When it comes to hormone health, eating consistently throughout the day is one of the most important habits to focus on. For most of my clients (and myself) lunch is the hardest meal to be consistent with. Starting the week with a few things meal prepped for lunches makes nourishing yourself, and your hormones, so much easier.
Kale Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing
One of my favorite things to prep for lunches is my Kale Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing. (I also bring it to a lot of parties/potlucks). It holds up well thanks to the heartiness of the kale and is super versatile. I always add cooked quinoa but mix up the other veggies/toppings depending on the season. The recipe below is my “winter version” which I make with roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, red onion and pumpkin seeds.
Foods That Support Hormone Health
This combination of ingredients is also great for supporting happy hormones! Bitter greens, beans and fermented foods are all essentials for hormone health. Miso is a probiotic-rich food and the bitterness of kale and lemon enhance digestion, another key part of hormone health. Learn more about the benefits of bitter foods in this post.
More Easy Lunch Ideas
In addition to this kale salad with lemon miso dressing, here are some other ideas that can be meal prepped or easily thrown together on a busy day:
- Avocado toast topped with smoked salmon or canned sardines
- Chicken salad with crackers and baby carrots
- Avocado egg salad sandwich and an apple
- Leftovers! Cooking extra the night before is one of my favorite lunch prep hacks
Make The Kale Salad Your Own
One of my favorite things about this kale salad is how versatile it is. It’s the perfect way to use up whatever you have in your fridge. You could swap the sweet potatoes for another veggie and if you don’t feel like roasting anything you can add the beans straight from the can.
Kale Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch curly green kale, de-stemmed, washed and dried
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Lemon-Miso Dressing
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Prep the kale
- Start by making sure your kale is washed and fully dried – I often do this the night before. Tear into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt over the kale and massage (gently squeeze with both hands) for a minute or so to make leaves more tender.
Roast the sweet potatoes, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, season with salt and toss with avocado oil.
- Place the chickpeas on a separate sheet pan and dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and smoked paprika (optional).
- Place both pans in the oven and roast until sweet potatoes are tender (25-30 min) and chickpeas are crispy (20-25 min).
- Remove and let cool before assembling your salad.
- Optional: When sweet potatoes and garbanzo are finished roast pumpkin seeds for 10-15 minutes, until lightly toasted.
Make dressing and assemble salad
- Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.
- Add quinoa, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, pumpkin seeds and red onion to bowl with the kale.
- Pour half of the dressing over the salad and mix, adding more dressing as needed. You may not need all the dressing depending on the size of your kale bunch, sweet potato, etc.
One Response
This Looks Delicious!