Rainbow Bowls Recipe

Wooo, it has been seriously hot here in So./Central California this past week. As in triple digits hot. As I write this post it’s 90 degrees inside our house at 8 PM. There was absolutely no way I was about to do any real cooking in this heat, but I’m also not a fan of take-out. So what do I do? Rainbow dinner, as the girls call it! Not only is “rainbow dinner” a fun way to get everyone in the family eating lots of colors (and therefore a variety of different vitamins and nutrients), it’s super refreshing on hot days.

I’ve also heard this type of bowl dinner referred to as “yoga bowls” and I can see why. They make you feel renewed and alive, just like yoga. Sorry to get off track, but I have to tell you…  I’ve been doing yoga almost every night after the girls go to bed and it feels amazing. The stress of the day is washed away and my body feels light and lengthened. I’ve been doing this DVD for years and love it: YogaWorks for Everybody: Body Slim. I just ordered two more yoga DVDs and can’t wait to try them. Let me know if you  have any you love!

Rainbow Bowls recipe 

This Rainbow Bowl recipe is really not a recipe at all, it’s more of a hot-day dinner idea for your next heat wave. I often make a batch of quinoa, lentils, and slow cooking veggies like beets on Sundays to use for the week. They really come in handy here!

Ingredient ideas:

Produce:

• shredded carrots
• zucchini noodles
• avocado slices or cubes
• cucumber slices or cubes 
• diced tomato 
• roasted sweet potato
• snap peas 
• berries 
• favorite greens 

• black beans
• garbanzo beans (I love using Trader Joe’s balela) 
• cooked lentils 
• quinoa 
• organic tofu 
• hummus 
• nuts 
• hemp seeds 
• sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. 

Instructions:
Arrange a variety of vegetables on a large platter. Add some protein and some crunch if you like (like seed crackers or pita chips). I ask my kids to choose every color of the rainbow and arrange it in their bowl. Then they must choose a protein to add. Easy peasy!