Fresh Mexican Quinoa Bowl

Healthy, fresh Mexican quinoa bowl is a timeless year round delicious (and filling!) meal. Fluffy savory quinoa, fresh veggies with a Mexican flare paired with grilled chicken and cool creamy avocado.

A whole meal in one bowl that's so filling! I like to meal prep this for my lunches for an entire week. It's so fresh and healthy and I promise, you will not tire of it.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Great flavors!
• A healthy combination of ingredients!
• Easy to make and perfect for meal prep.
• A great way to make vegetables taste amazing!

Ingredients

What I love about this recipe is how fresh and zesty it is!! The flavors are bomb! Here is what you will need:

• Chicken: Grilled chicken works best! You can use storebought or make extra grilled chicken for dinner one night and save it for this bowl.
• Veggies: We love using diced tomatoes, onions, and fresh avocado to top this Mexican quinoa bowl.
• Feta cheese: If you are not a fan of feta cheese use cojita cheese, or a queso fresco instead. If that doesn't work another favorite is fresh mozzarella.
• Cilantro: For fresh flavor!
• Jalapeno: To add a bit of spiciness to the Mexican bowl. If you don't like spicy you can leave them out!

TIME SAVING TIP: If you're looking to save some time, here are a few tips on ingredients that require no prep. Buy fresh pico de gallo from the produce or deli section and use that instead of the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno.

What is Quinoa?

The ingredient highlight in this healthy Mexican bowl is quinoa. Quinoa is a seed and when cooked just right it turns into fluffy little balls of amazingness.

Quinoa is low-carb, high in protein, high in iron, potassium and calcium. It's also gluten-free!

It's such a healthy alternative to a lot of starches. You can add it to salads or eat on its own. I prefer to add it to ANY salad or bowl of fresh veggies.

You can even cook quinoa in the Instant Pot to save some time!

5. Add the sliced grilled chicken and cheese.
6. Followed by the avocado.

7. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top and mix everything up so everything gets covered in the lime juice. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to ensure the flavors begin to marry.

How to Store

If you are storing leftovers and the avocado has been tossed store it in an airtight container and plan to eat it within 1-2 days.

If you think you will not eat it for a few days consider removing the avocado, the remainder of the ingredients should keep for up to five days.

Your Mexican quinoa bowl needs to be stored in the refrigerator but can't be frozen.

Can I make this Mexican bowl ahead?

Yes, you can! If you are meal prepping I would recommend not adding the avocado to the dish until serving.

All the other ingredients can be combined but you do not want the avocado to turn brown.

Store in airtight containers for up to five days. Meal prep containers like these are great for your daily meals.

How to Serve

Skip the chicken and turn it into a tasty side dish for sticky BBQ chicken, pressure cooker ribs, or this Santa Maria trip tip.

For a healthy side dish add on a fresh fruit salad! Try one of these for a perfect pairing!

• mojito fruit salad
• cucumber melon summer salad
• topical fruit salad
• stone fruit grilled salad

Expert Tips

• Rinse your quinoa for one minute or until the water runs clear before cooking. This removes the plant compound that can make it taste a bit bitter.
• Cook your quinoa with chicken broth to give it a bit more flavor.
• Let the salad sit before eating so all the flavors can meld together.
• Change up the veggies or flavors to your own tastes if you want!

FAQs

More Healthy Bowl Recipes

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