I had some ground beef that I took out of the freezer with the intention of making burgers or tacos one night. It didn’t happen. Nor did it the next day. Then my husband went out of town. I needed to use up this ground beef! I also had several other veggies I needed to use up. So I made some lunches for the work week inspired by Andie Mitchell’s Cheeseburger Salad with  Big Mac Dressing and the usual lunchtime Power Bowls {aka Throw Together Lunch} I often create after I learned of Anne’s Quick and Easy Meal Formula.

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As a reminder, here is the basic formula for the bowls and what I used to create the bowls. This bowl is one that you warm in the microwave. Alternatively, you could make it salad by substituting romaine and just topping it with the hot beef later!

1. Base – spinach
2. Grain/Starch – cooked diced potatoes {mimicking fries, perhaps!?}
3. Protein – cooked ground beef {You could add chopped bacon if you like that sort of thing on your burger.}
4. Veggies – onions, tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms
5. Fat – shredded cheddar
6. Sauce – Big Mac Sauce: I recommend this one or Mel Jouwan’s Awesome Sauce from her cookbook Well Fed 2

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And if you are looking for a recipe…

Big Mac Bowls

(Makes 4 bowls)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups spinach
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 chopped onion
• granulated garlic, salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional toppings:
  • sauteed mushrooms
  • diced onion
  • tomatoes
  • bacon
  • any veggie or topping you desire on a burger!
• Sauce – Big Mac Sauce: I recommend this one or Mel Jouwan’s Awesome Sauce from her cookbook Well Fed 2.

Method:

• Heat a pot of salted water to boiling.
• Medium dice the potatoes and throw in the pot. Cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Drain.
• While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sautee until translucent.
• Add the ground beef and season with plenty of salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste. Cook until nicely browned.
• Make the Big Mac Sauce. I recommend this one or Mel Jouwan’s Awesome Sauce from her cookbook Well Fed 2. There are several versions out there on the interwebs!
• If you are making these bowls in advance for lunches, let the hot items cool before assembling.
• Divide ingredients and assemble the bowls, layering in this fashion:
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 1/2 cooked diced potato (1/4 of what you made)
  • 1/4 ground beef mixture
  • toppings
  • 2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp Big Mac Sauce
• Store in air tight containers in the fridge. When ready to eat, heat for approximately 2 minutes.

This all comes in around 400 – 500 calories depending on how lean your beef is and the kind and amount of toppings you use.

Here’s the not-so-pretty but oh-so-delicious photo of the end result after heating at work!

Cheers~
Carrie