well as some fresh cilantro. So good! (Side note: Some garbanzo or any other bean would be a great addition to this one–adding more protein as well.)
My boys love these. Even Levi, who is ridiculous about veggies, devoured his taco bowl without more than three or four picky moments. (that’s really good, trust me.)
You know what else I love? These things are so beautiful to look at.
I thought about framing some of these pictures because: that color! Healthy food is so pretty.
Ok now. I’m done.
Go make some bowls and make your family happy!
If you are already a burrito bowl boss, I hope you’ll comment and tell us what you like to put on yours. If not then just talk to me about your weekend: Doing anything fun? Whatcha cooking?
As always, thank you for pinning and sharing! 🙂
Have a great one!
XO
Monica
It was very hot in Cape Town today and I couldn’t think what to make for supper that was light and easy. Then I remembered seeing your post on the weekend. And I made a bowl with BBQ chicken, rice & quinoa, avo, tomato, cucumber, corn, broccoli and cheese. My three kids (7,4,1 yrs) loved it!! It will definitely be a regular. Thank you!
Oh that makes me happy! I just love that you can throw just about anything in a bowl and mix it up and it works!! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Blessings to you in Cape Town…(someday I will visit that area!!! :)) Aloha!
So funny as I made these two days before you posted this! I have 3 boys (including an 8 wk old) and my husband was out of town for a few days. Trying not to throw the towel in on my normally healthy cooking which I love to do. But sleep deprivation from night feedings and two other rowdy boys all day were making dinner and prep feel daunting. Somehow the idea for burrito bowls came into my head and same here…my kids loved them! Serious win when it’s kid approved, easy AND healthy! We did shredded chicken which I had thrown in the crock pot…it only took 2 hours for a few breasts….easy with some olive oil and seasoning. I threw some brown rice in a pot and as long as you plan to have enough time for that to cook it’s mostly hands off. Then I opened a can of black beans, verde salsa (my fav) and did the frozen corn zapped in the microwave and cilantro, fresh tomato, cheese, and sour cream. We love your bbq chicken salad…it’s become a summer favorite in my family…so I love that idea for a bowl. Also made me smile to see the purple sweet potatoes since we lived in Okinawa for a few years! Excited to have some ideas for other variations…will be a go to meal when Daddy is traveling!
OH that is so great, Elizabeth. Thinking your husband may like these too! (Mine loves them!) I always wondered if they actually have Okinawa sweet potatoes in Okinawa! Fun that you lived there. Thanks so much for sharing! Much aloha-
Thank you so much! I just added it to our menu this week!
Oh good! I have no doubt it’ll be a hit. 🙂 (But I’d love it if you reported back, ok?) XO Aloha!
Fabulous post!!! My kids will love making up their own bowls. Keep these great posts coming lol
Thank you! Yep–My boys love putting their own bowls together as well. Hope you all enjoy and keep me posted! Aloha-
Wow, these look delicious! Can’t wait to try these recipes. “Deconstructed” burritos. Less mess, less carbs! Last night we made your recipe for white bean chicken chili–again! The whole family helped to make it. We lined up while Tommy served it up in our bowls! We had fun. 🙂 Thanks for your healthy, yummy recipes!
Oh I love hearing that Wendy! Makes my heart happy. Glad to see you here, I need to find your email still and reply! 🙂 Much love to you and the family!
These look great! I especially like the purple sweet potatoes in the vegetable. Do you also make or have recipes for poke bowls?
Thanks Mark! My sons actually are the poke pros. They make poke using their fresh-caught fish> 🙂 I’ll have to share their favorite recipe sometime. It’s really easy and so good!