Tag: menopause

Pork Tenderloin Salad With Greek Yogurt Cilantro-Lime Dressing

A pork tenderloin dinner salad with black beans, corn, and cilantro-lime yogurt dressing in a wide plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 42 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber in one plate, from pork tenderloin, black beans, and vegetables, the two things that hold fullness longest.
  • Pork tenderloin is as lean as chicken breast, and the yogurt dressing brings calcium where a bottled dressing would bring oil.
  • The trade-off: canned beans and the salt on the pork make this a moderately salty plate. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

A pork tenderloin is rubbed with cumin, chili powder, and salt, roasted twenty minutes, and sliced thin. It goes over a big plate of chopped romaine and cabbage with black beans and frozen corn thawed under the tap. The dressing is Greek yogurt blended with cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and a little olive oil, and it goes over everything with a squeeze more lime.

It is four full dinner plates, and the pork and dressing keep for three days of lunches.

Why This Salad Is Great for the Hunger That Comes With Menopause

When estrogen falls, two things happen to weight at once. Fat that used to settle on the hips moves to the abdomen, where it does more harm to the heart and to blood sugar. Appetite often rises at the same time the calories the body burns at rest fall.

Many women find they are eating less than they did at forty, hungrier than they were, and heavier around the middle anyway.

Cutting calories harder makes the hunger worse. The practical answer is to make each meal hold longer, and the two nutrients that do that are protein and fiber.

Protein and Fiber, in Real Amounts

This plate carries about 42 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber, which is a large dose of each for a dinner that is mostly vegetables. The pork is the protein, the beans carry both, and the romaine, cabbage, and corn add bulk and fiber for very few calories. A plate like this ends the evening snack more reliably than any smaller dinner would.

How protein, calcium, and fiber needs change at menopause, and what a day that meets them looks like, is in The Menopause Kitchen: Protein, Calcium, and Fiber When Estrogen Falls.

Why Fullness Is the Lever

Protein is the most filling of the three nutrients calorie for calorie, and fiber is close behind, because both slow the stomach and both signal fullness to the brain. A meal that is high in both is eaten more slowly, ends sooner, and holds longer, which is a different thing from a meal that is small.

The salad form helps: a plate this size weighs a lot and takes time to eat, and the weight and the time are part of what tells the body it has had enough. Why weight and volume matter as much as calories is in Energy Density: Eating More Food for Fewer Calories.

Pork Tenderloin Is Leaner Than Chicken Thighs

Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts in the meat case, with about the same fat as skinless chicken breast and less than chicken thighs. It roasts in twenty minutes without drying out if it is pulled at 145 degrees F and rested.

Sliced thin and cold, it is as good on a salad the next day as it was hot, which makes one tenderloin three lunches.

A pork tenderloin dinner salad with black beans, corn, and cilantro-lime yogurt dressing in a wide plate.
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Pork Tenderloin Salad With Greek Yogurt Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Cumin-and-chili-rubbed pork tenderloin roasted twenty minutes and sliced thin, over chopped romaine and cabbage with low-sodium black beans and thawed frozen corn, under a Greek yogurt dressing blended with cilantro, lime, garlic, and olive oil. Four dinner plates with about 42 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber each.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: cilantro lime dressing, dinner salad, greek yogurt dressing, high fiber dinner salad, high protein salad, menopause dinner, pork tenderloin salad
Servings: 4 plate
Calories: 364kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan or small roasting pan
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Blender or food processor for the dressing

Ingredients

Pork

  • 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds) trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cilantro-lime dressing

  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Salad

  • 2 hearts of romaine chopped (about 8 cups)
  • 3 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn thawed under cold running water
  • 3 scallions sliced
  • 1 lime cut in wedges

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Rub the pork with the oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 degrees F in the thickest part, 18 to 22 minutes. Rest 5 minutes, then slice thin.
  • Blend the yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic, salt, and water until smooth and pale green.
  • Toss the romaine, cabbage, beans, corn, and scallions with half the dressing in a large bowl. Divide among 4 plates.
  • Fan the pork slices over each plate, spoon the rest of the dressing over, and add lime wedges.
  • Pork and dressing keep 3 days in the refrigerator; toss the salad the day it is eaten.

Notes

Lower-sodium version: skip the salt in the dressing and use no-salt-added beans, which cuts the sodium by about a third; the lime carries it. The thermometer matters: pork tenderloin at 145 degrees F with a 5-minute rest is safe and still juicy, and 10 degrees more makes it dry. Canned beans are convenient; a pound of dried black beans cooked ahead and frozen in 1 3/4-cup portions replaces the can, costs less, and skips the can lining. Chicken breast works in place of pork in the same time. Leftover pork and dressing make a lunch wrap with the same fillings.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 9.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 1328mg | Fiber: 9.2g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 4.6mg | Magnesium: 100mg | Phosphorus: 568mg | Choline: 164mg

