Sweet Potato Chip

This is sweet potato chips are just like crisps.  Very crispy but tastier than pre-packed stuff.

To be honest it does take a few times to get them right. But once you make them just as crispy as mine you will be obsessed making them!

You need sweet potato,  olive oil, spices of choice and a lot of patience!

I used: sea salt, black pepper,  paprika, nd chilli seeds

First of all you have to slice them super think if you get them thick they will just roast but not crisp!

Then place them inside a plastic box or a plastic bag. Add a Drop of olive oil and all the spices and herbs seal it and shake it very well until all spices and oil has gone through all of them!

Then place them on a tray one beside another one.  Don't over lap them.

Put inside a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. But as every oven is different you have to continously check they aren't burning.  If you see they are turning black rather than brownie- crispy bring temperature down.

After 20 minutes turn them to the other side and cook again for another 20 minutes.  You will see the sides getting crispy.  Take them out and let them cool for a few minutes.  This cooling down process will make them crispy.  If they don't then put them back for extra ten minutes.

It's worth the patience as they are delicious to dip in guacamole on a Friday night while enjoying a glass of vino with the family. 

If you have any questions concatenation me on any of my social media: Instagram: @momfitnessdiary Facebook: Mom Fitness Diary

Sweet Potato Chip

This is sweet potato chips are just like crisps.  Very crispy but tastier than pre-packed stuff.

To be honest it does take a few times to get them right. But once you make them just as crispy as mine you will be obsessed making them!

You need sweet potato,  olive oil, spices of choice and a lot of patience!

I used: sea salt, black pepper,  paprika, nd chilli seeds

First of all you have to slice them super think if you get them thick they will just roast but not crisp!

Then place them inside a plastic box or a plastic bag. Add a Drop of olive oil and all the spices and herbs seal it and shake it very well until all spices and oil has gone through all of them!

Then place them on a tray one beside another one.  Don't over lap them.

Put inside a preheated oven at 250 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. But as every oven is different you have to continously check they aren't burning.  If you see they are turning black rather than brownie- crispy bring temperature down.

After 20 minutes turn them to the other side and cook again for another 20 minutes.  You will see the sides getting crispy.  Take them out and let them cool for a few minutes.  This cooling down process will make them crispy.  If they don't then put them back for extra ten minutes.

It's worth the patience as they are delicious to dip in guacamole on a Friday night while enjoying a glass of vino with the family. 

If you have any questions concatenation me on any of my social media: Instagram: @momfitnessdiary Facebook: Mom Fitness Diary

Body Fat. What percentage are you? And where you want to be?

Before you start any fitness plan always ask yourself where you want to be?

What is your ideal look?

Would you like to be really muscly or would you be happy with just begin lean and healthy?

This question is extremely important as people with different goals should eat slightly different. For example someone who wants to maintain like the second picture above (15 % body fat) might only have one cheat meal a week. 

But maybe you are happy having 22% body fat, this means you can relax a bit more and enjoy your food more.

So having your goals well set up will help you to research and to know exactly what to eat based on your own goals!

My personal ideal is the thirds picture which I am already in there just need to build more muscle to give more definition to my body.

When I started this journey I had 40% body fat and now I have 20 % my goal is 17% and is where I would feel on my happier and more comfortable but everyone has different goals.

Analise your and work based on those!

The percentage of essential fat is 3–5% in men, and 8–12% in women.

It can be measured in different ways:

• Skin-fold methods,
• Ultrasound
• Height and circumference methods
• From BMI
• And many other most accurate but very expensive methods

The truth is that same amount of fat compared with muscle is amazingly different as in picture below we can see 5 lbs. of fat against 5 lbs. of muscle and as you can see fat occupies much more space than muscle. That is why I always tell you guys not to eat less, eat BETTER! And also building muscle will help you burn more fat and look leaner even if you weigh the same!

For this reason I always advise to go by body fat rather than the scales: 

It doesn't matter what your weight is if you have more body fat than muscle you won't look leaner. For this reason again It is important to know your goals and rather that focusing on eating less focus on eating right and building muscle. 

It is important that you maintain a good percentage of body fat as It is necessary to be healthy. Fat is very important! if you get very sick in the morning fat is always good to help you get better. Saying this doesn't mean you have to be overweight! What I want to say is having a balance on what you eat, on your goals, on the amount you exercise is vital to keep your fitness lifestyle active.

