This Quinoa Kale Power Bowl is packed with vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and filling protein!
Oh hey! Culinary school has taken over my life the past few weeks, but I’ll fill you in on that at another time. Today, today is about food!!! More specifically filling, healthy food!
Even I cannot live on bread alone. Yes, I can. But it’s best if I don’t!
Indeed you know the ubiquitous Power Bowl that has popped up at every food establishment? The one that has a sprinkle of quinoa, a few leaves of kale and a whole lot of filler; and yet somehow they still justify charging $15 for it?
The first week of school I traded some fudge brownies for one such salad (Best trade ever, by the way!) and I decided for free it was awesome but for $15 I could do so much better!
This is my version. It is downright full of healthy, fresh vegetables, filling protein and just a hint of sweet from the grapes. It’s just how I do.
Triple protein from the quinoa, turkey and feta; healthy and filling fat from the avocado; and vitamins and minerals from the kale, peppers and grapes! It is seriously packed to the max with healthful fresh ingredients.
A good approach is to warm up the quinoa and turkey before assembling the bowl, but it tastes delicious cold packed for lunch too. I should know...I ate it everyday for over a month!
But seriously, how could you not want to dig right into a salad that looks like that?
The COLORS!!!
Makes me happy.
And when you are exhausted and starving and trying to cram both eating and resting into your 30 minute lunch break, color is everything.
Drizzle it with a low-fat rosemary thyme balsamic vinaigrette, and you have yourself a filling meal that will power you through lunch, the afternoon crash, your workout and beyond.
This is also quite possibly the easiest lunch or dinner ever. I’ve been making it with rotisserie chicken or turkey breast that I pick up on my way home from the gym.
“Hi my name is Lazy, I mean Lindsey, and I am too tired to roast my own chicken.”
Whatevs. Something has to give.
If you have 10 minutes and some spare chicken breasts, I suggest my ridiculously easy, foolproof Rosemary Chicken Breasts. They are so easy it’s actually embarrassing that I ever buy rotisserie chicken.
Half the time I omit the turkey or chicken and add an extra ¼ avocado and a sprinkle of toasted walnuts to make an equally filling and vegetarian salad.
Quinoa Kale Power Bowl
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- ½ cup uncooked Quinoa
- Roasted turkey or chicken breast
- Sprinkle paprika
- Pinch salt
- 4 cups baby kale
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup sliced sweet bell peppers (I use a mix of mini peppers. They’re cute. I can’t help it)
- 4 ounces feta
- Sliced red grapes
- Toasted walnuts
Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (minced)
- ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme (leaves only)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
General instructions for cooking quinoa:
- I cook a huge batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week but I use a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa, so for every 1 cup of quinoa, I use 2 cups of water. Rinse your quinoa, add to a pot with the water, several tablespoons of olive oil and several pinches of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and reduce the heat to low; simmer on low for 10-15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water and is tender.
For the salad:
- Combine everything in a bowl. Sprinkle quinoa and turkey with paprika and a pinch of salt.
- That’s it. Criminally easy.
For the Balsamic:
- Combine everything in a jar or salad shaker. Shake vigorously until combined. Taste an adjust honey, salt and pepper.
What a yummy lunch! I think going to culinary school would be so fun!
I love all the beautiful colors in this power bowl! It looks amazing and exactly the kind of lunch I would love to have every day too! Hope you are enjoying school so far 🙂
Thanks, Kelly! The colors are the best part...well aside from the test! I am enjoying school but it has been crazy!!!
Sounds like a great salad. Love the colors as well. Will have to give it a try for my daughters, they eat salads pretty well.
Thanks, Ella! You and your daughters will love it!
Lindsey! I love a good power bowl and this one looks great! I'm going to be even lazier than a rotisserie chicken and crack open a can of chickpeas to make my vego-version 🙂
Sometimes a girl needs a power bowl she can make to keep herself feeling like a rainbow even though she is busy as all get out 🙂
Good luck with school!
Good idea with the chickpeas!!! Thanks!
this power bowl looks super healthy! Hope you are having fun at culinary school Lindsey 🙂
It is that...trying to counteract all the sweets! I am totally loving school...an update to come soon! 🙂
Can't wait to hear more about Culinary school!! Hope you are enjoying it! I LOVE quinoa bowls like this!!!! pinned!!
I am definitely enjoying school and an update is (has been) in the works! Thanks for the pin, Alice!!
You ate this every day for a month? Well then, I've just got to try it! Not only does it sound full of flavor, it is so pretty!
I did! I am guilty as charged, Kristine!
Wow, Lindsey, this looks like a great recipe. I will try to replicate it this week when my daughter comes to town. Glad that culinary school is so rewarding.
Thanks, Josephine! It's so easy! And you can make it with our favorite rosemary chicken 🙂
Oh geez, the price of these. They are just so good! Thanks for an easy homemade version at home - my stomach and my wallet need it!
Tell me about it!! It's outrageous what people charge
This looks wonderful. I'm so excited for a new homemade dressing. I'm a little tired of the ones I make.
I make the same ones all the time because I don't even measure any more!
I want this for lunch! Looks amazing.
All my classmates have been begging me for months to bring them lunch too 🙂 You can make it in under 20 minutes...soooo easy, Lindsay!
I'm thinking along those same lines Lelia. Looks so deliciously tempting!
I'm eating a variation on it this evening too! I've made some tweaks because the same thing twice a day does eventually get old!
Dinner tonight!
Lol! Me too! 🙂
Hey Lazy! I mean Lindsey, (that made me laugh so hard) that is one gorgeous salad. Glad to know I'm not the only one who buys rotisserie chickens too. And a giveaway yay! I'll have to enter when I get my US citizenship #dreaming xx
LOL! You are definitely not the only one who buys rotisserie chickens! They are a life saver! #waitingforthedayitsofficial #merica