Healthy Lunch Ideas
Mexican Sweet Potato Lunch Bowl
Swapping regular white potatoes for sweet potatoes is a great way to up the beta carotene content of your diet. Beta carotene is the orange pigment that gives sweet potatoes their orange colour (you’ll also find it in carrots, green leafy veg and pumpkin).
Beta carotene has a number of health benefits. Getting more of it in your diet can:
Improve female fertility – women who ate more beta carotene were found to have better quality eggs and therefore better chances of conceiving.
Improve our skin condition – when we eat beta carotene our body converts it into vitamin A. Vitamin A is probably the most important nutrient for skin health: it helps maintain collagen levels, prevent pigmentation and ensure healthy turnover of skin cells.
Beta carotene can also protect the skin from the sun, people who eat more beta carotene develop a degree of natural protection from the sun, meaning it takes longer for them to develop sunburn when exposed to the sun’s rays.
On top of all that sweet potato is a great source of soluble fibre, which looks after our gut health and feeds the gut microbiome. So why not give these lunch bowls a go – a great alternative to your usual sandwich or wrap.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 2 bowls
2 large sweet potatoes
1 cos lettuce, shredded
1 avocado, diced
100g feta cheese
1/2 tin black beans, drained
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped or 1 tsp chipotle paste
Juice of half a lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat your oven to 180c. Cube the sweet potatoes and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season. Roast in the oven until tender, this should take about 25-35 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking make your black bean and avocado salsa by combining the tomatoes, black beans, avocado, lime juice and chilli (or chipotle paste) with some salt and pepper to taste.
3. Assemble bowls by placing a layer of lettuce on the bottom and then top with your cubed sweet potatoes, black bean and avocado salsa and feta cheese. Enjoy!
See Sarah’s Instagram page for lots more lunch bowl ideas and my favourite ginger, scallion, turmeric oil recipe as a nutritious flavour enhancer to top off lunch bowls.