Protein is one of the things in my diet that I always seem to be a little short on so I am striving to increase my consumption to lean up for the race season. Instead of relying on powders and bars I like to see if I can get as much of it in regular foods as I can. Recently I discovered Protein Bowls. Actually it was suggested by a friend so I headed to the kitchen and created the best version I could think of. Since then, I have come up with many different versions of what I like to call my Protein Bowls. You could seriously make so many versions! For this particular one, pictured above I used the following:
1 8.5 oz bag of Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic (I get it at Costco – Seeds of Change Brand)
1 cup of diced ham (or so, to be honest I don’t really measure things too much)
1 cup of cheese (Yes, it’s a lot, I love cheese! I like to use a blend so lots of different cheeses. Pepper jack is really good for this!)
½ cup of Hominy
1 can Great Northern Beans
Fresh Cilantro to taste
1 small can of green chili’s
1 doz eggs scrambled (I added some diced onion and salt and pepper to taste when I cooked them)
That’s it! Basically I combined it all and heated it all through in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 min. Another version I made used kidney beans. When I make it again I am going to add a dash of cumin and more garlic. Get creative and make your own. Let’s me know how it turns out!
Happy Cooking,
Coach Lora Erickson
Want to learn more about protein? Check out this article: The 12 Foods Highest in Protein
