There’s a trending meal that’s being followed by most health buffs today! It’s easy to do at home, and they keep you in good shape too. It’s not just a fad. It’s truly simple, delicious and healthy, especially for menopause. Many people love the Buddha Bowl and I love it too! Read more about why this bowl of nutritious meal has lured so many into the healthy and nourishing addiction!
What’s a Buddha Bowl?
A Buddha Bowl is big bowl of complete nutritional meal, which stimulates and satisfies all your senses. Eat with joy and gratitude, and your Buddha bowl will fill you up, mind, body and spirit. It’s more like you are having a spiritual connection, when feeding your body with healthy food mixes that you have chosen yourself. So, if you eat this way, you can consider yourself practicing the art of mindful eating, too!
The Buddha bowl is named so, not because it came from Buddhist practice. It got it’s Buddha label because the bowls resemble that of a Buddha’s rounded belly. It is also called a glory bowl, hippie bowl or happy bowl.
What to Add in a Buddha Bowl
This healthy bowl is great for lunch or dinner! There really is no ideal recipe for every bowl. What you want to achieve is having a complete healthy meal in one bowl and make sure it suits your taste! To help you choose which ingredients to add, here are some options for you:
Protein Sources: cooked fish, chicken or white meat that you prefer, tofu, beans, peas, nutritional yeast
Carbohydrates: cooked quinoa, buckwheat or any whole grains, cooked sweet potatoes, squash
Fiber: lettuce, kale, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, spinach and others
Essential Fat: Nuts (pecan, walnuts, crushed almonds and any nut your prefer), seeds (sunflower, hemp, flax, squash and more), grated coconuts
Added Flavors: roasted red peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, granola sprinkles, apple slices, cranberries, raisins
Sauces: The most common used sauces are almond butter sauce, tahini, olive oil or olive oil with lemon juice. But, you can use any of your favorite sauces as you prefer!
Therefore, building the bowl is simple, you can add just about any food you like, as long as it’s healthy. Be creative with your happy bowls. Mix in some colors and shapes that, so your bowl is pleasing to see! And remember, savor the taste, crunch and aroma of the mix and enjoy your glory bowl experience. Here’s a video on how to make a Buddha Bowl for starters. (1.46 minutes)
Choose Your Buddha Bowl Recipe
The Big Veggie Bowl
This veggie bowl looks so beautiful like it was prepared by international chefs in a restaurant. Great news is, you can do it on your own at home! Just arrange the ingredients into your bowl and get ready to dig in! This bowl is filled with fiber, protein and essential fat!
Sometimes, we rush into the day and we rush into eating too. Having this bowl of nutrition will also help you to slow down, as you enjoy laying all the ingredients nicely into the bowl. Then you get to reward yourself and receive the fullness of your meal, especially with this one! Visit Oh She Glows for the recipe and to read more about this hippie bowl.
Mean Green Buddha Bowl
This mean green Buddha bowl is packed with nutrients, but it is low in fat and calories. It’s free from dairy and gluten! This bowl may have a monotonic appearance, but it bursts with flavor and texture!
In a bowl, make compartments for the broccoli florets, steamed edamame and the cooked Swiss chard. It will look like there is a specific wedge for each of the three ingredients in the bowl. Get a few avocado slices and fan it over the vegetables. Drizzle a spoon of salsa verde over the bowl and sprinkle some chopped cilantro to finish! You can choose to top the bowl with a warm fried egg, and you’re ready to dig in!
You can check the full recipe of this bowl from A Spicy Perspective.
Fall Buddha Bowl with Quinoa
This colorful bowl will spoil your taste buds with an explosion of flavors! It’s perfect to fill you up with nutrients and it’s gluten-free! It will take you less than 45 minutes to make this tasty bowl. Since this bowl is nutritious and really big, invite a friend to share it with! You can make this when your friends go over at your home for some catching up moments!
Photo: Fall Buddha Bowl with Quinoa / Vegan Heaven
To build your Buddha Bowl, add some cooked squash, Brussel sprouts, carrots, beets and quinoa in a big bowl. Drizzle some of the creamy cashew sauce on top of the vegetables. To finish it off, add a dash of pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the sprouts on top. Now, you can enjoy your big bowl of deliciousness!
Get the full recipe of this Fall Buddha bowl from the Vegan Heaven.
More Buddha Bowl Recipes
There are so many variations you can make for these happy bowls. You don’t need to go looking for them, because we’ve got you covered. Here are some more Buddha bowl recipes that you may like!
The Fit Foodie Finds has partnered with Simply Organic and they have shared several recipes that you can try! Here are some of their recipes below:
- Vegetarian Brown Rice Bowl
- Superfood Taco Bowls
- Stir Fry Zen Bowl
- Roasted Rainbow Winter Bowl
- Southwestern Vegan Power Bowl
You can also get more recipes from a cookbook! Here’s one that we like.
This book is filled with simple and inspired whole foods recipes to savor and share! The cookbook guides you to experience:
- quick and easy cooking
- delicious, produce-forward recipes for every meal
You’ll definitely enjoy flipping through the pages of the book, because it is well written with beautiful color photos for nearly every recipe.
Tips for Your Buddha Bowl!
- To minimize food spoilage, check your fridge every week for items that you can add in your hippie bowl. Don’t wait for them to spoil, so make your healthy bowl today!
- Stock more on organic items, so you’ll get the most of the nutrients from your bowl.
- You can double the recipes so you can also share with other family members
- You can also try to serve the ingredients in separate containers and let everyone pick whatever they like to add in their own bowls.
- Or, make a big bunch ahead which you can enjoy for several days. Just keep them in the fridge.
- If you are making large batches, place dressing in a separate container. Only add them when you’re ready to eat.
- You can choose raw or cooked ingredients, depending on your taste.
- And, remember enjoy the nutritious feast to fill your mind, body and spirit!
How do you make your Buddha bowl? Feel free to leave a comment and share your recipes with us!
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Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.