An Anniversary and Amazing Pancakes

Yesterday Ed & I celebrated 29 years of marriage together. We've been empty-nesters now for almost a year and it really feels different with just the "two of us". I told him yesterday that I had almost forgot what it felt like before we had children, when it was just us.
Our kids still live close to us and come over to hang out, eat, and do things with us, but mostly they have their own lives and stay busy.

Ed & I enjoy coming/going as we please, setting our own schedule, and  being spontaneous when we feel like it. We decided to go to church on Saturday evening and had a great time of worship, a stirring message from the pastor, and not feeling the rush the way we do sometimes on Sunday mornings. Since we did that, we woke up leisurely on Sunday and ventured out to the north side of town to Granite Cityfor brunch around 10am. We had a gift card that was given to us at Christmas last year and this seemed like the perfect time to use it.

 

Ed was delighted to find prime rib on the brunch buffet menu and custom egg creations were also offered. I splurged on a couple things that I haven't been eating these days, like a blueberry scone and some hash browns. I also enjoyed fresh strawberries, scrambled eggs,french toast, and some veggie slaw.
We decided that this would be our main meal for the day and only had a small snack later in the evening to curb the hunger.

I love my husband! He's such a strong leader in our marriage and loves me, takes good care of me, and is a great father to our children. I feel so blessed to have shared so many years together with him, knowing that God picked him out especially for me. I'm excited to journey through life with him even more now because it seems the longer we're together, the better it gets! It's a tribute to God's amazing grace in our lives!

This morning I made some awesome pancakes and then posted about them in my status on Facebook. I had several requests for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it here on the blog.

As you know, I enjoy reading and learning about nutrition and good things to eat. I visit several food/vegetarian blogs to get meal ideas. The other day I saw this recipe for Blueberry Carob Pancakes and decided that I needed to give them a try - they sounded so good!
I tweaked the recipe just a wee bit by substituting unsweetened baking cocoa for the carob powder, reducing it just alittle. Here's my version:

Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

1/2 c. spelt flour
dash of sea salt
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 c. almond milk
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Whisk all ingredients together, folding blueberries in after all other ingredients are mixed well. Spray griddle with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 of batter onto hot griddle, making a medium sized pancake. Repeat with remaining batter - makes three pancakes (1 serving).

 

I decided to follow Angela's example and mash a ripe banana, pouring it over the three wonderful chocolate-blueberry pancakes, then sprinkling some unsweetened coconut shreds and cacao nibs on top.
These were amazingly sweet, even with no sugar added. The cocoa powder made them so chocolate-y and I loved the flavor that the fresh blueberries added. 

I used spelt flour, but you could probably substitute what you have on hand. As you know, I've been experimenting with many different grains and spelt flour is one that is interchangeable in recipes that may call for whole wheat flour. It is a very healthy grain, higher in protein than wheat, and is easily digested.
You can also substitute your favorite non-dairy milk in this recipe. I used almond milk since it is my favorite and really adds to the flavor of the recipe.

Take a look at Angela's post for this recipe - her photos are much more eye-appealing than mine. I was too excited to dig into breakfast this morning and didn't really take the time for a photo shoot in my kitchen! My pancakes turned out very similar to hers - chocolate-y goodness with bursting blueberries galore! I will definitely make these again soon!

Comments

[Francis C. Moore]

Congratulations on 29 years of marriage. May you have many more. Francis Moore from First Church

[Adrianne@ Flex-appeal]

Happy anniversary and your pancake picture looks just as yummy as Angela's! She just has a fancier camera than we do!

[dawn]

I hope someday our nest will be really empty! Nobody lives here, but you know what I mean.

The pancakes look fabulous! I will definitely be trying them - they wioll fit in my food plan just fine!

[barb hendrickson]

It's a little late, but happy anniversary!
barb