This morning I decided to treat myself to my favourite sweet paleo breakfast. Before starting paleo I always preferred sweet breakfasts (oatmeal, muffins, ice cream) unless I was hungover. Since switching to paleo, I've found that I usually go for something salty now - eggs and pork. Since I discovered two ingredient pancakes, however, I was making them for breakfast as a treat once per week. They're pretty easy, insanely customizable, and very tasty. Even though they use whole30 friendly ingredients, they are not allowed:
"In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices. Trying to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold will ruin your program faster than you can say, “Paleo pizza.” This means no desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—no coconut-flour pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your 30 days! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely."
See? pancakes are mentioned specifically in the rules...but since my whole30 is now over for real, and because it's a holiday today, I made myself a huge mound of blueberry pancakes. Here's how:
Ultra Fluffy Two Ingredient Paleo Pancakes
serves one
1 Banana
two large eggs, separated
butter or coconut oil
optional: vanilla, cinnamon, blueberries (fresh or frozen), nuts, chocolate chips, maple syrup, honey. These ones were topped with maple cashew butter (mix equal parts cashew butter and maple syrup)
Directions: Pre-heat a skillet to medium (or medium-low if your stove runs hot)
peel the banana and place into a food processor or blender with the egg yolks and flavouring of choice (I used a splash of vanilla in the pictured pancakes). Blend until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites into soft peaks using a hand blender. Fold in the yolk mixture. Add your fat of choice to the pan and spoon your pancakes in.
Important notes for success with these pancakes:
-make them small. They are delicate since they don't contain flour. They should only be about 3" in diameter. I use a 1/4cup measure to potrion them out. This recipe should yield about 12 small pancakes.
-it's not necessary to whip the whites. You can add the eggs whole into the blender with the banana, but they will be much more flat. Still tasty though.
-be patient. They cook a little slowly, but they're worth the wait. You want them golden on the outside and cooked through. They will be very moist and tender.
And now for my thoughts upon (nearly) completing a whole30. First thing's first - I think it's a great program and totally worth it. If you're someone who's nutrition is questionable and suffers from inflammation, poor sleep, bad skin, fatigue, and food intolerances a whole30 will likely, as it claims, change your life. As for it's effects on me, I didn't have so many physical effects. My diet was always decent, even before going paleo. I made most meals at home and wasn't too dependent on bread and other starches (though eating a 85-90% vegetarian diet meant that my intake was still mostly carbs). Switching to paleo was when I noticed most of the physical benefits - better sleep, better energy levels and weight loss. I lost four pounds doing whole30, but other than that I didn't notice any significant changes. The benefits for me were mainly mental. This month I've run a new personal record every week. I've been able to eat less healthy foods responsibly and without guilt. I've also embraced new ingredients and recipes, and impressed myself and friends with some of the meals pictured on this blog. I've also committed to buying meat from responsible sources - a local butcher with a map on the wall of all the Ontario farms they source their organic and grassfed meat from. Because I live with a vegetarian (who is so for moral reasons) it's nice to know that at I'm supporting (with my money and my belly) farms that are doing right by their livestock.
Long story short? Even though the whole30 and I had our ups and downs this month I think it's great and helped me re-think the food I eat. It was a positive experience that I'll likely do again (I'm thinking October?). And as for this blog, I'll keep posting. I may not continue taking pics of every scrambled egg I eat, but when I try a new recipe or make something special I'll share. And that's it for now. Enjoy the long weekend! And Happy Canada Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment