Written by GAIL McGLOTHIN  |  Photographed by APRIL McGLOTHIN-ELLER

Join in one of the latest dining crazes, and serve your next meal bowl-style.

Bowls start with the basics: protein, carbs and toppings; in fact, they’re really all about the topping. Once the protein and carbs are in the bowl, the diner is only limited by his or her imagination, pantry and condiment shelf.

Bowl meals are ideal for make-ahead meal prep. Some topping combinations can be mixed together in advance and held for dinnertime.

Just about any meal can be made into a bowl. Try a barbeque bowl: start with a chopped-up baked potato filled with pulled pork, and top it off with cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, sweet onions and/or dill pickles.

Ingredients for a poke bowl are all found in your grocery store. Begin the adventure with raw salmon cut up in cubes and placed over white short grain rice. Edamame, pickled ginger, avocado, cubed cucumber and sesame seeds are a few of the toppings to enhance the bowl.

Breakfast can get in the bowl-meal picture by starting with a bowl of oatmeal with chopped sausage links on one side and toasted pecans and raisins on the other.

For summer lunches, brainstorm with your children to come up with bowls starting with chicken nuggets, hot dogs and/or hamburgers.

Greek food is big in our house. The rice is cooked earlier in the day and the meatballs are prepared. Just pop them in the oven when you’re almost ready for mealtime, and set out all the toppings while waiting for the meatballs to cook. A stream of hummus vinaigrette over the completed bowl adds moisture and a little sparkle to the finished bowl.

Smoothies are a quick-and-easy breakfast for children of all ages. Whether light or dark, crunchy or soft, always fresh and nutritious, smoothies fit the bill.

Putting together a smoothie works best if a particular order is followed. Start with the liquid, loading the milk of your choice or juice into a blender. Toss fresh and frozen fruit in next. Keep overripe bananas cut up in chunks in a freezer bag, and you’ll have enough for a smoothie with some left over. Add vanilla extract, then protein powder. Add crushed ice for a more icy drink. Give it a blend and your quick-and-easy meal is ready to be poured into a glass.

Greek Lamb Meatballs

1 pound ground lamb

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Cavender’s Greek Seasoning

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put lamb in a medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and Cavender’s. With wet hands, roll about 2 tablespoons of ground lamb into a meatball and place on the parchment. Roll all lamb mixture into balls. Move them to the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes until the center is slightly pink. With tongs, move the meatballs to a serving bowl and keep warm.

Place a few cooked meatballs over cooked rice in a bowl. Top with as many of the following as you like: prepackaged hummus, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sliced beets from a can, cucumber, prepackaged tzatziki sauce and Hummus Vinaigrette, recipe below.

Hummus Vinaigrette

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup hummus

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon oregano

Mix together all ingredients and serve over the top of your Greek Bowl.

Mexicali Bowl

Grilled chicken

Taco seasoning mix

Salt and pepper

Garlic

Lime cilantro rice, packaged

Seasoned black beans, undrained

Sautéed onions and green peppers

Jalapenos

Guacamole

Shredded cheese

Black olives

Sour cream

Salsa

Tortilla chips

Season chicken with taco seasoning mix, salt, pepper, and garlic. Bake on parchment paper at 400 degrees until done, or cook on the grill.

Prepare lime cilantro rice according to package directions.

Heat up seasoned black beans (or add garlic powder, chili powder and cumin to a can of plain black beans.)

Line up remaining ingredients in the order listed. Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Smoothie Bowl  for Two

1½ cups plain Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana, cut up

1½ cups frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup milk (more or less, depending upon consistency)

1 scoop protein powder, optional

In a blender, layer yogurt, banana slices, blueberries, vanilla, ¼ cup milk and protein powder. Blend until fruit is well incorporated, adding more milk if needed. Serve in a bowl with some or all of these toppings: cereal, toasted chopped pecans and coconut mix, chia seeds, banana slices, fresh blueberries and sweetener, if desired.