Sunday, October 7, 2012

Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I've recently (30 days ago on Monday!) started the Paleo lifestyle ("diet" - though this is a change in how I eat forever, so I don't like to call it a diet). Basically, eating Paleo means you eat the items that would've been available to cavepeople back in the day. No grains, no sugar, no legumes (though I sometimes cheat there!), some also do no dairy or dairy products. You'll also strive to eat grassfed meats and only use grassfed dairy products. You strive to eat organic fruits and vegetables. When I first considered Paleo about 6 months ago, my head just about exploded thinking about it. It was beyond me to comprehend eating like this. Now, though, it is EASY. Way easier than eating conventionally and trying to be healthy. My meals look like this, for the most part:

I'd seen the recipe floating around for 1 banana + 2 eggs = pancakes. I'd tried it. It was good, but it was not pancakes. So I tweaked and altered until I came up with something that is still easy, still Paleo, and tastes/feels like pancakes. 

What you'll need:
2 eggs (organic, free range, preferably local)
1 medium banana
2 Tbs Almond Meal
2 Tbs Coconut Flour
1 Tbs Flaxseed Meal
1 Tbs *Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (if wanted)

This recipe is pretty forgiving. If you only have coconut on hand, just use coconut. I've added a TBS of Almond Butter instead of Almond Meal and that was also really good. Also all of these flours/meals can be made at home with a food processor (or I use my Magic Bullet with the flat blades on it <<-- Magic Bullet always sounds like a vibrator to me). 

Mix everything except the chocolate chips in a blender. Add chocolate chips and stir by hand. 

These pancakes cook differently than conventional pancakes. They do not bubble and they burn more easily. I turn my burner to about a 5 (medium heat) and let the pan get hot, then turn it down to a 2 (low heat) and add coconut oil or butter. Once it is melted in there, drop batter into the pan by the heaping tablespoon. 

Let them sit until they are puffy (they will rise a litte) and looked cooked on the bottom half (ie not runny), then flip them. They will not bubble like conventional pancakes. I leave mine about 4-5 minutes on the first side. 

Leave them another 2-5 minutes on the 2nd side, and then remove from the pan to a plate. These are excellent with maple syrup, or copy me and add a little all fruit strawberry jelly to the top for a chocolate-strawberry pancake - YUM!

Even the baby likes them! 

I added these to Myfitnesspal as "Paleo banana chocolate chip pancakes". It makes 8-9 total. 4 fill me up, but even if you eat the whole batch, it's not that horrible calorie wise, which brings us to another reason I love Paleo - I don't have to track calories. I tracked for a week and it was pretty near impossible for me to get over 1300 calories a day. Good enough for me!
Here's the nutritional Info:

I'd love to hear how yours turn out, too!