This Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili Could Help You Sleep Better
How many nights have you gone to bed only to realize that your digestive tract isn’t quite ready for sleep? A grumbling tummy can disrupt your natural sleep-wake cycles, and disrupted sleep can make those gastrointestinal issues even worse. It’s a no-win situation.
That’s why your last meal of the day is so important in helping you get the sleep your body needs. It’s also why we love this easy turkey & sweet potato chili.
Turkey is the ultimate sleepy protein. High in the amino acid tryptophan, there's a reason we all feel so tired after a big holiday meal. And ground turkey is a key ingredient in this easy weekday dish.
In order to effectively convert and utilize the tryptophan, we need adequate vitamin B6 (black beans) and complex carbohydrates (sweet potato), making this chilli recipe the easiest way of getting everything in one go. This dinner recipe also provides a lot of fiber, which not only keeps blood sugar levels stable, crucial for a good night sleep, but it also feeds the gut, which if not taken care of, can drive inflammation and disrupted sleep as well.
You can add as many different veggies as you like to this recipe, plus serve up alongside cauliflower rice, or quinoa if you so wish!
Sleepy Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili
Servings: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 large red pepper
1 large courgette (zucchini)
1 large sweet potato (roughly 400-500g)
1 small red onion
3 garlic cloves
300g of organic ground turkey
1x 400g can of black beans
2x 400g cans of organic chopped tomatoes
300mL bone broth (can sub chicken or veggie broth)
1 head of cauliflower
2 avocados
2 handfuls fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 TBsP miso paste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Notes: If you can find premade cauliflower rice, you can substitute the head of cauliflower for a packet to make this dish even easier to make. If cauliflower rice isn’t your thing, swap for quinoa, brown rice, or another favorite!
How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F).
2. Slice the pepper into thin slices and roughly chop the courgette and sweet potatoes into chunks. Place on a baking tray with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Add in the chopped onion and garlic, cooking until brown.
4. Rinse thoroughly and drain the black beans in a sieve. Add the minced turkey and black beans to the frying pan, mixing it into the onion and garlic until the turkey starts to brown. Add spices, salt, and pepper into the frying pan and continue to mix well.
5. Once everything is coated, empty the tinned chopped tomatoes into the pan, followed by the bone broth and miso paste. Then, add in the roasted vegetables. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. Allow the chili to simmer for at least 20 minutes.
6. Whilst the chili is simmering away, roughly chop the cauliflower into florets and add to a food processor, pulsing until a fine crumble forms.
7. Heat another frying pan, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, and add in the cauliflower rice. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
8. De-stone the avocados, remove the skin and roughly chop. Serve the chili on top of the cauliflower rice. Add the chopped avocado on top alongside a sprinkle of coriander, seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve and enjoy!
Calories: 668
Protein: 48g
Net Carbs: 53g
Fat: 18g
Fiber: 30g
Let us know if you make this chili in the comments below! Or take a pic and tag us on Instagram @mbody.official.
