Veggie Burrito Bowl: A Healthy 400 Calorie Meal

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veggieburritobowlVeggie Burrito Bowl: A Healthy 400 Calorie Meal

Try this super simple veggie burrito bowl for a protein- and fiber-packed 400 calorie meal.  It’s great as is for lunch but add fruit with Greek yogurt and you can enjoy this meal for dinner.  It takes less than 10 minutes to make and it holds up well if you need to take it to work to eat later.

Did you know that eating lunches away from home adds a whopping 158 calories, on average, to your total diet. That’s why I always make it a habit to prepare my own meals. For comparison, if you ordered a veggie burrito bowl with the same ingredients at Chipotle, it would be nearly 600 calories.

As a general rule, most women need about 400 calories for breakfast, 400-500 for lunch and about the same for dinner.  When trying to lose weight, we keep all meals to about 400 calories which makes it easy to use lunches and dinners interchangeable.  Research also suggests that eating a higher percentage of your calories earlier in the day may help ensure that you burn off those calories rather than storing them as body fat. That’s only reason why we like light dinners and advise our clients to close down the kitchen after dinner.

Ingredients

1 frozen veggie burger
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/3 cup brown rice, cooked
1/4 cup salsa, divided
1 ounce low-fat cheddar cheese (or 1/2 ounce full-fat cheddar cheese)

Directions

  1. Microwave your veggie burger according to package instructions, and set aside. Then, microwave your black beans for 30 to 45 seconds until evenly heated.
  2. Start assembling your salad layer by layer starting with romaine, then brown rice, black beans, and half your salsa.
  3. Slide on your veggie burger, add the remainder of your salsa, and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
  4. Enjoy immediately, or pack up for lunch.

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