When looking for nutritious meals online, you must have come across power bowls. These are basically nutritious and healthy meals served in a bowl and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Power bowls, also known as Buddha bowls, macro bowls, or hippie bowls, are becoming a trend lately and have become a popular meal of choice for health buffs and fitness enthusiasts.
Because of their popularity, you’ll now find hundreds of power bowl recipes online. However, if you’re following the keto diet, not all these recipes may be suitable for you since they tend to be loaded with carbs.
What exactly are these power bowls and how can you make them keto-friendly?
What Are Power Bowls?
Power bowls are quick meals made from nutritious and healthy ingredients arranged neatly in a bowl and can usually be eaten with a spoon or fork. They usually start with a base ingredient and several layers of healthy ingredients are then added for more flavor and texture.
Arranging the ingredients in compartments makes the bowl look more photogenic, which is probably why it has become so popular nowadays where people are obsessed with taking photos for social media. According to Lukas Volger, author of the cookbook titled “Bowl”,
“The bowl is very Instagram-friendly, you can see everything.”
From the name itself, power bowls are meant to power you up for the day so you will feel full and energized without feeling guilty. These healthy meals are usually made of lean proteins, whole grains, and a whole lot of greens. You can choose to add any ingredient of your choice, depending on your diet.
Ever since the power bowls came out, they have become very popular. People are ditching their plates and are now choosing to eat from bowls. In fact, power bowls are now included on the menu at some of the trendiest cafes in big cities like New York and London.
According to Vanessa Packer, the founder of modelFit exercise studio, the power bowl’s main appeal is that it makes the meals taste even better. She says,
“Rather than a plate where you’re constantly pushing everything to the middle, a bowl brings everything together. You can coat everything in dressing and make a better bite.”
How To Make Keto-friendly Power Bowls
If you’ve been following the ketogenic lifestyle, then you’re aware that in order to stay in ketosis, you must avoid foods that are loaded in carbs. When it comes to power bowls, the best thing that you can do is to replace some ingredients with low carb food substitutes. If you’re familiar with these keto-friendly substitutes, then you should be able to make numerous power bowl meals without going out of ketosis. Here are some suggestions.
Replace tortillas with lettuce leaves – most people love tortillas which is why there are lots of power bowl recipes that use homemade tortilla bowls to hold all ingredients together instead of the usual bowl. However, the traditional tortilla or taco shells are loaded with carbs, which is not good for your keto diet. Consider using lettuce leaves instead. They can be a perfect substitute for a bowl that can hold all the ingredients together.
Use cauliflower rice for rice – rice is one of the most popular foods used in power bowl meals. In fact, there are lots of delicious rice power bowl recipes out there. But as you already know, rice is high in carbs, which is not suitable for your ketogenic diet. So if you’ve found a power bowl recipe that uses rice, consider using cauliflower rice. The taste is somewhat similar and the only difference is the texture. You can also use broccoli rice for this. If you want to know the difference between the two, check out Low Carb Broccoli Rice Versus Cauliflower Rice.
Opt for mashed cauliflower in favor of mashed potatoes – you must have come across some power bowl recipes with mashed potatoes. But since you’re going low carb, you obviously cannot add mashed potatoes to your meal. In this case, opt for mashed cauliflower. When done well, you won’t be able to tell the difference from mashed potatoes since the texture and taste are almost the same.
Substitute pasta with veggie noodles – pasta is something that can go well with so many meals, including power bowls. But pasta just won’t fit into your ketogenic diet because it’s loaded with carbs. Your best option is to use veggie noodles. These noodles are easy to make. You just need a spiralizer that can produce noodles from carrots, squash, zucchini, cucumber, and more.
Not got a spiralizer yet? Get a FREE Spiral Vegetable Shredder here. You just pay shipping but you get 3 amazing books with it including nutritious recipes for vegetable noodles and recipes for weight loss smoothies.
Here are more Pasta Alternatives for a Low Carb Diet.
Keto-friendly Power Bowl Recipes
If you cannot find any low carb substitute for a power bowl recipe, why don’t you refer to the low carb power bowl recipes instead? These recipes are made specifically for followers of the low carb diet, including keto, which means that the ingredients are absolutely low in carbs. Here are some delicious recipes to check out:
1. Keto Chicken Fajita Bowl
This chicken fajita bowl from the Diet Doctor is truly satisfying. It’s made of avocados and butter, which are two of the best ingredients for a ketogenic diet. You can also add a spoonful of your favorite salsa to make this meal even more flavorful. The avocado can also be substituted with guacamole. This amazingly delicious power bowl meal is perfect for lunch or dinner!
2. Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl
If you’re craving for a spicy buffalo chicken for dinner, this Buffalo Chicken with Cauliflower Rice from Kalyn’s Kitchen is the perfect recipe to try. It can be cooked in a pressure cooker or slow cooker and served over cauliflower rice topped and topped with blue cheese. This power bowl meal is not only keto-friendly, but it’s gluten-free as well!
3. Keto Egg Roll In A Bowl
And would you believe that Egg Roll in a bowl has been made keto? It has all the flavor of the familiar egg roll without the unhealthy ingredients. You may have seen it doing the rounds on social media as Crack Slaw. Here’s the recipe.
4. Keto Diet Breakfast Bowl
For breakfast, you can gather inspiration from the Keto Diet Breakfast Bowl by Keto Connect. These breakfast recipes are low in carbs and high in fats and will make you feel full all throughout your busy day.
The best part about these keto power bowls is that they are absolutely easy to prepare and will not take up much of your time. If you’re someone whose got little time to spare for preparing breakfast, these meals are highly recommended!
