The Bowl: starch on the bottom, protein on top, vegetables around, fat drizzled over

The order

Starch on the bottom while it is warm, protein on top, vegetables around the edge, something fatty over all of it. The fat at the end is what makes it taste like a meal rather than like components.

What goes wrong

Three faults, each written as the fix.

Nothing is seasoned

Assembly is not cooking, so there is no step where seasoning happens by accident. Salt, acid and something fatty, every time.

It is all one texture

Keep one thing raw and crunchy. A bowl where everything is soft eats like a shortcut.

The protein is an afterthought

It is the only part of the bowl you cannot reasonably improvise at the end. Put it in first when you plan it.

What goes in it

Anything from the shopping list. The group is what matters and the specific item does not, which is the entire reason this is a shape and not a recipe.

Protein

Chicken thighs, Ground beef, Eggs, Greek yogurt, Canned tuna, Firm tofu, Cottage cheese

Vegetables

Baby spinach, Broccoli, Bell peppers, Frozen mixed vegetables, Cucumber, Cherry tomatoes

Starch

Rice, Potatoes, Rolled oats, Whole grain bread, Black beans, Pasta

Fat

Olive oil, Avocado, Almonds, Butter, Peanut butter

How much of each

Measured against your own hand rather than with a scale: a palm of protein, a fist of vegetables, a cupped hand of starch, a thumb of fat. The counts change with your build and your goal, and the tool works them out.

The longer version

• The plate shape: eating well without counting anythingHalf vegetables, a palm of protein, a fist of starch, a thumb of fat. The case for a shape over a number, and what it gives up.