This vegetarian plant-based protein bowl is made with store-bought black beans patty, paired with vegetables - broccoli, Brussel sprouts, spinach, carrots and cooked barley.
With more time on hand, you can always make your own bean patty/cake e.g. Black Bean Potato Patty/Cake.
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.
This is a vegetarian version of Shishito Peppers Protein Bowl, substituting chicken with tofu.
They are many ways to make delicious tofu including Chimichurri Tofu, Korean Spicy Tofu, or Chilled Tofu, Five-Spice Marinated Tofu. Instead of tofu, you can also use Tofu Sheets/Yuba - another great meatless high-protein option. Yuba/Fresh Tofu Sheets Salad is one of my favorite ways to enjoy yuba/fresh tofu sheets
If you going for a simple, no-frills tofu recipe, a little salt, black pepper and garlic powder also goes a long way.
Besides salmon, mackerel, milkfish, hairtail ribbon fish, this high calcium smelt fish (oven-roast or pan-fried) can also be protein entree to these protein bowl meals.
Oven-roast or pan-fried, these smelt fish (also known as capelin or Japanese masagos) are deliciously crispy and makes protein bowls such a healthy delight to enjoy.
If you are not a fan of fish, you can opt for other seafood option or stick with chicken.
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.
Braised pork trotters is one of the Chinese New Year dishes enjoyed during this festive season as pigs are auspicious animals in Chinese culture and symbolize strength and good fortune.
This dish is prepared using store-bought boneless pork trotters, tossed with noodles symbolizing longevity equivalent to being in good health and paired with "lucky" vegetables combo.
Happy New Year 2025 to all. Hope 2024 has been great and 2025 will be better.
Always love a delicious duck dish come winter time, and Costco's Maple Leaf Farm Roast Half Duck has always been my family's favorite and go-to. Not only these ready-cooked duck make delicious duck protein bowls, they also make meal prep. a breeze. There is also no need to worry if the kitchen oven can fit and roast a whole duck.
I revisited one of our winter favorites - duck, brussel sprouts and sweet potato, and made this Duck with Roasted Asparagus, Steamed Gai Lan Chinese Broccoli and Purple Sweet Potato dish.
These bowl-meals are usually built in a few steps which include preparing the vegetables as the base and portioning the protein.
Protein feature in today's bowl is tempeh, and hard-boiled eggs (discover this Rapid Egg Cooker) paired with vegetable base that includes steamed broccolini, red cabbage, mushrooms (check this multipurpose Stainless Steel Steamer)
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.
Store-bought frozen wontons is one of my freezer stash. It might not be the healthiest (homemade ones are always better than store-bought) to stock up in the freezer but it is a convenient choice especially when you want a quick and reasonably balanced meal on a busy day.
This Wontons (Chicken Dumplings) Salad is best enjoyed warm, most suitable during spring weather when the temperature swings from 70Fs to 60Fs within the same day, and varies similar range in the same week. I still love wonton dumpling soup and dumplings in egg-drop soup but not so much when the temperature inches up.
There are different variations of Wonton Salad made in the past e.g. Wontons with Pea Sprouts and Snow Peas, Wontons with Broccoli and Cabbage, colorful variations Wonton with Beets and Kale. Each time, it gets bigger and better, worthy of a bowl meal e.g. Wontons with Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Wontons with Egg, Broccoli, Zucchini.
Besides lean fish such as tilapia, barramundi, snapper, trout, we also love oily (high in omega-3) fishes such as salmon, sardines, milkfish and mackerel.
Our family usually fall back on easy and fuss-free preparation methods e.g. en-papillote, oven-roast/grill when enjoying these fishes.
Oven-Roasted/Grilled Mackerel is so delicious, and super easy to prepare. They make protein bowls such pleasurable treats.
Same same but different. This beef salad is similar to Roast Beef Steak Salad Bowl just using different cut of meat. Same same but different. With the same chuck roast, let's change up the vegetables, so still worthy to be a Budget-Friendly Beef Salad.
Cold-weather season means soups, braise, stews and roasts.
Roast such as this lamb roast paired with healthy steamed vegetables.
Winter Weather recipes:
Braised Quail, Fennel and Tomatoes
Homestyle Korean Spicy Stew
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.
There are two interpretations of London Broil. One describes it as the cut of meat (top round, lean cut) while the other is the method of cooking (with the word "broil" in it, using high heat over a short period of time). Which is the correct one?
An attempt on London Broil was made, adapted from this roast beef recipe.
To make a much easier equally delicious beef salad bowl, here's a short-cut is to use ready-cooked beef e.g. this Sous Vide Sliced Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin from Cuisine Solution, sold at Costco. Simpler, hassle-free, and delicious.
Make a batch of roast beef, have different meal variations and enjoy steak salad for days.
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.
