Do you want to boost your serotonin naturally? This bowl contains everything you need to help boost your serotonin production naturally. With high tryptophan ingredients, complex carbs to help feed your gut and vitamins to help with the conversion, it has all you need to boost your mood in no time.
Why this works
High-tryptophan foods in this recipe:
- Turkey breast or tofu
- Pumpkin seeds
- Greek yogurt
- Quinoa
Plus:
- Complex carbs (quinoa, sweet potato) help tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier, and the fibre feeds our microbiome to enhance short chain fatty acid production.
- Vitamin B6 (sweet potato, spinach) helps convert tryptophan to serotonin
- Magnesium (pumpkin seeds, spinach) supports mood regulation
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 3)
Bowl
- 1 lb (450g) turkey breast, sliced or cubed or baked, cubed tofu
- 1 cup dry quinoa, brown rice or udon noodles
- 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
- 2 cups fresh spinach or kale or steamed broccoli
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp (smoked) paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
- Optional: grate carrots or beets on top and/or serve with a scoop of sauerkraut
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin (optional)
- 1 – 2 tbsp ice water
- Pinch salt
👩🍳 Instructions
- Cook quinoa, rice or noodles
Rinse quinoa. Cook with 2 cups water. Simmer 15 minutes. Fluff and set aside. - Roast sweet potato
Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes. - Cook turkey
Heat remaining olive oil in skillet. Season turkey with paprika, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Cook 6–8 minutes until fully done and lightly browned. - Wilt spinach or kale, or lightly steam broccoli.
Add spinach or kale to the pan in the last 1–2 minutes, just until wilted. - Make sauce
Whisk yogurt, tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt and enough water to thin to desired consistency. Add cumin as well if you like this taste! - Assemble bowl
Quinoa → turkey & spinach/broccoli → sweet potato → sprinkle pumpkin seeds → drizzle sauce.
💪 Nutrition Highlights (Approx per serving)
- Protein: ~30-45 grams
- High in tryptophan
- Rich in magnesium & B6
- Balanced carbs to aid serotonin production
