3 Hormone Supporting Recipes for Athletes

Welcome to the beginning of my new series. I wanted to kick it off with a little teaser before I introduce more information regarding nutrients that support hormone production and function for the athlete. Why does this matter? Well, if you have ever dealt with:

• ❤️‍🩹 poor recovery

  🦴 bone stress injuries

  💪 ok really any injury

  😴 poor sleep

  🥶 poor temperature regulation

  🩸 inconsistent / absent menstrual cycles

  🧟‍♀️ terrible luteal stage symptoms (night sweats, bloating, fatigue, cramping)

…then maybe we should start thinking about how your body ( and hormones may need more support. For now, check out these recipes:

Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 1 pound steak, thinly sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 4 cups broccoli florets

• 1/3 cup water

• 1/4 cup soy sauce, tahini, or coconut aminos

• 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil

• 1/2 tablespoon corn starch

• 1/4 cup green onion

• Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

• Add the sliced steak, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper, to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. 

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of avocado oil and then add in the steak. Cook the steak for 4-5 minutes until browned flipping halfway through. Once cooked, remove the steak from pan and set aside. 

• While the steak is cooking, make the stir fry sauce. Add the coconut aminos, sesame oil, red pepper, and arrowroot starch to a small bowl and whisk until well combined. 

• Once the steak has been removed from the pan, add in the broccoli florets and ⅓ cup of water. Cook the broccoli until it is bright green and slightly tender but still has crunch; around 4-5 minutes depending on the size of the broccoli florets. 

• Add the steak and any juices back to the skillet and then add the stir fry sauce. Give everything a stir to combine steak, broccoli, and sauce and cook for one more minute. The sauce should thicken a bit as it heats

• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sliced green onions. Garnish with sesame seeds and then serve the stir-fry immediately. Eat and enjoy!

Avocado Caesar Salad + Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

Avocado Caesar Dressing:

• 1 avocado, divided

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 2 small cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Kale Caesar Salad:

• 1 bunch greens stems removed, chopped (5–6 cups)

• Parmesan and/or pepitas for topping

**parmesan and mayo contains saturated fat which is a precursor for hormone production

Protein of choice: I did cubed chicken with a poultry seasoning, but I think shrimp would be awesome in it too ( cholesterol baby!)

Instructions

• Cut the avocado in half. Reserve one half for the salad. Blend the other half with the water, mayo, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, and salt. Taste and adjust!

• Toss the chopped kale with the dressing. Throw in a handful of pepitas and Parmesan and toss it all around. Finish the salad with the remaining half of the avocado, cut into cubes

Sweet Potato Fries (do this first, because the salad doesn’t take long): Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the pan in the oven so it gets hot. Peel 4 sweet potatoes and cut into fry-shapes. The thinner they are, the more crispy they’ll get. Toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove hot pan from oven, arrange fries evenly, and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for another 10 minutes or so until crispy.

Bang Bang Salmon

Bang Bang Salmon

• 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet

• 1–2 tablespoons all-purpose seasoning mix

• 1/4 cup mayo

• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• chili crisp for topping

  For Serving: 

• Cooked rice, I did coconut lime rice! ( PS I'd also buy an instant rice because stress management is good for hormones too;))

Avocado cucumber salad: Mix 1 avocado (diced), half of a cucumber (diced), 1 pepper, a handful of chopped cilantro, a bit of lime juice, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of honey in a small bowl. Done!