How great are pancakes? Better than great. I know.

The thing with pancakes (and epic cafe pancakes filling our instagram feeds) is they can often be super sweet, depending on the toppings, and leave us feeling sluggish. When we take a look at what goes into pancakes it is generally refined white flour, eggs, milk & sugar. To me this translates into easily digestible meaning they will trigger a fast rise in our blood sugar levels and likely not to provide long lasting energy. Plus using white flour means all the fibre has been taken away, and the milk and eggs provide a wee bit of protein when you look at their contribution per pancake.

Before I go any further, there is nothing wrong with enjoying these type of pancakes occasionally.

You will not die from eating these pancakes.

I enjoyed these ones of two years ago and I’m still alive. (FYI – Miss Marmalade, Brunswick)

And look, you can always make them healthier by topping with fruit and greek yoghurt, rather than ice cream and syrups. Up to you.

But for those of us that like to enjoy pancakes and would like to explore a healthier version that helps power you on through the day, I’ve got a recipe for you. I’ve made them twice now so I’m feeling confident that they will work.

However, please have some patience whilst cooking. Trust me. It will make the flipping so much easier.

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Flourless banana & ricotta pancakes

Serves 1 (makes 3-4 small pancakes)

Ingredients

½ medium banana, mashed

~100g low fat smooth ricotta

1 egg yolk + 2 egg whites

2 tbsp almond meal

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Method

1. Combine banana + ricotta + egg yolk + cinnamon in a bowl

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form

3. Fold egg whites through ricotta mixture.

4. Heat a pan over low-medium heat and spray with oil or melt with oil of your choice. Scoop 1/3 cup worth of mixture onto the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until the pancake is set and ready

5. Top with all the bells & whistles. Such as greek yoghurt + fresh fruit, or tahini + fruit + seeds + honey

Life is so much better with pancakes.

Emma xo