Feel-Good Bowls: Wholesome & Fresh Dishes for the Back-to-School Reset

There’s a certain point at the end of August when you feel the mood shift. Even if the sun’s still shining, the darker evenings are around the corner, school bags reappear, emails pick up, and suddenly you’re Googling “weeknight dinner ideas” again. These are the recipes for that moment. Balanced, bold and brilliant bowls that make the back-to-school reset feel like something to actually look forward to and not just survive.

Duck Noodle Cucumber Salad Bowl

Duck Noodle Cucumber Salad Bowl might sound tricky for a mid-week option, but duck breasts are easy to cook if you score the skin and start it in a cold pan, it renders out like magic. The sauce does the heavy lifting here: sticky, sweet, salty and spiked with chilli. Toss your noodles in that punchy dressing, pile on crisp cabbage and scallions, and don’t skimp on the herbs and peanuts at the end. It’s big on contrast- hot duck, cold veg, chewy noodles, crunchy toppings, a simple family favourite.

Get the recipe HERE 

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Bowl

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Bowl is another one of those dishes that hits every mark: comforting, sweet, spicy, tangy and textural. The mash is mellow but the wholegrain mustard lifts it; the pan sauce for the chicken is sharp and sticky. Roasting chickpeas transforms them- they’re your crunch and your texture. This is meal-prep-adjacent food: nothing too fiddly, just smart layering of flavour that can easily be prepped in advance.

Get the recipe HERE

Pork Meatball & Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Nuoc Cham

And finally, the Pork Meatball & Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Nuoc Cham- a bowl that always delivers. Inspired by those little bowls of brothy, slurpy fabulousness enjoyed sitting on a plastic stool in Hanoi, the pork meatballs are quick, affordable and can be frozen in batches. The nuoc cham sauce is essential- don’t mess with it. Fish sauce, lime, sugar, chilli- it’s one of the simplest dressings that makes everything else on the plate sing. Add crisp veg, soft noodles, and all the herbs you’ve got in the fridge. It’s clean but deeply satisfying eating.

If you’re looking for back to routines and reset food that still excites you, this is where to start.

Get the recipe HERE

Photography Credit: Donal Skehan & Tara Fisher

Food Styling Credit: Charlotte O’Connell