When I work with women in my coaching programs who are trying to lose weight I often find they are frustrated with themselves from harsh deprivation and beating themselves up over poor willpower. They suffer with daily food struggles, trying to figure out if they're being "good" or "bad". This leads to stress, body shame, food addiction and the biggest problem of all: HORMONE IMBALANCE!

It is not overeating that makes someone fat. It is being fat, and the hormonal chaos that led to the fat that makes people overeat. Quality of your food is what the focus should be on, not on calorie counting. If you are having trouble with overeating, keeping your portions controlled, or with cravings the first step is to balance out your Hormones. The very first step to balancing out your hormones is to get your estrogen balanced.  If you have too much estrogen in your body it is nearly impossible to lose weight and you are also at a greater risk for weight gain, breast cancer, and prediabetes.

Here is a delicious meatless recipe you can try for Vegan Enchiladas inspired by Angela Liddon of "Oh She Glows". I have made this many times for dinner and my family always loves it. Do not leave out the Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce because that is the kicker that makes it amazing!! I hope you enjoy this recipe.

By eliminating meat for just 3 days you can begin to rebalance your Estrogen levels. According to Dr. Sara Gottfried, 3 days is the minimum amount of time to reset a metabolic hormone. I have developed a program based on her Hormone Reset Diet where I work with women on resetting each of seven different hormones in 3 day bursts, but the first one I always start with is Estrogen.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped (~2 cups)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini) I do a cup of each

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 2 handfuls spinach, chopped

• 1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed

• Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)

• 1.5 tsp ground cumin

• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste

• 1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste

• 4 whole grain tortilla wraps (I used Food for Life Ezekiel)

• Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)

• Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish

1) Preheat oven to 350

2) Boil water and simmer sweet potatoes in a small pot for 10 minutes until soft.

3) Heat oil in a large skillet, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic, lower heat and cook another 2 minutes. Add chopped pepper, spinach, zucchini (if using), drained black beans and precooked sweet potatoes and cook 5-7 minutes on medium low. 

4) Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: cumin, lime juice ( I use Santa Cruz Organic pure lime juice in a glass bottle), salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.

5) Scoop about 3/4-1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread out in a thin layer. Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. 

5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Cilantro cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.

CILANTRO AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh
• 2 tbsp water, or more as needed to thin out
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• Black pepper, to taste
• Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process the avocado flesh and water until creamy. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Use immediately for best results.

Here is the final 

Product......

And here is how I eat the leftover filling for lunch.....

To learn more about balancing your hormones, or for more support with healthy meatless meals 

EMAIL SUZY