I work with midlife women who want to use food and nutrition to reduce their uncomfortable menopausal symptoms. We are talking sleepless nights that leave you wrung out during the day, embarrassing hot flashes (soaked pits and cold chills on the back of the neck) covers on covers off night sweats and an expanding waistline making clothes feel tight and uncomfortable and shattering your confidence.
Midlife women are busy. They carry the emotional and organizational load of their household and their family. They work full time, cook every night, corral the household laundry, plan family get-togethers, walk dogs, work a second unpaid jobs as a taxi for their kids and fall into bed exhausted every night blaming themselves for their low libido.
Research tells us that the majority of women rock-up to midlife with nutritional deficiencies due to poor diet, poor digestion, busy lives, previous pregnancies and health challenges. At midlife, we need to toggle our brains out of the bullshit of diet and restriction and into nourish and nurture so they can feed their bodies out of a chronic state of stress and into a state of energy and vibrant health.
Getting adequate nutrition at midlife has helped my clients to slash your uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, shrink their body two pant sizes, shift their health from daily exhaustion to joyful energy and resolve their emerging chronic health issues. Food is powerful and that power lies on your plate.
The recipes I develop are delicious, fast and easy to prepare, often make-ahead and often snacks, smoothies and quick meals women can use to fuel themselves during the day without the burden of dragging their families into their new healthy lifestyle and nutrition overhaul.
I love it when women are fully nourished throughout the day and can sit down, guilt-free, with their families at night to eat pizza or raid the refrigerator stir-fry knowing their Green Smoothie, Nut and Seed Mix snack and Red Lentil and Lemon Soup are already in the tank.
This recipe breaks the mold from being a just for midlife women recipe and is something you can serve to your family for breakfast lunch or dinner.
This Swiss Chard Casserole is packed with vegetables to ensure it is mineral dense and contains sufficient fibre, but is family friendly.
The recipe contains eggs and hemp seeds, packing a punch with protein, anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and other healthy fats that support brain health.
Look at all the beautiful vegetables tucked away into this protein rich and cheesy recipe!
This casserole can be made ahead and served as a breakfast main, a quick lunch with a salad or served as a side at dinner.
This casserole is packed with Swiss Chard, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family that helps us to manage excess estrogen and detox it from the body to cut uncomfortable symptoms of menopause but won’t negatively impact your thyroid health.
It is also packed with flavour and you are looking at a dish that will get your kids to eat more vegetables.
It is the ultimate all rounder.
Ingredients
1 bunch Swiss Chard finely chopped and with the stalks chopped thinly
1 onion finely chopped
2 peppers diced
2 small jewel yams diced into 1cm cubes
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup mozarella cheese
1/4 cup hemp seeds
8 eggs beaten
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Baking parchment to line a
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F/ 190C
Heat a large skillet on the stove and add 2 tbsp olive oil
Add the onion and Swiss chard stalks and sauté on medium until softened
Add the yams, peppers, garlic and Italian seasoning
Sauté all of the veg with the herbs until the peppers start to soften
In a separate bowl add salt and pepper to taste, the hemp seeds, Dijon Mustard and mozzarella cheese to the 8 beaten eggs and beat together to combine
Line a 9’x9’ baking pan with parchment paper and brush over with 2 tsp of olive oil
Add the finely chopped Swiss chard leaves to the cooked vegetables and stir through until the leaves are wilted
Add all of the vegetables to the egg mix and stir to combine thoroughly
Pour the eggs hemp hearts, cheese and vegetables into the lined baking pan and top with the grated parmesan.
Bake the casserole for 25 - 30 minutes and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before cutting into slices.
Enjoy all that high protein vegetable goodness no matter what time of the day