I love, love, love Pinterest. I'm always on the search for new, easy and delicious recipes that I can make for my family. As much as I love to cook, I also prefer to cook only once or twice a week. So, my strategy is to cook in bulk so I can freeze the extras for easy weekday meals. Does this mean I never have take out? No! But, it sure as hell eliminates the amount of time we do order out, because a healthy meal is only a microwave minute away. (Yes, I am working on using the microwave less but, I pick my battles!)
Over Labor Day weekend, we hosted my sisters and their families (10 people!) so I decided to make pancakes using a gluten-free pancake recipe I've been holding onto for a while. I substituted in some of my staples; quinoa flour + coconut oil and the result was delicious! A few days later, I took out the ingredients, quadrupled the recipe and stocked my freezer.
On busy mornings in our house, I reach in the freezer, throw these pancakes in the toaster for one or two rounds and BOOM, we have a healthy breakfast for the kiddos in no time! Serve with a side of fresh berries and DONE. I love Nature's Path Chia Plus - Quinoa and Amaranth Waffles from Whole Foods but my wallet loves these pancakes more!
Over Labor Day weekend, we hosted my sisters and their families (10 people!) so I decided to make pancakes using a gluten-free pancake recipe I've been holding onto for a while. I substituted in some of my staples; quinoa flour + coconut oil and the result was delicious! A few days later, I took out the ingredients, quadrupled the recipe and stocked my freezer.
On busy mornings in our house, I reach in the freezer, throw these pancakes in the toaster for one or two rounds and BOOM, we have a healthy breakfast for the kiddos in no time! Serve with a side of fresh berries and DONE. I love Nature's Path Chia Plus - Quinoa and Amaranth Waffles from Whole Foods but my wallet loves these pancakes more!
Coconutty Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, roughly processed
1/2 cup quinoa flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (plus a little more for pan)
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
3 tablespoons organic honey (buy local - so delicious and free from preservatives!)
1 cup milk (I used almond), room temperature
Preparation:
In a medium-sized bowl, place the processed oats, the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil, eggs, honey and milk, whisking to combine each separately. Continue to whisk until very well combined. The batter should be thick but thin enough to pour. (As you'll see in the picture, I made mine a bit on the thicker side).
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and brush with a teaspoon of the coconut oil. Pour the pancake batter into the hot skillet in rounds, 3-4 at a time. Bubbles will begin to break through the surface from the underside and you'll know they are ready to be flipped. Carefully flip them over and press down on the cooked side with a wide spatula. Since the pancakes cooked most of the way through before being flipped, you will need only a minute or two to finish on the other side.
Brush the skillet with more coconut oil and begin the next round. If you are serving a large quantity at once, you can keep cooked pancakes warm on a platter in the oven at 200 degrees. Or, if you are going to freeze the extras, place pancakes on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, place in a tupperware in the refrigerator. After about an hour in the refrigerator, transfer the pancakes to a large ziplock freezer bag, squeeze out the extra air, seal and pop in the freezer. Tip: Make sure to label and write the date cooked - use within 6 months for optimal freshness!
I advocate finding recipes that sound good to you then swapping out ingredients to fit YOUR tastes. There can be some trial and error with this process as some substitutions just DON'T work! But, I find that this process makes me more proficient in the kitchen and the more recipes I make my own...the more I cook and the less we eat out!
ENJOY!
- Jessica, Founder of Be PowerFULL
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