Protein Bowl Guide: a quick and healthy meal idea

A protein bowl is a great way to make a health, balanced dish for any meal of the day (yes, even breakfast!). Pile a bunch of colorful, nutrient-dense ingredients into a bowl and call it a win! It will look beautiful even when it’s an excuse to use up all the leftover!

Benefits of a Balanced Meal

Eating well doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, well kept secret: healthy eating shouldn’t be complicated.

Enter: balance.

Balance in portion sizes. In macronutrients and micronutrients. In color and variety! Across the board, you will feel and perform better with a wide array of ingredients that keep each other nutritionally and calorically in balance.

In the short run balanced meals guarantee a dish that looks pretty and is fun to eat. A meal that’s meets your nutritional goals and satisfies your taste buds. In the long term, a balanced meal…

1. Prevents illness and disease. When you give your body a wide range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibers and other nutrients, you give your immune system all of the ammunition it needs to fight off infection and prevent certain diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even some cancers.
2. Supports weight loss/gain efforts. Crash diets aren’t sustainable (or healthy). The only long-term diet advice that I know works is this: balance.
3. Is great for mental health, energy. and performance When you start to balance your nutrient intake – both macro and micro – your body thrives. It has the energy it needs to #getshitdone and it has the support nutrients it needs to function at your highest capacity.

Your Bowl, Your Goals

My favorite part about protein bowls is not the opportunity for amazing flavor or an Insta-worthy dish. My favorite part is that you, your significant other, your friends and your family can use the same ingredients to build a personalized bowl that works for your specific goals.

My husband and I don’t share body types. And other than being fit and healthy, we don’t share specific fitness goals either. But we can both enjoy and reap the benefits of a protein bowl at dinner time.

If weight loss is your goal, your in luck. A protein bowl is a great way to pile on the veggies and add bulk to a calorie restricted diet.

In build mode? Pile on the protein and grains.

If you follow a Keto diet, or Paleo, or Whole 30 again, a protein bowl can be tailored to your preferences, dietary choices and body goals!

Protein Bowls for Diet Beginners

If you’re just stepping into the diet world and starting to pay more attention to what you’re eating, start here.

You want to keep it simple. And to do that, I prefer using portion control instead of calorie or macro counting. Honestly, it’s all you really need to get your healthy eating habits on track!

Here’s how it works:

• Protein: 1 serving = the size of your flattened palm.
• Vegetables: 1 serving = the size of your fist. I’m pretty keen on the idea that for leafy greens and lighter vegetables like cucumbers and peppers, the sky is the limit.
• Starches/carbohydrates: 1 serving = what can fit into your cupped hand. This includes starchy vegetables like potatoes, and starchy proteins like beans.
• Fats: 1 serving = the size of your thumb. Think nuts, seeds, avocado and heart healthy oils.

In general, shoot for 1-2 of each category per meal, or 3-4 per day of each, total.

The nice thing about portion sizes is that first of all, your measuring tools are always with you. Second, hands tend to be proportionate to body size. A bigger/taller person tends to have bigger hands and also tends to need more calories. A smaller/shorter person tends to have smaller hands and to need fewer calories in general.

*The above suggestions are a starting point to help you get on track and recognize portion sizes. As your progress and narrow in your goals and focus, you’ll want to/need to personalize these suggestions.

Protein Bowls for Macro Trackers

If you’re a more advanced dieter or already track macros, eating a protein bowl makes tracking really easy. Because you build your bowl, you can see exactly how much of each ingredient goes into the final dish.

Keep in mind too, that a lot of whole foods contain more than one macro. So if you’re trying to boost your protein intake, grains and lentils can help you inch closer to the macro goal. If you’re trying to keep carbs in check, adding more greens and non-starchy vegetables will help you keep carbs (and calories in general) low.

Protein Bowl Guide: Build a Better Meal

Let’s get started with the steps to building your protein bowl. And don’t forget to download your cheat sheet at the end!

Step 1: Pick your base

Scoop a serving (more or less, depending on your goals and appetite), of your choice of grains into the bottom of your bowl or plate.

Choose complex starches and carbs which are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. This is a great way to use up leftovers. It’s also a great starter food for meal prep and big batch cooking! Cooked grains will last in the fridge for the full work week.

