Greens/Beans/Grains Power Plate {Lunch 3/20}

One of my favorite things to eat for lunch is what I am calling a "Greens/Beans/Grains Power Plate". I use a large dinner plate and pile it high with goodies. I start with a base of greens/beans/grains and sometimes even make it a double-decker salad.

Today I had steamed quinoa (made with my new and totally fabulous microwave rice steamer I found on zulily.com) with diced organic (canned) tomatoes and red pepper flakes for the grain. The greens were a mix of finely chopped kale and romaine. I like to add in raw or steamed chopped broccoli too but we were out. Beans consisted of just plain (from a can) black beans mixed with canned corn (everything rinsed well). I need my food to be budget-friendly and quick! I made a simple dressing I'll share below this post. I also added a row of chopped carrots, a big plop of Aldi's brand guacamole (I'm guessing around 4 oz) and sprinkled it all with kale chips (recipe also included below) and ground flaxseed. It was delicious, huge, and very filling. I snapped a pic I"ll share later.

I made a yummy Veggie Tortilla Pizza for my 2 y.o. son with my Power Plate ingredients. He gobbled it up!

After lunch, the kids and I headed outside. I wore Teeny in my Boba Carrier (like this one) and pushed the other two in a jogging/biking stroller. The kids were great and we took a nice 30ish min walk and then played outside for awhile.

Orange Balsamic Dressing
very quick to make!

• 1 T 100% orange juice concentrate
• 1 T balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast

Combine all in small cup and mix well with a fork. Pour over dressing and enjoy. 

Flavorful Kale Chips

my kids love these!

• couple of handfuls of washed, finely chopped kale
• 1-2 T veggie stock
• salt-free Lemon Pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp (or more to taste) Nutritional Yeast

Put Kale on rimmed baking stone (or cookie sheet, whatever you have). Add stock and massage into kale with hands briefly. Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper and Nutritional Yeast. Place in oven set at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. Check on every 5ish min and move around with spatula. Chips are done when crispy.  You can eat these just as they are or sprinkle on a salad/cooked veg for crunch.

Veggie Tortilla Pizza

kid fav as well

• 1 tortilla
• spaghetti/pizza sauce
• black beans
• quinoa
• corn
• finely chopped kale
• nutritional yeast
• cheese if desired (my kids eat meat/diary)

Assemble pizza with sauce and toppings. Put on pizza stone and bake in oven at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Cut in small squares with pizza cutter and serve.