PBJ Pancakes and Crepes

Need a healthy pancake recipe that works for everyone? 

The consistency is like your traditional pancake and crepe...

but it has some secrets.

IT IS REFINED-SUGAR

REFINED-FLOUR

AND GLUTEN FREE!

This recipe is great because it makes pancakes or crepes.

You can of course use the batter for any style pancakes like chocolate chip, banana walnut, or apple cinnamon. The crepes can also be stuffed with banana and homemade Nutella, strawberries and chocolate sauce, or anything you wish!

Ingredients:

(makes 1 serving)

• 1/4 cup gluten-free oat bran (or oat flour *pulse oats in a food processor or magic bullet for a flour consistency)
• 1 egg
• 1 small banana
• 1 tbs ground flax seed, optional
• 2 tbs or 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• blueberries (fresh or frozen), optional
• nut butter of choice, optional
• coconut oil or butter, for greasing the pan
• (you can also add in a tsp of cinnamon and/or vanilla extract to your batter if you would like)

Directions:

• combine all ingredients in a blender of food processor to get a smooth consistency 
• (***** if you are not using a blender or processor, be sure to smash the banana really well before mixing it into the batter - a fork will do the trick - *you may want to peel it and slice it first, and maybe warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave in a separate bowl to make it easier*)
• Add 2 tbs of milk for pancake batter OR
• Add 1/4 cup of milk for crepe batter
• if the batter seems too thick, it may be because you used a larger banana - just add more milk until it reaches the consistency of the batter you need 

• heat a skillet on the stove and grease with butter or coconut oil 
• pour batter onto greased skillet into desired pancake or crepe size
• optional: if making traditional style blueberry pancakes*** top with blueberries now, but I do not recommend adding to crepe batter because the batter is so thin and will not flip easily with heavy blueberries
• flip when golden brown on the bottom and tiny bubbles start to form on the top
• cook other side until golden brown and remove from heat
• top with nut butter of choice and blueberries! (of course you can still go the traditional butter and syrup route - I also like a dollop of yogurt if they're just blueberry)

• For melted nut butter sauce - mix nut butter with hot water until desired consistency (can also heat up in the microwave or stove top)
• For blueberry sauce - I heated frozen berries in the microwave ;) but you can also use the stove top and add some maple syrup to make it sweeter if you would like
• For the crepes: stuff with fresh blueberries/blueberry sauce and/or nut butter before rolling and topping

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes (Nut Free)

I have a confession to make: this is the SAME recipe as my delicious butternut squash pancakes... but with a special twist. 

THEY'RE PUMPKIN.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 tbs coconut flour
• 1 tbs maple syrup (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (feel free to add more if you just love the spice like me)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbs butter, ghee, or coconut oil for greasing the pan

Obviously pumpkins were made just for pancakes.

Directions:

1. Mix eggs, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl
2. In a separate bowl combine coconut flour, cinnamon, pie spice, baking soda, and salt
3. Whisk the bowl of dry ingredients with the wet and let sit while preparing the skillet
4. Melt 1 tbs of coconut oil, butter, or ghee on a skillet over medium heat and coat the pan
5. Turn the heat to medium high and pour pancake batter into desired sized pancakes on the skillet (cook for about 1 minute)
6. Lower heat to medium/ medium low and **DO NOT FLIP** until the bottom of the pancakes are firm and light brown in color (should take about 3 minutes & you should see tiny bubbles start to appear on the top) - patience is very important in this step
7. Once flipped, cook until light brown on bottom and done in the center, then remove from pan
8. Making sure there is enough oil on your pan to prevent sticking, continue to make pancakes with the rest of the pancake batter, adjusting the heat as necessary
9. Top with whatever makes your morning! (options: maple syrup, almond butter, banana slices, grass fed yogurt, honey, cinnamon, etc.)

*****leftovers freeze well wrapped in plastic and toast up great for easy breakfasts!

Psssssst. I like to top mine with plain greek yogurt for added protein and then dip them into crunchy almond butter. Adding a bite of cinnamon bananas to the end of my pancake filled fork is always a welcomed breakfast!

Butternut Squash Pancakes

Hold Up. 

Before you freak out and say:

"Butternut squash pancakes?!" 

YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE.

I mean in all respects, it's pretty much the exact same thing as having pumpkin pancakes...
and I'm sure you don't have to look too hard to find a million delicious recipes for those (including mine here hehe). So, do yourself a favor and make something glorious for your morning groggy self!

Ingredients:

(serves about 1, 2 or 3 - how hungry are you ;) ?) 

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup of canned butternut squash puree
• 3 tbs coconut flour
• 1 tbs maple syrup (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (feel free to add more if you just love the spice like me)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbs butter, ghee, or coconut oil for greasing the pan

Directions: 

*Check out my post for the pumpkin version of these for a step by step tutorial with pictures here.

1. Mix eggs, butternut squash, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl
2. In a separate bowl combine coconut flour, cinnamon, pie spice, baking soda, and salt
3. Whisk the bowl of dry ingredients with the wet and let sit while preparing the skillet
4. Melt 1 tbs of coconut oil, butter, or ghee on a skillet over medium heat and coat the pan
5. Turn the heat to medium high and pour pancake batter into desired sized pancakes on the skillet, cook for about one minute
6. Lower heat to medium/ medium low and **DO NOT FLIP** until the bottom of the pancakes are firm and light brown in color (about 3 minutes & you should see tiny bubbles start to appear on the top) - patience is very important in this step
7. Once flipped, cook until light brown on bottom and done in the center, then remove from pan
8. Making sure there is enough oil on your pan to prevent sticking, continue to make pancakes with the rest of the pancake batter, adjusting the heat as necessary ---by the way leftovers freeze well wrapped in plastic and toast up great in a toaster oven
9. Top with whatever makes your morning! (options: maple syrup, almond butter, banana slices, grass fed yogurt, honey, cinnamon, etc.)

Psssssst. I like to top mine with plain greek yogurt for added protein and then dip them into crunchy almond butter. Adding a bite of cinnamon bananas to the end of my pancake filled fork is always a welcomed breakfast!

The Typical Breakfast

Breakfasts are my way of making sure I start the day off right. They are what literally keep me balanced.

My Advice:  

Find a breakfast routine that works for you! (and follows your dietary needs) It does not have to follow exactly what I do, but it is a great idea to have a go-to healthy meal that is easy to reach for and keeps you satisfied until lunch.

I pretty much eat the same thing everyday, although I may throw in a few healthy pancakes, a smoothie, some additional smoked salmon to my eggs, or an omelette once in a while to change it up.

                        

The typical breakfast is:

• 2 soft boiled eggs (Learn how to make them here)

• 1 slice of toasted Ezekiel Sprouted Bread (sesame is my favorite - *not gluten free)

• 1/4 of a ripe avocado, mashed on the toast

• Veggies, steamed or sautéed in coconut oil (spinach, zuchinni, arugula, collard greens, swiss chard, mushrooms, onions - always includes something green)

• Top it all off with cracked pepper, and maybe some sea salt or hot sauce 

On the side I always have one cup of french pressed coffee (because I love it!) and maybe a half of a grapefruit, berries, or some kind of fruit depending on how hungry I am.