These are not going to be your traditional fluffy pancakes, they are more dense. However, they have incredible flavor from the banana and are very satisfying. When we first started out with alternative flours such as almond and coconut, we quickly realized that we needed to change our mindset about how the food would taste. Pancakes made from these alternative flours will not taste like your IHOP pancakes, however we got used to them over the first few weeks and enjoy them very much. We re-programmed our body and taste buds, the craving for the IHOP pancakes is no longer there.

We served the pancakes with maple syrup. When using syrup, maple syrup is a good choice because it is natural and pure. Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc. The trace mineral manganese is an essential for energy production and antioxidant defenses. Zinc and manganese are also important allies in the immune system. Most traditional pancake syrups contain added salt, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and sodium benzoate. Both corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are potential GM (genetically modified) ingredients.

I use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. These chips are certified gluten free, contain no wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg or soy. They are also made without casein, potato, sesame or sulfites and contain no trans fat or cholesterol. They are certified kosher, vegan – no preservatives, all natural. I replaced our Toll House chips with these chips without telling my kids and no one knew the difference.

Here is a visual breakdown of the difference between our pancakes and the Eggo pancakes I used to feed my kids:

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes vs. Eggo Chocolate Chip Pancakes 

Organic Bananas, Organic Eggs, Coconut Flour, Organic Almond Butter, Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Chocolate Liquor (Non-Alcoholic), Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter), Ghee, Sea Salt vs. Flour Enriched (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron Reduced, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB)) , Water, Sugar, Vegetable(s) Oil (Soybean(s) Oil, Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid) , Chocolate Semisweet (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Chocolate Processed With Alkali, Soy Lecithin, and Flavor(s) Artificial) Egg(s), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Contains 2% or less of the Following: Flavor(s) Artificial, Soy Lecithin, Whey, Corn Starch, Confectioner’s Glaze, Vitamin A Palmitate, Niacinamide (Vitamin aB), Iron Reduced, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (HCL) (Vitamin B6) , Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2),Vitamin B12

The items bolded in red are potential GMO ingredients. To read the risks (other than being genetically modified) of the ingredients in red, see my Label Library.

Why is “Enriched Flour” not good for you? A wheat grain contains three parts, the bran, germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the outer hard shell of the grain. It’s the part of the grain that provides the most fiber and most of the B vitamins and minerals. The germ is the next layer and is packed with nutrients including essential fatty acids and vitamin E. The endosperm is the soft starchy part in the center of the grain.

White flour (including enriched wheat flour) is a refined grain, meaning the germ and bran are removed and all that remains is the starch. In the United States, we enrich or add some vitamins and one mineral back into refined grains. About 11 vitamins and minerals are removed with the elimination of the germ and bran, and only five are added back.

All white flours (unless otherwise stated) use bleaching agents such as chlorines, bromates, and peroxides. Use of chlorine, bromates, and peroxides is not allowed in many countries due to health concerns. Chlorine bleaching agents have been linked to a chemical reaction in the body that has been shown to destroy beta cells in the pancreas, which in turn promotes diabetes.

Bromate rapidly breaks down to form innocuous bromide. Bromate has been shown to cause cancer in animals. The tiny amounts of bromate that may remain in bread pose a small risk to us, however, Bromate has been banned virtually worldwide except in Japan and the United States. It is rarely used in California because a cancer warning might be required on the label.

Benzoyl Peroxide is a bleaching agent used in refined flours, cheese, milk, rice, starch. It’s also used as an acne medication, an antiseptic in many cough medications and an anti fungal in ointments. There is concern that ingredients treated with benzoyl peroxide leave trace amounts of benzene, a known carcinogenic when baked. Although the amounts of benzene that form are small, leading to only a very small risk of cancer, there is no need to expose you or your family to this risk. – Information Provided By: American Diabetes Association

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Grain-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food. www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• blueberries or Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• coconut oil or ghee
• dash of Himalayan pink salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Mash bananas in a bowl.
2. Add the eggs, coconut flour, almond butter, blueberries or chocolate chips, and salt, and whisk until well blended.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat along with a small pat of coconut oil.
4. Use a tablespoon to pour small discs of batter onto the hot pan (around 3-4" around). They'll be easier to flip if you keep them from the edges of the pan.
5. Flip when batter loses its "tackiness" around the edges.
6. Cook other side slowly over medium heat until fully cooked.
7. Reapply oil to the pan after each round of pancakes

Notes:

This recipe is easily doubled so you can freeze for future use.

Grain-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

My whole family loved this ice cream, it is so smooth and creamy, it tastes just like soft serve! It all started because we had a bunch of bananas that were very ripe and about to go bad — I did not want to see these bananas go to waste. Instead of throwing them away, we decided to make ice cream out of them! When making this ice cream, your bananas should be extremely brown, almost to the point when you would throw them away or freeze them. If they are not overly ripe, your ice cream will not be as sweet and probably not taste as good. If you are using non-ripe bananas, you should add about 1 tbsp of raw honey to the mixture.

As a banana ripens its levels of antioxidants increases. These antioxidants in ripe bananas protect your body against cancer and heart diseases. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. When you compare a banana to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. Bananas are also rich in potassium and are one of the best value foods around.

We made this ice cream in our Vitamix. I have not tried this recipe in other blenders, so I am not sure how other blenders will handle the frozen bananas. If your blender has trouble processing the bananas, you can add almond milk to the mixture. Add the milk to the blender first and then add the bananas.

When choosing your almond milk it is important to know that one the 10 Foods You Should Never Buy is store-bought alternative milks.  These milks are often full of added sugars, preservatives, and thickeners such as carrageenan, which research has shown causes inflammation. When laboratory mice are exposed to low concentrations of carrageenan for 18 days, they develop “profound” glucose intolerance and impaired insulin action which can lead to diabetes and other chronic diseases. If you don’t have time to make the almond milk on your own, it is good to remember that while most store-bought almond milk contains carrageenan, Silk Almond milk does not. If you choose to buy your Almond Milk, Silk brand is a good choice.

If you have leftovers you can freeze them in pop molds — we use the Norpro 431 4-Piece Silicone Ice Pop Maker Set.  Just spoon into the mold and freeze. You can also use this ice-cream in between two grain-free chocolate chip cookies, and make a dairy free & grain free ice cream sandwich.

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Dairy Free Banana Ice-Cream

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 6 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food. www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1 cup almond milk (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut bananas into 1 inch pieces.
2. Freeze for 4-5 hours.
3. Add almond milk to blender (optional).
4. Add bananas to blender.
5. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Notes:

We used a Vitamix -- I am not sure how other blenders will handle the frozen bananas.

Dairy Free Banana Ice Cream

4 ripe bananas
1 cup almond milk (optional)

1. Cut bananas into 1 inch pieces.
2. Freeze for 4-5 hours.
3. Add almond milk to blender (optional).
4. Add bananas to blender.

5. Blend until smooth and creamy.

6. Enjoy!

~ Eat Better. Feel Better.