I have been LOVING dump and bake meals. They're quick and easy to make, and to clean up, which means we have no reason to not be prioritizing our hormone health! This one-pan, high-protein dump and bake Greek orzo dish is delicious and will leave your body nourished and ready to operate at its best.
Ingredients for your follicular phase: chicken, artichoke, olives, lemon. During the follicular phase, your metabolism naturally slows down, so you want to eat foods that aid liver detoxification to ensure estrogen buildup doesn't occur in the gut.
Chicken is a follicular phase food because it is high in choline, which is an important mineral for fertility. It is also high in vitamin Bs and minerals such as zinc - which is needed for follicle development- and magnesium - which is important for metabolizing estrogen. Since magnesium is at its lowest during the follicular phase, it's important to maintain healthy levels of it at this time. Lastly, chicken is high in protein (even more so than beef!) which helps regulate blood sugar levels. But also, your body is most easily going to build muscle during this part of the cycle, so load up on protein to ensure you're providing your body with what it needs!
Artichoke is high in fiber, folate, and vitamin C. Fiber is key to helping our body flush out excess estrogen while our body ramps up production at this time of the cycle. Vitamin C and folate strengthen the release of the egg and the chances of implantation in the ovulation phase.
Olives are a great source of probiotics, which are important to maintaining a healthy estrobolome (gut microbiome). A healthy microbiome allows our bodies to effectively eliminate estrogen! But they are also very high in vitamin E which helps flush out estrogen and is an antioxidant that calms inflammation. Just make sure to cook it because otherwise it contains goitrogens (which suppress thyroid function) and can contribute to PCOS. Vitamin E also contributes to healthy progesterone levels.
Lemon, and citrus more generally, are high in vitamin C and antioxidants which reduce inflammation in the body. But most importantly, they are effective at liver detoxification, and vitamin C helps with iron absorption.
Dump and Bake Greek Orzo
Serves: 2 Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients
1 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 a Sweet or red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Pinch of Red pepper flakes
1/2 cup marinated artichoke, drained
1/2 cup orzo
2 Tbsp Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Cup olives
1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
3 Cups Fresh baby spinach
1 cup bone broth
2 chicken breast, chopped
Process
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Meanwhile, in a 9x13 baking dish, add olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, onion, salt, red pepper flakes, artichoke, bone broth, orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, spinach, and bone broth. Mix and make sure the liquid is fully covered.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF and the orzo is cooked.
Mix and then serve!
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