Lunch: Beef Kebab, Veggie and Tzatziki Quinoa Bowls
This week we're back to the quinoa bowl option but this time with a sweet and smokey beef kebab addition. These were on sale at Tesco when we did our monthly shop (along with the lamb kebabs and sausages from previous weeks) so we thought we'd give them a try. So far, the verdict is... delicious!
To prep this lunch, I first made the quinoa the same way I always do and then left it to cool while I got the kebabs ready. I removed the wooden skewers for simplicity and popped them in the oven. I love little cheats like this - it just makes meal prepping so much quicker!
This week, unlike the previous quinoa bowls, I decided to quickly saute the veggies - specifically onion, peppers (orange and yellow), and spinach. I used just a tiny bit of olive oil and seasoned them in the pan with salt and pepper before adding them to our lunch containers.
I wanted to give these lunches an additional hit of flavor so decided to add in a quick tzatziki as our dressing. I love the way something as simple as this can really change the overall feeling of a dish - and it's so easy to make! This time, I didn't have any dill on hand so I substituted a splash of dried oregano. I know my Greek friends might be cringing but it was a useful swap in the moment and is still nice and tasty!
To make the tzatziki, I shredded and salted cucumber and left it to drain for ten minutes before wringing out any leftover moisture. I then mixed it up with the Greek yogurt and other ingredients (detailed below) and... voila! Finished!
As I was dishing up our components, I realized we had a few tomatoes that were starting to look pretty sad so I tossed them in at the last minute. The result was a colorful, flavorful lunch - perfection! This dish involved my only real "cooked" meal prep ingredients so overall the week's preparations weren't too bad... so left lots of time for terrible TV shows! As you can see, our lunches tend to follow the same routine with grain + protein + veg... it's filling and healthy so we're happy.
Plus, it's amazing what a difference switching up your dressings can do to provide variety to otherwise similar lunches. In the recipe below, the veggie mix will last for four meals so you'll need to saute more as the week goes on. But the quinoa and kebabs will last the whole week. Our lunches came out at about 286 calories with 28.6g carbs, 11.1g fat and 19g protein.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
10 beef kebabs
1.5 cups quinoa
3 cups water
1 stock cube
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, torn
3 tomatoes
0.5 cucumber, shredded
350g Greek yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano (or fresh dill)
Salt and Pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170c (or follow packet instructions).
Rinse the quinoa and place in a large pot over high heat with three cups of water and a stock cube. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Once the water is absorbed, remove from the heat and cover for five minutes. Finally, fluff with a fork to break up the quinoa and set aside to cool.
Bake the kebabs according to packet instructions and then allow to cool.
Saute the onion, peppers and spinach over medium heat. When the spinach has wilted, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Place the shredded cucumber in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with salt. Leave for ten minutes and then drain any excess moisture. Move the cucumber to a bowl and add in the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Finally, assemble your lunches: 0.5 cups of quinoa, one kebab, a fourth of the veggie mixture, a sprinkle of chopped tomato, and a little pot of tatziki.
