Clean Eating Sheet Pan Fajitas

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I get back from a vacation I feel like I need a recovery week. This week has been a recovery week of sorts for me.  My husband assistant coaches a high school track team, and last week we traveled with them for a spring training trip. Now traveling with 15 teenage girls from central Michigan to the very southern tip of Alabama may not sound like the ideal spring break retreat to most (especially when you are not yet a parent and those things aren’t obligatory). But it had been years since I’ve actually gone south for spring break, so I jumped at the opportunity.

We had a  great time, the weather on the Gulf of Mexico was much warmer than it has been here (it’s snowed three days this week, kid you not)…but by the time we packed up to head home my body was all out of whack.  It was one of those weeks where I threw caution to the wind and ate whatever I felt like.  Handfuls of cookies? Sure. No vegetables, a ton of carbs, and Poptarts every day? You bet!

The result? I quite literally felt like poop by the end of the week.  Needless to say, this week has been an attempted “reset” when it comes to healthy eating.  Does that happen to you? Do you find that after episodes of binge eating junk food to your heart’s content the next day’s result is a body that feels like pure yuckiness?

Mine never used to, but the past couple years I’ve noticed a growing intolerance to junk food.  Must be part of the joy that is becoming an adult….awesome.

Anyway, on my road to recovery, I planned  some of my favorite yummy dishes, that also have some nutritious quality, enter this awesome and easy dish:

 Clean Eating Sheet Pan Fajitas and Mexican seasoned potatoes.  

 

Sheet pan fajitas aren’t something new, they’ve been circulating Pinterest for ages now. But what pushes this dish over the edge for me is that rather than serve the meat and veggies in tortilla shells, we pour them over perfectly seasoned thinly sliced potatoes.  I’m talking potatoes that are soft and fluffy in the center and lightly crisp on the edges.  The kind that are so smothered in seasoning there’s no need to consume them with ketchup (if you don’t do that, I’m sorry but I eat almost everything with ketchup…you can ask my husband, so the fact that I don’t with these is big).

The combo is super yummy and offers a “cleaner” option than a  flour tortilla without losing out on flavor.  I actually came up with the idea when the hubby and I completed our first Whole30 (basically an eating challenge with only clean foods like meat, produce, and nuts for 30 days) back in January.

Cut and coated potatoes ready for the oven.

Mexican seasoned Potatoes make the perfect fajita base.

My suggestion would be to start the potatoes first….they by far take the longest to bake compared to the other components of the dish.  I used russet potatoes but you could use just about any kind, we’ve even experimented with sweet potatoes and had great results! Begin by washing 3-5 medium sized potatoes (this can me adjusted to more or less depending on the number of people you are feeding, my husband and I like to make enough for leftovers).

 

Then slice the potatoes thinly, place in a mixing bowl with oil olive and spices and toss to coat.  Spread the potatoes thinly on a foil lined pan. Place in the oven preheated to 400 degrees F for 25-35 minutes. You will know they are done when they are fork tender and starting to crisp around the edges.

 

Finished potatoes are tender in the center but beginning to crisp up around the edges.

Once the potatoes are in the oven it’s time to prep the vegetables.  I like to have a mix of bell peppers in my fajitas, so for this recipe I used one yellow, one orange, one red bell pepper and a red onion.  Simply wash the peppers and slice into thin strips.  Then slice the onions into thin strips. Place the vegetables on a sheet pan and toss to lightly coat with oil olive, and a dash of lime juice. Place these in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Most sheet pan recipes put the meat and veggies on the same pan….I think that works for something that has a longer cook time like chicken, but for flank steak I find it overcooks the meat and makes it a chewy consistency. So I cook them separately to give me more control over the cook time.

I like fajitas best when my onions have began to caramelize and the peppers still retain a bit of crunch. Notice the nicely charged edges….yum. 

To prep the meat, slice the flank steak into thin strips, then place in a medium mixing bowl with seasonings and oil olive.  Just like the potatoes and veggies, stir to lightly coat.  Then spread the meat thinly across a foil lined sheet pan and place in the preheated oven.  Depending on the size of your strips and the level of doness your looking for the meat should be ready in 5-10 minutes.

The finished steak will have lost most of its pink color inside but retained a tenderness. If you over cook the steak it will come out somewhat chewy…but the flavor should still shine through (speaking from experience here).

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Mexican Seasoned Potatoes

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 43 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3-5 medium russet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and slice the potatoes thinly. 

2. Place in mixing bowl with olive oil and spices. Toss to coat.

3. Spread out on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and crisp on the edges. 

Print

Clean Eating Sheet Pan Fajitas

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs flank steak
• 2-3 bell peppers any color you prefer
• 1 onion red, yellow or sweet work well
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp coriander optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and slice peppers into thin strips. Slice onion into thin strips.

   
   

2. Place onion and peppers on an un-greased baking sheet. Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and lime juice.  Toss to lightly coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

3. Cut flank steak into thin slices.  Add to mixing bowl with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the spices. Toss to coat. Spread mixture onto foiled line baking sheet. 

4. Bake for 5-10 minutes until steak has lost most of its pink color but remains tender. To serve place steak and vegetables on top of Mexican Seasoned Potatoes and top with your favorite fajita toppings such as salsa, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.