"Paola, what should I eat then?" – An idea for lunch
When working with my clients, I am very often faced with similar comments, questions and objections. Here some of them:
I don’t have time to prepare complicated meals, especially for lunch! It’s impossible to substitute my lunch sandwich…
I can’t even heat up my meals at work (or when I am on the go) … the only option I have for lunch is to eat a sandwich!
But I can’t skip the pasta/rice/potatoes/bread…that’s just not possible for me!
All “healthy” recipes you see around seem to have such crazy, difficult to find, expensive ingredients… can’t I just eat well using “normal” ingredients?
It’s so difficult to find good food and have a balanced meal when travelling…I have no other choice than fast food.
Do you also share any (or any combination) of those ideas/objections? I am curious to know…
And if your answer is “yes”, then this blog post is for you!
To dispel all those objections, here’s an example of a very easy recipe, made with common ingredients and even adaptable to whatever you have in your fridge.
I hope it will inspire you and get your creativity flowing!
This recipe is very quick and easy to prepare, it can be adapted to your own taste or depending on the ingredients you have on hand, it can be eaten both warm or cold. This meal can be carried around without too much hassle and that’s why it has become a go-to recipe for when I (rarely now) travel. However I also enjoy it at home for lunch or dinner with my family. The recipe is gluten- and dairy- free (gluten and casein are among the most inflammatory proteins for many people), it is low-carb and very much "blood sugar-safe". You can load it up with colourful herbs, veggies and spices…and thus with precious antioxidants and phytonutrients. Note: the recipe might contain ingredients that are not right for your body (e.g. high FODMAP and/or nickel containing veggies…). We are all unique! Avoid food you know to be sensitive to. And if you don’t know yet if and what is bothering you…be patient and explore with curiosity!
Here it goes!
Cauliflower rice salad with chicken
Ingredients For 4 servings
For the “rice”:
1 Cauliflower, fresh or frozen. Broccoli works too!
Fat of choice: Extra-virgin olive oil/ghee/coconut oil
Salt, pepper, turmeric powder and/or other spices
And then:
About 400 g of chicken breast, cut in small cubes (can be substituted with other types of meat, or also fish or legumes, e.g. chickpeas)
2 eggs (optional)
Onion
Ginger
Chopped carrots
Any type of salad
...
Salt, pepper, turmeric powder and/or other spices Herbs:
Cilantro, parsley, …
Please, always go for the best quality ingredients you can find!
Instructions
Cut the cauliflower into chunks, including the core and stem (note the cauliflower should be well dried)
Place it into a food processor and pulse the food processor until you obtain a texture that resembles that of rice (if you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the cauliflower)
Place some EVOO/ghee/coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and add the cauliflower rice
Sauté for about 3-6 minutes, until you obtain the desired tenderness of the cauliflower
Add salt, pepper, turmeric or the other spices. Remove the cauliflower rice from the pan (or use another pan) and:
Place your fat of choice in the pan over medium heat
Add onions, ginger and chopped carrots to the pan and gently sauté them
Add the chicken breast cubes and cook until fully cooked
Salt to taste and add any spice of choice (e.g. more turmeric and pepper)
Separately, hard boil the eggs and crumble them
Chop the salad and fresh herbs to the desired size
In a serving dish (or in your glass lunch box, if it’s for a lunch at work or on the go!), pour the cauliflower rice and add the chicken with the veggies and the crumbled hard-boiled eggs. Add the chopped salad and fresh herbs on top!
And…enjoy!
Some extra tips!
Do you have some leftover shredded or boiled chicken?
→ You can use that instead!
Would you like a different protein source and you have some more time to cook?
→ Couple the cauliflower rice (and other veggies) with e.g. baked chicken/wild salmon/other fish….
Do you have some leftover cauliflower rice with chicken?
→ Of course you can store it for the following days!
Want the preparation to be even quicker?
→ “Rice” some cauliflower and freeze it! Then cook it straight out of the freezer (don’t de-freeze it first)!
Would you like a meal with higher carbohydrate content?
→ Add some chickpeas, sweet potatoes and/or other root vegetables.
What do you think of this recipe? I’d love to hear your comments below or in an e-mail!
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