Back to Reality: Clean Burrito Bowl

The end of summer is here, school is starting up again which means it's time to get real about organizing my life and preparing for a busy year ahead. And I'm excited to get into it. Every summer Dave and I have the extreme privilege of having an entire month to do whatever we want while B lives the life of the only grandchild in Pennsylvania with her family. This summer, like every other previous summer, we over did it. We ate too much, stayed up too late, got way too lazy, and let ourselves go in general. By the end of the month we were craving a schedule...and broccoli. Once B was home and my parents had gone back to PA it was time to get down to the nitty gritty. And holy moly! was it ever a relief. I found myself feeling more content and happier than I had almost all month.

So now I'm back in the swing of things, making breakfast, lunches, and dinners. Girl Scout meetings and homework. Piano lessons and band practice. House cleaning and hardcore training. And I'm happy. Really, honestly happy.

Now, I'm no dummy. I know that in a couple months I'll be grousing about how hard it is to make dinner every night, talking about how annoying it is to pack a school lunch every day, and sighing with frustration every time I have to tell B FIVE TIMES to take a shower because no one's going to want to sit next to her at school if she doesn't. But right now I'm basking in the warmth of the contentment I get from loving my family well. Making healthy, tasty food to feed their bellies and their souls, helping B pick out clothes for the first day of school, scrubbing toilets and floors while wearing knee pads with sweat trickling down the back of my neck and doing it with a smile. Well, maybe not the toilet part.

So when I started back to diligently making regular dinners this week I remembered that one of my biggest challenges every year is coming up with dinners that appeal to our tastes as well as my desire to eat clean.

I want to share with you a recipe I fell into one day while trying to work with what leftovers I had in the fridge. It's perfect for these dog days of summer; simple, delicious, and light.

Clean Burrito Bowl

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 lb turkey
1 15 oz can black beans
1 sm onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup wheat germ or oat bran or flax meal
1 tsp chili pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 avocado, sliced
lettuce, shredded
tomato, chopped
monterey jack cheese, shredded
salsa

Cook the rice according to package directions, or use rice cooker; set aside. Brown turkey in skillet then add beans, onion, peppers, bran, chili and lemon. Let cook and thicken, about 5 minutes.

In a cereal bowl, combine a scoop of rice with a scoop of turkey mixture. Top with cheese, sliced avocado, lettuce, tomato, and salsa.