Abundance Bowls

What are Abundance Bowls?

Basically they’re bowls of food comprised of a few different components. For me they’re a mix of some protein, some veggies and some fat or a sauce. If you like they can include grains.

Abundance bowls are more substantial than a salad and can be warm or cold. Or include elements with contrasting temperatures.

And they sound much more appetizing than a bowl of leftovers.

They can be freshly cooked or made from pre-prepared ingredients. Or a combo of the two.

There are endless possibilities so I never get bored.

They’re my favourite thing for lunches and I often use the same concept for my simple dinners.

I’ve included some specific abundance bowl recipes to get you started. When you’re ready to branch out on your own I’ve also included my Abundance Bowl ‘Formula’ or Template recipe to help you get creative.

Jx

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9 Tips for Amazing Abundance Bowls

1. Keep It Simple

You know I’m all about the simplicity. Please don’t feel like your abundance bowl needs to have 20 different ingredients like some of the ones I’ve seen on Instagram. Make life easy on yourself and aim to get your variety over the weeks and seasons rather than in every single meal.

2. Choose the Right Sized Bowl

There’s heaps of research that show the larger your bowl / plate, the more you eat. I have 2 smaller bowls which I love and use most days for my lunches. Then slightly larger bowls/plates (blates?!) for dinner. I find using the same bowls every day also helps keep my portions consistent.

3. Get Saucy

The secret to making anything taste delicious is good seasoning. And good sauce.

This really is key.

I always have at least one good sauce in the fridge and some pesto in the freezer. See the ‘formula’ section for links to my fave sauces.

Sauce is also awesome for adding enough fat to make sure your bowls are abundant and filling without having to resort to a side of bread or rice.

4. Add Crunch / Texture

While a bowl of mushy cooked food can be comforting, crunching down on a perfectly toasted walnut can really take your bowl to the next level. My favourite ingredients for adding crunch are toasted nuts or seeds. Other options include shaved raw veg like fennel, zucchini, cabbage or cucumber or grated raw veg like carrot, beets or broccoli.

5. Make it Pretty

We eat with our eyes so be sure to think about how you want your bowl to look before plating up. Even for quick lunches by myself, I always take a few seconds to think about how I can make it look pretty.

A good looking ceramic bowl is a great start. Then add colour (especially greenery).

6. Boost Your Gut Health

Include a tablespoon or two of fermented veg like sauerkraut, kimnhi or other fermented veg. These add colour and crunch too!

7. Try the Random Leftovers Container

I often find myself with little bits of leftover food since I weaned myself from my ‘clean plate’ obsession. Feeding small boys also generated lots of leftovers.

Rather than fill my fridge with containers containing one or two bites. And rather than throwing these out, I just start a ‘random’ container. This is the first place I start when deciding on my lunch abundance bowl.

It’s amazing how adding a good sauce and a poached egg or two can turn these randoms into a cohesive and satisfying meal.

8. Trust Yourself

Remember Clancy’s Law of Cooking…
‘If you think something is going to be delicious, it probably will be!’

9. Use ‘Big Batch’ Prep

Whenever I’m cooking an ingredient, especially vegetables or protein, I always try and cook more than I need for that meal. So if I’m steaming broccoli or boiling rice for the boys, I double the amount. And then keep the extra cooked ingredient separate.

Same goes for sauces and protein.

It’s a game changer!

I can’t tell you how much more likely I am to eat more vegetables if they just need heating and adding to my abundance bowl. Plus I can serve the broccoli / rice / whatever in a different way so I’m not locked in to eating the same thing every day. So there’s the variety factor too.

If you’d like to delve deeper into this, you can take the The Organized Cook Program in the future.

But for now just focus on the ideas here.

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An Abundance Bowl ‘Formula’

Here’s my ‘formula’ for a simple abundance bowl. I’ve included these to get your creative juices flowing.

It’s just like making a good sandwich.

You can do it!

And remember Clancy’s Law of Cooking…

‘If you think something is going to be delicious, it probably will be!’

