If you weren’t aware… my right leg is currently in a cast and I am stuck at home recovering from my most recent surgery. One struggle I have, aside from being on crutches, is cooking. Most of my meals are prepared by someone who can easily get around the kitchen, carry items without dropping them, and can stand for longer than 2 minutes straight without getting tired.
Today, I was hungry and realized there were no leftovers for me to easily prepare by simply pressing a few buttons on the microwave. My options were to figure out something simple to make, wait to eat until dinner, or indulge on four butterfingers for lunch. The last two options were out of the question. In order to heal, I need to eat relatively healthy. I don’t need to stick with all veggies or anything, but butterfingers are probably on the “do not eat” list.
I searched our pantry and there it was… Coconut flour. Not too long ago, I made coconut flour, rice protein, and banana pancakes. They weren’t my favorite, but they were very easy to make. I decided to go ahead and make those pancakes again until I saw the best ingredient I could ever imagine appearing before my eyes. PUMPKIN! I know that seems like a random ingredient, but there is SO much you can do with pumpkin puree.
One recipe I love to make with pumpkin is from Hungry Girl. She uses pumpkin puree and devil’s food cake mix to make brownie muffins. They are moist, chocolaty, and only 181 calories per muffin. I figured there had to be a recipe out there that combined coconut flour and pumpkin. After a quick Google search, I found my lunch recipe!
I chose to stick with the pancake theme and make “Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes” that are also gluten-free. I do not have a gluten allergy, so that was not a part of my search criteria. It just worked out that way. So for those of you with gluten allergies… this is a recipe I 100% recommend.
These pancakes are SUPER DUPER easy to make. They taste incredible and I will definitely be making them again. I could make the entire meal sitting in my chair… Granted I did stand up like two times to flip the pancakes. But, it was no strain on me at all. Thank goodness!
So, let’s get to it, shall we? Below is the Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes from Paleo Grubs. All credit goes to them! Thanks for the awesome recipe. I did make one or two changes based off of what was in my pantry, but I do not think it made much of a difference. For example, we only had soy milk, so I had to use that. Usually we have almond milk. They must have been out at the grocery store. Also, I chose to ditch the nutmeg. I cannot stand nutmeg. I added extra cinnamon and vanilla instead. I much prefer those flavors anyway.
Ingredients
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp honey
3 eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted, plus additional for pan
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – the coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – the pumpkin puree, almond milk, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined.
Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet to medium heat. Coat pan with coconut oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the bottom is cooked through, and then flip. Cook for another 2-4 minutes until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm and enjoy!
This recipe made 8 pancakes for me. It all depends on how big you choose to make them. I used an ice cream scoop to measure out the amount of batter per pancake. The choice is yours! I also chose to top the pancakes with a little bit of 100% pure maple syrup. I find pancakes to be dry, so the syrup helps with that. Keep an eye on how much you use, though. Too much sugar will ruin the pancakes (and your body).
Please let me know what you think of this recipe. Check out Paleo Grubs for more, interesting, recipes! I am not on the Paleo diet, but I do find a lot of those recipes easy and tasty. Enjoy your pancakes!
Completely unwarranted life lesson from a married woman #9: Remember to make extra of a great recipe for your significant other to eat when they get home or for breakfast the next morning. (I forgot… oops!)
