This is a super easy recipe for sweet potato fries air fryer friendly! We enjoy our sweet potatoes with breakfast pancakes and eggs most mornings.
My major deterrent from making sweet potatoes as often as my family request them was how much time they took to cook. My air fryer has been the game changer though!
Throwing a few sweet potatoes in the air fryer is much quicker than roasting your sweet potatoes in the oven. You can knock out these crispy fries in 10 minutes! They are loved by my kiddos (ages 6, 4, and 2), and make for great appetizers at social outing. And did I mention they only take 10 minutes?
Whether you are new to the air fryer, or trying to find a delicious way to spruce up your sweet potatoes, you’ll be blown away by this sweet potato fry recipe!
How to make the sweet potato fries in the air fryer
To make the sweet potato fries, you’ll first want to peel two sweet potatoes. You can either cut them up lengthwise in 1” strips (or use a fry cutter–well worth the investment if you make these often). You can also cut them up into bite sized pieces–this is great for the young folks. All sizes will generally cook the same.
After you cut your sweet potatoes, you’ll want to spray them generously with olive oil—making sure all sides are coated. This will help them crisp without drying out. If you don’t have an olive oil sprayer, you can just toss them in olive oil. in a separate bowl
Once they’re nice and coated, sprinkle them with a dash of cinnamon and about 1tsp of Lakanto monk fruit sweetener for a little sweeter taste without the sugar. I also like to add a dash of sea salt, but that’s optional.
Sweet potato fries air fryer cook time
To cook your sweet potato fries in the air fryer, you’ll need to preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Once the air fryer is preheated, place the sweet potatoes in the tray and set the cook time to 10 minutes. Try not to overlap the sweet potatoes.
Move the fries around in the tray about halfway through the cook time. Continue to keep an eye on them for the remained of the time to be sure they aren’t getting overcooked in the air fryer.
Once your fries are nice and crispy, remove them from the air fryer and enjoy them while they’re warm!
I’d love to hear from you about how the sweet potato fries turned out. Feel free to comment below to share your experience!
This is my favorite keto pancakes recipe because they have a little hint of chocolate and peanut butter, and they come out oh so fluffy!
These pancakes are for everyone — my kids beg for them! They are also perfect for pregnant mama’s concerned about gestational diabetes or moms who are breastfeeding and want to follow a cleanm low-carb diet!
The Keto Pancakes Recipe
This low carb keto pancakes recipe is made using almond flour. I’ve tried the recipe with coconut flour, but they come out too dry and gritty. The peanut butter also helps lock in the moisture in the batter so they are nice and fluffy, and also extremely tasty.
Ingredients for these fluffy pancakes
3 tbsp melted butter, and more for your pancake griddle — you could also use a spray olive oil for ease, but I definitely recommend butter!
1 tbsp peanut butter — make sure there is no sugar added! Most peanut butter brands add sugar and other non-clean ingredients. This will likely kick you out of ketosis!
1 tbsp cacao powder— this is different than cocoa powder. I recommend the cacao powder for its health benefits and tastiness.
½ cup unsweetened almond milk + more for batter that sits (I prefer the costco Kirkland’s brand because it is less thick and more vanilla infused, and also cleaner than most other brands of unsweetened almond milk)
½ cup Lily’s chocolate chips *optional for topping — that is, of course, if you can make it through the recipe without enjoying the entire bag like I always do.
Instructions for mixing the keto pancakes
For this keto pancakes recipe, you’ll want to be sure and mix the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. This will make the pancakes less dense, and so nice and fluffy.
Combine all of your dry ingredients for the keto pancakes first (almond flour, baking powder, salk, sweetener, cacao powder) then slowly combine the wet ingredients (melted butter, peanut butter, baking powder, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract). Be sure and mix the batter well. *Side Note* the consistency will be thicker than “normal” or non-keto pancakes. This is normal, but if they seem too thick, you can always add a little more almond milk to the batter.
Cooking the fluffy keto pancakes
You’ll cook the keto pancakes as you would your non-keto pancakes. Put a few tablespoons of batter onto your pancake griddle, that lightly greased with butter or olive oil, depending on the desired size of the pancakes.
Flip the pancakes after about 4 minutes, or when you start to see bubbles forming/notice the pancakes getting really fluffy).
2tspLakanto Monk Fruit sweetener or sweetener of choice
1tbspcacao powder
½cupunsweetened almond milk+ more for batter that sits
1tspvanilla extract
½cupLily's chocolate chips*optional for topping
Instructions
Mix all dry ingredients together, then slowly add wet ingredients. Be sure and mix the batter well. The consistency will be thicker than "normal" or non-keto pancakes.
Butter the griddle, or spray with olive oil, and cook the keto pancakes on each side for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
*optional: top with Lily's chocolate chips and a dollop of peanut butter.
