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MK

May 5, 20205 min read

How to Make the Perfect Brunch Bowl

Updated: Sep 7, 2020

For this week's nutrition and/or recipe post I decided to take a minute to talk about breakfast and brunch bowls!

One, because they are literally the best.

Two, because you all compliment me on my Instagram stories every time I share one! Even as my stomach growls at me angrily; I'm known to spend quiteeeee a bit of time on the final aesthetic of the bowl.

What I'm trying to say is thank you for boosting my bowls.

The final reason I'm writing this post is because my goal here is to share easy, nutritious, and delicious recipe ideas and brunch bowls are allllll of the above. All the time.

Well, always delicious anyways. The easy part depends on if your mindset is "it all goes to the same place" and you aimlessly drop the ingredients into a bowl OR if you're like me, where you outsource a designer and a camera crew to get that perfect insta-worthy pic.

And the nutritious part depends on how much bacon you add. I'm kidding, get that greasy protein if ya want it.

STEP ONE

Choose a base.

Nine times out of ten, I'm choosing quinoa. If you don't know how to make quinoa, its exactly like rice. If you don't know how to do that, I'm sorry.

I buy a bulk bag of organic quinoa, this one to be exact, and it lasts a long time. You can also make the quinoa in excess amounts for #mealprep style brunching. I have a tub of pre-made quinoa in my fridge that I will pull from when I need it. (It lasts about a week in the fridge!)

(I feel bad about earlier, so here's an article that explains cooking quinoa that I really like. I have yet to try the toasting option!)

Other ideas:

scrambled eggs
rice
salad (spinach, kale)
potatoes (home fry style- diced into bite sized pieces, coated in olive oil, salt and pepper, maybe some rosemary)

These ones are more along the lines of a breakfast bowl (I bet you were wondering the difference), and not the focus of my post, but they are soooo good too:

smoothie
oats
museli

STEP TWO

Top it off.

I'm wondering if putting steps was even necessary. It feels right, so I'm leaving it. Anywho, for this section I'm going to list my absolute favorite toppings to add to a brunch bowl and how I cook them. I encourage you to find yourself through brunch bowls and try them all, mix and match, change the spice, etc. The world is your brunch bowl.

16 TOPPINGS TO MAKE THE PERFECT BREAKFAST BOWL

Not only do these taste good, they're good for you. And they look good.

Egg

Whoa!! Coming out the gate with fresh new ideas! Not at all, but I can't not write it. My personal favorite is a fried egg, over easy so it breaks into the bowl when I start eating it. I don't love them, but scrambled eggs are an easy and quick option as well. Back to the meal prep theme, hard boiled eggs also last a week in the fridge!

Avocado

There are several ways to add avocado to your brunch bowl. Slicing it is an art form I have yet to master, so my favorite way to make it is a mash. Scoop the avocado into a bowl, season with salt, pepper, lime juice, and smash it to a mash. Delicious.

Sweet Potato

I love love love a little bit of sweet potato in my breakfast bowl. Besides tasting great, it helps make the meal feel a little bit more substantial. I dice the potato into small pieces and mix it in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. I usually start with this since it involves preheating the oven. 350 until crispy.

Bacon

I've been a big fan of turkey bacon lately, the flavor has grown on me and its just so much less greasy. If you love your bacon super crispy, you might want to stick it regular though. I throw this in the oven with the sweet potato. 350 until crispy.

Chicken Sausage

To be fully honest, I don't know the health facts around chicken sausage. But I do know it tastes good and comes in amazing flavors. I like to buy a pack of "kale and fontina" chicken sausage that I keep in the freezer. Its precooked, so only requires quick heating.

Cheese

Pretty straight forward. I buy shredded cheese and sprinkle some into a section of the bowl. For the picture. Then I aggressively mix it in with everything else.

Beets

Beets are good! Don't let your preconceived notion that things flavored like dirt don't taste good get in the way! While cooking up fresh beets may be the best tasting way to go about this, I personally buy my beets canned for this meal. I hardcore dodge the jars that say "pickled" though. If that's your thing by all means grab it. I usually heat these up with some oil on the stove or some butter. I add salt and pepper sometimes and lime juice even less. They are fine right out of the jar. If you're curious why beets are good for you, check this out.

Arugula

Guys, I don't have much to say here. Arugula is a great fresh flavor and so easy to pile on. And very, very, cute for a plate. (just sayin)

Kale/Spinach

Lumping these two together since I cook them the same. I either put some oil in a pan and saute them a bit, or I cover them in olive oil and roast them right next to my sweet, sweet potatoes. Either way, I spice only with a pinch of salt and pepper. (Or you can throw these on raw)

Radishes

If you read this post, you're thinking: I can't remember the last time I ate a radish and this girl is obsessed with them. Look at the picture. Your pretty bowl needs radishes. Also, they are a good source of Vitamin C, add a nice juicy crunch to your meal, and actually help with hydration because of their high water content.

Green Onion

Ugh, such a nice touch that I wish I did more often. Chop it up and sprinkle it on top.

Asparagus

Now this one really screams "brunch bowl". Unless you generally think of asparagus as a breakfast food. If you do, you're probably the minority. I put this in my brunch bowls some times when I have it and it is always a nice touch. Coat in oil, salt and and pepper.

Brussel Sprouts

Same as the above.

Cilantro

My favorite spice. Grab a handful of fresh cilantro for a finishing touch. Unless you're one of those unfortunate souls who get a soapy flavor from cilantro.

Peppers & Onions

Name a better duo, I'll wait. Saute diced or sliced bell peppers and onions on the stove with salt and pepper in no time at all. And add it to everything. Including your brunch bowl.

STEP THREE

Dressings!

Here are a few of my favorite things to drizzle on top of a brunch bowl. It sort of depends on the ingredients I used that day, but in general can go any direction.

Balsamic Vinegar- a healthy, tangy option

Frank's Hot Sauce (or your favorite)

Ketchup- If you like ketchup on your eggs, you're wrong. But with a potato base this is my favorite choice.

Cilantro Dressing (this Trader Joe's one is a personal fav. Its so good with hot sauce too)

I am kinda lacking in dressing options! I'm interested in creating my own so I will report back if I discover an amazing homemade brunch bowl dressing recipe, but in the mean time, put me on to your favorite dressings (or toppings) so I can try!