French Toast Sticks

I have been seriously craving french toast. Like every time I see bread, I want to buy it, and make french toast out of the entire loaf.

 

So this morning, I woke up with the idea that I would just make my own loaf of bread, and then turn in into french toast. And I did exactly that.

 

I made a SUPER simple coconut and tapioca flour bread. It didn't fluff like some breads do, so it turned out to be perfect for french toast sticks!

 

Which, in my opinion, are even more delicious.

 

I wish I would have taken a picture of the bread before I turned it in to french toast, however, I did not. So you will just have to take my word on it, and the fact that it was perfectly golden and delicious.

 

Once the bread was done, I let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing it into sticks. Then I prepared the custard for the french toast.

 

Preheat your oven to 350.

 

Dip each stick into the custard, for 30 seconds on each side. Then place them onto a greased cookie sheet.

 

 

Once each stick is dipped, place it on the sheet, and put it back in the oven for about 10 minutes until crispy!

 

I also made a homemade syrup to go on top because I was out of my usual maple syrup. It was also super easy. I'll hook you up with the recipe below.

 

Enjoy. I promise these are the bomb.

 

 

Coconut-Tapioca Flour Bread recipe can be found here.

I subbed lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar, and baking soda for the cream of tartar.

 

French Toast Custard:

1C Vanilla Almond Milk

3 eggs

1-2 T Cinnamon

1t Vanilla

2T raw honey (melted in microwave)

 

Let sit for a couple minutes, and then begin the french toast process.

 

Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

 

Maple Syrup:

1/4C Molasses

1/2C Coconut Palm Sugar

1t Vanilla

6-8T of water

 

Let come to a boil over medium low heat, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Take off heat and stir in 1T of grassfed butter.

 

Oink, oink. Haylea

 



Donut Holes & Engagement (eek!)

I know. I have seriously been slacking getting this post up, and giving you all the amazing recipe from the donut holes I made on Easter morning. 

BUT, I have an amazing reason why!

While on Spring Break, I GOT ENGAGED! 

Ever since, it has been a crazy whirlwind of excitement and wedding talk, therefore leaving me no time to blog and hardly any time for baking *sad face* 

Although, I do love talking wedding. 

Almost as much as I love to cook. 

I had booked us a hotel in Chicago for a night, and had planned on spending two days walking around beautiful Chicago and eating at some tasty restaurants. My boyfriend (now finace :D ) had other plans. (And so did the weather)

*Here begins my engagement story...If you just want the recipe, scroll WAY down*

I always joke, but it never fails, whenever I plan to go somewhere in advance, the weather always turns out to really suck. Last week, it was beautiful in Chicago on Monday, but on Wednesday and Thursday, the forecast was a warm (joking) 45 and torrential downpours all Thursday. Awesome. 

So as we drove up, I was so bummed. Like trying to make the best of it, but on the inside I was bummed. I wanted to be able to walk around the beautiful parks without freezing. 

We had talked about going to some museums, but ultimately we chose to bundle up and walk through Millennium and Daley Park. 

Yup, I'm so glad we did this. 

Side rant: If you haven't seen or been to the new Daley Park and Playground, you are missing out on life. Go. Now. 

Fast-forward to us playing on the playground, and walking on the sidewalks along the park. We were just discussing how beautiful the skyline was at the spot where we were standing, when Marc asked if I wanted to make a memory.

Another side note: He has a history of joking about getting engaged and fake proposing. 

So, of course, I was like "hell no!" Let's keep walking. 

*He kneels down* 

"OMG. This is for real. Like you aren't joking?"

*Pull out ring box*

My inner self was screaming hysterically at this point, and I'm pretty sure I blacked out, and the world went silent, and whatever beautiful words he said, I didn't hear any of it. Not one word. 

I said, "YES!" 

And it was awesome. 

It turned out to be a really fun trip. We ate at Mercadito (best Mexican restaurant EVER, seriously), and had breakfast at Wildberry (again, amazeballs). And just like the weather forecast predicted, there was terrible thunderstorms Thursday morning, so we just hit the road. 

