Roasted veggies and vegan garlicky tahini dressing are a match made in heaven! This healthy buddha bowl is perfect for meal prepping and will leave you satisfied and full of energy to power you through your day.
Eat the Rainbow
I call this my super-power rainbow bowl because I’m pretty sure we’ve covered every color of the rainbow in this easy, healthy, and nutritious meal, giving you all the phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to thrive:)
There are so many benefits to eating a plant-centered diet, including having more energy, better digestion, improved sleep, cardiovascular health, metabolic efficiency and so many more. Many of the benefits of a plant-centered diet rely on the diversity of fruits and vegetables, each providing unique nutrients to help our bodies work at their optimal level.
You may be wondering what it is about different colored fruits and vegetables that gives them each a unique subset of health-promoting properties. We’ve all grown up learning that oranges and other citrus fruits will boost your immune system, or that red fruits and veggies are good for your heart. But why is that?
Phytochemicals
Phytonutrients are natural chemicals produced by plant foods that are non-essential (meaning you can live without them) but are shown to have powerful disease preventing properties, interacting with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in the body. Phytochemicals are what give fruits and vegetables their unique colors and associated properties.
Lets break it down by color.
- Green
- The phytonutrients most commonly found in green leafy veggies, like kale and broccoli are proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers and help to maintain good vision.
- Orange
- Orange fruits and veggies are abundant in Beta Carotene, a powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer as well as helping to maintain strong immunity.
- Red
- Foods like tomatoes and peppers have phytonutrients that control blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
- Blue
- Think blueberries, blackberries, and beets. These foods contain antioxidants that may slow the effects of aging and are proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers.
So how can we ensure that we are getting enough diversity of plants in our diets?
Tips for a plan-centered approach
- Stock up your fridge with the good stuff
- Having a variety of fruits and vegetables in your fridge is the first step to building healthier habits and making it a priority to get a diverse array of nutrients in every meal.
- Have fun with it!
- Including different sources of vegetables in my recipes gives me the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and experiment with different flavors and textures!
- Meal Prep
- Meal prepping is the best way to cut down time cooking in the kitchen and allows you to hold yourself accountable and ensure that your meals are balanced and healthy, even when you’re too busy to make lunch. Set aside time on the weekend to chop up veggies you can throw into a salad or have as a snack, roast your favorite vegetables, or make a full meal. Your options are endless!
- Aim for 5 servings
- It is recommended that we consume at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Make it a priority to include them in every meal. I like to chop up some veggies to have with hummus in the afternoon or make myself a bowl of yogurt with fruit. Any way you choose, snack-time is a great opportunity to eat your fruits and vegetables.
What’s in my bowl?
This buddha bowl has become my go-to lunch these days. It’s light, refreshing, super healthy, and filled with fiber to keep my digestion in check!
This sheetpan meal comes together quickly with the help of a little meal prepping on at the start of the week. Just chop 4 sweet potatoes, a head of cauliflower, a bag of frozen brussels sprouts, and 4 carrots. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil and bake them for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and begin to brown.
Garlic Tahini Dressing
This garlicky tahini dressing is non-negotiable. It’s creamy, lemony, and adds the kick of spice and tang to these veggies that will leave you wanting seconds.
I first fell in love with tahini dressing when I tried Minimalist Baker’s tahini dressing recipe and wanted to see if I could modify the recipe with ingredients I had on hand! This tahini dressing combines tahini, water, lemon juice, coconut aminos, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dill. It’s so good I put it on quite literally everything.
I like to make a double batch of this and store it in a mason jar in the fridge to have all week long. Week day lunches never sounded so good:)
Hope you guys give this one a try!
If you’re looking for more lunch or dinner inspiration check out some of my latest recipes!
- Chipotle Black Bean and Kale Tacos
- Sweet Potato Pesto Cauliflower Gnocchi Bowl
- Rainbow grilled cheese with beets, goat cheese, and caramelized onions
- Colorful Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Colorful Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 pound bag of frozen or fresh brussels sprouts if fresh, cut in half lengthwise
- 4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 4 carrots chopped in half and sliced into 1/2 inch strips
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Garlic Tahini Dressing
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp coconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss them with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and 1 tsp each of chili powder and garlic powder. Place the cauliflower on one side of a large nonstick baking sheet.
- To that same bowl, toss the brussel sprouts and sliced carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper and add them to the other side of the baking sheet.
- Using the same bowl, toss the chopped sweet potatoes with the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp of chili powder and cinnamon. *Place them on a separate baking sheet as they take longer to cook.
- Place the trays in the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. When it appears that they are tender and slightly browned, take the tray with the cauliflower, carrots, and brussels sprouts out of the oven.
- Bake the sweet potatoes for 10 minutes longer or until they are soft and crispy on the outside. Check the oven frequently as cooking time depends on the size of the sweet potatoes.
Garlic Tahini Dressing
- Whisk all ingredients together and place them in a small mason jar, making sure to shake the contents in the jar! Drizzle over veggies:)
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