How to configure an Ionic App with a MEAN stack

I'm trying to configure an ionic app with an express server and mongodb database for a personal project. I'm a beginner with this - I've set up and have been working with a MEAN stack outside of the Ionic framework, but have not been able to figure out how to structure the ionic app so that it can run on express and mongodb -- and will be able to emulate properly.

I've searched online, but there doesnt seem to be much out there on this topic. This is the closest I've come to an answer: http://thejackalofjavascript.com/an-end-to-end-hybrid-app/. But it still doesnt help me entirely. Any help is much appreciated.