Sweet Potato Roti

I've been meaning to share this simple, delicious, versatile recipe with you all for a while. If you are looking for a wheat free or gluten free alternative to bread, tortillas, naan, or what have you, look no further!

What is roti, you ask? Roti is an Indian flat bread, usually made with a wheat flour.

Due to a wheat allergy, I have welcomed any and all bread alternatives and this one is my favorite!

I first heard of using sweet potatoes from my wonderful friend, Melissa. This is a super simple recipe, literally two ingredients.

What you will need:

1. Baked or boiled sweet potatoes, peeled. (I boiled mine and then the peel slips right off. You can always bake if you prefer.) If I bake, I bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. If you boil, just rinse them and boil for about 20 minutes and check to see if they are soft enough by piercing them with a fork. 

2. Equal parts flour to sweet potato.
(I prefer a wheat free blend I found at Costco by Namaste.).

Let your sweet potatoes cool.

Once cooled, mash your potatoes in a large mixing bowl.

Slowly add your flour and mix together, I ended up using my hands.

Form mixed dough into a log and cut into inch wide slices (or bigger if you prefer).

Scatter your surface with flour to avoid sticking and roll out your round slices.

Simply heat a few minutes on each side in a pan. I use a flat cast iron pan. You have roti!!

My favorite part is that it is freezable! I had took my round slices and froze them on a cookie sheet and then sealed them in a freezer baggie. Months later I thawed them in my refrigerator and had roti dough ready to go for a week! You may need dust with flour when you roll the thawed dough.

Heat and eat!

I have enjoyed them with savory meals, like crack slaw or chicken. I have used them as a sandwich wrap for tuna as well as peanut butter and jam. It's also a nice dessert when dusted with cinnamon and butter. My favorite so far, inspired by an apple and brie toast I had at a coffee shop, was sweet potato roti with apples, brie cheese, sliced almonds, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. There is so much you can do with this roti!

Let me know what you think if you give it a try or if you add anything special and make it even better!

All the love,

Caffeine and Freckles

Back on the Path

Just over two years ago I was making footprints on a new but familiar path. I had visited the path before but didn't stay long. This time I was determined. I was eating healthy, learning about super foods and listening to my body about what it needed. My walks around my neighborhood turned into jogs with my dog, Dolly. She was losing weight, I was losing weight and it was exciting. I could see and feel the progress. I felt productive and in control. I was doing things for me! I was fitting into clothes that hadn't been worn in a few years. 

It all came to a halt when a decade old hip fracture became worse after all the jogging and no treatment. It was time to stop ignoring it and do something about it. After a nasty hip repair surgery that did more harm than good, a second surgery to remove the hardware to swap it it for smaller hardware and bone cement, I am now, almost two years later, able to handle walks and even the tiniest bit of jogging on soft surfaces. 

It's like a part of my life is starting all over again. As an Aries, (a newborn in a sense) the feeling of rebirth or newness brings much joy. My healing journey isn't done, but it is at its last stages. The tiniest bit of my fracture remains. I am no longer held captive by crutches. Lots of physical therapy is helping to get this violated thigh muscle back in the shape it deserves to be in. 

During these surgeries, I gained weight, my muscles felt lazy, and I was feeling let down most of the time. Limping around at age 35 and working through recovery was not what I wanted, but it became my journey. It is better to embrace it and take all I can from what the universe threw my way. 

So here I am now, ready to lose weight, ready to get this leg where it needs to be, slow and steady. It starts with little triumps. I can walk around the mall now, I can attend activities that require lots of walking or sitting. I can exercise!

Too much pizza and fast food has crept in the last two weeks, something I typically try to stay away from. My stomach is a mess! Today is a fresh start! No dairy (just doesn't sit well with me) and I plan on minimizing what meat I eat. Anytime I have ditched meat from my diet I feel better inside and out, plus I seem to lose weight faster without meat.

The plan is mornings beginning with lemon water and yoga. My reward is my cup of coffee. For now in walking on my treadmill as it is a softer surface. I should be free to run on cement after I see the surgeon in the Summer.  I'm planning some Just Dance as well, fun!

I bought some Saucony running shoes, most comfortable and supportive shoe I have owned as of yet!

It's time to focus on me and this leg in a positive light for once. I've been so limited for so long that it doesn't always feel real yet that all this improvement has taken place, but I am ready to bask in it. 

I opened up my new yoga mat this morning to find a quote printed on the center.

It caught me by surprise as I didn't know there were words on the mat. It was a nice reminder, to hold on. Hold onto improvement, hold on to doing things for myself, and hold onto my personal goals and plans, if I don't let go of them they are always with me.

I'd love to hear some of your healthy recipes, routines, and forms of exercise. Comment below to share!

Cheets to a new year of personal improvement for us all. Do for you! Use your determination as a shield against negativity. Get rid of feelings of obligation to anyone, feel obligated to yourself.

Namaste.