Burrito Bowl

I swear, it tastes better than it looks!

I was craving a burrito bowl from Chipotle the other day, but if you're clued in to the weather catastrophe in New England, then you'll know that most non-essential outings just aren't happening. I've basically only left the house to go to the gym, grocery store, or for job interviews. As I was leaving the gym, I decided to skip the 20 minute drive to Chipotle and drove home. Despondently, I opened the fridge.... and literally like a sign from heaven, there was literally every ingredient I needed sitting at the front of every shelf! Since it was Ash Wednesday and I'm trying to observe, I was meatless that day... and after the gym, I needed a big 'ole helping of protein... AND most importantly, I was starving.

Here's what I came up with (from the bottom up):

+ rice

+ low-sodium black beans

+ orange and yellow peppers (amt equaling 1 pepper) sauteed with 1/2 thinly sliced onion, a few shakes of cumin, a squeeze of sriracha, and 1 thinly sliced tomato thrown in right before I turned the heat off. To cook these, I like to throw a lid on the frying pan to keep it warm since there are a few other steps before chow time.

+ shredded cheese

+ lettuce (I would have used romaine, but we only had iceberg)

+ guacamole

+ 2 small flour tortillas

A few things:

Rice and beans create a complete protein (meaning that it contains all the essential amino acids). If you're vegan, vegetarian, or even someone who doesn't eat a lot of animal protein (that's me-- largely because its expensive), you should know at least a little about how to create complete proteins.

Part of the reason I decided against the Chipotle run, is that sometimes when I eat restaurant food (especially Panera) my mouth feels all weird and itchy-- and I suspect its because of the high levels of salt. Sodium intake is something worth being conscious of. It can be a huge roadblock if you're trying to lose weight, but also affect your blood pressure and you body's electrolyte balance.

Lastly, I wouldn't ordinarily go for so many carbs in one meal, BUT I had an intense workout and I needed a calorie boost. I spooned some of the mixture into the tortillas and ate it kinda like soft tacos.

I definitely recommend attempting a homemade burrito bowl. It was super satisfying and filling. There was a good complete protein, about 1.5 servings of veg, the healthy avocado fats, and the satisfying carby-ness of the tortillas.

(pats self on back)