Sweet Potato and Black Bean Protein Bowl

Hey, remember me? It’s unbelievable how fast time can slip away from you and before you know it, the holidays you thought were ‘not for a couple of months’ are fast approaching. If that wasn’t evident by my Christmas tree standing tall in my living room, it’s certainly evident by the amount of 30/40/50% off, Free Shipping, and holiday shopping reminder e-mail subjects I have clogging my inbox. Just a constant reminder that no matter how far ahead I think I am in my shopping, I’m not. 

So, long story short, it’s been a crazy couple of months. Let’s get back to some healthy foods, shall we? 

This one is goooood. I mean, really gooood. It was one of those ‘I have XYZ ingredients in the house so let’s do something with them’ meals. Once it dropped even a hair below 50 degrees last month, I was ready to cook up some of those feel-good meals and hibernate under a blanket. See ya in March. 

This sweet potato bowl is really filling and easy to customize based on various proteins and vegetables you like. What makes it extra yummy is the avocado cream I drizzled on top. This cooks in very little time and like all of my other recipes, it’s easy to make a bunch and keep for the week. You can even add the sweet potatoes, beans, and ground beef on top of a bed of lettuce and pack it for lunch using the avo-cream as a dressing. 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Protein Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
  • 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 16 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs EVOO or avocado oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 medium-sized avocado
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream
  • fresh lime juice
  • cooking spray
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dice sweet potatoes into approx 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, mix oil, sea salt, garlic powder, and paprika, with the sweet potato cubes until fully coated. 
  2. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet. Set timer for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes over halfway through.  
  3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, fully cook ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking up as it browns.
  4. Using a blender or food processor, blend avocado, sour cream, and lime juice. Add the lime juice gradually until you get desired consistency/taste. Note, if you are using on a salad, you may need a little more lime juice to make a dressing-like consistency. 
  5. Add 1/4 of the ground beef, 1/4 of the sweet potatoes, and 1/4 of the black beans to a bowl and top with 2 tbs of the avocado cream. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper. 

 

Have a Happy Hump Day!

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Happy Friday! This upcoming weekend is a very welcomed one. With two wedding showers, a baby shower, and a bachelorette party, these next couple days are going to be filled with lots of celebration for some very special people in my life. It will certainly be busy, but I am excited to spend some time with some great friends, enjoy the sunshine (it’s about time – is Chicago the new Seattle?), and eat some yummy treats. Whatever your plans are, I hope they are filled with your own special people this weekend!

Before my long weekend ahead, I wanted to share a delicious meal hubs and I made this week. Admittedly we were a little thrown off by the rain and chilly temperatures as we covered our grill back up again after the 70-degree weather a couple short weeks ago. I was looking for something warm to fill us up and nothing does that better than sweet potatoes. A few other blogs I’ve read recently combine sweet potatoes with other meals in such a creative way so I thought I could do the same. With some leftover shredded chicken and a never-ending supply of taco toppings in the house, it was super easy to whip up some taco stuffed sweet potatoes. 

Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Makes 2 servings – 1 potato per serving. 9 WW Sps per serving

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
  • 6 oz. shredded chicken
    • I had a lot of shredded chicken leftover so that’s what I used. At the beginning of the week I threw 1 lb. of chicken in to the crockpot and cooked on high for four hours with a little olive oil, cumin, chipotle chili powder, and a pinch of garlic powder. It makes for your own taco seasoning 🙂
  • 4 tbs salsa
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium sized avocado – sliced
  • 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. After rinsing off potatoes, puncture holes all over each potato using a fork. Wrap lightly in tin foil and place in oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 
  3. Slice an ‘X’ in the top of each potato and ‘smush’ (a technical term) each side to form a pocket perfect for toppings. 
  4. Top potato with chicken first, and then toppings. 
  5. Enjoy! 

 

Happy Weekend’ing!