No mangoes to make Mango Tomato Sauce Meatballs, but there is always a pack of frozen vegetables available, so why not? For added fiber and overall nutrition as the more (veggies), the merrier.
That completes today's Meatballs Protein Bowl - steamed vegetables as the base, and portion of pasta to pair with tomato sauce meatballs.
These chicken protein bowls are always what I fall back on no matter how meal plans are changed up over the weeks, or months, even years. They are dependable in terms of ease of preparation, nutrition and taste.
Those in touch with my blog would have known by now how I usually rely on store-bought rotisserie chicken in protein bowls. Though I am fully aware it is not difficult to cook a whole chicken from scratch, I simply cannot afford the time (and energy) when there are other commitments to juggle with.
Since I use store-bought rotisserie chicken quite frequently, I have to make sure of the quality. So I try to get better quality ones - plain roasted (preferred) or classic roast (more widely available in stores) using just chicken, salt and black pepper. Nothing artificial when it comes to flavorings/seasonings.
Never would I have thought that fried chicken would one day be featured in my bowl meals because fried chicken - KFC style, the fried chicken we grew up eating, is one of the last food dishes I would cook at home.
Out of sight, out of mind. Well, that was until this $2 off fried chicken coupon was sighted in my supermarket shopping account. And what can be better than using this discount to buy an item that I would never prepare/cook at home.
How about waiting for a double discount deal? That popped up in my mind. I will wait for a 5-dollar Friday - that's when 8-piece fried chicken goes on sale for $5 (vs other times, almost twice the price, about $9); then use this $2 discount on this 5-dollar Friday.Woot! 8-piece fried chicken (mix of fried drumsticks and thighs) for $3! (pardon the overuse of exclamation marks).
That's frugal living (did you know: our family also uses store-bought whole rotisserie chicken to prep the family's protein bowls); and planning ahead is part of frugal living including today's semi-homecooked bowl meal.
When there was leftover curry chicken, we made Curry Chicken Protein Veggie Bowl. But this time, only gravy remaining and no chicken leftover in the curry chicken! The frugality in me simply wants to "save" that precious gravy (can't waste the essence of curry chicken, right?).
The following day, two different leftovers: shredded chicken breast and curry gravy became good friends - combo created by adding leftover shredded chicken breast into the leftover curry gravy, then reheated to make this Shredded Chicken Curry Veggie Bowl.
This thin-skinned, wrinkled-looking, mild- spicy East Asian pepper variety - Shishito Peppers is one of the easiest chili peppers to prep and cook.
When roasted, the natural "smoked" flavor of these blistered peppers make protein bowls extra delicious.
Most of us yearn to enjoy warm and freshly prepared dishes - dishes which are cooked on the stove or in the oven, brought straight to the dining table; but we do not always have the luxury to do so. Those who meal prep lunch in the morning to bring it on-the-go, do you reheat/warm your lunch box (consider this Electric Steamer/Cooker) when you are at work? Our family usually does not reheat the food items especially when it comes to veggie protein bowls.
This Chicken Veggie Bowl is built from a base of cooked/steamed vegetables, then topped with steamed/stir-fried greens, shredded chicken (freshly cooked or leftovers) and pine nuts (our family enjoys nuts quite a bit and hoping to make our own nut milk in the future).
Edible Chrysanthemum/ Crown Daisy or Shungiku is a floral-fragrant vegetable. They are often added to hotpots and enjoyed like any other "hotpot- friendly" vegetables such as Napa cabbage, Bok Choy, cabbage.
This lovely great-tasting vegetable also serves as natural flavor enhancer in salad bowls and makes this delicious Edible Chrysanthemum Chicken Salad Bowl.
It can also be prepared as a chilled side-salad or appetizer-salad, make healthy sushi or Korean Kimbap/Gimbap or steamed with fish and/or tofu.
Made with in-season sweet corn, fresh crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes, this Sesame Chicken Salad is easy to put together and very delicious (addictive!) to enjoy especially in the summer months.
It is also the perfect summer protein bowl, created with everyday easily available produce and one the most versatile leftovers - chicken breast. Have you tried this 20-minute Leftover Chicken Breast Salad (and many of its variants) yet? Leftover shredded chicken can be easily reheated/warmed up using small kitchen appliances such as electric food steamers. These appliances including this rapid egg steamer are great kitchen helpers and save the busy cook a lot of time during meal prep.
American-Chinese food. Takeout. I'm guilty of both. Once in a long while, Panda Express takeouts will appear at our dining table. It's out of convenience but honestly, my family does not think the food taste THAT bad - price-wise, checked; food quality, checked; in short, value for money.
Shown below, leftover Panda Express Chicken Teriyaki paired with gluten-free high-protein noodles to make this noodle-style salad.