After all, I was engaged, and had to get home to start planning (not joking).  

And all of that, is why I am just now getting around to posting this DELICIOUS recipe. 

I found a version of this on a Keto Diet blog, but adapted it so that I didn't have to go to the store, and it turned out perfect! I can't wait to try some more donut holes in the future. 

Apple Fritter Donut Holes

• *1/2 cup coconut flour
• *2 tsp baking powder
• *2 Tbsp of UMP Vanilla Protein Powder (or any sort of vanilla protein you like)
• *1/2 t Chia Seeds 
• *10-15 drops of Sweet Leaf Drops 
• *2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• *1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• *1/4 tsp kosher salt
• *2 eggs (if you are allergic to eggs, you could also use applesauce, which would be perfect in this recipe)
• *2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• *1 Tbsp Grass-Fed Butter (or coconut oil) 
• *About 1 1/2 Apples diced into small pieces 

For the cinnamon sugar, I combined 4-5 Sweet Leaf Sweetener packets (not drops) with about a tablespoon of cinnamon.

Mix all the ingredients (except the apples) together with a hand mixer. The dough should be slightly sticky and firm enough to roll into a ball. Fold in apples. Roll into balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball. In a deep pot, heat coconut oil to approximately 275 degrees, so it is slightly bubbling. Drop balls into oil, cooking each side for about 2 minutes, then flip!

Take them out of the oil when they are golden brown, Toss them onto a paper plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. As soon as they are slightly cooled, roll then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. And enjoy!  

Oink, Oink! Haylea. 

Waffle Time

Before I started making pancakes, I was all about the waffles. Waffles give you more of that crispy crunch than pancakes do, and sometimes you just want to break out your waffle maker. And that's exactly what I did this weekend. 

I had been craving waffles all week, and after an exhausting weekend, I knew that was just what I needed. A BIG, DELICIOUS WAFFLE! 

When I opened up my fridge I was a tad devastated. No eggs and no regular almond milk. But, that just gave me the opportunity to get a little creative and crank out an egg free recipe. 

These waffles were perfectly crispy and delicious. They had a hint of cinnamon, and were just sweet enough, that they didn't even need any maple syrup or sauce, although I indulged in a spoonful. 

Since I was so happy with the way these turned out, I am going to share my recipe with you today! 

First, here a couple different egg substitutions. I used a mix of both. 

*Flax Egg: 1T of flax seed/ 3T water. Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes, just until it is a little gooey. 

*Applesauce: 1C should do the trick (I used unsweetened with cinnamon)

Recipe

• 1C Blanched Almond Flour* 
• 1/2C Arrowroot Powder
• 2T Coconut Flour
• 1T Baking Powder
• 1/3C Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1C (+2T if batter seems clumpy) Almond Milk 
• 1-2 T of choice sweetener (I used coconut palm sugar)
• 1C Applesauce
• 1 Flax Egg
• 1t Vanilla
• 2t Cinnamon
• Sprinkle of Salt 

Combine dry ingredients. Add in wet ingredients, and mix with stand (or hand) mixer until combined. Oil waffle maker with coconut oil, and spoon batter with 1/2C. Top these babies with your favorite stuff and DEVOUR. 

Since I didn't have regular almond milk, I used the Dark Chocolate Almond Milk, and it gave it the most subtle hint of chocolate. 

Also, I like to use Blanched Almond Flour, because it makes your waffle less grainy, but if you don't mind that texture, Almond Meal will work fine too. 

I topped mine with bananas! What is your favorite waffle topping?

Enjoy!

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

It's been like forever since I have posted, and I am SO sorry. I haven't made pancakes in nearly TWO WEEKS. How is that even possible?

I have been so busy (that's an understatement). 

I have been prepping for the maternity leave I am taking over for at the high school: AP Lit + English Honors = Mind Mush.

I have been working like crazy! Between school and the rec center, I don't have a life.

I have been prepping food every week for lunches and dinners, which leaves NO time for pancakes. 

But, this weekend, because I was obviously craving pancakes, I whipped up some chocolate protein pancakes. 