If you go to extremes you will more likely give up. Do not avoid carbs or fats or any macro nutrient completely, have a balance and don't exercise like 7 days a week for more that 1 hour a day. Do it 3 to 5 times a week, 40 minutes to 1 hour a each time and you will be able to enjoy more this lifestyle!

Here is a little guide of how your body fat should be more or less according to your age: (remember everyone is different)

Body Fat. What percentage are you? And where you want to be?

Before you start any fitness plan always ask yourself where you want to be?

What is your ideal look?

Would you like to be really muscly or would you be happy with just begin lean and healthy?

This question is extremely important as people with different goals should eat slightly different. For example someone who wants to maintain like the second picture above (15 % body fat) might only have one cheat meal a week. 

But maybe you are happy having 22% body fat, this means you can relax a bit more and enjoy your food more.

So having your goals well set up will help you to research and to know exactly what to eat based on your own goals!

My personal ideal is the thirds picture which I am already in there just need to build more muscle to give more definition to my body.

When I started this journey I had 40% body fat and now I have 20 % my goal is 17% and is where I would feel on my happier and more comfortable but everyone has different goals.

Analise your and work based on those!

The percentage of essential fat is 3–5% in men, and 8–12% in women.

It can be measured in different ways:

• Skin-fold methods,
• Ultrasound
• Height and circumference methods
• From BMI
• And many other most accurate but very expensive methods

The truth is that same amount of fat compared with muscle is amazingly different as in picture below we can see 5 lbs. of fat against 5 lbs. of muscle and as you can see fat occupies much more space than muscle. That is why I always tell you guys not to eat less, eat BETTER! And also building muscle will help you burn more fat and look leaner even if you weigh the same!

For this reason I always advise to go by body fat rather than the scales: 

It doesn't matter what your weight is if you have more body fat than muscle you won't look leaner. For this reason again It is important to know your goals and rather that focusing on eating less focus on eating right and building muscle. 

It is important that you maintain a good percentage of body fat as It is necessary to be healthy. Fat is very important! if you get very sick in the morning fat is always good to help you get better. Saying this doesn't mean you have to be overweight! What I want to say is having a balance on what you eat, on your goals, on the amount you exercise is vital to keep your fitness lifestyle active.

If you go to extremes you will more likely give up. Do not avoid carbs or fats or any macro nutrient completely, have a balance and don't exercise like 7 days a week for more that 1 hour a day. Do it 3 to 5 times a week, 40 minutes to 1 hour a each time and you will be able to enjoy more this lifestyle!

Here is a little guide of how your body fat should be more or less according to your age: (remember everyone is different)

Quinoa & Chia Chocolate Biscuits

This cookies or biscuits ( I don't really know the difference between those 2) are into going into my favourite recipes! 

My boys loved them and my husband (who hates sweet stuff and chocolate) told me he would buy those cookies. So make this babies for the weekend to have as a healthy treat when the sweet craving hits in!

Ingredients:

1 cup of hazelnuts

1 cup of ground almonds

1 cup of quinoa

1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup or sweet freedom

1/4 cup of raisins or dates

3 tablespoons of cocoa or cacao. If you do it with cocoa make sure your cacao is 100 % cocoa: no sugar or dairy added! check ingredients)

2 tablespoons of chia

2 tablespoon of coconut oil (melted)

Place hazelnuts in a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes flour consistency. 

Add raisins or dates and blend until mushy. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.

Grab a bit of the mix and roll it with both hands then form cookie and place on a tray with non grease paper on it. 

Cook into a previously preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

I made 17 cookies so each cookie worked out at 98 calories. So depending how many you make the calories might vary. but in and around that! 

8 grams of carbohydrates each

2.6 grams protein

6.1 grams of fat

Quinoa & Chia Chocolate Biscuits

This cookies or biscuits ( I don't really know the difference between those 2) are into going into my favourite recipes! 

My boys loved them and my husband (who hates sweet stuff and chocolate) told me he would buy those cookies. So make this babies for the weekend to have as a healthy treat when the sweet craving hits in!

