It is a typical Wednesday. I am sitting at my desk, flushed with excitement over teaching a new client how to eat for hormonal health. I am sharing shopping lists, meal plans, #recipes, tips and tricks, confident that their new lifestyle will quickly pay dividends on better health and wellness. I get so excited for them to see the benefits of eating nourishing food: better sleep, easier periods, less #inflammation, #weightloss, #hormonal balance, and more.

But a week or two into our protocol, I’ll get a text or call from a frustrated and teary #woman who has just eaten a crispy chicken sandwich with french fries because she was busy and starving and had nothing to eat. She is worried that she has Fallen off of the Wagon and has Lost All of her Progress.

“What,” she wails, “can I do?“

Well, dear friends, I have the answer for her. And for you.

Batch cook.

Prepare thyself.

Plan, so you do not fail.

Oh, by the way: there is no fail. There is only growth, knowledge, wisdom, and #progress. And sometimes cookies. That is ok. Life should be fun. For the love, eat the chicken sandwich and fries so you have some food in your tummy and you don’t yell at your kids. Or #husband. We are pro-husband around here.

Here is what you do: you get a #mealplan, you secure a shopping list, and you go to the store or you enter your shopping list into Walmart.com and go pick up your food. Then you return home, put a movie on for the kids, start the “Chocolat” soundtrack, strap on a sexy apron, and start #cooking.

This week, we will focus on batch cooking breakfast. Cereal and toast is a start, but if you are trying to focus on hormonal wellness, you need a protein-rich, nourishing, blood-sugar-balancing breakfast.

All of my #clients start their day with this recipe:

Blend a batch of this on Sunday and enjoy an ounce each morning. It will last all week.

It helps with detoxification, immune support, #inflammation, and #constipation.

That is just the first thing. Make sure you eat real food, too. Here is a one-week #mealplan for you, with a shopping list and #recipes.

Here are the recipes that you will need to complete the menu:

Just email me if you want a cleaner copy of the meal plan. I am happy to share.

Note that this breakfast meal plan is for a family of 4 people. The Hot #Chocolate Craving Buster and the Banana Pancrepes serve one person. The other recipes serve 4.

Now, here is how you batch cook.

Give yourself a good 2 hours in the kitchen.

Assemble the following:

1. 2 Large Cookie Sheets

2. Large Mixing Bowls

3. Pint Size Mason Jars

4. Sandwich Size Ziplock Bags

5. Collagen Powder

6. Immersion Blender or Actual Blender

7. Cupcake Molds

8. Wax Paper

9. Toaster Oven. You absolutely, positively, need a toaster oven.

Also assemble all of your food ingredients.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

First, you will make your #Paleo Breakfast Muffins and Greek Chicken Meatballs.

1. Grate your sweet potato, dice your onion and garlic, and throw it all in a bowl with your ground meat for the Paleo Breakfast Muffins. We are using the flaxseed instead of an egg. It is called, brilliantly enough, a “flax egg”. This flax helps bind excess estrogens that lead to PMS. Flax also has lots of insoluble fiber and Vitamin E. Push Paleo Muffins into cupcake molds. If you have a big family or very little time during the week, make a double or triple batch. We will be freezing the extras.

2. Prep your Greek Chicken Meatballs. After mixing all of the ingredients together, use your hands to shape into ping-pong sized #meatballs. Place (perfectly, artistically- no, that is just me) onto a large cookie sheet, 1-2 inches apart. They will shrink.

3. Now, put both of those meat-y dishes in the #oven. They will bake for about the same time.

4. While your #meat is cooking, we will make the Pancrepes. Assemble your batter. I suggest making two servings for each person in your #family. They freeze well.

Heat a glob of ghee in your pan. I love a cast iron skillet. Cook 2-4 Pancrepes at a time. As they come off of the pan (quickly, now!), set them on a plate. After they are completely cool, layer them on little pieces of wax paper. Stack 4 layers of Pancrepes and slide into a Ziploc bag. Put into the freezer.

5. It is time to assemble your Hot Chocolate! Pour all of the dry ingredients into a mason jar. If you are making a few for the week, or a Hot Chocolate for every member of your family, use lots of mason jars. When you are ready during the week, it is easy to pour some cashew, almond, or coconut milk into the jar, shake, and microwave or double boil. Store these in the refrigerator.

6. Your meat is about to come out of the oven. Prep your bacon and sausage on the other cookie sheet. After your meatballs and muffins come out of the oven, turn the oven heat up to 400 degrees. Then, lay out all of the bacon on the other large cookie sheet. You should have room to place the 8 sausages on the pan too. Don’t stress if the sausage and bacon are touching each other. Bacon flavored chicken apple sausage?! Yes please! Place the pan into the oven and cook the sausage and bacon for about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. The #bacon should be cooked but not crisp. The sausage will be dark and split.

7. Let the meatballs and muffins cool and remove them from their cooking apparatuses. Apparati. I do not know the plural term of “apparatus”. Portion these out into ziplock bags as well and store in the freezer.

8. Remove the sausage and bacon from the oven. Sop up all of the extra grease with a paper towel. I sometimes put my grease into a mason jar to keep. I like to cook green beans and broccoli and cauliflower and garlic in rendered bacon grease. Portion meat out into ziplock bags and freeze. Sometimes I have to put my #bacon on layers of paper towels so it is not too greasy and nasty.

K.

Good job.

At this time, if it is a #Saturday afternoon, I will now pour myself a glass of Herman Story Nuts and Bolts and kick my feet up. Bwa ha. No, I am kidding. I will clean up my own damn mess and then start dinner for my family. #goals.

Clean up yo’ mess, girl. You have a lot of new delicious food in your freezer. When Monday comes, you will be so happy that you do.

And that is where your toaster oven comes in. Using the aptly named “toast” setting, you will make yourself piping hot and delicious food every single morning. Because you are worth it, Gorgeous.

If you have not heard my soliloquy regarding #women and protein and fat and #hormones, please reference my Instagram. Eat the protein.

So, that is that. Start with breakfast. It truly is the most important meal of the day. As they say, “eat while the sun shines”. Your digestive fire is raging during the morning and afternoon hours. It slows down before bed. Take advantage of breakfast. Skipping breakfast is stupid. Unless you are a 20 year old dude. This is probably not you.

The coolest thing about batch cooking? You can use this prepped food for any meal you want! Lunch, dinner, snacks….you are ready to go! Throw your Greek Meatballs on a salad or into a veggie soup. Crumble up your Paleo Breakfast Muffins into spaghetti squash and add some chimichurri sauce. Yum.

What do you think? Helpful? Next week we will look at lunch. Lunch is the most boring and unsexy meal of the day. However, it serves the purpose of sustaining energy and focus and hormones so you can get through the Witching Hour and survive until bedtime.

To your health,

Jennifer