NEW RECIPE: The Orzo Power Bowl

© Constantine William Spyrou

I've become a lot more conscious about the nutrients in my food and what goes into the foods I'm eating since taking a nutrition class at college this past spring. It's important to get a good balance of every single nutrient in the recommended daily values throughout the day. This means eating a mix of proteins (or 31 grams of egg every day and you'll be good), high-fiber grains and vegetables, fruits for water-insoluble fiber (which is just as important as the fiber in grains and veggies), and choosing healthy fats such as unsaturated and omega-3 fats. 

Now, working full-time, its definitely a challenge to be able to cook all the time and spend a lot of time making sure I have the nutrients I need. To remedy this, I developed this recipe that contains the majority of the nutrients that are needed in your diet, but can easily be cooked in bulk. There are many different versions of the power bowl I have created. This one happens to be a savory Italian option with orzo, tomatoes, spinach, and multiple kinds of protein to ensure I'm getting what I need in my diet. This is a dish I can just put everything into a pot and leave on for a couple of hours, making it much easier to cook and enjoy! 

Recipe makes up to 10 bowls of food.

Ingredients:

1 package high-fiber orzo (Nutrients: Zinc, Iron, B Vitamins, Water-Insoluble Fiber)
1 1/2 cups spinach (Nutrients: Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Niacin, Zinc, Vitamin B6, Manganese, Magnesium, Copper, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Water-Insoluble Fiber)
1 cup kale (Nutrients: Vitamin A, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Water Insoluble Fiber)
4 cups chicken stock (Nutrients: Sodium, Iron, Riboflavin, Niacin.)
1 pound ground bison (Nutrients: Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Zinc, Selenium)
1 pound chicken thighs, cut into pieces (Nutrients: Vitamin B6, Niacin, Protein, Phosphorous, Zinc, Selenium)
1 can crushed tomatoes (Nutrients: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Water-Soluble Fiber, Thiamin, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Niacin, Potassium, Copper, Iron)
2 cups water (Nutrients: Water)
3 cloves garlic, minced (Nutrients: Calcium, Phosphorous, Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Manganese)
1/2 tablespoon basil (Nutrients: Vitamin E, Niacin, Phosphorous, Zinc, Water-Insoluble Fiber, Vitamins A, C, K, and B6, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, and Manganese)
2 tablespoons avocado oil (Nutrients: Unsaturated Fat)
1 tablespoon flax seed oil (Nutrients: Omega-3 Fatty Acids)
1/2 tablespoon oregano ( Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper, Water-Insoluble Fiber, Vitamns A, C, E, and K, Folate, Iron, Calcium, Manganese, Magnesium)
Salt and pepper to season (Nutrients: Sodium, Iron)

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the spinach, kale, and orzo into a pot. Bring to a boil, then cook at a simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Add the spinach and kale, and cook for another 15 minutes. Then, bring to a boil, and add in your orzo and cook to package instructions (about 10 minutes), stirring continuously so that the orzo doesn't stick to the pot. Once the orzo has doubled in size and absorbed 90-100% of the liquid, its ready!

This recipe is really simple to do because its quick to setup and it just stays on the pot until your vegetables and orzo get added. It lasts a long time, and has a lot of deep flavor from the bison, chicken, spices, and tomato. It has a great balance overall! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)