NOURISH BOWL RECIPE: focusing on my plate and not calories
Recently.
I discovered the need to stop focusing so much on NUMBERS and really shift my attention to the TYPES of foods I was nourishing my body with. Maybe you are like this as well… you focus so intently on HOW MUCH calories you eat or get overwhelmed with macronutrients. How much fat? How many carbs does this have? Ugh. Do I need more protein?
It’s all too overwhelming and if I’m being honest, it’s a slippery slope for me… because once I start tracking numbers, it’s ALL i think about and my attitude towards food starts to become a tad bit aggressive instead of realizing food is a gift to my body — it gives you the ability to HEAL and NOURISH your body! How wonderful is that, am I right?
Anywho. One of the goals I set for myself on the 2019 WELLNESS JOURNEY is to shift my focus away from counting calories and macronutrients (eeek!)… and look at my plate — is it loaded down with leafy greens? clean protein source? healthy fats?
Basically. REAL INGREDIENTS.
One thing I have discovered is NOURISH BOWLS… which is just as it seems, a bowl full of nourishing ingredients. This recipe can be a MIXTURE of things and I’ll give you the backbone to creating your own “nourish bowl” as well as one that I whipped up in our kitchen last week.
“When you start eating food without labels, you no longer need to count calories.”
NOTE:
Nourish bowls don’t “technically” have to be BOWLS… it can mean having a smoothie with vegan protein powder and a side salad or a cup of soup. However, I like the term “nourish bowls” because it’s sounds like a bowl of comfort filled with gut-nourishing foods. Just sounds, well, comfy! Anywho. Let’s talk about how we set ours up…
NOURISH BOWL BREAKDOWN
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Leafy Greens (majority): kale, arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, mustard greens, collards, romaine, swiss chard
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Vegetables (or Fruits): asparagus, beets, carrots, cucumbers, onion, radish, tomatoes, blueberries, pears, bananas
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Clean Protein Source: grass-fed beef, chicken, pasture-raised eggs, shrimp, salmon, protein powder, tofu, hemp seeds, quinoa- although, I use this as a carb source!
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Carbohydrates: gluten free oats, quinoa, sweet potato, squash, rice noodles, wild rice, couscous
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Healthy Fats: avocado, olives, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut oil, EVOO
Other things you can ADD to the mixture which I love are: sauerkraut (gut health benefits), certain types of superfood powders (ie. cacao, matcha, spirulina), fresh herbs for additional benefits and spices like turmeric or cinnamon!
ps. this is just MY combination of a nourish bowl, there are other sources out there… and you can also make SMOOTHIES as a nourish bowl adding leafy greens and fruit!
“Eating one cup of green leafy vegetables every day will make you, on average, eleven years physiologically younger than someone who skips them.”
The focus of this week is taking a beat to check my plate which has helped me more than I thought. You can take a glance at my overall wellness transformation progress here.
You’ll be able to check out my numbers- YIKES! But even though, I am opening up to showing the scale… realize what’s MORE important are the NON-scale victories.
MY SET UP FOR MAKING OUR NOURISH BOWLS… DON’T YOU JUST LOVE MY SLIPPERS. PLUS, THIS KNIFE WAS A GIFT FOR THE HUBSTER BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT FIT OUR LIFESTYLE!
Okay. Now, let’s build ourselves a NOURISH BOWL… love.
1. I started with a handful of leafy greens. I like to keep a lot of leafy greens washed and chopped in an airtight container so I can simply grab + go quickly.
You never know when LIFE needs you to be SUPER QUICK!
2. Reaching for fresh vegetables. Our Gillies, 5yr old twins are HUGE on asparagus right now… so, in order to make sure they get their greens, mama is really big on asparagus right now, too.
You feel me? It’s all in the greater good…. the greater good. Plus, how cute are these carrot ribbons which were simply made by using a vegetable peeler! Easy peasy, just be careful not to slice your finger.
3. Added some fresh tri-colored quinoa to the bowl. Someone once told me it takes a child being introduced to a food NINE times before they will actually try it… NINE TIMES!?! Is this true? Well, I haven’t personally done any research into the matter; however, speaking from personal experience it takes ninety-nine times to giving a dish to my son for him to try. That may or may not be an exaggeration. Just know, quinoa is a GO for this week… he is in love. Ask me next week, cause you’ll never know.
4. Putting clean protein source onto our bowl with one of my favorites, pasture-raised eggs… sunny side up style because the yolk acts as a “dressing” making it super yummy (to me!). One tip: opt for pasture raised eggs if you can because this means the chickens have access to natural food sources like bugs and grubs plus spend their days not cooped up inside all day but enjoying the sunshine.
5. Last addition to our bowl was AVOCADO for our healthy fats. We call avocado, “nature’s butter” in our household because it’s full of good healthy fats which your brain absolutely loves and the creamy texture is absolutely delicious.
Seriously, though.
How cute is our little miss in the video who is pretending to be a “ninja” so that mama can not see her! I also love how in the video she is all dressed in pink! We are in that stage of childhood where we are choosing our own wardrobe which I absolutely ADORE because it shows their personalities… which are completely different.
If you want to follow our crazy adventures more, I go a wee bit deeper in our Brain + Gut Health Explorers community. Otherwise, stay in the loop with snippets here where I’ll share next week some of our favorite recipes and workouts that I’m following to keep exploring health hacks to live one’s most vibrant + productive life!
Because the more you know, the more you can grow…
love + gumption.
a.
Brain + Gut Health Explorer
