Take your lunch break.

It's 11:55am and I'm slugging away at my desk job in the beautiful neighborhood of Chevy Chase, DC. We've all been there and we typically have have two thoughts:

1. Work through my lunch break while snacking on carrots and almonds so that I can accomplish more in the day, while still making it home in time to get in a work out or cook a nice dinner     -OR-
2. Spend an hour trying to find a place to get lunch that has reasonable parking and reasonable lunch fare/prices. 

Just recently, I've decided to do neither. I've realized that if I step away from my desk and use my lunch break to actually take a break, I feel better, my body feels better, and my job performance improves. So what do I do instead? I make my lunch at work in our full kitchen, which I'm fortunate enough to have access to.  You can read all about it in my recent feature in the Wall Street Journal.

One of my favorite things to make or bring to work are seasonal quinoa bowls, so I'm going to share one of those recipes for you below.  I love to mix it up with seasonal roasted vegetables, different meats I have leftover from dinner, fresh herbs or lettuces on top, and sometimes even a fried egg for extra decadence. Here's how this quinoa bowl varietal played out:

Happy Lunch Quinoa Bowl

Hangry Timer: 30 minutes
Feeds: 2
Cost: $5

What You Need:

1 cup Quinoa, cooked
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 small Yellow onion, diced
1 Scallion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kale, coarsely chopped
1 cup Arugula, dressed with lemon juice, salt and pepper
Shredded Gruyere Cheese, as much as you like
2 Eggs, cooked however you prefer (mine is fried over easy)
Salt
Pepper
Lemon

What To Do With It:

Prepare quinoa according to package.

While the quinoa cooks, heat butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onion until it's soft and translucent - about five minutes.  Season onion with salt and pepper.  Add the kale and cherry tomatoes until wilted and warmed through.  Season again with salt and pepper. 

Add the tomato mixture and scallions to the cooked quinoa and stir gently to combine. 

Cook eggs to desired preference.  I fry mine in butter for 3-4 minutes and pop a lid on the pan for 2 minutes to achieve an over easy fried egg.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the quinoa mixture into a serving bowl. Top with eggs, arugula salad, and shredded cheese. Mix it all up and enjoy!

IT ME!

★★★