Super easy and simple. 

If you've got protein, you've got pancakes.

RECIPE:*

1/2 C Arrowroot Starch

1/2 C Potato Starch

3/8 C Almond Flour 

1/8 C Coconut Flour 

3 eggs

1 1/2 (+) C Almond Milk 
1/2 C Coconut Oil 

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

1t Vanilla

Sprinkle of Salt

2 Scoops Chocolate Casein Protein 

And because it was Sunday I added a large scoop of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks. 

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine oil and milk, beat together, then add in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until smooth. Ladle onto griddle. Flip once bubbles start to form at the top of the pancake and edges look brown. 

These cakes are low in sugar, and HIGH in protein and deliciousness. 

Enjoy with a big glass of dark chocolate almond milk (my favorite right now). 

Oh, and indulge in a large stack of about 5, because why not?

Oink, oink! Haylea.

*I'm still not fond of this pancake flour mix, so I am still working out the kinks. Coconut flour is HARD to work with, so I was trying to limit the use. But it makes for super fluffy pancakes. Bear with me while I figure out the perfect mix! 

Ultimate Pi Day

Did you guys know that this past Saturday was ULTIMATE Pi Day!

3.14.15 

So, obviously, I made a Pi(e)! 

I was so excited to try out some flour mixtures to create my pie crust. I did a little research to find the best dry ingredients to wet ingredients ratio. Then, of course, I had to decide what to put into the pie. 

Marc isn't a big fruit pie fan. He's a texture freak, and hates eating chunks of things (like a pie). So, for him, I made a "Grasshopper Pie". 

I was a tad nervous about this pie. Mostly because I completely made it up. And it was the first pie I have ever made from scratch. 

But because I am fabulous, it turned out pretty darn amazing. Here's what I did.

Crust

*1 1/2 C Blanched Almond Flour 

*1/2 C Coconut Flour

*1/4 C Grass Fed Butter

*1/4 Organic Spectrum Shortening 

*2 Eggs

*2 T Ice Cold Water

*2 T Vodka 

To make the crust, begin by combining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then cut in the fats. Do this unit the flour resembles pea-sized balls. Then, add in the eggs, scrambled, as well as your liquid ingredients. Combine with hands so that you don't over mix. Wrap this in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (this makes the dough easier to roll out). 

Pre-heat oven to 400. Roll out dough so that it's about 12 inches in diameter. Lay over pie pan, and press in to form a crust. Mine started to tear, so I just pressed it in firmly, and added extra crust where it was thin in the middle. Prick bottom of crust with fork several times. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. 

*Side note: I did think my crust was a little "biscuit-y" tasting, so next time I may add a T of coconut palm sugar. 

Now on to the filling. This Grasshopper Pie was made by combining an Avocado Mousse bottom layer, with a Peppermint "Whipped Cream" top layer.

Avocado Mousse

*2-3 RIPE Avocados (Having them be a tad soft is VERY important. Mine weren't quite ripe enough, so it wasn't as fluffy as it could have been.)

*1/3 C of Cacao powder 

*1 t Vanilla

*1/3 C Almond Milk (I used Dark Chocolate Almond Milk)

(I also added about 2T of Chocolate Casein Protein Powder, but that is optional) 

Scoop into pie crust, and refrigerate. 

Peppermint Whipped Cream

The trick to this is to refrigerate your cans of coconut milk overnight!

*2 Cans of Unsweetened Full-Fat Coconut Milk 

*1 T Pure Maple Syrup 

*1 t Vanilla

*6-8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oils 

Drain most of the coconut water from the bottom of the can, only leaving a little to moisten the cream. Add both cans to a large bowl, and whip with electric hand mixer, or standing mixer, for about 3 minutes until slightly fluffy. Add the rest of your sweeteners, and whip again, until your cream forms solid white peaks (like egg whites). 

Spoon on top of your Avocado Mousse. Garnish with Enjoy life Chocolate Chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve! 

