Lunch time ruts can get super frustrating.
My middle child especially eats better when there is variety during the week.
I certainly don’t come up with something new and exciting for lunch every day of the week though!
I have a handful of several “lunch time staples” that I rotate to keep the peace. And keep the mama’s sanity 😉
This is one of my girls’ favorites and we typically have it once a week. You could easily make this a part of a school lunchbox meal. If you make it up on the weekend or the night before, you can just warm it on the stove before school and pack it in a thermos.
a simple real food recipe :: lunch time staples :: veggie rice bowls
Author:
Ingredients
- 3-4 TB friendly fat to cook in (butter, coconut oil, lard, left over bacon fat)
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 carrots, chopped
- ½ cup – 1 cup frozen peas (I get the large bags of frozen organic peas at Costco)
- ½ cup frozen organic corn (I usually have the large bags of frozen organic corn from Costco)
- 1 cup organic long grain white rice
- Sea salt/pepper to taste
- Raw cheese to top
Instructions
- Cook your rice while you are making the veggie sauté.
- Saute the onion in butter for a few minutes with a few pinches of salt to bring out their juices and sweeten.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the other veggies and cook through.
- Put the veggie mixture into the pot of cooked rice to combine.
- Season and add more butter to taste. Top with raw cheese.
Kitchen Tips:
- This only takes about 15 minutes start to finish to make – I get the rice going while I’m chopping onions and carrots and the veggies are done cooking by the time the rice is done!
- Add chicken leftovers to this if you want!
- Change up the veggies to what is in season and what you have available! It is winter here and veggies are few and far between! This spring our rice bowls will have asparagus! This summer we’ll do peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squashes, green beans, etc!
- Change up the seasoning. This super delicious seasoned with just salt/pepper and the butter. But you can use all purpose season, or chipotle, or curry.
- Double up and use for quick meals throughout the week.
- If you are grain free roast up spaghetti squash and use the “noodles” instead of the rice. Or use a baked potato.
- Read THIS on why I choose white vs brown rice.
YOUR TURN!
Ever feel the lunch time rut? Let me know how the kiddos like this one!
Gosh, I would love to try this, probably without the peas, I put everything on my grocery list. I know this will e a family favorite. Thanks for sharing,
This looks so yummy! Will have to try!
I love this idea! So simple and easy–my kids always enjoy rice (although I’m new to the white vs. brown debate–very interesting!) and they love anything covered in cheese (er, sprinkled). Thanks for the recipe!!
Mine do too Amy 😉 Enjoy the lunch!
Interesting take on the brown vs white rice. Actually all the debates going around regaridng grains in general are really interesting. Thank you for sharing!!
Yes it is super interesting – I made the switch about 2 1/2 years ago and it was a totally different thought process 😉 And yes – the grains topic! I think everyone just has a different body and you just need to quiet all the background noise and do what your body is telling you to do 😉
Thanks for sharing! I pinned this one. I like the ramen noodles that have veggies in them but I don’t eat them very often as I am concerned about the incredibly high salt content in ramen noodles. This is the perfect alternative!
Great!
My daughter would love these — we’ve been in a food rut lately, too!
GOOD 😉 Let me know how she likes it!