Luteal Phase Breakfast Bowl with Chanterelle Mushrooms
I’m a smoothie girl when it comes to breakfast in the summer months, but during the colder seasons, a warm savory breakfast hits the spot. My Luteal Phase Breakfast Bowl with Chanterelle Mushrooms can help boost energy during a cold morning with the energizing B-vitamins from the mushrooms and kale and filling fiber from the butternut squash. Plus, chanterelle mushrooms are a source of the thyroid supporting vitamin D, which is found in very little foods, making this an excellent hormone balancing meal, as vitamin D can be more challenging to get from the sun during the colder cloudy months.
It’s an ideal breakfast choice for the autumn season outside and the inner autumn, a.k.a the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle. I love eating with the seasons both externally and internally. I cook meals with cold weather roots such as butternut or acorn squash or locally harvested autumn mushrooms such as golden chanterelles, lobster mushrooms or maitake during the fall to eat with the seasons. I will also include more mushrooms into my diet and hearty root vegetables during my luteal phase, no matter what season it is outside, because these foods are grounding (roots grow below earth) and are rich in B-vitamins to help boost the hormone progesterone, which is the dominant hormone during the luteal phase.
When does the luteal phase occur? The luteal phase is the longest phase of your menstrual cycle, occurring for about 10-14 days right after ovulation and ending once menstruation starts. See the overview of the menstrual cycle here. It’s important to eat grounding and warming foods during this phase, especially if temperatures are colder outside to prevent “uterine cold.”
In Chinese Medicine, “uterine cold” can happen when there is not enough circulation and blood flow getting to the reproductive space. It can cause the uterus to not respond well to the hormone progesterone. Progesterone helps reduce anxiety, thickens the uterine lining to prevent miscarriage, and in right ratio with estrogen, helps reduce irritability, food cravings, and cramping. It’s important to keep our uterus “warm” by eating warmed cooked foods during our luteal and menstrual phase to support healthy blood flow.
I usually cook the squash the night before to save time and heat it up over the skillet while I sauté the mushrooms, kale, and eggs.
Once everything is cooked individually, I assemble the plate with each of the ingredients around the plate.
Luteal Phase Breakfast Bowl with Chanterelle Mushrooms
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butternut squash, roasted
Sautéed Kale
- 3 cups purple curly kale
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic
- pinch sea salt
Sautéed Mushrooms
- 1 3/4 cups chanterelle mushrooms, chopped- you can also use maitake or shitake
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil
- pinch of salt
Scrambled Eggs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of salt
- pinch black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in fourths. Scoop out seeds. and cooked in a greased baking dishes for 45-50 minutes. Save the rest of the squash for soup.
- To cook kale, heat up water in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, pull kale off stems and chop, then add to sauce pan. Stir occasionally to cook for about 8 minutes. Once, kale is cooked, stir in ghee or coconut oil, nutritional yeast, garlic and salt.
- To cook chanterelles, heat water in a skillet. Chop mushrooms and add to sauce pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once water is evaporated, add ghee or coconut oil and a pinch of salt.
- While kale and chanterelles are cooking, scramble two eggs in a bowl with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, a pinch of black pepper and salt. Add to a greased skillet and cook over low heat.
- Once all ingredients are cooked, add to a bowl, including baked squash. sprinkle a dash of salt on top and enjoy!
