You DESERVE Pancakes!

Plain and simple, you bloody well DO!

You don’t need to have exercised to burn off the calories to EARN the pancakes.

You don’t need to have under eaten today to EARN the pancakes.

You don’t need to go …

‘Well it’s Tuesday…

which is NOT a treat day,

and is not the weekend…

so I don’t deserve pancakes’.

You don’t need to tell yourself you’re a bad person so don’t deserve pancakes.

You don’t need to think you’re too ‘overweight‘ so haven’t earned pancakes.

You don’t need to think that you need to EARN pancakes.

You DESERVE PANCAKES!

We have a habit as a culture of DEMONIZING foods.

Or saying that they are ‘TREAT’ foods that must be earned or are for the weekend.

In my opinion, this only encourages a REWARD and PUNISHMENT mentality.

Which is not HEALTHY.

It encourages us to underfeed then binge on the weekend.

No wonder so many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food on any end of the spectrum!

I cannot tell you honestly when the last time I had pancakes on PANCAKE DAY was.

I have always told myself since I first developed anorexia…

‘Well it’s a Tuesday and so you can’t have PANCAKES. They are calorific and bad for you. You need to earn them!’

It’s all about BALANCE.

You can have EVERYTHING within balance.

There is NOT a specific day of the week you should be allowed to have ‘unhealthy’ foods.

It doesn’t need to be AFTER you have EXERCISED or UNDERFED.

It doesn’t need to be on a NON DIET day.

You DESERVE food in all it’s glory.

You don’t need to earn food.

You are ENOUGH.

You are more than ENOUGH.

I’ve been developing this recipe for a few weeks.

One of my tests was on my beautiful best friend, Lucy when I was visiting her in Guildford.

Sharing is CARING, and all the jazz.

Today I am making them again because they are DELICIOUS.

The pancakes are flavored and thickened with pumpkin puree. I’ve also added orange zest, orange juice and cinnamon to balance out the flavor and add some extra sweetness.

I’ve made the sauce with dark chocolate, cacao powder, orange juice, plant based milk and Pip and Nut’s Chocolate Orange Almond Butter (however you are more than welcome to use an alternative nut butter or chocolate spread).

I’ve purposefully made these LOW in SUGAR not because SUGAR is DEMON FOOD (mwa ha ha) but because in the morning, I stay off sugar to keep my head clear and my stomach balanced.

Seriously, it’s like Jekyll and Hyde if I have sugar first thing in the morning.

I’ve also topped mine with Figs and Blueberries.

Handy secret tip: Figs are fantastic for your sex drive. Jus’ sayin.

These are also SUPER EASY to make. You don’t need to rush out and buy any fancy flours, you can just use your BOG STANDARD PORRIDGE OATS.

Huzzah!

Happy Pancake Day!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Pancakes with Chocolate Orange Sauce

What you’ll need:

• For the pancakes–
• 50g oats (double quantities as you go if making for more than one person)
• 1/2 can of pumpkin puree
• Half a cup of plant based milk
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• Juice of half an orange.
• Oil spray or plant based butter to fry.
• For the sauce–
• 4 squares of dark chocolate
• Juice of half an orange
• 2 tbsp of Pip and Nut Chocolate Orange Almond Butter (or other nut butter, chocolate spread)
• 2 tbsp of plant based milk
• For toppings–
• I recommend Figs and Blueberries. But you could use orange segments, raspberries or whatever you have to hand.

How to make it:

• Zest and juice an orange. Put the zest and juice (separately) to one side.
• Put oats into a mixing bowl or food processor. Blitz in food processor till oats are fine like flour. Or use a hand blender to blitz in the mixing bowl. Be careful that the oats don’t go everywhere. Voila – you’ve made your own flour!
• Mix in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, pinch of salt, orange zest and half of the orange juice. Once incorporated, mix in plant based milk. You have your pancake batter!
• To make sauce, put into a saucepan dark chocolate, plant based milk, orange juice and nut butter. Heat VERRRYYYY gently on the hob, so the chocolate doesn’t burnt. This will thicken slowly. Once THICK, place to one side.
• Oil your frying pan with oil spray or plant based butter. Don’t go too overboard, you are not deep-frying your pancakes, you are FRYING them. Dollop in 3 tbsp of pancake mix for each pancake and spread out till rounder pancake shape.
• To see when it is ready to flip, the edgers will be firmer and bubbles will have formed on the uncooked side. Flip pancakes to fry on the other side. I recommend keeping finished pancakes on a baking tray in a low heat oven, to keep crisp and warm.
• Once all your pancakes are done, top with the sauce and figs and blueberries (or other fruit of your choice)
• Sit down with your pancakes, take a deep breath and think ‘I deserve Pancakes. I am more than enough’, breath out and take your time. EnJOY!

You do not have to earn your food.

You do not have to punish yourself for having food.

You deserve food.

And you deserve pancakes, this pancake day.

Much love,

Joy xx