Nutri-Know: Grain & Kale for Healthy Meal that Satisfies!

Nutritional Knowledge You Can Use

Working as an exercise coach involves long hours.  My day starts when the alarm goes off at 4 am and I’m often not home til about 8 or 8:30 pm.  Don’t get me wrong, my day can have some breaks between classes, appointments, squeezing in a workout or run, and administrative work.  My office is 15 miles from home so running home is not an efficient use of time to get lunch or dinner.   So I like to put something together that is healthy and easy to bring with me for meals.

I like a spring mix salad for lunch but when I want to feel less hungry as the day gets longer, I need something more.  So I created a kale and grain bowl that is loaded healthy ingredients. 

The following ingredients list makes up enough for a large bowl that I cover and store in the fridge for the week (though it usually does not last the week!).

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Quinoa (I like Trader Joe’s Organic Red Quinoa)
  • 3 peppers (red, yellow, orange)
  • Baby kale (I use a full container of organic baby kale)
  • dried cranberries (about a half cup or to suit your taste)
  • 3 – 4 MacIntosh apples (I prefer the Macs!)
  • 1/2 package of turkey bacon (I used Trader Joe’s with no nitrites/nitrates)
  • dark local honey
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (or enough to suit your taste)

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa per the instructions on the package
  2. Fry the bacon
  3. Chop the entire package of kale into small pieces and put into large salad bowl
  4. Chop the peppers into small pieces and mix them into the bowl along with the dried cranberries
  5. Chop the cooked bacon and mix it along with the cooked quinoa into the bowl
  6. Skin the apples and chop them into small pieces
  7. Soak/dip the apple pieces in some honey to help prevent them from browning during the week
  8. Add the nuts
  9. Mix the apples in with the rest of the ingredients using large salad spoons.

Batch of kale and quinoa mixAnd it’s ready to go!  Cover the bowl and store it in the fridge for the week. 

I put my serving ( I learned not to take too much because it is very filling!) into my lunch container the night before work.  Add a little balsamic vinaigrette dressing  and mix it up.  Cover it and put it in the fridge over night.  Your lunch is ready for the next day and you have a very healthy meal!

If you come up with other ideas or ingredients that you think add flavor to this, please send me an email so I can try it too!  Enjoy!