• Brown or wild rice
• Quinoa
• Amaranth
• Teff
• Barley
• Lentils
• Couscous
• Whole wheat pasta (or chickpea pasta)
• Roasted, diced potatoes or sweet potatoes

I’m a big fan of using my Instant Pot to cook grains. It’s fast, it’s convenient and it’s almost always cooked to perfection. If you’re nervous about cooking grains, The Whole Grain Council (yes, that’s a thing), provides a great guide for a wide array of grains.

Step 2: Choose your greens

Leafy greens add a ton of bulk to your bowl, which is exceptionally beneficial if you’re dieting and cutting some calories. Plus, they add great color and depending on the greens you choose, a crunch factor.

• Spinach
• Arugula
• Kale
• Mixed greens
• Romaine lettuce
• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Swiss chard
• Frisee
• Endive

It’s up to you if you want to serve your greens raw or cooked. Some greens do well cooked, especially dark, leafy greens like kale, mustard greens and collards. Others are much better raw. Your choice!

Step 3: Pack it with protein

This is a great way to use up leftovers from last night. Chopped up leftover chicken or pulled rotisserie chicken, ground beef from taco Tuesday, and even sliced deli meat from weekday lunches are all great options.

If you don’t have leftovers, a quick trip to the grocery store can load you up for weeks with little to no effort. Here are some of my favorite sources of protein for these bowls:

• Shredded chicken – roasted, rotisserie, stir fried…
• Ground beef or bison
• Instant pot pulled pork
• Salmon – roasted or smoked
• Tuna – raw or quick seared
• Shrimp
• Eggs – hard boiled, fried or poached
• Natural deli meat – choose low sodium and in-house roasted if possible
• Tofu
• Beans or bean burgers
• Chickpeas, chickpea burgers, hummus or roasted chickpeas
• Surimi (white fish made to look like crab)

Step 4: Go veggie heavy

This is where you can have fun adding bulk and color (and vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants…). Fill up your protein bowl with veggies, cooked or raw!

• Asparagus
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Peppers
• Squash

Step 5: Top it off

Toppings are absolutely key to a bangin’ bowl. Have some fun and remember: you eat with your eyes so that more color and texture you can add, the more satisfying your meal will be.

• Nuts – almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans
• Seeds – sunflower, pepita, chia, flax, hemp, sesame
• Chopped, sliced or mashed avocado
• Fresh herbs
• Dried or fresh fruit
• Turkey bacon bits
• Bold cheese (the bigger the flavor the less you need to use to get that cheesey flavor)
• Nutritional yeast
• Roasted chickpeas
• Nori

Toppings pack a bunch of flavor but they can also pack some big calories. So use sparingly and go back to your hand portion control guide to deal with fat servings!

Step 6: Select your sauce

Finally, no bowl is complete with a delicious sauce or dressing! Think of this as your final layer of flavor to seal the deal.

You can pick one of your favorites, or mix and match a couple depending on what’s in your bowl and what your in the mood for.

• Citrus vinaigrettes
• Homemade dressings
• Balsamic vinegar and olive oil
• Hummus
• Greek yogurt aioli or herb sauce
• Tzatziki
• Salsa or hot sauce
• Chimichurri
• Pesto

Favorite Protein Bowl Combinations

Looking for some flavor combinations? Try these:

Tex Mex Taco Bowl
Brown rice + black beans + shredded green cabbage + grilled chicken + chopped tomatoes, red onion and roasted red peppers + chopped cilantro + taco seasoning Greek yogurt aioli drizzle

Greek Riviera Bowl
Whole wheat couscous + baby arugula + shrimp + chopped cucumber, tomatoes and red onion + fresh oregano + olives + feta cheese + lemon juice and olive oil

Asian Tuna Bowl
Brown rice + sliced red cabbage + raw tuna poke + sliced white onion + pickled carrots and daikon + Sriracha Greek yogurt aioli + shredded nori + sesame seeds

Free Cheat Sheet (Build a Protein Bowl Download)

Make eating well easier by printing out this cheat sheet and sticking it to your refrigerator. Mix and match ingredients and flavors and no two bowls will be the same, 365 days a year!