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Meal Panning 101

About 2 weeks ago, I vowed to dedicate this year to a complete Paleo lifestyle. I have done Paleo in the past, but haven't stayed strict for more than a couple months. Somehow I fall off the train, and revert to more of a gluten-free path. But cutting out ALL grains and dairy, has made me feel exceptionally well these last couple of weeks. I have more energy and just overall feel healthier. 

I am also trying to limit sugar/carb intake. I'll indulge a bit on the weekends, but overall I have been trying to stay away from sugar (that being unrefined sugar, or sugar that occurs naturally, such as raw honey or coconut palm sugar--two of my favorites). 

What helps me with this process and staying on the "train" is meal planning and prepping. I always had this idea that I would meal prep on the weekends, but somehow in the past that hasn't been a top priority, and I would end up eating whatever was quick. But sticking to meal planning and prepping is a HUGE help. Also, I love it. 

Some of my favorite sites to help me plan my upcoming meals are:

paleomg.com

brittanyangell.com 

stupideasypaleo.com

nomnompaleo.com 

Brittany Angell is a food allergy expert, and has some of the MOST delicious meals. I mean this girl knows how to still indulge and make food taste amazing, even when living with a plethora of food allergies. I would HIGHLY suggest becoming a "club member" of her site. For only $14.99 you have access to ALL of her recipes, get TWO of her e-cookbooks, and exclusive online coupons from some of the best paleo websites. 

Okay, paleo crush rant over. 

I've had some requests for recipes for some of my recent meals I have posted up on my instagram-- so here they are! 

Zucchini Parmesan

(http://brittanyangell.com/zucchini-parmesan-glutengrainegg-free-with-directions-to-make-dairy-free/)

Two suggestions I came across while making this: I did NOT heat my milk and starch mixture, and it still worked just fine. The first time when I did heat it, the mixture became TOO sticky, and was a complete mess. Also, I followed her dairy free instructions and bought the Daiya cheese. It is a weird texture, but melts just fine, and tastes great in this recipe! 

Chicken Zoodle Soup

I modified this recipe a tad from one I found on stupideasypaleo.com (her version is called Healing Chicken Soup).

For mine I used:

• 1 box of organic/gluten-free chicken broth
• 3 large carrots cut into about 2 inch slices
• 4 cloves of garlic sliced and roughly chopped
• 1T celery salt
• 1T oregano
• 6 chicken tenders

I just threw it all into my crockpot and let it cook on high for 4 hours. By the time I got home the chicken was starting to fall apart into chunks <--- that is how you know it's perfect! Then I took one large zucchini, peeled, and put it through my vegetti! It makes the best noodles! I added those to my crockpot and let it cook on high for another 30 minutes. 

Lastly, like I said earlier, sometimes I like to indulge. 

Cinnamon "Pull-Apart" Bread

This is an exclusive from the Brittany Angell Club, so I can't share the recipe, but I am working on ways to make it a tad differently. I struggled with the dough, and making it into layers, but nonetheless, it was still delicious! 

Let me know how your meal planning adventures go, and the names of your go to paleo meal planning sites! 

Also, I will be adding a recipe for chocolate strawberry protein pancakes to the blog later this week :) 

Oink, oink! Haylea. 

Snow Day + Blueberry Pancakes

I was looking forward to making pancakes all week. I have been waiting to try out my new flour mixture, and I was so excited to finally test it out. I was also super pumped to food prep all weekend. 

I put off going to the grocery store all weekend, although knowing it was supposed to snow Saturday night. I assumed the forecast would again be flawed and I would wake up to a dusting of snow. Boy, was I wrong. 

By the time I woke up, there was already about 6 inches of snow on the ground. And it just kept snowing. Like literally, all day. 

Luckily, it didn't amount to much more, and I convinced Marc to clean off the cars so we could venture out in this mess and get groceries! 

We made it to the store and back home, with no accidents and a trunk full of groceries, new Tupperware, and a veggeti (makes veggie noddles)! Oh, the little things! 

After prepping some delicious Italian meatballs, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato mash- all thanks to Stupid Easy Paleo, I took on my next challenge: Blueberry Lemon Pancakes! 

