Your PMS cravings are in for a treat. We teamed up with our friends at Sweet Laurel Bakery to create a fudgy brownie recipe that your hormones and taste buds will love in equal measure.
Proper nutrition is vital for maintaining balanced hormones, and this recipe is packed with plant-based ingredients and natural seed butter. Nuts and seeds are rich in fiber, omega-3s, and vitamin E, all of which have been shown to reduce the severity of PMS symptoms. It's why our resident nutrition experts recommend adding almonds, flaxseed, chia seed, and other nuts and seeds to your grocery list for hormonal balance.1,2,3
And while this recipe is bookmark-worthy for your luteal phase in particular, rest assured that it can be enjoyed at any time in your cycle—and the ingredients are family-friendly to boot.
Recipe: Perelel x Sweet Laurel PMS Brownies
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2 cups nut or seed butter of choice (almond butter, cashew butter and tahini all work great!)
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seed
- 3 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 cup 100% maple syrup
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pink salt
- 1 teaspoon Sweet Laurel Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Sweet Laurel Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the freshly ground flax seed and filtered water. Allow to sit for about three minutes.
- In a large bowl, stir the maple syrup and nut butter for about 1 minute, then slowly add flax/water mixture and vanilla extract.
- Add cacao, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips, reserving some for the top.
- Pour batter into 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Bake about 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Enjoy!
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Want more hormone-balancing recipes? Start the day with these green smoothies from Stephanie Lauri, RD.
Resources:
- Mohammadi MM, Dehghan Nayeri N, Mashhadi M, Varaei S. Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2022 Jun;48(6):1293-1305. doi: 10.1111/jog.15217. Epub 2022 Mar 9. PMID: 35266254.
- Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Hurlock D, Bertron P. Diet and sex-hormone binding globulin, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual symptoms. Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Feb;95(2):245-50. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(99)00525-6. PMID: 10674588.
- Dadkhah H, Ebrahimi E, Fathizadeh N. Evaluating the effects of vitamin D and vitamin E supplement on premenstrual syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2016 Mar-Apr;21(2):159-64. doi: 10.4103/1735-9066.178237. PMID: 27095989; PMCID: PMC4815371.