Sweet Potato Pancakes

Yesterday morning I still had a sweet potato left over from last week's grocery trip that went unused and hubby was feeling like having pancakes so I made these sweet potato pancakes.

This is my second time making these and everyone loved them including baby boy who seems to be becoming a pickier eater which does not make this mommy happy!

Unlike the almond meal pancakes that I posted earlier that have a grainy texture, these sweet potato pancakes are more smooth and traditional pancake-like. You can eat them alone, with syrup or with fresh fruit. We topped them with blueberries and syrup yesterday and they tasted so good.

This will definitely be a recipe we continually refer to. What is your favorite type of pancake?

Almond Meal Pancakes

I love pancakes - you know the super fluffy kind full of air and butter that melts in your mouth? I loved making and eating these, but of course once I hopped on this healthy train it was time to find an alternative.

These almond meal pancakes are a great substitute. They are small but each pancake really fills you up. I made four for me and baby boy when hubby was out of town and we could only finish three together.

The almond meal I use is pretty raw so you can really taste the graininess of the almonds in these pancakes. I don't mind this but if you do you might want to try this recipe with almond flour.

Top these with fresh berries and real maple syrup and your body and taste buds will thank you.

Chia Pudding

I tried chia pudding for the first time less than a year ago. Before then I didn’t even know what chia seeds were. After my first bite I was hooked. They reminded me of tapioca. I read the ingredients on the pudding I bought – coconut milk, almond milk, chia seeds, strawberries, blueberries and almonds. With the few number of ingredients I figured it might be easy to make and I was right.

Ever since I’ve learned how to make chia pudding I can enjoy it whenever I please. I usually have it for breakfast, but it also makes a great clean and healthy dessert or snack.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Divided into four jelly jars.

Ready to go into the fridge.

I topped mine with strawberries, blackberries and slivered almonds.

Ready to be devoured :)

Healthy Shepherd's Pie

The only time I have ever heard or seen shepherd’s pie was during college in the campus cafeteria. The shepherd’s pie on campus looked decent but not very appetizing, so I never tried it.

I decided a month or so ago to make a healthy version of the dish at home. I am a fan of casseroles, so I figured I might like it since it is similar and I thought I could try and make it look more appetizing than the cafeteria version. I’m glad I did. Hubby liked it so much he even asked me to make it again. The pictures below are from the second pie.

This will definitely be made many more times in the future I'm sure. 

Before heading into the oven

Fresh out of the oven

Ready to be dug into

What Your Resting Heart Rate Means

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with a nurse for a health screening. She took my heart rate and it turned out to be 56 beats per minute (bpm), which means my heart is pumping less than once per second. But what did it really mean? I asked her if that was good. She stated that the average person’s heart rate is between 60 to 100 bpm, but it’s normal for someone who gets a lot of physical activity to have a resting heart rate of less than 60 bpm because the heart doesn’t need to pump as hard, and yes it was a good thing in this case.

I was happy to hear this and found it to be an excellent example of a non-scale victory. Like many of you might know, I didn’t start this journey to look good, which of course doesn’t hurt and is a great benefit, but I truly wanted to get to a place where I was consciously thinking about and taking care of my health for the sake of my family. These little things that I learn along the way help me remember why I started this process in the first place.

If you want to learn more, here’s an article from the Mayo Clinic.  They state that “generally a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.”

What’s your resting heart rate?