Intro to THe anatomy of a nutrition bowl
Being chronically ill with a debilitating illness makes feeding my three teenage boys a big chore. Trying to feed them good, nutritious food in the quantities they need to keep up their perpetual motion is an art form. Especially if you add in the extremely tight budget I have to keep them full. But I've figured out how to curb the pressure by using nutrition bowls. They are pretty blog-worthy, and they are everywhere. Often called nourish bowls, power or Buddha bowls, or, as my boys call them, burrito bowls. All of the names lead to the same thing: vitamins with protein and filling foods.
To start, I have to shout out to the store that helps frugal mommas accomplish this goal. Winco is my favorite. I can't get past the bin shop, but since I'm in the Midwest, I always reach for Aldis. They help us get our jobs done.
But now, let's deconstruct a nutrition bowl.
-First, green leafy deliciousness is lining your plate; I try to trade them up often so the kids don't get bored and freak out over too much green.
-Second, good solid grain, like brown rice, quinoa farro, and so many options. That's part of why I wish we had a Winco. There are so many options to choose from
-Next, I like to use black beans, red, kidney beans, or chickpeas. Sometimes, when they are cheaper, I'll boil some eggs to dice them up. When I use chicken or beef, I usually only air fry one chicken breast for everyone to share, but it's up to you how much protein this meal needs to contain.
I then have lots of chopped veggies to top it off. I like red cabbage and orange peppers with corn and whatever else sounds good.
-To top it all off is dressing. I find this is the most important part of making my teens eat this. For this generic recipe, I'll usually make homemade ranch from hidden valley packets or the powder in the bulk bottle. Sometimes, in a pinch, I'll make my spices, but keeping the powdered bottle is my big-time saver. I also add a little taco seasoning to the ranch to make this recipe a little southwestern.
I usually rotate my favorite five or so dressings, and often, I'll have all of them in my fridge waiting for my kids to choose. I find it helps get the veggies down.
This month's recipes from Jo Jo! (download PDF below!)
Homemade Honey Oat bread
My boys eat everything in sight, and it can be a huge stress keeping them fed, especially keeping them fed within my budget as a single mom. It is a huge undertaking. But one of my tricks to feeding my kids is homemade bread. It is cheap and delicious, and I can control the ingredients I love, making it possible to meet all of my expectations of nutrition and cheapness, and it brings satisfaction. Pair it with homemade soup or chili, and my teenage boys are as happy as can be.
Making homemade bread can be intimidating to some people. However, it is easy once you get a feel for it. It is all about the texture, yeast, and rising.
1 - First, I boil 4 cups of water. While that is boiling, I add 2 cups of whole oats to my KitchenAide. You can just add it to a big bowl if you're kneading by hand.
2 - Then, I melt 1 stick of butter (you don't have to; you can let the boiling water melt it). I melt it just because it makes the next step easier. I add it to the oats and give it a good stir and salt liberally about 1 tablespoon.
3 - I then pour in ¾ to 1 cup of honey or agave to the mixture.
4 - Stir it and add the boiling water. Mix well and let sit covered until the oats have absorbed most of the water and have cooled down to lukewarm. About an hour and a half.
5 - I then sprinkle 3 packets of yeast on top of the mixture and stir it lightly.
6 – Wait 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes, the yeast should have bloomed and smells nice and yeasty.
7 - I add 6 cups of bread flour and stir it by hand until all the flour is absorbed. I add 1 more cup to the Kitchenaide and start it kneading. Or add half the cup to a kneading surface, pour out the contents of the bowl, and add the rest on top. Knead for 7 minutes, adding up to 2 more cups of flour as needed to create a smooth texture. It should still be a little sticky.
8 - After 7 minutes, I place the dough in an oiled bowl and let it double in size. It usually takes about an hour.
9 - After it is doubled, I punch it down and divide the dough into 4 parts, shape them into loaves, and add them to bread pans. Mine have to be greased. I usually use a little olive oil. Or coconut oil. Cover and let double again
10 - Once doubled, bake them in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
11 - Remove them from the pan and let rest and cool. Then, I serve it with honey butter.
My kids love the smell, and it feeds them for a few days until I need to start all over. Hope this recipe works for your family as well!