Meal Plan: Simple, Smooth Rice Bowl
Brown rice is a great staple to include in your dancing diet for a number of reasons.
It’s a whole grain, meaning it has all of its bran layer intact, so it’s full of vital nutrients.
Brown rice has more vitamin B than any other grain; it also contains iron, vitamin E, and amino acids, among other nutrients.
It’s high in fiber (good for you) and made up of 80% complex carbohydrates, so it burns slower than white rice, giving you longer-lasting energy.
I like to cook up a big pot of brown rice on Sundays and then have it for the week to mix with different veggies, greens, and beans. This is a super simple rice bowl recipe that you can make in 10 minutes or less after the rice is cooked:
After chopping and rinsing the broccoli, steam for 5 minutes in a steamer, or boil in water; drain. Place in bowl.
Slice half of an avocado (healthy fats make you feel satisfied and give you sustaining energy)
Add 3/4- 1 cup brown rice.
Toss with a squirt of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil (omega-3 fatty acids), and salt and pepper.
This is a light lunch between classes and rehearsals as well as a tasty, easy-to-throw-together dinner. And of course, once you’ve got the huge pot of rice, you can get creative about ways to spice it up.
To get you started here are some simple recipes to try mixing with your rice.
Black beans and sweet corn kernels with chopped fresh tomatoes and avocado;
Sautéed kale with sesame seeds and sesame oil;
A can of tuna fish, black olives and capers.
The combinations are endless and so easy to do once you have your base. Dig in!
*New Note: as of 2012, brown rice has been found to have higher than normal levels of arsenic in it, thanks to the soil and water in which it has been grown. Read this Consumer Reports article for the full story.
I know, right, another toxic thing to have to worry about! You can still eat brown rice. The report recommends brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan. "It has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices." They recommend no more than 3 servings per week.
So maybe make a slightly smaller pot or consider trying some of the whole grains that are naturally lower in arsenic like quinoa, millet, and white basmati.