It's back to grain bowls, veggie bowls, protein bowls whatever you call it, once again
Almost like this Broccoli, Green Beans Noodle Salad without gluten-free high-protein noodles, this Broccoli, Green Beans Chicken Breast Protein Bowl is made from leftover rotisserie chicken which to-date is still my family's best wallet-friendly time-saving meal-prep that I am going to repeat for as long as my website is kept alive. Besides, rotisserie chicken is very versatile Broccoli Cauliflower Chicken Quinoa Bowl, 20-minute Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad Sandwich/Wrap, Chicken Collard Wraps.
Do you currently own an electric food steamer? Food steamers is one of my most-often utilized small kitchen appliance in the kitchen.
Some of my favorite ways to prepare kale include stir-fry steam or blanch. For today, let us enjoy blanched kale in this Chicken, Kale and Beets Protein Bowl.
Besides bitter melon and eggplant, okra is another vegetable that falls under the "Love-it-or-Hate-it" list. Quite different from bitter melon which some dislike due to its bitter taste, it is the texture of okra (likewise for eggplant) that puts some people off - mushy eggplant, slimy okra. I am fine with that.
Steamed okra, beets, kale, broccolini, red bell peppers, snap peas, topped with apple
While okra performs well in a stew- or braise-like dish e.g. Pumpkin, Green Bean, Okra Stew, I also enjoy 5-minute steamed okra in warm salad bowls.
Dry? Lack of flavor? That's often associated with ground turkey of lower fat content; but these turkey burgers made from lean ground turkey are not. Instead, they are moist, juicy and so delicious because they are made to be - using onions, zucchini and roasted mushrooms, and a secret ingredient (not-so-secret following this post) - Feta Cheese!
Swap out regular chicken for these healthy and delicious Homemade Zucchini, Feta Cheese Turkey Burgers/ Patties in protein bowls.
They make great burgers and sandwiches as well.
On a separate occasion, fresh tofu-beancurd skin/yuba were stuffed with enoki mushrooms to make Mushroom-Stuffed Tofu-Skin Yuba Rolls, perfect for this veggie bowl.
For vegetarians, omit the shredded chicken as the tofu skin rolls would suffice as plant-protein source. You can also make Yuba Salad which is much simpler compared to oven-baked rolls. I have actually made yuba salad many times, improving (and "perfecting") each time.
A turkey lunch or dinner plate with all things "Thanksgiving" - turkey, green beans, Brussel sprouts, pomegranate, persimmon, sweet potato. These ingredients are all in-season during the month of November.
Honestly not much effort (oh, isn't that all we want ? ) putting together this meal plate, so that we can all enjoy delicious food without breaking any sweat. Besides ready-cooked turkey breast that was store-bought, the vegetables and sweet potatoes were prepared and cooked at home - veggies steamed, and sweet potatoes roasted.
Ham and egg is breakfast combo for some but with sheet-pan cooking, this pair can be bulked up with vegetables and meal-prepped as a lunch component or element that forms part of a full lunch.
Wonton salad is a viable option if you are shunning /staying away from piping hot wonton soups especially in summer. It may sound strange to you but I am perfectly fine, enjoying cooked wontons with pea sprouts and snow peas. A meal with all components (carbs, protein, fiber) considered, isn't it?
If solely greens isn't your cup of tea, add some colors and enjoy this bowl of wontons with steamed beets, and cabbage.
Store-bought rotisserie chicken is our saviour when it comes to meal prepping for weekdays lunch and dinner (that's 10 meals!)
Make healthy protein bowls in a jiffy such as Chicken Broccoli Sweet Potato Bowl, Chicken Cauliflower Quinoa Bowl; also save and shred chicken breast the next day for Chicken Cabbage Salad, Chicken Broccoli with High-Protein-Noodle Salad, Chicken Salad Sandwich.
No time to shred the chicken breast? Simply enjoy chunky breast meat like an entree, with freshly steamed/roasted vegetables.
This meal today takes no more than 10 minutes cook time, with another 10 minutes preparation time to slice/prep the veggies. If you already have the veggies sliced/cut in advance: Congratulations! Because dinner will be ready in no more than 20 minutes, just like this 20-minute Sous Vide Beef Salad Bowl.
Vegetable egg frittata is not only a quick and easy way to sneak in more veggies, and count it as regular vegetables intake, it also conveniently supplements as protein add-ons to a protein-veggie bowl e.g. Curry Chicken Veggie Bowl with Egg, Broccoli Chicken Salad with Egg.
For example, make Chive Egg Frittata and enjoy the extra boost of protein (egg) with fiber, vitamins and minerals (from the chive vegetable) in this chicken-veggie bowl.
This Curry Chicken Protein Veggie Bowl should have been done earlier but it's never too late and especially in the chilly months of winter, there has never been a better time for curry (and spice!). The idea of curry chicken in a protein/ grain bowl came about because of some leftovers we had from takeout curry chicken. Out of convenience, the curry chicken reheated the next day became perfect accompaniment with regular daily veggies.
The chicken and potatoes in the curry made up the protein and carbs, and with the freshly prepared veggies - it is a delicious, healthy and balanced meal.
Oh, the dressing? It's the curry gravy! Just drizzle (no, DRENCH!) over the grains/ veggies.
