Tropical Teriyaki Beef Bowls
A delish, tropical-inspired + protein-packed recipe to support your hormones during your menstrual phase this summer!
Hello and welcome to HORMONE HEALTHY EATS from So Fresh N So Green’s Lauren Chambers, a nutrition + hormone health coach & girl mom x 3. If you’re here and aren’t yet a subscriber, I would love to have you join me! You can expect a monthly newsletter filled with simple + fun hormone balancing tools, tips, & personal faves + a delicious, nutrient-dense recipe aligned with each phase of your cycle delivered to your inbox every Saturday.
Menstrual phase but make it summer.
Because the menstrual phase aligns with all of the seasonal elements of winter (slower pace to conserve energy, warming, nourishing foods to replete lost minerals, etc.) it can feel kind of at odds with the actual summer season. Pssst: if aligning foods with your menstrual cycle phases is a totally new or foreign concept to you, you can learn all about it here!
But not this Tropical Teriyaki Beef Bowl, oh no! It has lots of bright, fun, tropical-inspired flavors for a summery vibe, while still feeling grounding, nourishing, well-cooked and easy to digest.
Apparently, ground beef bowls are also having a moment, which I’m all about! I, too, have an affinity for ground meat (as I mentioned here) thanks to it’s affordability, ease of use (truly the easiest to cook), versatility (bowls! burgers! stir-fry!) and nutrient-density (it’s rich in protein, collagen and amino acids that are important for hormone synthesis and a healthy menstrual cycle).
And while all types of ground meat are great, I especially love beef during the menstrual phase, as it’s one of the best sources of bioavailable iron (aka easy for your body to absorb and utilize) in a time of your cycle where it’s critical to replenish lost stores due to blood loss.
BUT, whether or not you’re menstruating, anyone can still enjoy this recipe (I refuse to cook more than 1 dinner for my family of 5 so everyone eats what I’m making) and the pineapple makes it extra fun and fresh, especially for kids.
With that, let’s get into a few more nutrient + hormone specifics, as well as the recipe itself!
The first day of your period marks the beginning of your menstrual phase, typically lasting anywhere from 3 to 7 days. It is the result of a normal inflammatory process that involves the disintegration of the functional layer of the endometrium (no longer needed for egg implantation) and the regeneration for a new layer in preparation for an implanting embryo in the upcoming cycle.
It’s an energy-intensive phase, one that involves tissue injury and restoration, and as such it makes sense for you to feel more tired, withdrawn, vulnerable and tender (especially in your abdomen).
That does not mean it should feel painful or debilitating in any way (physically, emotionally, etc.) and if you do experience any of these symptoms it is often linked to one or more hormonal imbalances. Please remember, painful periods are all too common, but they are not normal, and they should NOT be accepted as a normal part of your life.
In addition to the tissue degeneration taking place, all of your sex hormones (including estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) are at their lowest levels, impacting your mood, confidence, sleep, energy and libido as a result.
These shifts align with the winter season, embodying an essential time to hunker down and hibernate, rest and replenish. It’s not a phase you often feel like going out, being social, engaging in intense physical activities or getting it on, rather getting on your coziest pjs, making a bone broth hot cocoa and binging netflix. When we hone in and listen to these cues, we preserve energy, replete lost nutrients and ultimately set ourselves up for a symptom-free remainder of our cycle.
One of the very best ways to support your hormones during this time is with food! Nutrient repletion is critical during this phase, as you’re losing minerals due to blood loss. The following foods are deeply restorative and reflect our natural cravings and physiological needs during this time (for a detailed chart + list, see this post).
+ Iron-Rich Foods such as liver/organ meats, grass-fed red meat, wild-caught fatty fish, shellfish, poultry, organic tofu + legumes
+ Vitamin-C rich foods like dark colored berries, citrus, bell peppers, papaya/guava, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, etc.
+ Mineral-rich foods such as bone broth, red meat, sardines, shellfish, leafy greens, sea vegetables, nuts + seeds, legumes, cruciferous veggies & dark chocolate
+ Foods high in B vitamins like buckwheat, wild rice, wild-caught salmon, poultry, tuna, mushrooms, liver + organ meat, kidney beans ricotta + cottage cheese
+ Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like wild-caught salmon, fatty fish, white fish, sardines, anchovies, pasture-raised eggs, spirulina, walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed, etc.