The keto diet is a very hot topic for breastfeeding moms — from both a nutritional standpoint and it’s postpartum weight loss benefits. The four most important things to closely monitor while transitioning from a carb-fueled diet to the keto diet while breastfeeding are electrolytes, calories, water intake, and to transition slowly.
Trust me when I say that when these things are essential for maintaining milk supply–I learned the hard way my first attempt, and I watched my milk supply completely tank. I’ll share my personal experience with what I did wrong the first time, how I corrected it and was able to exclusively breastfeed with a plentiful milk supply while following the keto diet, and how my baby responded to the dietary changes.
Gestational Diabetes and Keto
My pregnancy with my fourth child was much different than the first three, as I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes halfway through the pregnancy. After reading Real Food for Pregnancy, I made a huge change to my diet — adopting a lower carb and high fat way of eating, or a ketogenic diet.
I remained keto 90% of the time for the remainder of my pregnancy (keeping carbs under 50 grams/day), but once I delivered my sweet babe, I was just eating what was put in front of me—healthy, yet much higher carb that I was accustomed to during the pregnancy.
I started monitoring my blood sugars about 3 weeks postpartum using my Keto Mojo, and noticed them creeping up, so I knew I needed to go back to the keto diet to get my glucose numbers down. During this time I also had my A1C checked, and found out I fell in the “prediabetes” range.
Once I hit the 4 week postpartum mark and my EBF (exclusively breastfed) newborn had somewhat of an eating/sleeping schedule, I was ready to jump back into the keto diet. What I didn’t know was that my body wasn’t at all ready for it.
My first attempt at following the keto diet while breastfeeding… FAIL
My first attempt at starting the keto diet while breastfeeding did not go well. My milk supply completely tanked. I was literally producing drops, when I was overflowing just a few days prior. I blame this on a few things:
My milk supply wasn’t fully established at 4 weeks postpartum
I had no idea how important electrolytes were, especially while breastfeeding
I didn’t track my calories, which were much lower than they should have been (since I lost my appetite)
I didn’t give my body enough time to transition
Although I was drinking almost a gallon of water a day, by day 2 I was producing almost no milk. I’m certain of this because where I’d normally pump an extra 4-5 ounces in the mornings, and a few ounces throughout the day, I was only getting drops. My baby was also very fussy and uncomfortable.
The panic lead me right back down the path to eating oatmeal along with some other higher carbohydrate foods. Then, boom. My milk supply was right back to where it was before within 24 hours.
How to successfully start keto while breastfeeding without losing milk supply
I decided to give my milk supply some time to get established, waiting until I was 8 weeks postpartum to begin another attempt at going keto. During these four weeks I researched like crazy, and ready every single published article, forum and even a few books I could get my hands on.
I learned, from all of the information I gathered, that the most important keys to success when switching over to keto while breastfeeding are 1. staying on top of your electrolytes (not powerade zero, either), 2. tracking your calories to make sure you’re getting enough, 3. drinking the right amount of water…not too little not too much, and 4. to transition slowly.
1. Electrolytes are not optional when starting keto diet while breastfeeding
When you’re on the keto diet, it is extremely important to replenish lost electrolytes since your body is no longer storing these key nutrients the way it would on a carb-heavy diet. Supplementation is required for sodium (I used pink salt), magnesium (like Calm or Malate) and potassium (I highly recommend the citrate powder).
Every person is different, so I can’t tell you exactly how much of each your body needs, but based on my findings and what worked best for my body was to follow the chart below.
In addition to electrolytes, I also supplemented with sunflower lecithin to help with clogged ducts — this can be a major problem for some women, as your milk gets thicker and fattier when you are eating higher fats.
2. Track your calories to be sure you are eating enough
As my body gets into ketosis, I almost completely lose my appetite. The fats work well as suppressing your appetite, so it can be a bit of a challenge in the beginning to be sure you’re eating enough. I downloaded an app to track my macros and watch my caloric consumption for the day to be sure that I was getting at least 80g protein, and 1600 calories. Again, this can vary tremendously from person-to-person, but for my 5’1″ frame, this is how my body runs best.
3. Water, water, water
To be successful on the keto diet while breastfeeding, water is essential for milk production. I made sure to drink the same number of ounces of my body weight/day. So if you weigh 120lb, your goal should be 120oz of water/day. It’s important to note that electrolytes should be supplemented, however! If you’re only drinking water but not supplementing with electrolytes, all your electrolytes will get flushed out.
4. Transition to keto while breastfeeding slowly
Depending on how many grams of carbs per day you consume, this process can take some time. It did for me, anyway. But this is vital to ensure that your milk supply is unaffected. I allowed myself a week to transition into ketosis by slowly lowering my daily intake of carbs. I started at 140 grams/day, so you could see how it could take someone longer depending on their daily carb intake.