Normally, this wouldn't be a challenge at all, but I despise working with coconut flour. I swear, I can never get the consistency right, and my batter always coagulates before going onto the griddle. Ugh! 

After being completely unsatisfied with my first batch of batter, dropping the entire bowl on the floor, and my griddle going ca-poot, I was not a happy camper. 

But I started over, from step one, and adjusted my wet ingredients a tad. Adding a couple more eggs and a splash of milk. 

My batter still is by no means perfect, but the final product did get a two thumbs up from Marc! (Although, he may be slightly biased, and love everything)

I topped these Blueberry Lemon Pancakes with a Blueberry Maple Syrup sauce...heavenly. It is the perfect addition to this cake!

Blueberry Maple Sauce:

2 ingredients, one simple step.

1/2 C frozen blueberries

1/4 C pure maple syrup

Combine both ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. When syrup starts to bubble, reduce heat. Mash blueberries into sauce. Serve hot. 

Enjoy!

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Going Completely Paleo

So, I am taking back everything I said a few weeks ago about changing flour and baking mixes, and trying new things. 

After some extensive research, I think I have found the perfect combination of flours and starches to work with to make the perfect pancake mix, that also satisfies the paleo diet requirements. 

In the past I used sorghum flour, which I recently found out, is high on the glycemic index, can have severe negative affects on blood sugar, and is NOT good for those who are trying to lose weight. Knowing me, this is something I definitely DO NOT want in my mix. 

I want to satisfy the needs of everyone. Which is why most of my pancakes are dairy, wheat, and sometimes egg free. I like to make them as allergy friendly as possible, as well as diet friendly, and something that isn't going to hurt the waistband to indulge in a couple! 

With that being said, here is what will be in my new mix: potato starch, arrowroot or tapioca starch, coconut flour, and blanched almond flour. 

I was trying to avoid using almond flour, simply because of cost. And I was trying to avoid using coconut flour, because I absolutely loathe how it sucks out all of the moisture. 

BUT, these will be used in small enough quantities that I think it will be okay for my budget and the "moistness" of the cakes!

I'm so excited to try this out, and hope it produces deliciously fluffy pancakes. 

Check back Saturday to see this weekend's piggy pancake! 

Oink, oink. Haylea. 

Give Me Some More S'Mores

While I was trying to think up a new recipe to try this weekend, I started pondering all of my favorite foods, and different ways I could turn these ideas into pancakes. That's when I stumbled across one of my favorite campfire snacks while growing up. 

Every year, right during the middle of autumn, when the nights start to cool, and the sun begins to set earlier, my Grandparents would host a wienie roast! It was always so much fun. I loved how all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins would get together for this one night. We would sit around a campfire, my grandpa would build, roasting hotdogs, and then sitting way to close on picnik benches devouring every last one. 

BUT, we always knew to save just a little bit of room for the best and most glorious, ooey-gooey treat of all. S'MORES! 

I always liked to toast my marshmallow nice and slow. So that it would slowly brown, just perfectly, and be so puffed up. As soon as I would bite into it, the outside would crunch perfectly and give way to the gooey center.

This event totally inspired this weekend's pancake! I mean just look at it. Even before it was fully baked, it looked so delcious! 

I was trying to find a way to take these pancakes over the top, and make them really taste like a s'more. Obviously, the chocolate cips and marshmallow would do the trick, but I wanted something more. 

So- what makes the s'more crunch, and give it that perfect taste? The graham crackers, of course! 

For an added touch, I tossed some gluten free grahams into my food proccesor, and pulsed them until they were super fine, like a flour almost. Then I combined that with my gluten free baking mixture. 

These tasted delcious. I mean, just like a s'more. Definitely a winner in my book. Now, I just need to figure out how to make the perfect marshmallow sauce to put on top of these. 

Do you have any favorite childhood snacks? I need some more inspiration for next weekend's pancakes! 

Oink, oink. Haylea. 

Happy National Pancake Day!

You guys! It's National Pancake Day! That obviously means one thing. I made pancakes...AND I'm giving you the recipe!

