Sunday Sync

the no-judgment version of eating with your cycle! recipes included (:

I’m not interested in being prescriptive about food, I’m not interested in “you HAVE to eat seed cycling in the second half of your cycle or your hormones will revolt.” That’s exhausting, and most of it isn’t how the body actually works

What I am interested in is this: my body wants different things in different parts of the month, and once I started actually listening, food got easier. I stopped fighting the cravings. I stopped trying to live on the same lunch year-round. I stopped pretending I wanted a salad during the week I clearly wanted a stew!

So here’s the practical version. Four phases, four meals I’ve actually been making in this cycle, with full recipes you can cook from. None of them are bound to one phase- you can have any of these any time! But these are the ones I keep returning to in each window because they meet my body where it’s at!

Welcome to Sunday Sync, my weekly series! Pour the matcha!

1. Menstrual phase: the soup week

(Days 1–5ish- your period)

Your body just dropped its hormones to baseline and is doing real, measurable physical work down there. You’ve probably also lost iron. What you need: warmth, iron, magnesium, easy digestion, and an absolute pass on doing anything strenuous. This is the week you make a big pot of something and eat it for three days

Slow-Cooked Beef & Mushroom Stew

Why it works: bone broth, red meat, and dark mushrooms together are basically an iron bath. The slow-cooked vegetables are gentle on a tender system. And it’s warm, which your uterus has strong opinions about!!

Ingredients (serves 4–6)

• 2 lbs stewing beef (chuck), cut into 2-inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 yellow onions, diced

• 6 garlic cloves, smashed

• 3 carrots, cut into chunks

• 2 parsnips, cut into chunks

• 1 lb cremini or mixed mushrooms, halved

• 1 quart bone broth

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 parmesan rind (optional but not really)

• 2 tablespoons miso paste (white or red)

• Salt, pepper, flaky salt to finish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Pat beef dry and season generously with salt and pepper

2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown beef in batches until deeply caramelized on all sides! Transfer to a plate

3. In the same pot, add onions and garlic. Cook 5 minutes until soft. Add carrots, parsnips, and mushrooms. Cook another 5

4. Return the beef and any juices. Add bone broth, thyme, and the parmesan rind. Bring to a gentle simmer

5. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook 2.5–3 hours, until beef is fork-tender

6. Remove from oven. Stir in miso paste. Taste and adjust salt

7. Serve in big bowls with flaky salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and crusty bread if you have it. Take a nap after….

2. Follicular phase: the bright week

(Days 6–13ish- after your period, before ovulation)

Estrogen is climbing. You’re emerging. Your energy is returning, your skin is getting better, your brain is faster. Your body wants lighter, brighter, more energizing food- and it can handle it now.

Lemony Chicken & Quinoa Bowls with Herby Yogurt

Why it works: lean protein, complex carbs, a lot of herbs and acid, and a tangle of pickled crunch. Follicular phase tolerates this combination beautifully.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the chicken:

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 1.5 lbs boneless)

• Zest and juice of 2 lemons

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)

• Salt, pepper

For the quinoa:

• 1½ cups quinoa, rinsed

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 bay leaf

• Pinch of salt

For the herby yogurt:

• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 tablespoons chopped dill

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• Salt to taste

For the quick-pickled red onions:

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss chicken with lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Arrange skin-side up on a sheet pan. Roast 30–35 minutes until golden and cooked through

2. While chicken roasts: combine red onion with vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit 20 minutes minimum

3. Combine quinoa, broth, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Fluff

4. Stir all yogurt ingredients together

5. Build bowls: quinoa base, chicken on top, generous dollop of yogurt, pile of pickled onions. Finish with extra fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil

3. Ovulation: the big-energy week

(Days 14–16ish- your peak)

This is your three-day window. Energy is highest, social capacity is highest, skin is having its main character moment. Your body can handle lighter, rawer, more cleansing food because everything is humming. Your liver is also working harder to clear out estrogen- feed it!

Roasted Salmon Over Crunchy Cabbage, Fennel & Radish

Why it works: lots of cruciferous and raw vegetables (cabbage especially) help your liver clear out the excess estrogen that just spiked. Salmon delivers the omega-3s your hormones are now grateful for. The dressing is bright and a little spicy, which suits this phase’s whole vibe

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salmon:

• 4 6-oz salmon fillets, skin-on

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Lemon wedges, to serve

For the slaw:

• ½ small green cabbage, thinly shredded

• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

• ½ cup mint, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

• 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 teaspoon chili crisp (optional but recommended)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat salmon dry, brush with olive oil, and season with salt. Place skin-side down on a parchment-lined sheet pan

2. Roast 8–12 minutes, depending on thickness, until just opaque in the middle. (Pull it slightly under- it keeps cooking)

3. Toss all slaw ingredients in a big bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small one

4. Dress the slaw and toss generously

5. Pile slaw on plates. Flake salmon over the top. Finish with extra lime, more chili crisp if you want heat, and a small pile of fresh herbs

4. Luteal phase: the soft week

(Days 17–28ish- after ovulation, before your next period)

This is the inward turn. Progesterone is climbing. Estrogen is dropping. You are not the same woman you were last week. You need more sleep, more carbs, more fat, more solitude. You’ve entered a different season!

Crispy Chicken Thighs Over Creamy White Beans

Why it works: this phase wants comfort food and it actually needs the complex carbs (your serotonin is doing battle with PMS- carbs help)! White beans give you fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and protein in one cozy pile. Chicken thighs are easier to digest than chicken breast in this phase. The chili crisp is for joy. Joy is a hormone modulator. (Made that up but it’s possibly true)

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the chicken:

• 4–6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• Olive oil

• 1 lemon, halved

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• Salt, pepper

For the beans:

• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini or great northern beans (with their liquid)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 5 garlic cloves, smashed

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• 1 parmesan rind + ¼ cup grated parmesan

• ¼ cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut cream)

• 1 cup chicken broth

• Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

To serve:

• Chili crisp

• Flaky salt

• Lemon wedges

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken thighs very dry- this is the whole game for crispy skin. Season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil

2. Arrange skin-side up on a sheet pan, with lemon halves and rosemary tucked around them. Roast 30–35 minutes until skin is crispy

3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium. Add garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant- don’t let it burn!

4. Add beans (with their canning liquid), parmesan rind, and chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes, mashing some of the beans against the side of the pan to thicken

5. Stir in cream and grated parmesan. Taste, adjust salt. Remove parmesan rind

6. Pile beans in wide shallow bowls. Top with crispy chicken thighs. Drizzle with chili crisp. Finish with flaky salt and a squeeze of the roasted lemon. Eat in a robe!

The point of this isn’t to do it perfectly- it’s to start noticing! This is the version of eating with your cycle I can actually maintain. I hope it gives you permission to try the same!

If you want the long version of all of this- every meal mapped across the cycle, the framework I actually use, and a real plan instead of four standalone recipes- that’s exactly what my book Sync & Savor is! Same approach, 85 meals, way more recipes than I can fit in a Sunday newsletter! Linked here or grab it wherever you get your book! If you cook from it, send me a photo, it genuinely makes my week!!!

Forward this to a friend who’s been fighting her cycle, we’re building this together!!

xx Paige