In addition to slowly lowering my carb intake (which took me about a week total), I added 1Tbs MCT oil (to help my liver produce ketones, even though I was not following a ketogenic diet) to my coffee.
My experience with the new approach to keto while breastfeeding
After implementing these 4 changes from that of my first shot at going keto while breastfeeding, I was able to successfully produce milk while being in ketosis. I will say, the first 6 days of being in true ketosis I did notice a decrease in my milk supply, but it was insignificant. I was able to keep my baby comfortable — I just wasn’t stashing away as much as I had been before.
After the first week, my supply was actually better than it was before. I’m able to store an average of 10oz per day since transitioning to keto, and the milk seems much more dense.
How my baby has responded to my dietary changes while breastfeeding
My baby has responded very well since switching to the keto diet while breastfeeding. She seems to stay satisfied much longer than before, and is sleeping better through the night. She has also been my best weight gainer so far. She jumped from the 8th percentile to the 55th percentile. My other babies who were breastfed with me following the standard american diet all struggled to gain weight.
I would love to hear from you and your experience to going keto while breastfeeding! Please comment below with how your transition went, or feel free to message me personally if you have any questions! I look forward to hearing from you all!
I recently delivered my fourth and final little babe a little under 3 months ago — our little Lola, or Lolita as we call her. The pregnancy was unique, because unlike my first three healthy pregnancies, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes around the 20 week mark. Fortunately I found a book that helped me with a keto diet for gestational diabetes so I wasn’t thrown on insulin right away.
First pregnancy to fail glucose tolerance test
When I failed my glucose tolerance test at 20 weeks, I was pretty devastated. I was shocked, to be honest. For the adult part of my life, I have eaten very healthy, with the occasional carb indulgence, so the diagnosis of gestational diabetes, or GDM, caught me off guard.
My OB/gyn gave me the opportunity to explore dietary options before getting put on insulin, as long as my fasting glucose level remained lower than 95. I found Lily Nichols book, Real Food for Pregnancy, which was SO enlightening and helpful in helping keep those glucose numbers down. From weeks 20 to 33, my fasting and postprandial (or glucose number post-meal) numbers were right on track.
Even though I hadn’t been indulging in gobs of sugar and other refined carbohydrates early on in my pregnancy, just the small amount I was consuming was enough to throw my glucose numbers off enough to alarm my doctor. The low carb keto diet turned things around for me though, keeping glucose numbers low enough for a safe pregnancy.
The glucose problem was only with my fasting numbers
When I hit 34 weeks, I was struggling with my fasting glucose numbers again. I was waking up to numbers ranging from 105-110 (I was using my own device to check my numbers) even though I was following the ketogenic diet and consuming no sugar. My placenta was to blame for this — the further along you get in your pregnancy, the more insulin resistant you become.
Gestational Diabetes was keto diet controlled for most of my pregnancy, but not all
My doctor made the decision to put me on insulin, which needed to be done even though I wasn’t crazy about the idea, when the keto diet alone could not control my blood sugars and keep them in the optimal range. He prescribed the lowest dose, and just this small amount of insulin kept my fasting glucose levels in the safe range for the duration of my pregnancy.
Although the keto diet alone was not enough to control my gestational diabetes throughout the entire pregnancy, I am 100% certain it helped tremendously! I would have needed insulin much earlier in the pregnancy had I not switched the whole foods diet that Lily Nichols suggests for pregnancy.
Hey fellow mamas, and welcome to The Momma Llama! I’m Courtney Bishop aka The Momma Llama!
Just a little about who I am–I am a stay at home momma to four littles, ages 6 and under. They are truly the biggest blessings in my life. I am also a proud Army wife, with a marriage I could have only dreamed about.
My kiddos are all very young–ages 6, 4, 2 and 3 months–so trust me when I say I know that momma life ain’t easy! I have a kindergartener, a preschooler, a very energetic toddler (who loves coloring with crayons on surfaces they don’t belong), and an infant. Being a momma is absolutely the busiest job in the entire world, and it’s hard to remember how grand the payoff is in the end. But it’s the most rewarding job of all time.
I decided to start this blog to talk about all things momma. I hope you will see this content as a resource, commongrounds, a place to vent, where you will find inspiration, and most importantly, a place where you feel the freedom to share your experiences as well.
My hobbies include running, nutrition, working out (especially on my Peloton since I don’t have much time for the gym anymore, woot woot!), crafting, and soaking in a borderline scalding bathtub with lavender flavored bath bombs…mmm. Although I spend much less time getting to enjoy these things, I make it a point to squeeze them in regularly because it’s so important to relax and refresh.
The blogs I will post will let you in a little deeper into my life. I will post everything about mom life–always in complete honesty, even when that’s hard to do. I truly look forward to hearing your feedback, and learning from each of the seasoned momma’s as well!
