Lately, I’ve been throwing together the same Quick and Easy Bowl just because, well… the namesake tells it all. Gone are the days of a last-minute Lean Cuisine put in my lunch bag while getting ready for work. Instead, I can easily throw together one of Anne’s Quick and Easy Bowls to have a healthy, tasty lunch in just minutes.

I usually put together three of the same bowl together for lunches for the week. There’s a reason why I do three. It’s perfect for using a whole can of beans and a can of tomatoes! The other two days of the week, my lunches consist of dinner leftovers.

This favorite throw-together lunch of mine was inspired by Anne from fANNEtasticfood.com and is undeniably flavorful. I’ve probably eaten this a dozen times in the last couple months and haven’t gotten sick of it yet.

Quick Mediterranean-Style Power Bowl

(makes 3 bowls)

Ingredients:

• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup precooked rice (or pasta)
• 1 – 15 oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 zucchini, halved and sliced
• 1 – 15 oz can seasoned diced tomatoes, including juices (You can substitute fresh tomatoes, of course. But for my quick-and-easy-pulling-from-the-pantry purposes here, the canned ones are quick, readily available and already seasoned!)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 medallions herbed goat cheese or a couple of rounds cut from a log of herbed goat cheese, approximately 1 oz

Method:

Divide ingredients among three containers and refrigerate. At lunchtime, heat your bowl, slightly covered, in the microwave for 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir. The juice from your tomatoes will steam the spinach and zucchini and the warm goat cheese will become your creamy herb-y sauce.

I find this dish fantastically satisfying because it is flavorful and filling. Mine came in around 400 calories with 23g of protein and 8 g fiber. {My lunch calories below included my snacks – a 50 calorie piece of string cheese and a piece of dark chocolate. Also, I usually use more spinach. I was just working with what I had left, this week.

I love how easy this is to throw together and that I don’t have to think about which seasonings to add since I’m already using seasoned tomatoes and goat cheese.

Click here for other ideas for Anne’s Quick and Easy Bowls.

Now for this week:

Food

Dinners:
*We didn’t make a few of these last week, so they’ve been pushed to this week!

• Monday – Dinner out after golf league
• Tuesday – San Marzano Tomato Pasta
• Wednesday – Andouille Sausage with Red Beans & Rice and Cajun Vegetable Saute
  
• Thursday – Mediterranean Pork Chops with Garlic Green Beans and Best Oven Fries
• Friday – TBD
• Saturday – A friend in town!
• Sunday – TBD

Lunch:

• Quick & Easy Bowls (see above!)
• Leftovers
• Snacks – fruit, nuts or string cheese and dark chocolate

Breakfasts:

• Magic Smoothies
• Granola with milk
• Peanut Butter Toast

Fitness

• Monday – Golf
• Tuesday –RUN
  
• Wednesday – cross train / Yoga
• Thursday – RUN
  
• Friday – REST
• Saturday – RUN
• Sunday –yoga and/or cross train

What is your favorite throw-together lunch?

Cheers~
Carrie