7 Hearty Power Bowl Recipes for a Filling Flex Meal

Power Bowls are heartier than a salad but more solid than a soup. However, they contain the same amount of flavor (if not more!) than both of these diet-friendly dishes. Think of a bowl from your favorite fast casual Mexican restaurant, but with flavors from all different cuisines.

They’re simple to make, which makes them perfect for a quick and filling weeknight meal that fits with your weight loss plan. And if you eat one of these seven power bowls, you’re really putting the “power” in that bowl: Each bowl has a belly-shrinking, energy-boosting or craving-crushing power all its own.

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Check these seven power bowls for a simple, hearty and delicious addition to your weekly menu:

1. Asian Edamame Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 354

On Nutrisystem, xounts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one-half-a Vegetable and one Extra

Superpower: Protein without meat!

To kick off our list of power bowls, we’ve got a classic. Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders: The muscle-building nutrient takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, so it helps you feel full for longer than bread-heavy meals. But you don’t need meat to get it—cooked edamame has 11 grams of protein per half-cup, the amount contained in this simple recipe. That’s almost 25 percent of the daily recommended protein for women in this powerful bowl.

But it’s got much more than nutrients: With mandarin oranges, heat from ginger and crunch from carrots and scallions, this power bowl is packed with the flavors of your favorite stir fry. If you’ve been searching for a Meatless Monday meal that feels like a main course, your wait is over. The nutrients you need and the flavor you want are all in this bowl.

2. Peanut Butter & Jelly Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 282

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, one PowerFuel and two Extras

Superpower: A.M. sweetness without the guilt!

If you’re not an egg lover, breakfast on a weight loss program can be missing something: sweetness. That’s part of what makes Nutrisystem so great: You can have things like the Double Chocolate Muffin and still stay on track. And it even works with your Flex Meals when they’ve got the kind of nutrient-dense ingredients found in this PB&J Power Bowl.

Made with real, fresh strawberries to keep the sugar down and Greek yogurt to pump up the protein, this ain’t your old packet of instant oatmeal. This bowl includes a simple, strawberry jam that you make yourself—don’t worry, it’s easy!—and peanut butter to make it oh-so-satisfying. And with just 282 calories per serving, it will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth while giving you the lasting energy to power through the start of your day.

3. Sweet Potato Hash Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 242

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, one-half-a Vegetable and two Extras

Superpower: Veggie servings at breakfast!

If salad doesn’t quite jibe with your ideas about breakfast, you can still start the day with vegetable servings that will give your body important vitamins while providing the filling benefits of fiber and have it feel like “breakfast food.” The Sweet Potato Hash Power Bowl does it all: With a fried egg and avocado slices sitting atop a simple-to-make sweet potato, pepper, and onion mixture, it’s a hearty, diner-style breakfast you’ll love.

And it’s got fiber that will have you love how full you’re feeling: One half-cup of sweet potato has 3.3 grams of this filling nutrient, which will help keep you feeling full far into the morning. And fiber’s got another bonus, too: A flatter belly. According to research published by Science Daily, for every 10 grams of fiber you eat each day, you could have as much as four percent less fat around your stomach

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4. Chicken Root Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 348

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One PowerFuel, one SmartCarb, two Vegetables and two Extras

Superpower: Four veggies in a single bowl!

Forget a single superpower: This bowl’s got a super team of root vegetables to make your meal extra hearty. Beets and sweet potatoes add sweetness. Cauliflower adds crunch. And spinach really does add that Popeye strength: One cup of cooked spinach contains 5.3 grams of protein, almost as much as you’d get from a hard-boiled egg. Italian-seasoned chicken adds an even bigger muscle-building, belly-filling punch. And it’s all tied together with a homemade, white balsamic vinaigrette that’s sweet with honey and spicy from Dijon mustard. This bowl fills you up, tastes gourmet and is loaded with vegetables—watch out, salad, this meal’s coming to replace you.

5. Salmon Tahini Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 401

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Vegetable and two Extras

Superpower: Hearty fish with an all-new flavor!

It’s no secret that fish, like salmon, is something we should eat more often. The Omega-3 fatty acids these fish contain can help lower heart disease risks, and monounsaturated fats can also help dieters lose belly fat, according to Science Daily.

But it’s tough to mix up the salmon routine. Unlike chicken, which we’ve all had prepared in innumerable ways, many home cooks only know one or two ways to prepare the pink fish. The result: Fish fatigue.

The Salmon Tahini Power Bowl smashes fish fatigue with chickpeas, carrots and a homemade Tahini dressing that’s a perfect pairing for the simply baked salmon, which is ready for action in just 20 minutes.

6. Veggie Power Bowl >

Calories per serving: 302

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One PowerFuel, one SmartCarb, two Vegetables and two Extras

Superpower: Cooked vegetables with a CRUNCH!

Fresh veggies bring the crunch, but don’t always feel like a dinner-worthy side dish. Cooked vegetables feel more like the evening meal, but when you’ve going meatless, they can make the whole meal feel a bit…mushy.

This Power Bowl’s got a secret to fix all that: Pumpkin seeds. Those little green pearls give this four-veggie bowl a satisfying crunch. And they also bring the nutritional heat: Just one ounce of pumpkin seeds provides four grams of filling, belly fat-reducing unsaturated fat and five grams each of filling protein and fiber.

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7. Superpower Breakfast Bowl >

Calories per serving: 279

On Nutrisystem, counts as: One SmartCarb, two PowerFuels, one Vegetable and one Extra

Superpower: Bacon and eggs for fewer than 300 calories!

And last but certainly not least on our list of power bowls, we’ve got a hearty recipe that can start off your day with nutrient-dense and delicious ingredients. This breakfast is one of our top picks on our list of power bowls… after all, it has the word “superpower” in its name.

It’s more than a breakfast: It’s brunch-worthy. It’s a real, no-joke full breakfast—turkey bacon, egg, potatoes, with some blistered cherry tomatoes and wilted spinach—the types of ingredients you’d get after waiting in line for a table at brunch. But what makes it super is making the calories from those foods seemingly disappear: Even with all that hearty, delicious breakfast goodness, this Super Power bowl has just 279 calories. Forget the power of flight—that disappearing act is truly amazing!