+ Anti-inflammatory herbs + spices such as nettle leaf, ginger, chamomile, turmeric and red raspberry leaf
Because your body is undergoing an intense process of shedding the building of the uterine lining, it’s especially important to emphasize foods that are rich in iron, which is deeply restorative to the blood and kidneys, particularly heme iron from animal proteins (like red meat!), the most bioavailable form.
Additionally, bell peppers, carrots, broccolini and pineapple are all awesome sources of vitamin C, which helps your body dissolve and absorb iron. Vitamin C is also essential for optimal progesterone production (necessary to mitigate PMS) as well as the suppression of inflammation, which helps to offset oxidative stress.
Along with being rich in vitamin C, pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which aids in digestion (its a key ingredient in digestive enzyme supplements) and lowers inflammation, particularly in the digestive tract (making it an awesome element to incorporate when digestion can still be a bit sluggish thanks to the increase in progesterone in your luteal phase).
Last but not least, I snuck bone broth into this recipe not once (in the sauce) but twice (in the rice). While you don’t have to use the bone broth, it does add a delish, savory flavor, not to mention an abundance of amino acids that reduce inflammation (mitigating period cramps) and boost gut health and digestion.
So yeah, this recipe is here to support all of your menstrual phase nutrient needs while still feeling warm weather appropriate and bringing all of those bright, fun summer vaca vibes.
With that, let’s get to the recipe shall we?
Tropical Teriyaki Beef Bowls
GF/DF-Friendly
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Bowls:
1 ½ cups organic basmati rice *can sub for jasmine
2 ¾ cup chicken or beef bone broth
1 tablespoon grass-fed ghee
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound organic, lean grass-fed ground beef
Sea salt + pepper to taste
1 bunch broccolini, chopped into florets
1 organic red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 cup pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
Sesame seeds, green onion and cilantro for topping
Teriyaki Sauce:
¾ cup chicken bone broth
½ cup coconut aminos (or other gluten-free sauce like tamari)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or honey
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
DIRECTIONS:
Cook your rice. Rinse your rice with cold water in a fine mesh sieve or colander, draining the excess water. Repeat twice more. When rice is completely rinsed and drained, combine it with 2 ¾ cup bone broth, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of ghee and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes. When finished cooking, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes covered.
Cook your ground beef. While rice is cooking, heat the avocado oil in a large stovetop skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up any large chunks with a spatula.
Add the vegetables. Stir in the vegetables and sprinkle the mixture with sea salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and the beef is no longer pink.
Make your teriyaki sauce. While the beef and veggies are cooking, whisk together all of your teriyaki sauce ingredients together in a small bowl *You can skip this step and purchase a clean, gluten-free teriyaki sauce to save time.
Add the sauce + pineapple. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the mixture and add in the pineapple, stirring the mixture frequently, for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Assemble bowls and serve. Remove from heat and serve the ground beef mixture over the basmati rice. Top with sesame seeds, green onion and cilantro.
SWAPS/TIPS:
+ If you’re not feeling the beef, organic ground bison, chicken or turkey would be tasty, protein-rich swaps.
+ If you want to boost mineral + nutrient intake even more, try using a ground beef infused with liver, like this brand (I promise you do not taste it).
+ If you’re not a fan of one or more of the veggies, diced zucchini, green beans or snap peas would all be delicious, vitamin-C rich swaps.
+ Feel free to swap the basmati rice for another variety such as jasmine, or go with brown rice, quinoa or millet for a bit more fiber and protein (just note the amount of cooking liquid and time may differ, so follow instructions according to the package).
+ Can’t find fresh pineapple? You can leave it out altogether and the dish will still taste great, it will just have a classic teriyaki vibe vs. a tropical vibe.
+ Need to keep it dairy-free? Just leave out the ghee.
+ If you don’t have bone broth, you can substitute for a 1:1 ratio of another type of broth or water.
+ If you want to save time, swap the teriyaki sauce for a premade version (just make sure ingredients are minimal and it’s gluten-free if that’s important to you!)
STORAGE/LEFTOVERS:
Store any leftovers in airtight glass containers in the fridge for 2-3 days. I like to store the rice separate from the beef mixture, and then add together in a bowl to reheat for lunch the next day.