3 Hormone-Balancing Recipes
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner recipes for hormone balancing and natural magnesium intake
Hormonal imbalances can manifest into a lot of unwanted problems in our bodies.
Previously, I explained the importance of magnesium in hormone production that are vital in carrying out hundreds of metabolic processes in our bodies.
Women are more prone to hormonal imbalance because we menstruate once a month which sends off a cascade of hormones all over the place where some of the signals could get mixed up.
Therefore, it is important to ensure we are eating the right things at all times, but especially during those periods to keep everything functioning optimally.
Here is a full day of eating you can incorporate in your weekly meal planning that covers your daily magnesium intake as well as checks off most of your daily requirements for our macro and micro nutrients. All these recipes are made vegan however, you can swap in one of the proteins for a wild-caught salmon if you eat meat.
Breakfast:
Blueberry Avocado Smoothie Bowl
with homemade banana nut granola
Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup of frozen spinach
1/2 avocado
1 scoop of protein powder
Granola Ingredients:
5 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bananas
1/4 cup tahini (or nut butter of choice)
1 tbsp of maple syrup
Smoothie Recipe:
Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Granola Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl until smooth. Stir in the tahini and syrup and beat vigorously until everything is combined (you don't want large chunks of tahini!). Pour the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well mixed and all the ingredients are coated. Separate the mixture onto two baking sheets, and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until the granola is starting to brown. I recommend stirring and flipping it every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Let cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place for two weeks.
Lunch:
Roasted Vegetable Pomegranate Bowl
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds lightly toasted
1 pomegranate seeds only
3-4 kale leaves chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
1/2 cup quinoa uncooked
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
Roasted Vegetable Salad Dressing Ingredients:
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger freshly grated
2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp water
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 200C/392F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the veggies - peel the sweet potatoes, carrots and onion and cut into cubes. Dice the bell pepper and add them onto the baking sheet. Add cumin, drizzle olive olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven.
While the veggies are roasting, prepare the quinoa. Rinse it well and add it into a pot with 1 cup water. Bring to boil over medium heat, simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, lid the pot and set aside (the quinoa will absorb the steam and get fluffy).
In a large bowl combine the quinoa, roasted vegetables, chopped kale and parsley, dried apricots, pumpkin and pomegranate seeds,
Add the dressing ingredients into a jar, lid the jar and shake well to combine.
Drizzle the dressing over the bowl and voila.
Dinner:
Creamy Sunflower Tahini Kelp Noodles
Ingredients:
12 oz of kelp noodles
1 tbsp of olive oil
3 cups of broccoli chopped
8 ounces of mushrooms sliced
1 cup of edamame
toppings: scallions and sesame seeds (optional)
Sunflower Tahini Dressed Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sunflower butter
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon pure sesame oil
3 tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/2 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons chili garlic paste or sriracha
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2–3 tablespoons water (may need more or less depending on desired consistency)
Recipe
To prepare the kelp noodles, remove from the package and place in a bowl with water to soften. Set to the side. If you are substituting zucchini noodles, trim and spiralize the zucchini. Cut extra long noodles so that they are about the length of spaghetti. Lightly cover with salt and set to the side.
To prepare the sauce, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until well combined. Set to the side.
To prepare the vegetables, heat the oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add the broccoli and mushrooms; cook for about 7 minutes until soft. Next, add the edamame and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the sauce and turn down heat to low.
If using kelp noodles, rinse and drain. If using zucchini, pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Add in noodles of choice to the veggie/sauce combo and toss until noodles are evenly coated.
For the kelp noodles, if you like a crunch you can serve right away. If you prefer a softer noodle similar to an angel hair pasta, let the noodles sit in the sauce mixture for about 10-15 minutes and serve.
If using zucchini noodles, serve immediately.
Garnish with optional toppings.
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to five days. Enjoy!