Welcome, dear readers! I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your presence on my site. Your visits fuel my passion and allow me to continue sharing delicious recipes and helpful tips, and for that, I am truly thankful. Each one of you makes this journey incredibly rewarding, and I hope you find joy and inspiration in what I create here.
Today, I’m thrilled to share a recipe that holds a special place in my heart and on our family’s dinner table: the Surf and Turf Rice Bowl. This dish is a true gem, combining the best of land and sea into a vibrant, satisfying meal. It’s one of those recipes that consistently earns rave reviews from everyone, including the pickiest eaters in my household, who surprisingly embrace the vibrant greens like Swiss chard nestled within. Yet, for some reason, I often forget just how incredible and incredibly easy it is to prepare.
These rice bowls come together with remarkable speed, making them an ideal choice for busy weeknights when you crave something wholesome and delicious without spending hours in the kitchen. And the flavor? It’s absolutely phenomenal – a rich, savory experience that feels gourmet. Given its simplicity and fantastic taste, I’ve decided it’s high time this recipe becomes a regular feature in our meal rotation, and I sincerely hope it finds a cherished spot in yours too. It’s a testament to how simple ingredients, when combined thoughtfully, can create culinary magic.
Surf and Turf Rice Bowl Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1/2 lb eye of round beef chunked small
- 1/2 lb shrimp cleaned and shelled
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs minced garlic
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 sweet mini peppers sliced, seeds removed
- 2 leaves swiss chard
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- Rice of choice I used a rice and quinoa mixture called Seeds of Change that I get at Costco and you can cook in the microwave for 90 seconds
Instructions
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Prepare your proteins and vegetables. Begin by chunking the eye of round beef into small, bite-sized pieces for even cooking. Clean and shell the shrimp, setting them aside. Next, peel and finely dice the carrots, slice the sweet mini peppers after removing their seeds, and remove the tough stalks from the Swiss chard before slicing the leaves into thin, manageable ribbons.
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Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Ensure the pan is adequately hot to achieve a good sear on the beef and vibrant cooking of the vegetables.
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Add the minced garlic to the hot oil and cook for approximately one minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes fragrant. Be careful not to let it burn, as burnt garlic can impart a bitter taste.
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Introduce the chunked beef and diced carrots to the pan. Sauté these ingredients, stirring occasionally, until the beef begins to brown on all sides and the carrots start to soften, developing a tender-crisp texture. This typically takes about 5-7 minutes.
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Next, add the sliced peppers, garlic salt, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, along with the sliced Swiss chard. The chard will look like a lot but will wilt down significantly.
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Continue to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring gently to combine all the flavors and allow the peppers to slightly soften and the chard to wilt.
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Finally, add the cleaned shrimp to the pan. They cook very quickly, so this step should be brief.
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Cook until the shrimp turn opaque and pink, indicating they are fully cooked, and ensure the carrots are tender enough for your liking. This usually takes only 2-3 minutes. Avoid overcooking the shrimp, as they can become tough.
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Serve this vibrant Surf and Turf mixture generously over your cooked rice of choice. Garnish with fresh herbs or a drizzle of your favorite sauce if desired, and enjoy this wholesome and flavorful meal!
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients. Different brands and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information. Always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Want to use this recipe in a meal plan?Try PrePear, my FREE Meal Planning App that allows you to save your recipes, plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook simply in one place. Join Here!I personally love serving this vibrant stir-fry over a bed of Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa mix, which I often stock up on during my Costco runs. Its convenience is unmatched – just 90 seconds in the microwave, and you have a perfectly cooked, wholesome base. This makes the Surf and Turf Rice Bowl an incredibly fast and satisfying option, whether for a quick lunch or a dinner that needs to be on the table in a flash. However, the beauty of this dish lies in its versatility. You can use any rice you prefer – freshly cooked jasmine or basmati, a hearty wild rice blend, or even repurpose leftover rice from a previous meal. If grains aren’t your preference, feel free to skip them entirely and enjoy this flavorful mixture on its own or alongside a fresh salad. The choice is yours to tailor it to your dietary needs and taste.
The “surf and turf” combination is a personal favorite for many reasons. I adore shrimp for its delicate flavor and quick cooking time, but sometimes I crave a meal with a bit more substance and richness. Pairing it with tender, savory beef provides that satisfying “bulk” and a deeper flavor profile that keeps me feeling full and happy. It’s a perfect harmony of textures and tastes, making each bite an exciting experience. This dish truly exemplifies how easy it is to create a complete and gourmet-tasting meal with simple, wholesome ingredients.
Day 26 Mini-Challenge: Maximize Your Workout Efficiency
Speaking of adding “bulk” to our lives, let’s transition to another essential aspect of well-being: exercise! We’re nearing the end of our 28-day challenge, on Day 26, and today we’re focusing on making every minute of your workout count. Whether you’re following along with Eazy Peazy Mealz on Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Bloglovin, or Instagram, I encourage you to join in! Today’s mini-challenge is all about optimizing your fitness routine for maximum impact.
