Ricotta Pancakes

 On some long weekends, or a special week day when hubby works from home, I like to go "all out" and makes some waffles or pancakes. This was one of those days.
Growing up, I would have meals with my grandmother as my parents are often home late from work. It's a big treat to be able to sit at the dinning table with my whole family together!

One of the things we like to do is to have meals as a family.  With Asher, we try to do as many meals as we can on the weekends together. Eating out in cafes or dinners at home. Asher is growing up too quick now and is fast approaching the big 1 year milestone. His meals are also changing. I'm cooking more family meals and chopping it up for him.

Pancakes are of course a winner for a little boy (and with the bigger man too). He could hold it, squash it and stuff it in his mouth. Self feeding to the best. ;)

Ricotta Pancakes (Around 8-10 pancakes)
1.5 cups of Almond Meal
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp of cinnamon
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of almond milk

Whisk everything up together. Heat pan up and pour in a ladle of batter. Flip when bubbles appear.

I had mine with berries compote, some sliced bananas and a dollop of greek yogurt.

Raw Almond Chocolate Fudge

There are times where chocolate just hits a good spot. There are some pantry staples that I always stock up. The are almond butter, coconut oil, nuts and definitely chocolate.

An offer came up recently with Mayver's super spread nut butter. It's a mix of peanut, chia and almond. There were going for half price! What a treat. So I grabbed 2 bottles to give treats a go.

Mixing them up with some coconut oil and more nuts plus cacao powder, I placed it in the fridge and tadah, a protein enriched chocolate treat that is refined sugar free and good for us. They are freezer friendly as well which gives it a gorgeous crunch when you are ready to bite into them.

Raw Almond Chocolate Fudge (24 small pieces)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of nut butter
1/3 cup of cacao powder
1 tsp of vanilla paste
1 tablespoon of honey
1/3 cup of silvered almonds

Beat or mix oil and butter together. Mix through vanilla, honey and cacao powder till smooth. Lastly add nuts. Pour into a lined brownie tray and freeze it for 2 hours. Slice and eat!

Chai Coconut Vanilla Pancakes

I wasn't a big chai tea fan before. I found the spices too strong for my liking- the cardamon usually gets to me. Then I tried a few other brands and realised it's really the blend of tea that makes the difference. A right blend makes such a big difference in the taste of the tea. These days,  I usually have it with almond milk- although i have tried it with coconut milk before and it was so lovely. Especially on a cold and rainy evening.

Following a few paleo bloggers, this recipe caught my attention. It combines tea and pancakes. Doesn't that sound lovely for breakfast already? Not to mention, it's so quick to whip up.

I have been loving my coconut flour lately. Again, like chai tea, I thought coconut flour was dense and dry. Indeed it is. However, blended with the right ingredients, it shines through in baked goods. It is really really filling as well. I whipped up 10 mini pancakes and hubby and I could not finish it at all. I had 2 and hubby had 3 and we both agreed the size of the pancakes are deceiving.

Chai Coconut Vanilla Pancakes
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt

4 eggs
1 cup of almond milk warmed with 2 chai tea bags
2 tsp of vanilla essence
1 tsp of maple syrup

Berries to serve- 1 cup of frozen berries and a few tsp of water

Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Pour warm milk over the coconut mixture and work it in. Then add the eggs mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon on a heated oiled pan. Flip it over after 3 minutes. Repeat.

Berries compote- In a saucepan, heat frozen berries with a few tsp of water. Cooked till soft and spoon over pancakes.

Happy Valentine's Day my friends!! Make this gorgeous breakfast for someone you love! xx