Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan #4

or just like a really yummy week of healthy meals

I had an impromptu Feaster Dinner (Friend's Easter hehe) last night which resulted in this substack going out a little late. With that in mind I adjusted the weekly plan to start on Monday instead of Sunday. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter / Sunday morning. 💕

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📚 WHAT TO READ: Wow this is honest, but I’m transitioning from postpartum healing into trying to normalize my hormones and boost my fertility. To help my body do that naturally I’m looking to books like Real Food for Fertility.

📺 WHAT TO WATCH/LISTEN TO: I’m pretty anti-botox/filler for a plethora of reasons. 1. It’s horrible for your health and 2. It’s horrible for society’s beauty standards. So I was thrilled when I saw that Alex Clark had the owner of Frownies on her podcast for the episode “Hot Girls’ Face Tape: The Natural Botox Alternative”. Don’t get me wrong, Frownies don’t freeze your face in place. But, they do help smooth the wrinkles, “retrain” your muscles to not move as much, and are non toxic. Plus, I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been looking at peoples faces and it makes me so happy when they actually move…

🎧 WHAT TO LISTEN TO: This is actually another watch/listen to podcast. Though I am so excited to listen to this episode from The Joe Rogan Experience with Gary Brecka. Brecka is a human biologist and biohacker. Even within the first 7 minutes I learned about the function of cholesterol and inflammation - something that is at the top of my mind right now. Daniel listened to the whole episode already and can’t stop talking about things he learned.

Delay your caffeine. I recently got my clinician notes back from my Function Health bloodwork [no waitlist through this link] and found out that my cortisol is high. Not too surprising since I’m postpartum and a working mother which means I’m stressed about 80% of the day. (something that I will be working on because there actually is no reason to be stressed, that’s just how my mind is conditioned to work) But also, I got into the habit of drinking coffee again and since Daniel drinks it first thing in the morning I was drinking it first thing in the morning. Very Regina George vibes.

Back to the delaying. “Caffeine heightens neural activity and spikes cortisol and adrenaline levels. If you’re prone to anxiety or under stress, consuming caffeine, which further activates your stress response, may not be a good idea. Delaying caffeine allows for your cortisol to naturally lower, rather than spiking it at its peak.” {credit: Oura Ring} And according to Andrew Huberman, caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in the brain. When you delay caffeine, the adenosine receptors are able to rise naturally and can even help prevent the afternoon crash a lot of us feel. So long story short, I’ve been delaying my caffeine consumption and am feeling good! I actually haven’t been drinking coffee period which is going well.

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Don’t feel intimidated by the fully planned out list. Even if you just take a couple things of inspiration that’s better than nothing! I try to make these lists keeping in mind that most people don’t work from home, so if that’s you and this still seems INSANE please let me know.

And yes, groceries are expensive, but eating highly nutritious food at home is still cheaper than eating out for every single meal.

✨This week’s meal plan will be made with “fertility” in mind. I’m utilizing the book Real Food for Fertility as inspiration. It has its own week of meal plans if you want to try that out!

*It should also go without saying that I am not a nutritionist, these are meals that make ME feel great. Always consult your healthcare team to make sure you are meeting your own nutritional needs. 🫶🏻

Monday:

• Breakfast: Berry Smoothie

  • 1 banana
    1/2 cup frozen berries
    1/2-1 cup milk
    1/4 cup full fat plain greek yogurt/yogurt of choice/cottage cheese
    Handful of ice
    1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I like equip and ancient nutrition)
    —> 15% off equip

• Lunch: Salmon Salad Stuffed Avocado

  • Think tuna salad, but canned salmon here! I personally like to keep it simple with some yogurt, lemon juice, and salt in the mix. Then top that over some avocado and boom, lunch.

  • Yummy with some chicharones (which the chicharones plus avocado makes a complete protein)

• Snack: Bone broth

  • This week I plan on making bone broth with the addition of some carrots, herbs, and ACV.

• Dinner: Meatloaf and Roasted butternut squash on the side
  *make enough leftovers for lunch

  • 2 lbs ground beef (organ beef would be best here)
    1 pack portobello mushrooms, diced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely diced
    2 eggs
    1/4 cup organic almond flour or 2 tbsp organic coconut flour
    1 tbsp melted tallow, ghee, or olive oil
    2 tsp salt

    *optional 1/2 cup parmesan or cheddar cheese
    Maple syrup

    • First cook the mushrooms in a skillet over medium heat until slightly browned and liquid released.

    • Combine everything in a large bowl then shape into a loaf and bake on a baking sheet at 350F for 45-60 minutes [bonus, do some laundry, meditate, stretch, or workout during this time :) ]

    • You can brush on some maple syrup post baking if you want additional flavoring and some sweetness.

  • Peel and roughly dice the butternut squash, coat in some melted tallow, ghee, or olive oil, sprinkle in salt, and cook on a baking sheet while the meatloaf is cooking.

• Dessert: Magnesium drink (20% off Moon Juice ) and dark chocolate —> I like to combine since chocolate is a stimulant.