My Personal Fitness Journey: From Runner to Realist
Let’s be honest about fitness. For me, it’s been a lifelong journey with its fair share of ups and downs. I vividly remember my high school days when I was a dedicated runner, effortlessly maintaining peak physical condition. Those were the days when exercise felt natural and energizing. However, like many, life after school presented new challenges, and maintaining that level of fitness became a genuine struggle. The demands of daily life, balancing work, and raising a family often leave me feeling utterly exhausted and worn out. The constant chorus of “Mom, I need…” from my kids can sometimes make the idea of carving out time for myself feel impossible.
So, do I always love to exercise? Absolutely not. There are plenty of days when the couch calls louder than the gym, and motivating myself feels like an uphill battle. Yet, despite those moments of resistance, I find myself returning to it, because deep down, I genuinely love how exercise makes me feel. There’s an undeniable sense of accomplishment and renewed energy that washes over me after every workout. I’ve learned that I never regret a workout once it’s done. It’s my dedicated time for self-care, a precious opportunity to focus on my physical and mental well-being, which ultimately makes me a more energized and patient person in all other aspects of my life.
Given my limited time and energy, I’ve become determined to make every workout count. I’ve delved into extensive research, and while I’m far from a fitness expert, I’ve discovered a couple of powerful strategies that I’ve successfully integrated into my routine. These aren’t groundbreaking secrets, but they are effective principles that can significantly enhance your fitness results.
Strategy 1: Prioritize Weights First
This was a game-changer for me. My old gym routine involved heading straight to the cardio machines, burning some calories, and then reluctantly moving to weights. It turns out, I was doing it backward! Fitness experts overwhelmingly recommend prioritizing strength training or weights at the beginning of your workout. Here’s why this approach is so effective:
- Optimal Energy Levels: Your body’s glycogen stores are at their highest at the start of your workout. This readily available energy is perfectly suited for the intense, explosive demands of weightlifting. You’ll have more strength, focus, and stamina to push harder and lift heavier, leading to greater muscle gains and calorie burn.
- Maximized Fat Burn: By depleting your glycogen stores through strength training first, your body is primed to tap into fat reserves as its primary fuel source during the subsequent cardio session. This means you’re more likely to burn fat efficiently during your cardio.
- Enhanced Performance: Lifting weights before cardio can improve your cardiovascular performance. By stimulating your nervous system and warming up your muscles, you’ll feel more prepared and powerful when you hit the treadmill or elliptical, potentially allowing you to maintain a higher intensity.
- Faster Recovery: Placing cardio after weights isn’t just about maximizing fat burn; it also aids in recovery. The increased blood flow to your muscles during cardio helps flush out metabolic byproducts like lactic acid, reducing post-workout stiffness and soreness. It’s like a built-in active recovery session that prepares your muscles for their next challenge.
Strategy 2: Embrace Interval Training
My disdain for treadmills was legendary – the sheer monotony often made me dread cardio. But then I discovered interval training, and it completely transformed my perspective. Intervals involve alternating between periods of high-intensity exercise and periods of lower-intensity recovery. The benefits are numerous and compelling:
- Superior Fat Burning: Interval training, particularly High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), has been shown to burn more fat in less time compared to steady-state cardio. The intense bursts elevate your metabolism not just during the workout, but for hours afterward, a phenomenon known as the “afterburn effect” or EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption).
- Improved Cardiovascular Health: By challenging your heart and lungs through varied intensity, interval training significantly boosts your cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and stamina more effectively than maintaining a constant pace.
- Breaks Monotony: Say goodbye to boring workouts! The constant changes in speed, incline, or resistance keep your mind engaged and the workout feeling dynamic. Time truly flies when you’re alternating between pushing hard and recovering.
- Overcoming Plateaus: If you’ve hit a fitness plateau, intervals can be the key to breaking through. They constantly challenge your body in new ways, preventing it from adapting too comfortably to a routine.
- Time-Efficient: You can achieve significant fitness benefits in a shorter amount of time with interval training, making it perfect for those with busy schedules. A 20-30 minute interval session can often be more effective than a longer, moderate-intensity workout.
As my kids often say with infectious enthusiasm, “Try it, you’ll like it, try it, you’ll like it!” And in this case, they’re absolutely right.
Your Challenge for Today: Maximize Every Minute
So, for today’s mini-challenge, I encourage you to head to the gym or dedicate time to an at-home workout with these principles in mind. Start by focusing on your strength training – lift some weights, perform bodyweight exercises, or use resistance bands. Challenge your muscles first. Once you’ve completed your strength routine, transition to your cardio. Instead of a steady, unchanging pace, incorporate intervals. Push yourself with bursts of higher intensity, then ease back for a recovery period, and repeat.
By making these simple yet powerful adjustments, you’ll not only burn more fat and build lean muscle but also cultivate a more engaging and efficient fitness routine. You’ll leave your workout feeling incredibly accomplished, energized, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. Here’s to making every sweat session count!