A couple weeks ago, after hearing me wonder aloud for the millionth time “why aren’t we saving more every month?”, Dan metaphorically wrestled me down and made me walk through, in excruciating detail, all of our expenditures for the previous month. Turns out, I shop a lot! And, we eat out/order in a lot!
So now, in an effort to be responsible grown-ups and manage our $$ more wisely, we have set spending limits & savings goals for ourselves, made all kinds of scary-looking spreadsheets, and started (borderline obsessively) tracking expenditures. (Side note: have y’all heard of the “Daily Budget” app? My friend Niraj recommended it to me, and it’s my new favorite thing.)
As part of our new efforts to spend responsibly, we’re eating out/ordering in less and cooking at home more. Adult-ing can be hard, but it’s also kind of delicious, because it’s led to awesome homemade meals like these short rib burrito bowls. Big ol’ bowls full of juicy, fork-tender beef cooked low and slow for 8 hours, fluffy steamed rice, and tons of fresh veggies veggies.
Minimal fuss/effort, maximum flavor/satisfaction. And, it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.
Visually, this reminded me a lot of those smoothe/acai bowls that’s still all the rage these days. Except, with solid & savory foods instead of blended berries & sweet fruits. Taste-wise, they’re like a Chipotle burrito bowl, but 100 times more delicious because homemade is always better and you have more control over the toppings (guac won’t cost you extra at home!).
And, aren’t nutritionists always saying that healthy, balanced diets require people to eat as many colors of the rainbow as possible? These burrito bowls definitely help you do that. They’ve got raw sliced radish, fresh pico de gallo, sliced avocado, and sauteed bell peppers – that’s red/orange, yellow, green, and purple. No blue, but there aren’t a lot of naturally occurring blue foods out there, and I’m not putting blueberries in my burrito bowl just to eat a rainbow!
To keep my bowl healthy-ish, I left off the cheese and sour cream, but Dan loaded his with plenty of both. He also churned all the ingredients together like a cement mixer and ate everything in one big mash, while I preferred to enjoy all the components just a little more individually.
No matter how you like to eat your food, these burrito bowls are a must try! Not only are they delicious & nutritious, but they’re an easy lunch/dinner option during the week – just cook up a big batch of meat over the weekend, steam some rice, slice up or saute an assortment of veggies, and eat the leftovers the rest of the week.
I’m definitely going to play around with my proteins/toppings and see what other yummy variations I can come up with. Stay tuned…but in the meantime, scroll down for today’s recipe!
Thanks for reading Just Putzing Around the Kitchen! To stay up-to-date on what I’ve got going on in the kitchen and what’s coming next on the blog, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, or subscribe via e-mail (in the sidebar) to get new recipes sent directly to your inbox.
- 4 lbs beef shortrib, boneless
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup beef broth
- White rice, steamed (or whichever rice you like!)
- Sauteed bell pepper slices
- Pico de gallo (chopped tomato and raw onion tossed together with lime juice, garlic and salt to taste)
- Sliced avocado
- Raw radishes, thinly sliced
- Sour cream
- Grated cheese
- Place your short ribs in a crock pot, and sprinkle with all the seasonings.
- Pour beef broth over the top, making sure every piece of meat has been drizzled with the broth.
- Cook on low for about 8 hours, or until meat is very tender.
- Once done cooking, shred the meat directly in the crock pot and allow it to soak up some of the fatty juices.
- Scoop hot rice into a bowl.
- Add a generous portion of shredded short rib, then top with alllllll the fixins'.
- Enjoy!
(Slightly adapted from the Wright Family Table’s recipe)
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen says
I pretty much think that every day…as I walk to get take out;) I wish you lived closer so you could just cook me dinner ha. I could definitely make this to have on hand though – yum!
PS. I stupidly commented as YOU after updating your site today. #fail.
justputzing says
Hahahahahaha! I <3 you, Sarah 😀
Lynn @ The Actor's Diet says
I’ll seriously eat anything out of a bowl these days!
justputzing says
Me too! (BTW, thanks for commenting – I’m a huge fan of yours :D)