When it comes to building a healthy, delicious, flavor-packed lunch, nothing is easier than throwing together a grain bowl. The ingredient and flavor combinations are endless. Don’t let that intimidate you. This chart will help you build an amazing grain bowl every time.

Build a Better Grain Bowl

If you love to cook, this Grain Bowl Builder is the perfect chart to help you mix-and-match flavors, textures and ingredients. If you don’t love to cook,  this is the perfect place to start. Use the chart below to choose your favorite ingredients, then keep scrolling down to learn how to easily prepare grains, veggies and a delicious combination for every meal you prepare.

To help you out, I’ve added a few of my favorite bowl combinations below!

Put It Together

Simple Steps to Building a Grain Bowl

1. Choose a grain. Don’t be scared to experiment with a variety of grains. Some you may be familiar with, some you may never have heard of before. Either way, that’s okay! Grains have been around forever and if your ancestors could cook them over a wood-fired stove with no Alexa to set a timer for them, you can cook some today.>>How to Cook Grains Perfectly: Whole Grain Cooking Tips
2. Choose a protein. Don’t skimp on protein! Yes, whole grains contain protein, but your body thrives on protein from a variety of sources. If you’re heading to the gym frequently, this is especially important for you!
3. Vegetables. Notice that I have 2 categories of vegetables in this Grain Bowl Builder. Some vegetables hold and eat better raw, and some pop with flavor and texture once you’ve cooked them.  Use the chart below, from Betty Crocker, to help you decide how to cook your veggies. Side note: my favorite way to cook any vegetable is in a high-heat oven for a short amount of time – you boost the flavor, enhance the texture and keep the color!>>Fresh Vegetable Cooking Chart: Never Guess Again
4. Healthy fats. Don’t be afraid to add healthy fats to your grain bowl! Fats do wonders for your body and skin, and they help you absorb key vitamins you get from vegetables and fruit. *Oils: not all oils are made equally. Look for olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil and nut oils made from high-quality ingredients. Go even further and look for oils made with organic ingredients with methods that don’t involve high-heat processing (which changes the fat profile).
5. Flavor boosts are ingredients that add *duh* flavor without adding much else. I use citrus and vinegar liberally, as well as fresh herbs and spice mixtures (especially on protein before it’s cooked). Grab my full list of flavor boosters from my Healthy Eating Grocery List.
6. Extras are similar to flavor boosts, but they do add more than flavor to the finished grain bowl (i.e. calories, sodium). You don’t need a lot of these full-flavored ingredients to put the finishing touches on your meal.That being said, one ingredient in this column that I believe is an *absolute must* is a homemade vinaigrette. Without a doubt, any vinaigrette that you make at home will be healthier and more flavorful than what you can buy from Mr. Newman (no offense), off the grocery store shelf.>>The Perfect Homemade Vinaigrette, Every Time

Meal Prep It

 If you want to take it to that next level and do some meal prep work, here’s how.

1. Pick a day to shop and prep. If you’re a Sunday ritual kind of person, that’s a once-a-week prep day. But maybe, like me, you split the work into 2 days (i.e. Sunday and Wednesday).
2. Cook and portion servings of your grains.
3. Cook your protein. Leave whole and cut later so that it holds well.
4. Chop vegetables. Roast a few, cool and store in the fridge. Leave others raw.
5. Make 1-2 homemade vinaigrettes (these last, so it doesn’t have to be an every week step if you make large batches of your favorites).

Grain Bowl Combos

Try some of my favorite grain bowl combinations.

Tuna Poke Bowl

Brown rice + tuna poke + shaved carrot + sliced cucumber + diced avocado + Furikake

Tuna Poke:

Marinate in a medium bowl or large Ziplock:

1 pound of ahi grade tuna cut into 1” pieces

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

1 ½ tablespoons of rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

1 tablespoon of sliced green onions

1 teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of finely grated fresh garlic

Tex-Mex Fajita Bowl

Wild rice + black beans + Tex-Mex ground turkey + diced tomato + chopped Romaine + diced onion + lime crema + cilantro

Tex-Mex Ground Turkey:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Once oil is hot, add 1 pound of ground turkey and 1 packet of low-sodium taco seasoning. Cook 8-9 minutes, breaking up turkey and mixing in spices with a wooden spoon, until turkey is fully cooked.

The Mediterranean Bowl

Farro + hummus + grilled chicken + diced cucumber + sun dried tomato + lemon tzatziki + olives + fresh dill

Lemon Tzatziki: grab my favorite Greek Yogurt Tzatziki sauce here.

Spicy Asian Salmon Bowl

Brown basamati rice + salmon + sweet chili sauce + shredded Napa cabbage + sliced red peppers + shredded carrot + diced mango + cilantro + sesame seeds

Autumn Harvest Bowl

Quinoa + roasted butternut squash + roasted beets + roasted Brussels sprouts + celery + dried cranberries + citrus-vinaigrette

Chicken Cobb Grain Bowl

Bulgur + grilled chicken + hard boiled egg + sliced cucumber + diced tomato + sliced onion + blue cheese + lemon + fresh parley

Vegetarian Buddha Bowl

Brown rice + hummus + falafel + roasted beets + shaved carrot + pickled onion + feta + lemon + olive oil