Gluten Free

Pork, romaine, cabbage, black beans, corn, yogurt, cilantro, lime, and the spices are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, check the chili powder and cumin for wheat flour used as a filler and the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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Tofu and Kale Stir-Fry With Ginger-Scallion Sauce

A plate of crisp tofu and kale stir-fry with ginger-scallion sauce over brown rice in a dinner plate.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 35 grams of protein and about 1226 milligrams of calcium in one plate, from calcium-set tofu and kale.
  • Kale brings vitamin K, which bone needs alongside calcium, and kale and brown rice together bring about 8 grams of fiber.
  • The trade-off: soy sauce makes this a moderately salty dinner even with the low-sodium kind. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

Two blocks of firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes, go into a hot skillet with oil and are left alone until they are brown and crisp on two sides. A bag of frozen kale goes in straight from the freezer and cooks down in five minutes.

The sauce is stirred in a cup, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated ginger, garlic, a spoon of cornstarch, and a handful of sliced scallions, and it thickens over everything in a minute. It goes over brown rice, cooked earlier in the week.

Why This Stir-Fry Is Great for Bone After Menopause

Bone loss speeds up in the years around menopause, when estrogen falls, and a woman can lose a tenth of her bone in the first five years. Calcium is the mineral that bone is made of, and most advice stops there.

Bone also needs vitamin D to absorb the calcium from food, and vitamin K to steer that calcium into bone rather than into arteries. The three work as a set, and a meal that carries two of them does more than a supplement that carries one.

This plate carries two. Tofu set with calcium sulfate is one of the richest food sources of calcium there is, about 1226 milligrams a plate here by the USDA figure, more than three glasses of milk. Brands vary, so the label is the number to trust. Kale is one of the richest sources of vitamin K.

Where Vitamin D Comes From

Vitamin D is the one that food rarely supplies in a day’s worth, and it is the reason a blood test and a supplement are often part of the plan after menopause. Which foods carry each of the three, how much a day calls for, and where a supplement fits, is in The Menopause Kitchen: Protein, Calcium, and Fiber When Estrogen Falls.

The plate also carries about 35 grams of protein, which matters for bone as much as for muscle, since the two are lost together. Why plant protein like tofu needs a slightly larger serving to do the same work as meat is in Plant Protein That Builds Muscle: Leucine, Pairing, and How Much More You Need.

The Word on the Tofu Label That Matters

Tofu is soy milk set into a curd, and the setting agent decides its calcium. Tofu set with calcium sulfate carries several times the calcium of tofu set with magnesium chloride, called nigari, and the label lists which one was used. For bone, buy the calcium one; the taste and texture are the same.

Firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed for ten minutes between towels under a heavy pan, browns instead of steaming. Skipping the press is the most common reason tofu comes out pale and soft.

Kale From the Freezer

Frozen chopped kale is already washed, stemmed, and cut, and it costs less than a bunch. It goes into the pan frozen and cooks in five minutes, and it carries the same vitamin K and calcium as fresh. Frozen spinach or collards work the same way; spinach carries less usable calcium, because a compound in it binds the mineral, and collards carry more.

A plate of crisp tofu and kale stir-fry with ginger-scallion sauce over brown rice in a dinner plate.
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Tofu and Kale Stir-Fry With Ginger-Scallion Sauce

Pressed calcium-set tofu crisped in a hot skillet, frozen kale cooked down in the same pan, and a one-minute sauce of low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and scallions, over cooled brown rice. Twenty minutes, five plates, about 34 grams of protein and a large dose of calcium each.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: Asian-American, Chinese
Keyword: bone health recipe, calcium rich dinner, ginger scallion sauce, menopause dinner, tofu and kale, tofu stir-fry, vegan high protein dinner
Servings: 5 plate (with 3/4 cup rice)
Calories: 507kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet or wok
  • Two clean kitchen towels for pressing the tofu

Ingredients

Stir-fry

  • 2 blocks (14 ounces each) firm or extra-firm tofu set with calcium sulfate, pressed and cut in 3/4-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or canola oil
  • 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen chopped kale
  • 3 3/4 cups cooked brown rice cooked ahead and chilled, reheated

Ginger-scallion sauce

  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4 scallions sliced
  • red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

  • Press the tofu: wrap the blocks in towels and set a heavy pan on top for 10 minutes. Cut in cubes. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a cup, holding back half the scallions.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the tofu in a single layer and leave it alone 4 minutes, until deep brown underneath. Turn the cubes and brown another 4 minutes. Move to a plate.
  • Add the frozen kale to the skillet and cook, stirring, until thawed, hot, and the water has cooked off, about 5 minutes.
  • Return the tofu, pour in the sauce, and stir for about 1 minute until it thickens and coats everything.
  • Serve over the reheated rice with the rest of the scallions on top. Keeps 4 days.

Notes

Lower-sodium version: use 3 tablespoons soy sauce and make up the difference with water and a squeeze of lime, which cuts the sodium by a quarter. The rice is cooked ahead and cooled on purpose; cooled rice forms resistant starch, which is gentler on blood sugar and is not undone by reheating. Frozen collards work in place of kale and carry even more calcium; frozen spinach works but carries less that the body can use. For a chicken version, 1 1/2 pounds boneless thighs in place of one block of tofu, cooked through before the kale goes in, which drops the calcium by about half.

