Two Ingredient Banana Pancakes

Tonight I tried Brussels sprouts for the first time since my early teens... and liked them. I am now quite convinced that my mother just did something terrible to them (but don't tell her I said that). I've now successfully written off sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts from my very short list of Foods I Loathe. Yay!  Coconut is still a work in progress... I will now consider it tolerable, though likely never desirable. It's amazing how essential coconut is to Paleo living! I go through coconut oil like no one's business. It's useful for cooking, baking, coffee and moisturizer, just to name a few. 

Coconut oil coffee has become a favorite of mine. Fortunately, it tastes not-at-all coconutty when blended into a cup of coffee. Think I'm crazy? I swear it's a thing! The benefits of coconut oil coffee are many. Coconut oil is essentially pure fat, so a tablespoon is a great morning boost of fuel, not just the caffeine fuel, but pure ketogenic energy. Are you into intermittent fasting? Some IF proponents believe that consuming small amounts of fats while fasting helps maintain energy and reduce the mid-fast brain fog without pulling one out of fasted state since there are no proteins or carbs for the body to process. Coconut oil is also high in MCTs, which are... good for you. Google it, don't just believe me.  

Anyway, 1-2 tablespoons in a cup of coffee lends a flavor very similar to cream in your coffee. The key is to blend it. Otherwise, you risk an oil slick on the surface of your coffee, a less than pleasant texture. Eiw. If you want to give it a try, go easy on the coconut oil to start, it can really mess with your digestion. I've worked my way up to about 1.5 tablespoons in my morning brew. 

Mmm, all this is making me think about breakfast. Now I want pancakes. Maybe I'll have pancakes tomorrow! No, it's not cheating, shush. At least the pancakes I'm likely to make aren't. Ready for this? They have TWO ingredients. I hope you like bananas...

Two Ingredient Banana Pancakes

2 eggs

1 ripe banana

Mash the banana in a bowl thoroughly, crack eggs into the bowl and mix well. Alternative option is to put the ingredients in a blender. I've found this leads to a much smoother consistency and thinner pancake. Optional additions: vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate chips...

Warm cooking oil of choice (here's the perfect spot for some coconut oil!) in a skillet over medium heat. Add small dollops of batter to make medallion size pancakes. When edges turn brown and crisp, they are ready to flip. 

Top with almond butter, fruit or real maple syrup if you want it extra sweet!

 

The less pretty ones are an example of what happens if you attempt to make crepe size cakes...

They were delicious anyway! See?  Mmm, almond butter and puréed strawberries. 

Happy eats!

Best meal of the day

My favorite meal is seriously breakfast. I sometimes skip it now because I try to eat only when I'm genuinely hungry and I'd rather just sip on my coconut oil coffee (more on that another time), but I still love how many things you can throw together for a complete, filling breakfast in 5-10 minutes. Since going Paleo(ish), it's opened up even more. Eggs are not a requirement for breakfast, it's really just another meal to eat whatever you can to get your essential proteins and fats. That being said, I love eggs. Breakfast today was a simple American staple: scrambled eggs and bacon. Mmm. Of course, I toss the toast and add in some avocado for an extra dose of delicious and filling.

Yum. 0 to breakfast in 10 minutes. Of course, sipping my coffee the whole time, so that 10 is not at all a waste. The one thing I do miss is eating out for breakfast, but that became difficult on the day I discovered I had to go dairy free. My favorite breakfast place mixes their fantastic home fries with butter first thing in the morning, so I can never enjoy them again (it's ok, I can make some fantastic and simple sweet potato home fries instead).  I mean, I can eat out for breakfast, I just have to be choosy.  Why go out for a simpler, less creative version of the same thing I can make at home?  Although, once I accept the fact that omelets can be just as delicious without cheese, it'd be nice to have someone make them for me.

In case you didn't know, eggs are super easy to make without whisking with milk first. In fact, I crack and whisk mine right in the pan with the heat on. There are tutorials I've found on making the perfectly fluffy scrambles that mimic what you would see mixed with milk, but I never liked those much anyway. 

Simple scrambled eggs

Eggs

Fat for frying (you choose: bacon fat, olive oil, coconut)

Heat a thin layer of fat or oil in a pan at medium low heat. Crack eggs directly into pan and begin stirring with a (preferably rubber or silicon) spatula. Add spices to taste (salt, pepper, cayenne, you choose!) and continue stirring. Stir consistently as eggs begin to cook. Adding some water at this point may help you achieve the fluffy texture, but going without just means you are more likely to get the folded texture similar to omelet. 

When eggs are fully set, remove from heat, top with whatever your heart desires (my favorite is fresh guacamole) and nom. 

How do you breakfast?

Amazing chia seed pudding

Today I discovered chia seed pudding. I don't mean discovered as in "woah, never heard of that before", I mean mind blowing, personal discovery of delicious. Seriously, I forgive yogurt from ever betraying me, simply because it don't need its ungrateful self anymore.
Once upon a time, on one of the many paleo and/or health and/or dairy free sites I frequent, I found mention of chia seed pudding... For breakfast.  Pudding for breakfast? Say no more, I want it! I finally got ahold of some chia seeds at my grocery store (mind you, they are not hard to find, I'm just forgetful) and surfed around the many recipes to find the RIGHT one.  But, they are pretty much all the same, so screw that. Of course, cursing, I also realized I forgot to restock my almond milk (my recent replacement for soy milk when I realized its just BETTER), but I was determined to have it for breakfast tomorrow... Well, today...
So I busted out a dreaded can of full fat coconut milk (I hate coconut, but I am necessarily forcing myself to overcome that) and mixed it up in a jar and tucked it away until now. Omgosh, delicious in a bowl. Pretty, too!

It was so good, I almost forgot to drink my coffee... Almost. 

Here's the recipe:

1 cup milk (cow, almond, soy, full fat or light coconut, etc)

1/3 cup chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple syrup/honey/other sweetener (optional)

To do:

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl or jar. Do not blend the chia seeds. If you use a blender, stir them in after. 

Cover and refrigerate 5 hours to overnight. 

Add in any extra tasties you wish and nom!

Easy, huh? Next time, I think I'll add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder and feel like I'm really being naughty for breakfast. Mwahaha. 

Using the full fat coconut milk made it come out super thick. Like, stick a spoon upright thick. You don't see me complaining, but I'm eager to compare once my almond milk is back where it belongs in my fridge. 

Happy eats!