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January 23, 2013

Life Lessons from a 7-Year-Old. (Bonus: Gluten-Free Pancake Recipe) ~ Sherry Edwards

Source: weheartit.com via Amy on Pinterest

While teaching a private class, my student’s daughter decided to join in for the closing sequence.

After savasana, I asked the mom and daughter to think about things for which that they were grateful.

The little girl said out loud, “Pancakes!”

It’s amazing how much you learn from children. They remind us not to take ourselves so seriously and that the little things in life should also be appreciated. The Vedantasa Hindu philosophy based on the doctrines of the Upanishads—teach us that desire causes suffering. Therefore, the less desire we have, the less suffering we have to endure.

If we stop to appreciate all that we have, whether it be those in our lives, the positive and negative experiences we’ve lived through or even the little insignificant things like pancakes, we might begin to appreciate life more.

Unfortunately, we always want something more, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when you set yourself goals. The desires we have in life could either make us or break us. Let’s remind ourselves of how to use them to our advantage instead of falling into their trap of unhappiness.

As we enter another year, let’s make realistic goals and move toward them. Allow yourself time to complete those goals and accept the results that they yield. At the same time, accept the things that cannot be changed: wanting the impossible will do nothing more than cause more heartache.

Let’s look forward with positivity and only look back to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come and, most importantly, acknowledge our achievements—no matter how small.

Finally, to close with the theme that began this article, I thought I’d include a pancake recipe I used to make for my son. I am a celiac, so I never use wheat in my cooking. In this recipe, I have replaced normal flour with organic spelt flour, which gives it a nice nutty flavor. However, if you are more intolerant to gluten than I am, you can always use almond flour, which tastes just as nice, but may not react exactly the same as grains.

Healthy and Tasty Protein Pancakes:

>> 3 organic large eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten

>> 1 cup organic cottage cheese

>>1/4 tsp vanilla extract

>> 1/8 cup xylitol or erythritol (these are natural sweeteners that do not have the same harmful effects as sugar)

>> 1/3 cup organic spelt flour

>> 1/4 tsp baking powder

>> 1/8 tsp sea salt

>> A few dashes cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until peaks form.

2. In a separate mixing bowl stir together egg yolks, cottage cheese, vanilla, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

3. Heat pan, use a little ghee or coconut oil and make them in small batches, flipping when they begin to bubble.

4. Serve with maple syrup or honey and a handful of berries you love!

{Editor’s note: Spelt is not a gluten free grain. Please use caution if you have Celiac disease or a wheat allergy.}

 

Sherry Edwards lives in the UK with her loving husband and son. Before moving to the UK, she worked as a TV presenter and actress while teaching yoga part-time at Absolute Yoga. Connect with Sherry at her website.

 

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Asst. Ed: Amy Cushing
Ed: Brianna Bemel

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