EDIT: TL;DR- Sticking to a “one bowl” meal approach has simplified meal prep for me.
Ok so this might sound really obvious but it’s a new approach for me, and I’ve had the most enjoyable easy time cooking, and I’m feeling great about what I’m eating which is making OMAD way easier!
So it all started with me buying one of those really wide shallow “bistro bowls”, and I decided that whatever my meal was going to be that night, it would all fit into that bowl and go together cohesively. It’s kind of like a “Keto Bowl” approach, only I’m not limiting any ingredients from my diet, just designing different “bowls” based on my cravings. This all-in-one meal concept has just made it super streamlined for me, the groceries were simple and affordable, and I hope this approach could help others.
Basically, each night is a “Salad Bowl”. I dress spring mix with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lay it at the bottom of the huge bowl. I pick out my protein, starch, and whatever veggies and sauce I want to go with it. All of the cooking is as simple as a little chopping, roasting or pan frying, boiling grains or rice, and then assembling.
I focused on buying proteins and cheese first, getting a good amount of chicken breast, minced beef, salmon, shrimp, eggs, feta, blue cheese, etc. Then I just got my salad greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocadoes, peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, squash, broccoli, lemons and limes, some frozen peas and corn, really simple stuff! You can get whatever veggies you know you like. With a solid pantry of beans, rices, grains, etc, and some good sauces and condiments, you can do anything.
Here is what I have had the past week with $150 grocery shop, and I’ve still got another 4-5 solid meals left!
Salmon Teriyaki Bowl - white rice, cucumbers w/ cilantro and scallion, stir fry cauliflower and carrots, sesame seeds
Lemon Dill Chicken Greek Bowl- Couscous, Roasted Chickpeas, Cucumber, Olives, Feta, Tomato, Onion, Tzatziki
Thai Beef Noodle Salad - Rice Noodles, Shredded Carrot and Radish, Avocado, Nuoc Cham Sauce, Fried Egg Rolls
Chicken Burrito Bowl - Cheesy Black Beans, Roasted Peppers, Avocado Corn Mango Salsa, Tortilla Strips
Poached Egg Avocado Toast w/ salad- greens on the bottom, avo toast and eggs w/ everything bagel seasoning, runny yolk becomes a dressing for the greens : )
Winter Beef Bowl - roasted butter nut squash w/ brown sugar and pecan, barley, cauliflower
Shrimp Salad- Asparagus, Feta, Tomato, Garlic Butter Shrimp, Fried Polenta Cakes
The options are endless, and preparing just enough for myself to fit into this one bowl has been a BREEZE!!! I know it’s simple, but sticking to this routine has kept my meals really fresh, healthy, fun, and satisfying.
Hope that helps!!!!
Love this concept! I still struggle with overeating so sticking to one bowl filled with healthy foods might be the silver bullet for me. Some of your suggested combos have me craving to break my fast already! Thanks for sharing OP.
I had a friend I met a dragoncon a few years ago. He did OMAD. Everyday for dinner he would go to chipotle order double meat chicken bowl and get everything on it.
He said it made the process incredibly easy and he could get basically all the nutrients he needed and he lost a lot of weight.
He was a man and exercised, so the calories made sense.
I do a similar.
I fry the meat in a casserole, then squeeze in some tomato puree from those handy tubes, and add spice and whatever other ingredients and let is zimmer as long as my patience allows (typically 5 min) and eat straight from the casserole.
(LOVE tomato puree this year! It ticks the carb-box and the vegetable-box. It doesn’t trigger my IBS at all, and unlike ketchup, it has no added sugar and no vinegar that eats away at tooth enamel. As long as you are not pre-diabetic, I think it is a great simple and cheap option.)
Yes I love this ! This is what I do too. I am for at least 4cups of leafy greens then add additional veggies even cauliflower rice to bulk it up and then a protein. My dressing have been boring of msutard, balsamic vinegar & olive oilI do have to finish on a sweet note so I either have dark chocolate or a protein yoghurt or dessert.
I do the exact same - my whole work day I’m planning in my head what my ‘meal’ will be that day, but it’s always just one giant bowl. My go-to right now is 50/50 rice and greens mix, with sliced peppers, onion, and zucchini and some protein with hummus on top.
I’m always so full after eating it that it’s all I need for the day, but sometimes I’ll go in with a protein shake or a couple of fried eggs as well.
Easy!