Buddha bowls are one of my absolute favorite meals of all time! In my newsletter this week, I talked about a few tips on my go-to school/ work lunches! Most of my lunches while on-the-go are buddha bowls, so I thought I would share a more detailed post on how I build them! If you don’t know what a buddha bowl is, it is a delicious, colorful salad that is filled with all of your favorite ingredients like roasted vegetables, hummus, beans, and so much more! You can totally customize it to suit your taste buds! It’s a great way to get greens in and it is super filling and delicious! I love making buddha bowls on school nights when I don’t have a ton of time and I also make them for school lunches! I love to prep lots of veggies and protein on Sundays as it is more efficient and cheaper, but if you don’t have time to meal prep, do not worry as I have included some tips for when you are short on time and can’t make ingredients ahead of time! Send or tag me in your buddha bowl creations if you make one too!! I’d love to see them! 🙂

1. Prep all of your vegetables & protein ahead of time or buy them pre-made.

On Sundays, I love to prep tons of different vegetables so that I can add them to meals throughout the week. My favorite way to cook vegetables is to roast them in the oven at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to get them nice and crispy because that makes them extra delicious! Some examples of vegetables that I roast are Brussel sprouts, sweet potato (Japanese sweet potato is extra sweet!), broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, and so much more! I also like to prep protein that I can add to meals throughout the week! Here are some examples of proteins that I prepare- tofu, tempeh, eggs, salmon, quinoa, chicken, etc!

If you don’t have time to meal prep, don’t worry! On busy weeks when I don’t have a lot of time, I like to go to a salad bar and fill up a container with everything I want for the week! I get things like cooked tofu, hard-boiled eggs, cooked quinoa, and anything else that’s there, but that you don’t have time to cook yourself!

2. Start with your veggie base.

Now that you have prepped your veggies and protein, let’s build your buddha bowl! I like to start off with a base of greens, so I usually add spinach, romaine or kale to the bottom of my bowl. Top off your buddha bowl with your roasted veggies, or if you didn’t have time to meal prep, throw on raw veggies like carrots, peppers, cucumber or broccoli! Some times I use both raw and cooked veggies as I think the raw veggies add a nice crunch to the salad!

3. Decorate with all of your favorite toppings.

Now it’s time to decorate our buddha bowl! Depending on the day, I always like to change it up! Some of my favorite toppings are simple pantry staples like crackers, nuts, and seeds and then I like to add weekly fridge staples like berries (I love blueberries and strawberries), hummus, beans, sundried tomatoes, beets, etc!

4. Drizzle with your favorite dressing!

Simple is always best in my opinion when you are looking for a dressing! I love topping my buddha bowl with olive oil and balsamic vinegar! But sometimes I like to use Tessemae’s dressings as well! Their honey mustard vinaigrette is my favorite!

I hope these tips help you build a delicious buddha bowl! I would love to see your creation if you make one!!