Ingredients:

1 cup of hazelnuts

1 cup of ground almonds

1 cup of quinoa

1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup or sweet freedom

1/4 cup of raisins or dates

3 tablespoons of cocoa or cacao. If you do it with cocoa make sure your cacao is 100 % cocoa: no sugar or dairy added! check ingredients)

2 tablespoons of chia

2 tablespoon of coconut oil (melted)

Place hazelnuts in a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes flour consistency. 

Add raisins or dates and blend until mushy. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.

Grab a bit of the mix and roll it with both hands then form cookie and place on a tray with non grease paper on it. 

Cook into a previously preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

I made 17 cookies so each cookie worked out at 98 calories. So depending how many you make the calories might vary. but in and around that! 

8 grams of carbohydrates each

2.6 grams protein

6.1 grams of fat

Stuffed Mushrooms With Veggies & Feta

This vegetarian mushrooms are fabulous.

Definitely the perfect meal to enjoy on a Saturday night with a good glass of wine and hubby as I did!

So if you fancy doing this babies here is recipe :

Ingredients

6 giant mushrooms
1 carrot peeled and chopped small
4 tablespoons of  chopped onion
1/4 yellow pepper chopped
1/4 red pepper chopped
1/2 leeds chopped
3 big handful of spinach
300 grams of feta cheese

Sauté all vegetables ingredients (except mushrooms)  in a frying pan with a drop of olive oil. 

Once vegetables are soft add cheese add condiment well with sea salt, pepper and few herbs such as parsley or rosemary.

Peel and clean mushrooms. Never wash them as they are as a little sponge and will absorb the water and they will shrink and won't stand.

Place the vegetable mix on top and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.  Serve and enjoy.

I served with a butternut squash soup and 2 slices of wholemeal seeded bread from Lidl.

Stuffed Mushrooms With Veggies & Feta

This vegetarian mushrooms are fabulous.

Definitely the perfect meal to enjoy on a Saturday night with a good glass of wine and hubby as I did!

So if you fancy doing this babies here is recipe :

Ingredients

6 giant mushrooms
1 carrot peeled and chopped small
4 tablespoons of  chopped onion
1/4 yellow pepper chopped
1/4 red pepper chopped
1/2 leeds chopped
3 big handful of spinach
300 grams of feta cheese

Sauté all vegetables ingredients (except mushrooms)  in a frying pan with a drop of olive oil. 

Once vegetables are soft add cheese add condiment well with sea salt, pepper and few herbs such as parsley or rosemary.

Peel and clean mushrooms. Never wash them as they are as a little sponge and will absorb the water and they will shrink and won't stand.

Place the vegetable mix on top and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.  Serve and enjoy.

I served with a butternut squash soup and 2 slices of wholemeal seeded bread from Lidl.

Healthy Energy Bites

Hey guys. Today beign Friday is like our appetite increase as the weekend go by. That is why every Friday we should prepare ourselves with healthy snacks to munch when craving something sweet.

And this balls hit the spot to kill the cravings.  They are a raw vegan treat and they are delicious.  You guys should try them!

You can convert this babies on protein balls if you add only 1/4 cup of almond ground and add a scoop of whey protein.

You make about 10 balls.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 1/2 cup of ground almonds
- 1/4 cup of peanut butter
- 2 teaspoon of cocoa powder (100% cocoa no sugar or dairy added. Or else add cacao)
- 2 tablespoons of chia or flaxseed

Blend raisins I'm food processor until very mushy.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you get a paste like consistency.

Place your mix into a bowl and start rolling. Mixture is very sticky but is fine just roll them and then roll again on toppings of choice. I rolled some on hazelnuts and some in coconut.

But can roll them on melted dark chocolate,  walnuts, pistachio,  almond ground, etc.

Once this is done place them inside the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

Each ball has approximately 70 calories so eat 2 or 3 at a time. 

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee for the perfect snack!

Healthy Energy Bites

Hey guys. Today beign Friday is like our appetite increase as the weekend go by. That is why every Friday we should prepare ourselves with healthy snacks to munch when craving something sweet.

And this balls hit the spot to kill the cravings.  They are a raw vegan treat and they are delicious.  You guys should try them!

You can convert this babies on protein balls if you add only 1/4 cup of almond ground and add a scoop of whey protein.