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 1226mg | Fiber: 8.2g | Sugar: 2.1g | Calcium: 1226mg | Iron: 6.2mg | Magnesium: 173mg | Phosphorus: 497mg | Choline: 19mg

Gluten Free

Regular soy sauce is brewed with wheat, so this stir-fry needs one swap to be gluten-free: tamari labeled gluten-free, or Bragg’s liquid aminos, in the same amount. Tofu, kale, rice, ginger, garlic, scallions, rice vinegar, and cornstarch are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, check the cornstarch for a gluten-free label and the rice vinegar for added malt.

People who avoid gluten by preference can use the low-sodium soy sauce as written.

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Salmon Salad Jar With Spinach and Lemon-Dill Dressing

A layered salmon salad jar with dressing, cucumber, white beans, salmon, and spinach in a glass jar.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 38 grams of protein in one jar, from salmon, white beans, and Greek yogurt.
  • The salmon carries a full day’s worth of the omega-3 fats linked to less joint inflammation, and the olive oil and spinach fit the same pattern.
  • The trade-off: none to speak of. This is a moderate-calorie lunch; the card shows the figures, and the beans and cucumber keep it filling.

A wide-mouth quart jar, layered so the wet things stay at the bottom and the greens stay dry on top. Lemon-dill yogurt dressing goes in first, then chopped cucumber, white beans, a flaked salmon fillet, and a big handful of spinach pressed in last. At lunch the jar is turned over, shaken, and eaten from the jar or tipped onto a plate.

Four jars made on Sunday night are lunch through Thursday. The salmon is a thawed frozen fillet baked the night before, or whatever is left from dinner; canned salmon works too.

Why This Jar Is a Good Lunch for Achy Joints at Menopause

Joint aches are one of the less-discussed changes of menopause. Estrogen has an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, and as it falls, low-level inflammation rises, which many women feel first in the knees, hips, and hands in the morning. In most cases it is a change in inflammation rather than arthritis, and it is real.

An anti-inflammatory eating pattern is the food side of the answer. It leans on fatty fish for omega-3 fats, olive oil, leafy greens, beans, and colorful produce, and it leaves out most processed meat and refined starch. Every part of this jar is on that list.

The salmon alone supplies more than a day’s target for the two omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA, that the research on joint inflammation has looked at.

The protein matters for a second reason. Muscle and bone both lose ground faster once estrogen falls, and about 38 grams of protein at lunch is the amount that keeps a meal working for both. What else changes at menopause, and how the plate answers each change, is in The Menopause Kitchen: Protein, Calcium, and Fiber When Estrogen Falls.

A layered salmon salad jar with dressing, cucumber, white beans, salmon, and spinach in a glass jar.
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Salmon Salad Jar With Spinach and Lemon-Dill Dressing

A layered quart-jar lunch: lemon-dill Greek yogurt dressing, cucumber, white beans, flaked cooked salmon, and spinach. Shake at lunch. About 38 grams of protein and a full day’s omega-3 in one jar.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: anti-inflammatory lunch, mason jar salad, meal prep lunch, menopause lunch, salad jar, salmon salad jar
Servings: 4 jar
Calories: 437kcal

Equipment

  • Four wide-mouth quart jars with lids
  • Whisk

Ingredients

Lemon-dill dressing

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (2 percent or whole)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 small clove garlic grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste

Jars

  • 1 large cucumber chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium white beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 pound cooked salmon (from about 1 1/4 pounds raw fillet or two 6-ounce cans), flaked, skin removed
  • 6 cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)

Instructions

  • Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Taste; it should be tart and well salted, since it seasons the whole jar.
  • Divide the dressing among 4 wide-mouth quart jars, about 1/4 cup each.
  • Layer in order: cucumber, then beans, then flaked salmon, then the spinach pressed in on top. Seal.
  • Refrigerate up to 4 days. To eat, shake the sealed jar hard to bring the dressing up through the layers, then eat from the jar or tip onto a plate.

Notes

To cook salmon for the jars: bake thawed frozen fillets at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes, cool, and flake. Canned salmon, drained, works in the same amount. Lower-sodium version: skip the salt in the dressing and use no-salt-added beans; the lemon and mustard carry it. Canned beans are convenient; a pound of dried white beans cooked ahead and frozen in 1 3/4-cup portions replaces the can, costs less, and skips the can lining. A handful of walnuts on top adds more omega-3 for anyone eating nuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 1171mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 3.8mg | Magnesium: 116mg | Phosphorus: 469mg | Choline: 125mg

Gluten Free

Salmon, beans, yogurt, cucumber, spinach, lemon, dill, and olive oil are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, two labels need a check: the canned beans, for wheat-based thickeners, and the Dijon mustard in the dressing, which should list no malt vinegar or wheat. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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