Next time you’re looking for something really simple to make for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day, check out this BARC Bowl! It’s made with Roasted Broccoli, Avocado, Brown Rice and Cajun seasoned Chicken! It’s balanced with protein, fat and carbohydrates (whole grains!) and kids like it, too.

BARC BOWL

Chicken, Rice, Broccoli and Avocado – simple, easy and can be made in under 30 minutes.

• 1 Avocado
• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 2 Broccoli Heads
• 1 Cups Brown Rice
• 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1 3/4 Cup Water or Broth

Cajun Spice

• 2 tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tbsp Himalayan Pink Salt
• 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Starting the Rice

1. Get 1 3/4 water or broth into a sauce pan and add the rice. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, cover with a lid. Follow instructions for the brown rice – brands and rices can all vary. This will usually cook for 30-40 minutes.

Seasoning

1. Add all the seasonings into a bowl and set aside

Chicken

1. Start the oven at 375 degrees Farenheit. Cover 2 breasts with the seasoning, make sure they are fully coated.

2. If the breasts are thick you can cut them in half for better flavor and faster cooking time.

3. With about 1 tbsp of avocado oil, coat the baking sheet. Then place chicken breasts on the baking sheet. Top the chicken with a little avocado oil and get into the oven. Set timer for 15 minutes.

Broccoli

1. Cut off the stems of the broccoli and set aside. You should have a bunch of broccoli florets. Place those in a bowl and coat with avocado oil (1 tbsp or so) and himalayan salt.

2. Place on a baking sheet and get them into the oven with the chicken.

Checking the Broccoli and Chicken

1. Cook the chicken and broccoli until the broccoli is getting crispy, but still green. The chicken will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to cook. Use a cooking thermometer to make sure the chicken cooks to 165 degrees, then take them out.

Putting the bowls together

1. Start by spooning rice into the bottom of the bowls.

2. Put the broccoli on top, kind of to the side. It should split evenly across 4 bowls.

3. Slice the chicken and place on top of the other side of rice.

4. Add slices of avocado on top. Season with a pinch of salt.

5. Enjoy!

 

Broccoli and Liver Health

There are many reasons why this BARC Bowl supports your body’s natural ability to detoxify toxins. Broccoli and other brassica and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts etc. all have a substrate called CYP 450. It’s main job is to help in the first stage of liver detoxification. In fact, if you take a medication, it’s this stage/phase that does most of the work of helping your body remove that medication from your system.

Broccoli also has antioxidants which help in the second stage of liver detoxification. Vitamins like Vitamin B, Vitamin C help take a toxin from Phase 1 to Phase 2 in the liver. Then, the toxin is removed from the liver to the blood (kidneys/urine or sweat) or GI tract. The fiber from the rice, chicken, avocado and broccoli all help to act as a vessel for toxins to go through the gut and be removed from your body.

You don’t always need fancy supplements and shakes to support your body’s natural ability to cleanse and “detox“. In fact, nutrition plays an extremely important role in your body’s ability to remove toxins!

Did you try this recipe?

Come let me know! You can find me on Facebook and Instagram @drkirstin. You can also leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

If you’re looking for more recipes like this one, I have an ebook called the 30 Day Reset. I included more recipes like this one, meal plans, grocery lists and you can learn more about how optimizing your body’s ability to detoxify with eating healthy foods can help improve sleep, energy and help you recover faster from workouts.