You make about 10 balls.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 1/2 cup of ground almonds
- 1/4 cup of peanut butter
- 2 teaspoon of cocoa powder (100% cocoa no sugar or dairy added. Or else add cacao)
- 2 tablespoons of chia or flaxseed

Blend raisins I'm food processor until very mushy.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you get a paste like consistency.

Place your mix into a bowl and start rolling. Mixture is very sticky but is fine just roll them and then roll again on toppings of choice. I rolled some on hazelnuts and some in coconut.

But can roll them on melted dark chocolate,  walnuts, pistachio,  almond ground, etc.

Once this is done place them inside the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

Each ball has approximately 70 calories so eat 2 or 3 at a time. 

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee for the perfect snack!

Chickpea Stew. Plant based recipe.

This stew is not only delicious. Is handy remake for meal preparation as this recipe would give you enough for a few days.

Also it doesn't have to be vegan if you don't want to.  You can add some chicken if you wished.

I personally think you don't have to eat animal protein all the time. I know very fit people who combines vegan and non vegan diets.

In my opinion plant based diet is the healthiest.  So is nice to every now and again have meals that are free of animal protein.

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas (400 grams)
1 carton of passata (500 ml)
5 carrots peeled and chopped
30 mushrooms peeled and chopped
1 onion peeled and chopped
10 salad potatoes
400 ml of boiling water (or vegetable stock)
2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 teaspoon of grounded cumin
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions:

Add olive oil in a big saucepan (I used one of those heavy ones used for slow cooking). Add carrots, onion and mushrooms.

Add paprika,  turmeric and  cumin. And cover with the passata and the boiling water or stock cube. Let veggies cook for 20 minutes.

In the meantime drain the water out of the chickpeas.  Once vegetables are cooked add chickpeas and potatoes.

At this point check the taste. Add plenty of black pepper and sea salt to taste.

I served with quinoa and topped with fresh coriander leaves.

Chickpea Stew. Plant based recipe.

This stew is not only delicious. Is handy remake for meal preparation as this recipe would give you enough for a few days.

Also it doesn't have to be vegan if you don't want to.  You can add some chicken if you wished.

I personally think you don't have to eat animal protein all the time. I know very fit people who combines vegan and non vegan diets.

In my opinion plant based diet is the healthiest.  So is nice to every now and again have meals that are free of animal protein.

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas (400 grams)
1 carton of passata (500 ml)
5 carrots peeled and chopped
30 mushrooms peeled and chopped
1 onion peeled and chopped
10 salad potatoes
400 ml of boiling water (or vegetable stock)
2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 teaspoon of grounded cumin
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Instructions:

Add olive oil in a big saucepan (I used one of those heavy ones used for slow cooking). Add carrots, onion and mushrooms.

Add paprika,  turmeric and  cumin. And cover with the passata and the boiling water or stock cube. Let veggies cook for 20 minutes.

In the meantime drain the water out of the chickpeas.  Once vegetables are cooked add chickpeas and potatoes.

At this point check the taste. Add plenty of black pepper and sea salt to taste.

I served with quinoa and topped with fresh coriander leaves.

Sweet Potato Brownies

Today I was craving a brownie so bad that I had to do a healthy version of them! This is a very healthy option as they contain no sugar, no dairy, no fats, no oils and they are fully vegan! 

So to make this brownies you'll need:

600 sweet potato (raw)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup of oats flour
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (100% cocoa,  no sugar or dairy added)
3 tablespoons of honey or agave or maple (they all work)
100 grams of dates
75 grams of walnuts (optional, I added them to add crunchiness)

• So first let's preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Then peel the sweet potato and boil it until very soft.
• Meanwhile in a bowl mix the flours, cocoa and walnuts.

• Once sweet potato is soft place it in a blender or food processor and blend with the dates and honey.

•  You might need a little drop from the boiling water to get the blender going as sweet potato is very thick.

• Once that mixture is well blended incorporate into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and pour mix into your brownie tray.  (You might need to put grease proof paper in your tray)

• Place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. I baked for 50 as mixture wasn't ready. But every oven is different so insert a toothpick and once it comes clear your brownie is ready.

• Make sure is fully cooled before you cut as the cooling process allow the brownie to set together.

