Nourishing Chickpea Salad Recipe (Hormone Friendly!)

Summer is here! That means it’s time to put away the heavy carbs and opt for something fresh, yet nourishing!

Today, I’ll be sharing a delicious and simple recipe with you: Nourishing Chickpea Salad.

This recipe is great for those who are trying to eat healthier at home, without sacrificing their calories (nobody wants to eat restrictive salads only to be left unsatisfied, right?). This is also PCOS friendly, hormone friendly, and gut supportive—let’s get to it!

The recipe (the ingredients here DO matter):

-drained organic chickpeas (peeled if you have the patience hah)*

-organic kale

-organic cherry tomatoes

-ripe avocado

-soft boiled egg (pasture raised if possible)

-organic canned corn

-mozzerella/soft cheese (optional if going DF)

*removing the peel of chickpeas may help reduce bloating if you have sensitivities to legumes, due to lectins in the skin

The vinaigrette:

-extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed if possible)

-basalmic vinegar

-lemon juice

-salt + pepper

-oregano (optional)

Keep in mind, I don’t put portions/measurements because I believe it’s best for YOU to get creative in the kitchen to build a connection with your food! Listen to your body of how much quantity it wants and what herbs/spices you’d like to try.

Once you have all your ingredients, all you have to do is literally mix everything together! It’s SO simple.

Many of the ingredients I listed are organic because these are commonly sprayed food items, containing pesticide exposure. However, you can always play around with variations of this recipe to your liking!

Due to the high protein & fat content from the chickpeas, eggs, cheese, and avocados, this makes a great recipe to keep you FULL, while supporting your metabolic needs. Great for those hormones!

Do you like receiving recipe ideas? Drop your comments below and let me know!

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Best Way To Balance Blood Sugar

Blood sugar is often talked about, but why is it so essential that we keep it balanced?

As an Integrative Health Practitioner, one of the main challenges I see in women trying to heal their hormones is blood sugar and insulin level. Many of the common symptoms you may be experiencing, like brain fog, fatigue, acne, weight gain, and difficulty sleeping, may be attributed to blood sugar levels. Why?

Blood sugar is essentially blood glucose we get from eating foods. When we eat, our body converts the food into readily available sugars to create energy. That sugar (glucose) enters our bloodstream and our insulin hormone, created by our pancreas, is supposed to transport that from our bloodstream into our cells and muscles for fuel.

However, if that energy source isn’t used up (say you become sedentary after having a heavy meal), or you have insulin resistance (inability to produce or use insulin), then your blood sugar levels rise because it stays in your bloodstream. On a lab test, you may see this as high HbA1c, which tells you how coated your blood cells are of sugar.

So what causes blood sugar levels to be abnormal?

• sedentary lifestyle

• thyroid imbalances

• high estrogen

• high cortisol

• high stress lifestyle

• low fiber & protein diet

• diet high in processed foods

• lack of consistent sleep

• skipping breakfast

And what’s the best way to rebalance blood sugar levels?

1. HAVE A BALANCED MEAL WITH PROTEIN + FAT + CARBS IN EVERY MEAL

If there’s any tip I can give you about keeping your sugars in check, it’s doing this one thing CONSISTENTLY.

Most individuals are living in a high-stress, rush hour environment that causes high cortisol, leading to higher levels of blood sugar. On top of that, there’s no time to really prepare or even think about creating a solid, balanced meal. Having a biscuit + coffee in the morning is a recipe for disaster.

There is so much more to understanding blood sugar, but if you can create a habit around having a balanced meal every single time, you’re going to be ahead of the curve. It can be as simple as having an apple and grassfed beef sticks for snacking. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

If you want to learn more about blood sugar, hormones, and all things health for women, follow me on IG & TikTok @tinybutmightywellness!

Need support right now? Book a 1hr 1:1 consultation with me today: book here

This is what your menstrual cycle is SUPPOSED to look like!

Have you ever wondered what your menstrual cycle looks like?

I mean, maybe you remember a thing or two from science class back in grade school, but do you ACTUALLY know what YOUR cycle looks like?

If this looks familiar to you, congrats! You are one step ahead of the curve ;) This is what your cycle SHOULD look like.

However, what if you get tested and find out it looks a bit more like this—where Estrogen is elevated and Progesterone is relatively low?

This was ME 6 months ago! The black dots indicate your hormone level relative to one another. I was low on Progesterone.

Ok now we have a problem.

Look at the first graph. Notice how Estrogen is higher in the first half of your cycle and lower in the second, relative to Progesterone.

When Estrogen is relatively higher than Progesterone during the Luteal Phase (second half of your cycle), you might find yourself with these occurring symptoms:

-acne

-PMS

-period cramps

-sore breasts

-weight gain

-back aches

-etc.

This is called Estrogen Dominance.

Does this sound like you?

It’s ok if it does, it’s more common than you think, you’re not alone!

So what can you do to rebalance your hormones?

First, I’d recommend getting a functional lab test like the Thyroid Adrenal Hormone Test I did, if you haven’t already. This gives you a snapshot of what your hormone health looks like at a given time.

You can also implement these tips to start healing your hormones:

-get consistent sleep (this is crucial for hormone regulation)

-get adequate high-quality protein like fish, legumes, and pasture raised meat

-cut back on caffeine the week leading up to your period

-eat a raw carrot a day (this helps to bind and release excess Estrogen)

Give this a go and let me know how it goes!

If you have any other questions about your period, symptoms you’re experiencing, or about functional lab testing, you can reach out to me at kc@kelseychen.com or find me on TikTok and IG @tinybutmightywellness!

Gut Healing Pineapple Gummies

This easy 2-ingredient gut health recipe will blow your mind. Say hello to better digestion and skin just from this recipe alone!

These gummies are made with bovine gelatin, pure collagen protein which has an impressive amino acid profile that’s amazing for healing the gut lining, improving skin elasticity, strengthening muscles and joints, and so much more.

Collagen is actually the most abundant form of protein in the body. It forms our muscles, joints, hair, skin, nails, and supports the lining of our gut. Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies produce less collagen and it’s difficult to obtain from food unless quality animal proteins are a staple in your diet. Supplementation has been shown to help!

The collagen that I use is from Perfect Supplements, a brand I personally love and stand by wholeheartedly! They prioritize clean supplements that are pesticide, glyphosate free and source from pasture raised, grass fed cows. You can find many incredible products such as dessicated grass fed liver, pure vitamin D3 drops, Magnesium, and so many other great functional, whole food supplements.

If you’d like to find this exact supplement and make these gummies with me, you can find it here.

Let’s make some gummies!

Recipe:

-1/3 cup of Perfect Supplements Bovine Gelatin

-4 cups of 100% pineapple juice

First, bloom the gelatin in a small bowl with 1 cup of juice. Then heat a pan or pot with remaining 3 cups of juice on medium heat. Once the gelatin blooms (you’ll see it texturize), add it into the rest of the heated juice and stir.

Then grease a shallow glass container with virgin coconut oil. This step makes the gummies taste like pina colada flavored! Now pour in the juice to the container and let it cool down.

Place it into the fridge for 3+ hours or overnight to let it firm up.

Cut them out into cubes once it’s ready and enjoy!!

So much fun to eat. It’s great as a snack or breakfast bite if you’re on the go or have a hard time eating foods in the morning. It’s a great way to stabilize blood sugar and to stay nourished. A big batch will last about a week!

If you make this recipe, share your photo and tag me! I’d love to see your gummies!

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Have requests for recipes you’d like to see? Drop a comment below!