It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe. Sorry about that! This blogging business has grown larger than me in the last year and I haven't been able to find the balance between responding to emails, and doing what I love. But after much request for the "old kale or whale stuff" . . . I'm back! I'm going to try to get a few recipes up each month...with that said, I'll likely be cooking for my family more so it's a win win.

This weekend we hosted some of our dear friends from Seattle. We have this thing we like to do and what we call the "food tour"... we started it while living in SF. Anytime a friend would visit we would take them on the C&K food tour and just basically forego our diets and eat our way through the city. LIVING. It was THE BEST. We've finally lived here in Phoenix long enough to have our "spots" so full-on food tour happens when you visit. 

I was inspired by a few not-so-healthy dishes I ate this weekend to make remake them, just WAY more nutritious. Since being pregnant, I feel like it's more and more necessary to fill my body with the proper nutrients but also not say NO to myself every time I have a craving. This process is hard enough. I already can't have my beloved wine and martinis.... tell me I can't have something I'm craving and I WILL FIGHT YOU. That being said, I am fully in control. I treat myself daily but I still make sure to get my nutrients in and not overdo it. Pregnancy is just not a time to go BALLS TO THE WALL with your diet. You're already gaining weight, seeing your skin change, and just all around moody AF. Adding lots of sugar, processed food, carbs, salt...etc will just make this stuff worse. The occasional burger, pizza, ice cream, oreo...whatever is calling your name IS JUST FINE. Live a little my fellow mommas. But just make sure you're supplementing with lots of greens and you're doing it right.

This recipe is my way of saying F U to my overwhelming cravings. I can have my cake and eat it too (whatever that means, never understood that... of course I'm going to eat my cake if I have it?). These pancakes are packed FULL of protein, antioxidants, vitamin C,  vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese. And they are EASY AF to make because I used prepackaged collagen protein and this brand new flourless cauliFLOUR to make them.

My new favorite thing EVER - CAULIPOWER. There are two types, one original and one Paleo (which launches in April), but both are gluten-free, wahoo. They both list dried cauliflower as the first ingredient, win! The original mix includes rice and quinoa flours and cane sugar, while the Paleo one has almond, tapioca, and arrowroot flours. The best part.... the original mix has 320 calories, 8 grams of fiber, and 60 grams of carbohydrates per cup. A regular cup of all-purpose flour has 455 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 95 grams of carbs. You choose.

Another main ingredient is Vital Proteins. If you've been following along AT ALL you know that I've been religiously using this stuff for a couple of years now. The best thing about VP is that they have a powder for everyone. Vegan, paleo, etc - they have it. It's full of all the good stuff and they leave out the bad.

Yields about 16 pancakes.

you will need

2.5 cup cauli-flour baking mix

1/4 cup cane sugar or teaspoon of honey melted

1 tsp baking power

2 cups milk or dairy alternative

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 scoop Vital Proteins

Blend Cauli-flour baking mix, sugar OR honey, baking powder, and Vital Proteins in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until only small lumps remain. Heat pan and lightly spray with coconut oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear and flip. Pancakes should be golden brown on both sides before removing from pan.

Strawberry Compote

Add about 10 strawberries w/ stems removed to Vitamix and blend on hot soup setting until it stops. 

If your berries are not sweet, add a drizzle of maple syrup before blending. 

Enjoy!