As you may remember from my last blog, I went home over the weekend, and planned on spoiling my parents with the most amazing raspberry vanilla bean pancakes, but that did not go as well as I had expected. 

I used the gluten free baking mix my parents had on hand and the pancakes turned out terribly flat, almost like crepes, and the consistency was WAY off. But from this I learned a very valuable lesson: when you find a flour mixture that works....DON'T EVER SWITCH! 

So now that I am back home, and since it was Pancake Day, I decided to try out a new recipe I have been so excited about! 

When it's cold outside, my mind always wanders to the warm days of summer, so what better way to warm up than with some pineapple pancakes?

These beauts were as heavenly as they look. The batter was light and fluffy, with the most delicious pineapple baked inside. So naturally sweet, they didn't even need any added sugar! BONUS. 

I topped these babies off with some toasted coconut. Because what fulfills that beachy feel better than coconut? 

Then to take them over the top, I glazed these cakes with the. most. delicious. caramel sauce...EVER. Seriously. Heaven in my mouth. 

Pineapple. Coconut. Caramel. Perfection. 

Now for the recipe: 

Pancake- 

1C of baking flour (I use my own gluten free blend)

1/2 C almond milk (or any milk you prefer)

1 large can of crushed pineapple

1 egg

1 T coconut oil or butter

1T baking soda 

Caramel Sauce-

1 C of brown sugar (I used coconut palm sugar)

1/2 C coconut oil (or 6 T butter)

2/3 C heavy whipping cream (although I used almond milk to make a thinner glaze)

1t vanilla

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionaly for 2-3 minutes. Let simmer. Then take off heat, and cool (in fridge for 5-10 mintues). I didn't want mine totally set, or thick, so I let it cool for about five minutes, then ladled it over my pancakes while it was still warm. This really makes these pancakes. 

I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I did! 

Oink, oink. Haylea. 

I'll Be Home...For Valentine's Day!

Well, this year I am headed back home for Valentine's Day! 

That means I will get to spoil my Mom & Dad with an extra special Valentine's Day breakfast, which of course will be pancakes! 

Obviously, it would be logical to make my Red Velvet Pancakes, found HERE. But both of my parents are trying to eat healthier, so I have been thinking up some better pancake options! Although the actual red velvet pancake is healthy, the cream cheese frosting is not! 

*sad face*

I'm thinking about whipping up a triple berry pancake! Still festive, right? I'm sure there are several other ways to make these more "Valentine's Day-ish". I might make them into hearts, or pipe a cute little valentine's day message with the batter. 

Another way to make any regular pancake batter festive is SPRINKLES! Who doesn't love sprinkles? 

You'll have to check back on Saturday to see what I finally decide to do!

What are some of your favorite Valentine's Day breakfast traditions?

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Cinnamon Swirl

Every weekend I have been trying out a new pancake. I will most likely feature a new pancake every week, until I have a ton of recipes I know work perfect, and taste as yummy as they look! 

This weekend I made a cinnamon swirl pancake. 

I started with a gluten free cinnamon cake batter, using only coconut sugar and cinnamon. Then, to create the swirl, I used grass fed butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. If you are trying to stay strict paleo, I think substituting the brown sugar for coconut sugar would work as well, but I haven't played with that yet. 

The swirls were messy, and hard to create in the batter, especially when you are using a makeshift piping bag. The butter makes the cinnamon sugar very oily, and it comes out fast, so piping this perfectly in the center was a challenge. 

As you can see, some weren't perfect swirls. 

The problem with this pancake is that they aren't as pretty as I'd like. When you create the swirl, and then flip the pancake, the swirl browns and creates this cinnamon-y deliciousness of a crust, but is very unflattering. 

I'm gonna have to play with this a bit. I'm thinking maybe adding a little more batter on top could prevent this, but then you wouldn't see the swirl. Dilemmas. 

Nonetheless, these were definitely a 10 on the yummy scale. I made 9 pancakes, and between Marc and I, they were gone in about 15 minutes.

For the icing, I made a coconut sugar icing. To powder the sugar, you fluff it in a food processor or blender. I then added water, vanilla, and cinnamon, to make a cinnamon sugar icing. 

