I wanted to share a recipe with you that was created out of a little bit of desperation one evening. It was the middle of the pandemic, solo-parenting, and I found myself staring into the fridge with no idea what was for dinner.
It’s not that I haven’t done this before, I have done this plenty, but when I get to the dregs of what is left in the fridge, my meal creativity usually goes right out the window, and I throw in the towel and order take out! But as you know that was not always an easy option when we were in the thick of things. Plus, my blood sugar was starting to tank. So I had to dig deep with my creativity that night.
Luckily there were a few nuggets of things here and there, including a bit of ground turkey I had thawed out that I began to scrounge together with a couple other things.
Meal Prepping
When I put meals together, I’m always conscious of planning meals that are balancing to my blood sugar. To do that I create meals that have ample animal protein, half a plate of veggies and a bit of good fat (about a tablespoon or two).
Animal protein is an important part of meals that assist in balancing hormones. It is key to balancing blood sugar, reduces cravings, keeps you fuller longer, improves metabolism, helps with tissue repair, and assists with weight balance. Protein also helps with muscle building and bone health. And the amino acids in animal protein are key to hormone balance.
Without ample protein in my diet, I struggled to keep my blood sugar balanced. And as I got closer to menopause, balancing blood sugar got even more challenging. So I had to be uber careful about making sure to eat enough protein, good fat, and vegetables.
How much protein?
I aim for around 25-30 grams of protein per meal. For the day, I recommend somewhere in the range of about 120-130 grams of protein per day minimum. This may sound like a lot if you haven’t been eating protein regularly, but this amount is the most stabilizing to your blood sugar and metabolism. And as we age as women, we need more protein, not less!
But we are often told by our doctors to eat less as we age! That is so confusing! This is not the solution for hormone balance, it’s actually counterproductive. As your hormones lower, you need to eat more, eat regularly, and you might even need 130-150 grams of protein per day.
So when I meal plan, I always work to include protein as the main focus, and compliment that with a couple different vegetable sides. Most importantly though, I don’t let the vegetables crowd out the protein. Protein is the priority!
Prior to the pandemic, I was a fly by day meal planner. I live a block from my Co-op,so it was so easy to run over there daily. But as we know the pandemic put those habits to a halt. It actually really helped kick my meal planning into high gear. With the isolation, and the extra time, it really helped me slow down around meal planning and put more intention around it.
So this was a quick and easy recipe that I made with what was left over in the fridge. Leftover takeout rice, a bit of ground turkey I had thawed out, and a few other items that you likely have in your fridge and pantry. Enjoy!
Tamari Burgers – Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Tools:
1 Medium sized bowl – these are my favorite stackable metal bowls
1 Large spoon
1 Cast iron pan
Recipe:
1 lb Ground turkey or ground beef – organic or pasture raised
1 ½ C Cooked white rice (leftover takeout rice works great) – organic
1 C Green onions – organic chopped, and loosely packed
⅓ C Panko – gluten free
4 Tbsp Tamari – gluten free
1 Egg – pasture raised and organic
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil – organic for frying the patties
Directions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl except the sesame oil, which is for cooking the patties.
- Mix until well incorporated. Bare hands do a great job mixing this together.
- Divide mixture into equal parts, and form into patties.
- Heat the pan to medium, and add the sesame oil.
- Cook patties on each side until cooked through if ground turkey, or to your liking if beef.
- Layer over greens and enjoy!
If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below how you like it! Enjoy!