Raspberry Stuffed Pancakes

You'd never guess that I liked pancakes! I almost didn't post a recipe for pancakes today, but then realised that would just be odd since it's Shrove Tuesday!

These are a little more time consuming than some of the other recipes I have posted, but they're still actually really simple to make.

For the pancakes:

• 3 eggs 
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milled flax seed
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp vanilla whey protein (or sub for ground almonds)
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Whisk all the ingredients together until combined and frothy. 

Set aside for 10 minutes. This allows the batter to thicken slightly, and gives you time to make the filling. 

NOTE: As you make the filling, preheat the oven to 170d. Place a non stick bun tray into the oven to allow it  to heat up. 

Raspberry filling:

• 75g frozen raspberries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp water

Place the raspberries into a small saucepan. 

Bring to the boil before reducing the heat. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes until the mixture has thickened. 

Set aside to cool slightly. 

To bake the pancakes:

Remove the hot bun tray from the oven. 

Immediately pour 1 tbsp of batter into each hole. 

Top with 1 tsp of raspberry filling.

Finally pour 1 tbsp of batter over the top. 

Place back in the oven for 3-4 minutes at 170d. (All ovens vary so just keep an eye on them... they should be just firm & puffed up. If you over-bake, they will be chewy and dry) 

The pancakes will pop out of the the tray really easily. Serve with hot chocolate sauce 

Chocolate Cheesecake Pancakes....

It seems like every Tuesday has turned into Pancake Tuesday in my house! I'm not a fan of the word "obsession", but I have an obsession with pancakes lately. Every time I go into the supermarket, there they are... smelling amazing and trying to tempt me. They even have mini pancakes to sample... so it's not even a big one... a small one can't hurt right??.... Realistically, probably not... but I'm super stubborn & grains really make me feel horrible so I'd prefer to make them at home.. 

When I make food like this, it's a meal not a snack... so I think about it in such a way when I'm deciding on ingredients.... the key things it needs.... lots of protein & fats and it has to taste YUM! The empty calories you'll take in from eating junk food don't serve to help your nutrition and health goals.... when I eat, I make sure the calories come from quality foods. 

For the pancakes:

• 2 eggs
• 50g full fat cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Using a hand blender, mix all the ingredients together until frothy & well combined. 

Melt a little coconut oil on a pan and allow the pan to heat up.

Pour large spoonfuls of batter onto the pan. 

Once tiny bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, they are ready to turn. 

These pancakes are really tasty. They're light and chocolatey all at the same time... and the protein 'fluff' ice cream makes them extra tasty! 

Just in case you thought I'd completely succumbed to temptation... I didn't buy caramel sauce in the supermarket! I added 2 tsp of Keen Almond butter to 1 tsp of coconut milk & brought to a boil in a saucepan.... lower heat, stir constantly and watch it thicken into a really tasty sauce! :) 

Coconut Pancakes

I posted a photo of these pancakes on the Facebook page yesterday and they got lots of attention.... Thing is, I had them for lunch. How can you eat pancakes for lunch when your goal is fat loss??

Well... it's pretty simply! First of all these pancakes are full of fantastic ingredients which won't affect your goals. They're high fat & protein and low carb...Secondly, and most importantly, I'm smart about it.... if I have something like this for lunch that's a little high on the calorie side, you can be sure that the rest of my meals are planned with this in mind. I'm not for one second suggesting that you should eat pancakes every day of the week.... BUT if you're going to, make it these beauties :) 

For the pancakes:

• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut milk (or full fat cow's milk) 
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 scoop protein powder of your choice (usually approx 25g)
• 1 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp baking powder

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl until light & fluffy. 

The mixture will be quite runny at this stage, so you need to put it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, but it takes a few minutes to do this & give you a thick pancake batter. 

While you're waiting.... you can make the most amazing topping for pancakes ever...Frozen raspberry fluff!! 

For the fluff (can't believe I'm calling it fluff but hey... it tastes good!)..

• 60g frozen raspberries 
• 1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla whey protein)
• 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt

Blend together in a food processor/using a hand blender & watch it form a frothy pink fluff! 

By now your pancakes will be ready to cook, so pop the fluff into the freezer until you need it to keep it like frozen yoghurt... 

To cook the pancakes: 

Simple cooking at it's best... 

Melt a little coconut oil in a frying pan, drop large spoonfuls of the batter onto the hot oil. 

Don't attempt to flip the pancakes until you see little air bubbles on the surface of the pancakes. This means the underside is cooked. 

To assemble your mountain of pancakes:

Take your frozen yoghurt from the freezer. It will have solidified slightly at this stage. You can use a stick blender to break up any ice crystals that have formed. 

Simple really... a pancake, a layer of fluff & repeat.... 

Watch the warm pancakes melt the fluff slightly....Yum! 

Drizzle the top of the mountain with the remaining fluff. 

To decorate, I drizzled with a teaspoon of Keen Almond Butter, some flaked coconut & a raspberry. 

It took serious self control to have the patience to take photos before devouring these!! While it's a real treat to have something like this... there's lot of healthy fats from the coconut, eggs & Greek Yoghurt, and they're a great protein source....

YUM!