The Density of Things...

People used to ask why I bought sweet potato tortilla chips.  I always explained that they are more nutrient dense- meaning more good stuff for your body and less empty calories.  Think about every time you go to your favorite Mexican restaurant and you "fill-up" on corn chips and salsa.  How many baskets of chips does the waiter bring until your food comes? How overly full do you feel after you eat those chips, salsa, and then your huge plate of food?  I may have been guilty of unbuttoning my jeans after a rather large Mexican meal...

This brings me to pancakes.  Yes.  Fluffy, yummy, carb-o-licious pancakes.  Monday night is BRINNER at our house.  I love breakfast foods.  I love pancakes.  My husband and Fries can consume mass quantities of pancakes.  What I don't love is the amount of empty, calories- no nutrients- just fluff entering the body that is of no benefit.  

I'm now 2.5 weeks into a 30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge and I didn't want to blow it with pancakes, so I set off to find a better way.  
I started on the back of the almond flour bag. Nada.  No pancake recipe.  I went to the ever faithful Pinterest and found a recipe to start with.  I say start with because I have a very picky Medium Fry who can sense the smallest of texture changes in his mouth.  I tread lightly with most recipes and do my best to mimic the unhealthy with my healthier recipes.  Some nights it's an epic fail.  Tonight, however, I celebrated a WIN!

Before I share the recipe, I want to remind you that my goal is nutrient dense.  If you have a picky eater in your family, then you can relate to feelings of, "Crap, the kid is eating empty crap, again."  It is SO frustrating when your kid avoids every healthy food known to man.  

So my secret ingredients are 2 fold- fiber and protein.  First I added 1 scoop of Arbonne's Fiber Boost.  You can read about the importance of fiber here. Second, I added a scoop of Arbonne's Daily Protein Boost. Both of these products are flavorless and do not change the taste or texture of the food, AND more importantly, the protein and fiber are from plant sources and do not contain any allergens at all. No whey. No soy. It's a win, win, win, win!

               

Paleocakes with Density 
Mix together:

• 4 eggs
• 1.5 C of non-dairy milk (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/3 C applesauce (I used a pouch of Go-Go Squeeze)
• 1/4 C honey (we like it sweet)
• 1/2 t vanilla

Then add:

• 1/2 C gluten free flour (otherwise the pancakes fall apart)
• 3 C almond flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 scoop Daily Fiber Boost
• 1 scoop Daily Protein Boost

Spray the griddle and cook.  Be gentle when flipping.  They are SOFT.  I put some fresh blueberries in some and we ate them with 100% pure Maple Syrup.

So, I held my breath as the Fries ate their pancakes.  It was a success.  Medium Fry said, "Mom, these are so good, but I can only eat 2 because they really filled me up!" AND "Mom, those were the best pancakes ever- they melted in my mouth."  Yay.  Whew.  Small Fry loved them, and Biggie Fry said, "Wait.  Were those *healthy* pancakes?"  He explained that he loved them (he ate 3 of them), but he might reconsider because of the health aspect.  Whatever 14-year old, whatever.  

The Fiber Boost added 12 grams of fiber and the Protein Boost added 10 grams of protein.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!  Happy pancake making! 


tobiekeown.arbonne.com