Shrimp rice bowls and a quickie taco meat lunch

This week I’m making one of my easy dinners and it can be even simpler than my version. You can do plain rice sans any extra flavorings and really any veggies you have can work. I rarely have the time or energy to remember green onions or cilantro but if you do have them, they’re a great flavor touch. But I give you a super balanced, plus easy to deconstruct for kids dinner recipe.

Shrimp Rice Bowls

Ingredients:

• Shrimp - I buy the large 2 lb bag of wild caught frozen deveined at Whole Foods. A $22 ish bag lasts us 3/4 dinners. I defrost however many I want either in water for 30-45 minutes before cooking dinner or all day in the fridge.

• 1 cup uncooked rice - I usually use white rice for this dish.

• 1 3/4 cup coconut milk - in place of water for the rice.

• Optional rice add in’s while it cooks - heavy shakes of garlic salt, optionally minced ginger if I have it on hand.

• Cucumbers, sliced

• Carrots, pre-bought shredded are easiest

• Avocado

• Other veggies: cabbage, red bell peppers…. anything you have can be thrown in!

• Dressing:

  • Whisk together - 1/4 cup low sodium soy or tamari sauce; 1.5 Tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, honey or agave, 1 tsp rice vinegar

Assembly:

Sometimes I chop the veggies earlier in the day but you can also chop them while the rice is cooking. I like to have the veggies all on a cutting board ready to assemble the bowls once the shrimp and rice are done. Cook rice according to package (depends on white or brown). If using coconut milk, watch towards the end and stir in a little water if it’s drying out. I also have it often stick to the bottom so stirring a few times as it boils can help. Saute shrimp for just a few minutes per side (they cook fast!) in either avocado oil, ghee or sesame oil if you’d prefer that taste. Serve up the bowls with rice, shrimp, tons of veggies and garnishes of choice plus a hearty drizzle of the sauce. Yum!

Extra Taco Meat Lunch Trick

Okay this may sound obvious, but I think taco meat is a wildly underrated food for leftovers on the go. Whenever you’re making taco meat for the family, cook up an extra pound to have taco salads or bowls for quick, easy lunches. I’ve done so many things for fast lunches for myself with this trick. You can even save it frozen if you don’t want to eat it all consecutively! I do ground beef but chicken of course works too.

• Basic Taco salad (no brainer, obv!) - greens, leftover meat, canned black beans, any veggies you have, avocado, little cheese, salsa.

  • The same salad above with a quick vinaigrette of olive oil, splash of vinegar, splash of cumin and garlic powder.

  • Taco bowls - same as above but warmed! I do a warmed bowl with spinach or arugula that’s delish and a different spin than the salad.

Any variation of meat, greens, avocado, cheese and salsa hits on a lot of protein, nutrients, fiber and good fats. Hopefully those give you some lunch ideas (or these are also great for quick dinners too). They key is doubling your taco meat so you have extras on hand!