Not having enough time and not knowing what to make are two of my biggest challenges to eating healthy every day. Throw in a full time job, 2 teenagers and their sports, dogs, and a house, and you know how easy it is to just throw in the towel and order from Door Dash. One of the things I’m trying to do better this school year is build a rotation of easy weeknight dinners I can throw together with simple, fresh ingredients. I’ve written before about how I like to eat repetitive meals to help me stay on track with consistency in my daily health habits. A meal like this fits easily into that pattern because it’s easy and also fairly budget friendly as well! Add in some leafy greens and diced avocado and you’ve got yourself a winner dinner that checks all the boxes – nutritious, delicious, fast, and easy. Please enjoy my first installment in the Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas series – Ground Beef and Sweet Potatoes!
The Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 pound grass fed ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- A couple handfuls of leafy greens
- 1 Avocado
- Salad dressing of choice
- Optional: garlic powder
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on medium/high.
- Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks.
- While that’s cooking, peel and chop the sweet potato into small cubes. The smaller, the better for faster cooking!
- Once the beef is fully browned (no pink remains), transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
- Wipe out most of the excess fat in the pan, but leave a tiny bit for flavoring the sweet potatoes!
- In the same pan you cooked the beef, drizzle olive oil in pan and toss in the sweet potatoes.
- Stir the potatoes regularly and after about 5 minutes, check constantly for tenderness by poking them with a fork. Cook until they are soft enough to enjoy, and adjust to your preference. Cook less for a firmer texture and more for a softer texture!
- Season your potatoes and beef with sea salt, pepper, and/or garlic powder to taste!
- Serve with a side salad with avocado for a complete meal!
Nutrition Advice
The reason I like this meal so much is not only because of how fast and easy it is. It’s also a well rounded meal. If you break the ground beef into about 4 servings, each serving gives you about 20 grams of protein! The sweet potatoes add some quality carbs that are lower on the glycemic index than white rice but pack a serious punch of nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber and also rich in vitamin B6 and potassium. Leafy greens provide iron and avocado is a great source of healthy fats. This meal is a grand slam of quality nourishing macro and micronutrients and it also tastes great too!
To keep the emphasis on whole foods, think about your salad dressing and what is in it. I have been trying all of the Primal Kitchen brand salad dressings these days because I like their commitment to whole foods and clean ingredients. The dressing of choice for this meal was their Honey Mustard and I used some really yummy pink himalayan sea salt for the beef and potatoes too. Get your own at Amazon by clicking any of the links provided and please note I am an Amazon associate and will earn a tiny commission if you opt to purchase from my link. Please note I will never promote a product I don’t personally consume or recommend to my family and friends. Thank you for supporting my small business dreams!
