Mix & Match Lunchtime Grain Bowls

These grain bowls are what’s for lunch during the #CSCleanse! Checkout all the breakfast and dinner recipes right here.

One on hand, I love a good desk lunch. It’s a little pause in my workday to savor something delish and grab some me time (even when I’m at my desk, I pause the real work and spend my lunchtime doing something fun like catching up on digital magazines or browsing my fave shopping sites.) On the other hand, lunch is the time of day when I do not have the time or inclination to spend more than 5 minutes prepping.

So 99% of the time, I go for a yummy grain bowl featuring leftovers and whatever I meal-prepped on Sunday, plus a handful of greens and a sprinkle of nuts or seeds, and I’m never ever sad about it.

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Why am I recommending that you eat a grain bowl for every day of the #CSCleanse? Because once you’ve got the formula down, there are infinite possibilities for making each one feel fun and interesting, plus you can leverage whatever leftovers you have from the night before to make it all your own with zero waste.

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So here’s the formula. Commit it to memory (or bookmark this page):

• A grain and/or a protein (quinoa, chickpeas, salmon, cauliflower rice — something hearty and substantial)
• Cooked veggies (sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts — something warming and a little sweet)
• Raw veggies (arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers — this is what gives the grain bowl its fresh, zingy vibes)
• Something creamy (goat cheese, avocado, a drizzle of pesto or greek yogurt)
• Crunch (slivered almonds, crumbled seedy crackers, pumpkin seeds)

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Getting this mix right is the difference between that delicious grain bowl at your favorite trendy café, and the one you make at home when it looks like you just threw a bunch of random things into a bowl. You’ve gotta have that warm, cool, creamy, crunchy balance — with a couple of flavor boosters at the end — and you’ll be left with that super satisfied, soul-nourished feeling when you log back into work (or whatever) for the afternoon.

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Scroll on for the recipe… and get creative with your bowl! If you share it, tag #CSCleanse so we can see your grain bowl masterpiece.