If you’re looking for menu ideas that are quick and nourishing, consider adding one-bowl meals to your lunch and dinner rotation. They can mostly be prepped in advance and ensure that you get a complete and balanced meal including plenty of vegetables. When you have spare time, batch cook any of the components of a bowl meal to make sure your assembly is speedy. Left-over home-made sauces can be stored in the freezer for later use.

Here are the 5 steps to create a bowl meal:

1. Choose your base. This is typically a complex carbohydrate or starch, but could also be lettuce, spinach or other greens. Rice is probably the most commonly used grain. You may also use quinoa, farro, couscous, pasta, grits or corn. Sweet or white potatoes are also delicious.
2. Choose your veggies. Raw or cooked veggies work well. Roasted are especially tasty. Fruit is an additional option.
3. Pick your protein. Typical animal protein choices are eggs, chicken, fish, shellfish, beef, pork or sausage. Plant-based protein sources like beans, tempeh, tofu and other soy products are also a good option.
4. Add your sauce. This is where to get creative. You could use almost any type of sauce, like peanut and sesame-based, a creamy sauce, any type of salsa, siracha, hummus or a vinaigrette. Or even a simple squeeze of lemon or lime.
5. Consider a garnish. Perhaps a pickled veggie, avocado, some nuts, croutons, yogurt or a special cheese. Fresh herbs add flavor as well as color.

Whip together one of these sauces to get started:

This Asian-style sauce tastes so good that you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.Peanut Sauce

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk (get the canned type here. Left-overs may be frozen)
• 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Mix ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and stir occasionally until desired consistency.

Use this sauce as a bowl sauce or salad dressing.

Lemon Maple Sauce

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
• 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or ½ tablespoon fresh)

In a small mixing bowl or mason jar, whisk or shake the oil, lemon, mustard, maple syrup, salt and dill until smooth and consistent.

Roast a large pan of vegetables to eat now and later.

Roasted Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 400 - 425 degrees.
2. Cut vegetables into ½- 1” pieces. Good to cut the pieces about the same size so they cook evenly. If you know that one type of veggie cooks faster than another, put the longer cooking in oven first and add the others later.
3. In a large bowl, toss in canola or olive oil. Use around 1 tablespoon for 3 cups.
4. Sprinkle with salt. You might want to add other favorite seasonings at this time.
5. Spread one layer over a metal baking pan. You don’t want to crowd the pan. A sheet pan is best, as the curved sides of a baking dish will cause your vegetables to steam more than if they were on a flat surface with shallow sides.

Place in oven and stir or flip every 10 minutes or so, until golden brown or to desired texture.