Ugh. I have no idea what to call this dish. It literally came together out of necessity to eat and I wanted ease. Believe it or not, I had just gotten back from the store and grabbed the ingredients to make a chicken soup. I ended up taking the dog for a walk and was too hot for soup. And then this Chicken & “Rice” Bowl happened.
Cooking for One
I’m somewhat of an empty nester at the moment. It really is hard trying to figure out how to go from feeding a family, to feeding just one! 3 of the weeknights, I don’t even have my hubby around to cook for so breaking out all the stops for myself seems pointless. I end up making one dish “recipes”, that have everything I need in one pan and that’s my meal.
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t have to be complicated, right? We all want to make sure we get nutrients in but it doesn’t mean that we need our plate to look like what we see in magazines or cookbooks.
Plating Your Meal
I remember my mom always having 3 servings on our plate and a side salad – it never failed. It was what I knew and what I did for my children as well. While I feel I need to get in protein, veggies and healthy fats, I don’t necessarily have to have it portioned out into a beautiful plate. Yes …yes …yes – we eat with our eyes so it is nice to see a nicely plated meal. It makes us want to ‘dig in’ just because it looks amazing! Sometimes that’s not possible with our busy lives or in my case, not wanting to cook a full on meal ‘for one’.
This Chicken & “Rice” Bowl has all you need. There’s a vegetable, a protein and healthy fats. And that my friend, is what I look for in a meal. It may not be beautiful but I promise you, it’s good! Eat this with a spoon but I like the idea of scooping up a portion with your favorite dipping food. I used Siete Foods Paleo Chips but I’m certain Jilz Crackerz would be amazing – or any paleo/gluten free cracker that you love. There is chicken in this recipe but you could omit the chicken and just serve this hearty “dip” on the side of any protein!
Fun with Finger Food!
If you like the idea of dipping your way through a meal, you might like this Lasagna Dip recipe! Like I said, I’m all about the ease these days and after 30+ years of cooking, I like the idea of tossing my meal in a baking dish/pan and eating with “scoopers”. It’s not only good but it’s fun!
Meals Don’t Have to be Complicated
Things sure have changed for me in terms of how I get a meal on the table. My mom started doing the same when she became an empty nester. I used to think that I would never give up cooking a full on meal, no matter who was around in the house. BUT – I guess after years of cooking, it does happen. A meal is just a meal and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Do you like easy peasy meals? Let me know if you want to see more recipes like this Chicken & “Rice” Bowl! I’d be happy to whip up more!
Chicken & “Rice” Bowl – Paleo|Keto|Simple
Ingredients
- 1 bag cauliflower rice
- 2 cups cooked/diced chicken
- 1 medium/ripe avocado
- 2 heaping tbsp cream “cheese” or paleo mayonnaise
- 2 heaping tbsp green chili or jalapeño sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or favorite cooking fat
- 1/4 cup diced green onions
- Cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat oil then add cauliflower crumbles and stir. Keep stirring every so often, til bits are tender.
- Make a small space in pan and smash the avocado on space and stir in with the cauliflower crumbles.
- Add diced chicken, seasonings, cream “cheese” or mayo, spicy seasoning and combine , stirring occasionally until heated through.
- Top off with green onions and/or cilantro.
- Serve with your favorite dipping food!
