Marika Day’s quick and healthy poke bowl recipes

Aside from being a nutritionally balanced meal, the thing I love about poke bowls is how easily you can make them your own. You don’t need to stick to traditional ingredients, either.

In fact, it’s not so much about following a recipe as it is adapting a formula to fit your personal taste. You can mix and match different elements based on your dietary requirements, or just whatever you happen to have in the fridge.

I love these meals so much that I led a session on perfecting poke bowls at the AIA wellness retreat in Queenstown. Alongside my formula for building healthy poke bowls, I’ve included three of my favourite recipes created by attendees on the day – as well as three additional combos to try at home.

The key to a tasty and nutritious poke bowl recipe is getting the right balance between your building blocks. Here’s the formula I use:

1. ¼ Lean protein

The first quarter of your bowl should be some kind of lean protein, which can include fish, chicken, tofu, or legumes such as chickpeas, lentils or edamame. While tuna is the more traditional choice for fish, you can mix it up with other healthy seafood like salmon or prawns.

2. ¼ High-fibre carbohydrates

In the second quarter, we have a high-fibre carbohydrate, such as brown rice, quinoa, rice noodles, or freekeh. People often make the mistake of filling half their bowl with noodles or rice, but a well-balanced poke bowl leaves more room for veggies.

3. ½ Colourful vegetables

Once you’ve picked your protein and carbohydrates, fill the remaining half with colourful salad and veggies like spinach, beetroot, carrot, capsicum and kale – get as much variety as you can.

4. Top with healthy fats and dressings

Finish off your poke bowl with some healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and nut butter. When it comes to dressings, it’s always better (and cheaper) to make your own than to buy them. My go-to is a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of olive oil, but you can also add things like chilli and garlic for extra flavour. I usually like to finish off my bowl with a sprinkling of seeds or nuts for extra crunch.

Here are the recipes the retreat participants created using this simple formula.

This group went with a NZ-inspired seafood poke bowl, with some fresh flavours and a good amount of crunch to top it all off.

Protein: smoked salmon and grilled prawns.

Carbs: quinoa.

Veggies: zucchini noodles, capsicum, cucumber and red onion.

Fats and flavours: lime juice, avocado, coriander, sesame seeds and crispy shallots.

Here’s a more traditional style poke, using a colourful mix of veggies and local red tuna to create a fragrant, flavourful meals.

Protein: red NZ tuna.

Carbs: natural Japanese soba noodles.

Veggies: shredded carrot and purple cabbage.

Fats and flavours: coriander, miso dressing and sesame seeds.

If you like your food on the hot side, this sweet and spicy bowl will kick things up a notch.

Protein: spicy marinated tuna.

Carbs: brown rice.

Veggies: edamame and baby kale.

Fats and flavours: avocado whip, mango and chilli flake

If you want to experiment further at home, here’s some of my personal favourites.

You won’t miss the meat in this one. It’s full of flavour, and my go-to vegan poke bowl.

Protein: silken tofu.

Carbs: quinoa.

Veggies: chopped kale.

Fats and flavours: coriander and sesame seeds.

This easy protein poke bowl is great if you’re looking to increase your protein intake.

Protein: grilled chicken and edamame.

Carbs: just add more veggies for this one!

Veggies: cucumber, radish and carrot.

Fats and flavours: avocado and sliced almonds.

Legumes are packed with protein and are a tasty alternative to soy or animal protein.

Protein: green lentils.

Carbs: brown rice.

Veggies: shredded carrot.

Fats and flavours: avocado and pickled ginger.

Marika Day is a nutritionist and Accredited Practising Dietitian who knows what the body needs to function at its best. With more than five years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, Marika's holistic approach to diet and exercise is tried and true. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.