I think these would also be delicious with the cream cheese frosting I used on the Red Velvet pancakes. 

For the Farmer's Market, I am thinking about serving these as cinna-minis! 

And possibly, little cinna-mini-sammies. Two cinnamon sugar cakes, with the cream cheese frosting in the middle. Sugar coma?

What do you guys think? 

Oink, oink! Haylea. 

What's for Dinner?

What's for dinner, you ask? 

If you're thinking pancakes, you are right! Sweet pancakes are one of my favorite things in the entire world, but when it comes to dinner, sweet doesn't always sound the most appetizing, or hit the spot. So sometimes, I have to switch it up. 

SAVORY. PANCAKES. 

That's where it's at. Especially when it comes to dinner. 

Breakfast for dinner is definitely the bomb, but sometimes I like to give it a little twist. 

Last night I made the most satisfying savory pancakes. I had some leftover steak, so of course I was thinking steak & eggs. Duh. 

So what goes perfectly with steak & eggs? 

Garlic.

Chives. 

Cheese. 

Savory Steak & Egg Pancake Sammies

Boom. Perfection. 

Savory pancakes are super simple. You just cut out anything sweet you would usually put in your batter. Such as vanilla, sugar, honey, etc. 

Start with a super basic batter and then add in your savory additions. 

This was my recipe: 

1C gluten free baking flour (I make my own so it's paleo friendly, too)

1C almond milk (preferably not flavored or sweetened) 

1 egg 

1t baking soda

1T (butter/coconut oil/avocado oil-your pick!)

1T garlic salt

1T chives

1/2 C cheese (I used mozzarella because that's what I had on hand)*

*If you want to make this paleo, go with the Veggie Go cheese 

To assemble the sammies, use about 1/8 cup when you put the batter on the griddle, or an ice cream scoop would work. This makes perfect little circles. 

Pancake on bottom. Stack steak, eggs, and salsa. Top it with another pancake. And tada! Savory pancake steak & egg sammie! 

For lunch today, I used my leftover pancakes to make mini ham & cheese sandwiches. I am sure they will be just as delicious. 

What ingredients would you add to a savory pancake? 

Enjoy!

Oink, oink! Haylea 

Red Velvet Deliciousness & Weekend Ramblings

Happy day after the Super Bowl! I can't say I was actually excited for the big game this year because both of my teams were out (Bears & Colts), but it's still always a fun time to get together with friends and family and eat lots of amazing (not at all healthy) food! 

I was originally planning to go to a friend's place for a party, but it was cancelled because of the HUGE snow storm we were supposed to get. Yeah, that turned into about an inch. But nonetheless, I ended up spending the game with family & of course, ate delicious food, and somewhat enjoyed the game. 

Let's transition to Red Velvet goodness and all things red and heart-shaped for the month of February. 

This weekend I made these:

*Insert mouth drooling*

These are my Red Velvet Gluten Free pancakes with cream cheese icing! 

Seriously, these were divine. Especially the icing, which wasn't as healthy as the pancakes, but still gluten free and delicious! I can't wait to share them with everyone at this year's farmer's market :) 

Now onto another fun recipe I made today. I always come home from work starving and craving a snack, usually something sweet. Anyone with children, I'm sure have experience with the after-school snack rush. Well I have the perfectly delicious solution. I modified a recipe a tad I found online to make this: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dip! 

It is great with any fruit and as you can see celery! I also think it would be great paired with Annie's gluten free cinnamon bears, or any other sweet cracker! Otherwise, if you love peanut butter as much as me, you can just eat it with a spoon. 

So here's the recipe: 

1/2 32 oz. container or 2 cups of vanilla Greek Yogurt (I prefer Greek yogurt because it makes the dip thicker)

1/4C of PB2 

1 T of Almond Butter or Peanut Butter 

1T (ish) of organic honey 

1/2 C of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (or any chips will do!) 

Also just a reminder to follow me on Instagram @piggypancakesindy to see all the delicious photos I post :) 

Oink, oink! Haylea