A system and method for producing a series of time-resolved magnetic resonance (MR) images is set forth. The system can perform method steps of encoding spatial information into an MRI signal by manipulating a phase of the MRI signal within an MRI system, generating and outputting a phase-encoded MRI signal over time by digitizing a plurality of time points in the MRI signal, repeating the generating and outputting step for a plurality of phase-encoded signals, each phase-encoded signal in synchrony with a trigger, producing a plurality of digitized time points, and reconstructing a series of time resolved MR images, each image of the series of MR images at one specific time point selected from the plurality of digitized time points for each phase-encoded step. Each image in the series of time-resolved MR images corresponding to a specific time point in a cyclic event.