• Sprinkle some cocoa powder at the top.

Serve and enjoy with a cuppa. Great snack for before the gym!

Sweet Potato Brownies

Today I was craving a brownie so bad that I had to do a healthy version of them! This is a very healthy option as they contain no sugar, no dairy, no fats, no oils and they are fully vegan! 

So to make this brownies you'll need:

600 sweet potato (raw)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup of oats flour
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (100% cocoa,  no sugar or dairy added)
3 tablespoons of honey or agave or maple (they all work)
100 grams of dates
75 grams of walnuts (optional, I added them to add crunchiness)

• So first let's preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Then peel the sweet potato and boil it until very soft.
• Meanwhile in a bowl mix the flours, cocoa and walnuts.

• Once sweet potato is soft place it in a blender or food processor and blend with the dates and honey.

•  You might need a little drop from the boiling water to get the blender going as sweet potato is very thick.

• Once that mixture is well blended incorporate into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and pour mix into your brownie tray.  (You might need to put grease proof paper in your tray)

• Place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. I baked for 50 as mixture wasn't ready. But every oven is different so insert a toothpick and once it comes clear your brownie is ready.

• Make sure is fully cooled before you cut as the cooling process allow the brownie to set together.

• Sprinkle some cocoa powder at the top.

Serve and enjoy with a cuppa. Great snack for before the gym!

Healthy Weekly Shopping List

So I have been getting a few e-mails asking me about posting a weekly shopping list. 

So here it is! You Can Print this and use it as a template. Obviously A LOT of the things on the list aren't to buy weekly like beans, lentils, couscous stuff like that is handy to always have in the press to try new recipes and do different things  aiming to eat healthy 80-85% of the time. 

And for example I find that having cans of tuna and couscous are a must when you would not bother cooking. Couscous is ready in 2 minutes and no saucepans needed! you simply boil water, pour it over it and open a can or tuna add a few chopped raw vegetables and you have a great meal in 5 minutes! 

So make sure you re-fill this type of things as you go. 

There is a few vegetables or fruits that I didn't include because I might just buy them if they are in season. But doesn't mean that just because they aren't on the list I don't eat them.

Things like pitta bread and wholemeal wraps I don't buy weekly but I always keep in the freezer in case I want a pitta on my salad or to prepare a chicken wrap. I store them individually to reach for just the ones I need and I thaw the pittas in the toaster and the wraps in the microwave. I put them into zip log bags and into the freezer.

I hope this becomes handy for your weekly shopping to use as a guide. With this ingredients in your press will be very easy for you guys to put a lot of recipe together when you are craving something sweet like my granola bars or my protein balls. 

Please let me know your thoughts in any of my social media: Facebook: Mom Fitness Diary 

Instagram: @momfitnessdiary

Snapchat: ukaiserw

Healthy Weekly Shopping List

So I have been getting a few e-mails asking me about posting a weekly shopping list. 

So here it is! You Can Print this and use it as a template. Obviously A LOT of the things on the list aren't to buy weekly like beans, lentils, couscous stuff like that is handy to always have in the press to try new recipes and do different things  aiming to eat healthy 80-85% of the time. 

And for example I find that having cans of tuna and couscous are a must when you would not bother cooking. Couscous is ready in 2 minutes and no saucepans needed! you simply boil water, pour it over it and open a can or tuna add a few chopped raw vegetables and you have a great meal in 5 minutes! 

So make sure you re-fill this type of things as you go. 

There is a few vegetables or fruits that I didn't include because I might just buy them if they are in season. But doesn't mean that just because they aren't on the list I don't eat them.

Things like pitta bread and wholemeal wraps I don't buy weekly but I always keep in the freezer in case I want a pitta on my salad or to prepare a chicken wrap. I store them individually to reach for just the ones I need and I thaw the pittas in the toaster and the wraps in the microwave. I put them into zip log bags and into the freezer.

I hope this becomes handy for your weekly shopping to use as a guide. With this ingredients in your press will be very easy for you guys to put a lot of recipe together when you are craving something sweet like my granola bars or my protein balls. 

Please let me know your thoughts in any of my social media: Facebook: Mom Fitness Diary 

Instagram: @momfitnessdiary

Snapchat: ukaiserw