Blood-Sugar Balancing Sweet Potato & Chickpea Bowl
This warm, nourishing bowl is one of my go-to recipes for my patients who need steady energy without blood sugar crashes. It’s full of slow carbs, fiber, and protein—and best of all, it’s quick & easy to make!
It’s also great because it can easily be “zjuj-ed” (come on, that’s totally a word…right?!) up with added protein from runny yolk eggs (over easy or soft boiled are great and easy for prep ahead), ground meats like chicken, heritage pork breakfast sausage, or even elk or venison (Dr. K’s favorite)!
Ingredients (2-3 Servings, Great for Meal Prep)
🥔 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
🧄 2 tbsp olive oil
🫘 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained & rinsed
🥦 1 cup broccoli florets (or spinach, kale, etc.)
🧂 1 tsp cumin
🌶️ ½ tsp smoked paprika
🍋 Juice of ½ lemon
🍚 1 cup cooked quinoa or cooled & reheated brown rice (for resistant starch!)
🥑 1 avocado, sliced
🍴 Tahini or plain full fat yogurt for drizzling
Instructions
1️⃣ Roast the sweet potatoes & chickpeas: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss sweet potatoes and chickpeas with avocado oil (or another heat-stable oil for roasting; we love olive oil, it is so healthy, but it has a low smoke point and the healthy fats start to break down olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
2️⃣ Steam or sauté the broccoli while everything roasts.
3️⃣ Assemble the bowl: Start with quinoa or cooled & reheated brown rice for an extra boost of resistant starch. Then add the roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and broccoli.
4️⃣ Top it off! Add sliced avocado, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of tahini or Greek yogurt.
5️⃣ Enjoy! This bowl is packed with slow-burning energy and keeps blood sugar steady for hours.
Health Benefits - Why Balance Blood Sugar?
Blood sugar balance affects everything from mood to aging… when we live on the “blood sugar roller coaster” - a pattern of peaks and drops in our blood glucose levels, it takes a toll on more than just our pancreas.
1️⃣ Hormone Regulation & Menstrual Health – Blood sugar imbalances lead to insulin resistance, a state where your cells become desensitized and less responsive to the hormone insulin. Downstream, this disrupts ovulation and contributes to conditions like PCOS, irregular cycles, and even estrogen dominance. Stable blood sugar supports balanced reproductive hormones and more regular cycles.
2️⃣ Mood & Mental Health – Blood sugar spikes and crashes tell your body “emergency” on a cellular level. They can trigger anxiety, irritability, brain fog, and even depression, as they affect neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. Women are already more prone to mood disorders, making blood sugar stability essential for health in many spheres!
3️⃣ Fertility & Pregnancy Health – High insulin levels interfere with ovulation and egg quality. During pregnancy, poor blood sugar control increases the risk of gestational diabetes, miscarriage, and complications for both mom and baby. The metabolic health of a women at least four months prior to conception affects the genetics and predispositions of her baby far beyond delivery. This is a drastically under-appreciated factor of childhood health and disease; one that we are out to share more about to support women in optimizing their preconception health and positively impacting the health of her family for years (and generations) to come!
4️⃣ Metabolic Health & Weight Management – Unstable blood sugar promotes poor glucose metabolism, excess glycogen storage in the liver, which leads to fat storage, and even fatty liver disease. Cravings and inflammation can spiral out of control, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Women with insulin resistance often struggle with stubborn weight gain, especially around the midsection.
5️⃣ Long-Term Health & Disease Prevention – Poor blood sugar control increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline — all of which affect women at high rates, especially post-menopause when estrogen’s protective effects wane and blood sugar becomes far more challenging to manage and control, even in women who historically didn’t have blood sugar or metabolic challenges.
