I will be sharing the chicken/egg version, but I also will swap those out for 6-7 oz ground venison, ground bison, or 95/5 ground beef, 155g of salmon, or 1-2 tins of canned sardines. The rice/quinoa and vegetable portions are consistent throughout each variation. 

*If you want to go the extra mile, wash and soak the quinoa/rice beforehand: Wash the quinoa/rice until the water runs relatively clear, then soak in enough water to submerge it entirely. Let sit for at least 2 hours or up to 24. Drain before cooking. This will decrease the amount of phytates in the final product, which can cause digestive distress in some people. This is usually only necessary for those with sensitive stomachs, so don’t feel like you NEED to do this by any means. I typically soak my quinoa overnight or prep it in the morning at the very least and let it soak until dinner time.

• 1/3 cup (55g) (dry weight) quinoa or brown rice

• 1 cup (75g) sweet bell peppers, chopped

• 1 cup (20g) arugala (sub with spinach if you prefer)

• Avocado oil spray

• 100g chicken breast, diced

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Spices to taste (for this recipe I like salt, pepper, ground ginger, ground turmeric, and dill)

  
  

1. Add quinoa/brown rice to a stove pot and add 110-120ish grams of water (basically a 2:1 ratio of water to grain). Don’t need to be a stickler here, just get in the ballpark. Bring to a boil on high heat, add the lid, then lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 min or until quinoa is tender. 

2. Add arugula and peppers to a skillet, then add water until they are submerged. Simmer on low/medium heat for around 20 min or until vegetables are tender and water is about half gone. Add more water if needed to keep a steady amount.

3. Spray another skillet with avocado oil spray. Add chicken to skillet and cook until lightly brown on the outside.

4. Remove chicken and add to bowl. Clean skillet, add more avocado oil spray, and crack in eggs. Cook in the desired fashion. (I just cook mine sunny side up, but a scramble is fine too

5. Once quinoa, chicken and eggs are cooked, add all to bowl. Add vegetables, including any leftover liquid from cooking. Mix until thoroughly combined. (this part is a bit tricky. The idea here is to have enough liquid left from cooking the veggies so the end product is not overly dry, but not completely waterlogged. Think of a runny porridge or casserole. If you’ve ever heard of congee, it should be around that consistency, rather than a standard rice bowl. This may take a bit of trial and error until you learn how much is too much. This also comes down to preference. Go as thick or as thin as you like.

6. Add spices to taste. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. 

   681 calories 44g protein 39g carbs 35g fat

   - if you are looking to reduce calories, omit the olive oil and use egg whites over whole eggs. That will get the meal under 500 calories

   *Regarding the version with seafood, I basically just mash them into a sort of fish paste after cooking and mix them into the rice and vegetables. I usually will bake the salmon in the oven first at around 350° for 20-25 min or until lightly browned on edges. Canned sardines are already pre-cooked before canning so I just add them straight to the bowl and mash before adding the other cooked ingredients. 

   *For the venison, I will simmer that in the water with the vegetables. (make sure to use a big enough skillet) I can then transfer the whole batch into the bowl with the rice. 

   The whole idea of this meat, vegetable, grain idea is for it to be used as a template. Get creative and experiment. I like a “mediterranean” flair with the olive oil and balsamic, but you could swap those out for pico de gallo and guacamole for a more mexican style. Or maybe use soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chopped nuts as a topping for a more asian style.