While I may feel guilty about all the deep fried, over-portioned and deliciously naughty foods I ate while holidaying in the USA, I will never regret it. Never ever. I’ve given you a summary of all the amazing things I got to eat in my last post, but since then I’ve been working hard – both physically and mentally to burn off the extra “me” that appeared post-holiday.

I’ve been trying to teach myself more about clean eating. But fear not, I’m not about to starve myself or drink a green smoothie every morning….I’m interested in how to still enjoy food (particularly sweets) in a way which compliments my exercise regime and doesn’t leave me feeling guilty when I want a piece of cake. Because let’s face it, life would be pretty mundane without cake, milkshakes or any other thing you classify as a treat.

So I did some digging. A majority of “clean-eating” websites and phone apps left me uninspired, looked like they lacked any substance or flavour and generally made me think I should eat celery 24/7. Until I found the Food Fix Up (do yourself a favour and buy the app). Well at least that’s my opinion….the food is real, the portion sizing left me satisfied and most of all – it has all been easy to make. Taking into account I have only just begun using this app, I can only speak for those recipes which I have recreated, but thus far I’ve enjoyed the challenge.

Adapting the way I think about food  has been difficult, I consider it part of a broader education campaign to help me create a healthier, more-balanced me….

So on the weekend I wanted pancakes. Guilt began to flood my mind as I mentally checked off every single ingredient, knowing all too well that sugar, flour and the other necessaries were safely tucked away in my pantry. So I decided then (especially considering I went for a run that morning) to try something new. Now I’m not saying that the everyday standard (amazing) pancake recipe no longer holds a special place in my heart, I am just saying that it’s okay to be adventurous and it’s okay to want to be health-conscious.

So below is my attempt at the Food Fix Up’s Banana Pancakes with Berries & Chocolate Sauce. They were a hit, an addition to a growing repertoire of recipes I store in my mental bookshelf. I consider it an alternative to my more normal pancake recipes, not a replacement. I left off the yoghurt they suggested as a topping, but that was a personal choice, I just didn’t feel like it.

So if you’re keen, give paleo, vegan or vegetarian recipes a chance – it’s fun to challenge the way you think about food, but at the end of the day, cook what you love, eat that which makes you happy and never apologise for a maple bacon sandwich binge on a seedy Sunday morning.

Serves 2

Thanks to the Food Fix Up app, I am making more informed and healthier meal choices

The list:

For the pancakes

4 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs coconut oil

For the chocolate sauce

2 Tbs coconut oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs cacao powder

Toppings

1 cup berries
Flaked almonds
Small handful of mint leaves

The method:

1. Mix all the chocolate sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Mash the bananas in a bowl (doesn’t need to be very smooth, lumps are okay) and add the eggs, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Mix well.
3. Heat the oil for the pancakes in a non-stick fry-pan. Adding 1/3 cup of mixture at a time (I fit two pancakes per cooking batch). Cook over a low to medium heat for a minute or two, until the underside is golden brown.
4. Flip and cook the other side. Take caution when flipping, the mixture may run a bit – just push the pancake back into shape with your spatula. It doesn’t need to be a perfect circle.
5. Once pancakes are cooked, arrange on a plate, top with chocolate sauce, berries, mint leaves and nuts.

Enjoy!

Healthy option for an easy weekend breakfast

A little tricky to actually cook, but the end result was tasty and rewarding