a simple lunch idea

Last weekend, the kids and I took a little trip to visit our family in Carlisle.  As always, it was wonderful, but went by way too quickly.  Not only did my dad tour us around Carlisle and introduce us to all kinds of new things coming to town (and treat us to our fave ice cream) but I got to spend a few quiet hours with Carrie and Bodhi on Sunday morning.  One of my very favorite things to do in life is spend time with my sisters and it's extra special when there aren't 5 littles popping in and out of our conversations.  Don't get me wrong, I love it when we are all together but getting some mostly uninterrupted conversation with those 2 girls is just perfection.  

During our conversation, lunch ideas came up and Carrie shared with me her recent go-to lunch - a simple rice bowl that she had found the recipe for in a magazine.  I snatched up the idea and came home to prep for the week ahead.  

I don't know how mornings go in your house, but in ours, they can get a little hectic if I'm not prepared.  Getting us all ready and out the door at the just the right time in order to walk to the babysitters, then to the bus stop and then home and off to work doesn't always happen easily.  The one thing that makes a huge difference in our mornings is prepping.  I'm not so great at meal prepping but I try to have my kids lunches mostly packed the night before, clothes picked out, back packs packed up and by the door.  Doing these simple nightly chores helps us immensely each morning.  What I always tend to neglect is making my own lunch.  On mornings when I'm feeling a little behind, I typically end up throwing some crackers and an apple into a bag and calling it a day.  But, this week, I had this simple little recipe that called for simple prep on Sunday night which equaled a delicious lunch every day this week.  I'm calling that a big win!  I'll share below.  

In a bowl, add brown rice, black beans, shredded carrots & shelled edamame.  Drizzle with Miso Ginger Vinaigrette.  Enjoy.

so simple and so good.

The actual recipe in the magazine called for shredded chicken (not black beans) and also gave a homemade Miso Vinaigrette recipe but when I found the Miso Ginger Vinaigrette at Wegmans, I decided it was the better way to go.  Less ingredients to buy and potentially not use up.  

The best thing about this is that you can make the rice, steam the edamame, shred the carrots and drain the black beans on Sunday night, throw it all together on any weekday morning and be out the door in no time.  

If you have a favorite go-to lunch, we'd love for you to share!