LUNCH FORMULA

100g (3.5oz) PROTEIN

+ 200g (7oz) VEGGIES

+ 2-3 Tablespoons FAT / SAUCE

________________________

= LUNCH-o-LICIOUS

DINNER FORMULA

150g-200g (5-7oz) PROTEIN

+ 400g (14oz) VEGGIES

+ 3-4 Tablespoons FAT / SAUCE

________________________

= DINNER-LICIOUS

PROTEIN OPTIONS:
My most common faves are poached eggs or sardines for lunches and cooked fish or meat for dinner – either freshly cooked or prepared ahead. Here’s a list to get you thinking:

Or it can be a combo of any of the above.

VEGGIE OPTIONS
I use leftover salads / veg from other meals. Lately I’ve also been prepping a big batch of one or two veg on the weekend. My current faves are steamed broccoli and cooked greens (usually kale). If you eat grains, you can include them as part of your veggie component.

FAT / SAUCE OPTIONS
To make sure your abundance bowl is super delicious AND filling enough. It’s essential to include some fats in the form of a tasty sauce. You’ll notice some of these double up as proteins and veggies as well. So no need to stick to the tablespoon amount for those.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – either a drizzle or as a dressing
• Amazing Avo Sauce
• Tomato Almond Pesto
• Cashew Sauce
• Marco’s Chilli Oil
• Mayonnaise
• Pesto
• Pâté (great for minerals!)
• Tahini
• Tahini Yoghurt
• Hummus (not that high in fat so use liberally)
• Roast Cauliflower Hummus
• Miso Harissa Sauce
• Tahini Miso Turmeric Sauce (TMT Sauce)
• Nuts, Seeds + Nut Butters
• Cheese especially crumbled feta or goats cheese
• Sour Cream
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Greek Yoghurt / Coconut Yoghurt (not very high in fat so use lots more than 3 tablespoons)
• Soft Butter (preferably Kerrygold Irish butter)
• Flavoured Butters
• Avocado + Guacamole (use as a vegetable as well)
• OR for more sauce ideas see my A-Z of Sauces

Whenever I’m making a sauce, I always make extra to have for lunches or other abundance bowl meals. Sometimes I make a batch of mayo or other sauce on the weekend specifically for lunches.

I don’t get too caught up in the quantities. Sometimes I weigh, just to check in and see if I’m getting enough veg. Especially at dinner.

I also don’t get too caught up worrying about the exact amounts of fat and protein. Or whether the protein is lean or fatty.

This is just a guide.

If I feel hungry after my bowl, I eat more. If I’m stuffed before it’s over, I save the leftovers in my ‘Random Container’.

It’s all good.

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Specific Abundance Bowl Recipes

• Sensational Savoury Yoghurt Bowls
• Kale & Goats Cheese Bowls
• Smoky Cauli Taco Bowls
• Green Bowls with Macadamia Cream
• Bloody Delicious Kale Bowls
• Taco Tuesday Bowls
• Bean Bowl with a Poached Egg
• Smoky Roast Mushroom Bowls
• Sunny Parisian Carrot Bowls
• Broccoli & Bacon Bowls
• Roast Chicken, Walnut & Feta Bowls
• Smoky Eggplant & Sausage Bowls
• Big Pea Bowls with Goats Cheese & Olives
• Broccoli & Pesto Bowls
• Parisian Lentils
• Salmon, Pea & Feta Bowls
• Fast Friday Cheeseburger Bowls
• ‘Superfood’ Lunch Bowls
• Smoked Trout & Broccoli Bowls with Sour Cream & Chives
• Quick Taco Bowls with Lime & Cashew ‘Sour Cream’
• Chickpea Buddha Bowls

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11 Simple Recipes You Can Serve as an Abundance Bowl

• Salted Kale with Green Tahini
• Mushrooms with Butter Beans
• Aubergine with Chickpeas
• Lebanese Roast Ratatouille with Hummus
• Spiced Roast Chicken & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Maple Dressing
• One Pot Chicken & Broccoli with Peanut & Lime Sauce
• Killer Kale Gratin
• Broccoli Hummus with Spicy Sausage
• Chicken & Broccoli with Blue Cheese Dressing
• Fast Roast Chorizo with Hot Feta & Brussels Sprouts
• Hummus with Chorizo & Almonds

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The ‘Abundance Bowl’ Challenge!

Now you know all about big bowls of goodness, it’s over to you.

I challenge you to make an Abundance Bowl before the end of the month.

It can be your own creation or one of the recipes included here.

Then share your experience in the comments below!

Jx