The secret to a flippin’ great Saturday: Oatmeal Banana Blender Pancakes. A thick, fluffy, gluten-free stack with just the right amount of sweetness from that overly ripe banana you didn’t have the heart to turn into yet another loaf of banana bread. This recipe proves your blender is good for more than just smoothies. With all the time saved from this blender hack, you can make your own cinnamon apples and homemade coconut caramel sauce to top it all off. Get the recipes for these simply good pancakes, sauteed apples and homemade caramel sauce below!

Confession: I’ve always been a boxed pancake mix gal. It’s so easy…and good! Until, I realized just how simple it is to make pancakes from scratch with gluten-free oats magically converted to oat flour in the blender! Seriously. That’s all it takes. Rolled oats, in a blender! It’s like riding a bike with training wheels. There is no way to screw up this recipe. And, what I love is that there is just the right amount of sweetness from whole foods like banana. I somehow always forget about one loan banana that is past its prime and what does one do with one overripe banana? One banana won’t even suffice to jump on the banana bread bandwagon!

So why oat flour? Let me count the ways. Here are my top 5 reasons to pick oat flour over other options:

Why Oat Flour Wins Every Saturday Morning Pancake Feast at My House

1.) Low Glycemic Index: the glycemic index (GI) is an indication of a food’s impact on blood glucose (also known as blood sugar levels). Oats have a lower GI score than other grains, so they won’t spike your blood sugar like pancake mixes made with white flour.
2.) Natural Source of Protein: Oats are a good source of protein with 6g of protein per cup. No need to add protein powders to make these flapjacks a protein powerhouse!
3.) Fiber, Baby: Oatmeal is rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber. According to Healthline, soluble fiber leads to slower digestion, increased fullness and appetite suppression. And insoluble fiber helps with bowel movements if things aren’t going with the flow.

Now that you’re aware of the wonders of oats, let’s talk about the type to use. For this recipe, you’ll want to use rolled oats. Steel cut oats will take too long to break down while instant oats will instantly become…mush. My favorite rolled oats are from The Soulfull Project. For every serving of oats purchased, a serving is donated to a local foodbank. Plus the oats are certified gluten-free and I love the texture and health benefits of the chia and flax seeds that are incorporated in the Hearty Grains & Seeds blend.

Enough chit chat already. Let’s get to making these pancakes happen in your kitchen stat! Oh and if you’re wondering if the coconut caramel sauce is worth it…it is. Saturday is calling and you should definitely answer with these pancakes, cinnamon apples and coconut caramel sauce!

Oatmeal Banana Blender Pancakes
Makes: 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients:
-2 C rolled oats (I used The Soulfull Project Hearty Grains & Seeds Hot Cereal)
-1 ripe banana
-1 pasture-raised egg (I always use Vital Farms)

-1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
-1 T maple syrup OR make my homemade coconut caramel sauce (below)
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp sale
-optional: top with cinnamon apples (see step 4), pecan butter and additional coconut caramel sauce.

Directions: 
Step 1: In a high speed blender, grind the oats for a few seconds to create a flour-like consistency. You’ve now made oat flour!
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse until evenly mixed, scraping down the sides if necessary and avoiding over-blending. Let sit for 10 minutes for best results (the oats will really soak everything up and the batter will thicken).
Step 3: Pour 1/3 C of the batter onto a hot griddle that’s been coated in butter, ghee or olive oil. Flip once bubbles form around the edges and the pancake becomes golden brown.
Step 4: Option to saute apples in cinnamon and ghee butter to top! Dice a medium apple and place in a saute pan over medium heat with 1 T of ghee or butter. Sprinkle with ample cinnamon and stir to coat. Allow to cook until soften and easily pierced with a fork. If the pan becomes dry, add a little water.

Coconut Caramel Syrup
Makes: 1 small mason jar

Ingredients:
-1 C coconut cream (from a can placed in the fridge overnight)
-1 C coconut sugar
-optional: top with sea salt

Directions:
Step 1: Place the coconut cream and coconut sugar in a small sauce pan over medium/low heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to stir off and one for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
Step 2: Allow to cool and thicken. Option to add a sprinkle of see salt. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

The post Oatmeal Banana Blender Pancakes appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Food is my love language. Today I’m singing songs of Paleo Apple Hand Pies. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to eat an entire pie, this is your shining moment of pie-dom. These palm-sized pies are mini in size, big in flavor and made both vegan and gluten-free. Yes, dreams do come true. Why wait until Thanksgiving? Get your pie on below!

When it comes to Thanksgiving, it’s hard to say which is my favorite – pie or green bean casserole. Do pie and green bean casserole count as a balanced meal? Thanksgiving isn’t about balance though. It’s the one time a year that I allow myself two pieces of pie because…who can choose between pumpkin and apple? Maybe pie is my favorite because it comes around so infrequently. Buying an entire pie is just…dangerous. And making a pie? Super intimidating. But, with a fridge full of honey crisp apples, I set off on a mission to 1.) use up all the apples in all the ways and 2.) create a mini pie for a mini indulgence.

There are apples, and then there are honeycrisp apples. All apples, were not created equal. If you haven’t sunk your teeth into these juicy, sweet yet sour apples, you are missing out, my friend. However you slice it, there are plenty of apple varieties and plenty of confusion about which apples to use for which recipes.

Here’s a shorthand guide of the best apples for:

Baking
-Look for crisp apples (to withstand the oven), with a balance of sweet & tartflavors.
-Varieties: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Cortland, Empire & Jonathan.
Cider
-Use a blend of apples to get sweet, bitter and sharp flavors for a balanced cider.
-Varieties: Gala, Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp
Applesauce
-Use a softer apple for quicker cooking.
-Varieties: Cortland, Jonagold, Fuji, Granny Smith.

Back to the main attraction: pie. I’d suggest making this dough in the morning, refrigerate to reduce the stickiness, then make the filling in the afternoon (or even the next morning). TBH, it’s a bit of a process, but with worthwhile results. Also, this recipe will make AMPLE cinnamon apples, which I like to put in oatmeal, on toast, top pancakes or just straight up spoon because they’re so good. These hand pies would also freeze well and reheat in the oven once thawed. Lastly, try to get the dough as thin as possible (like a thin sugar cookie) so that you have the right ratio of dough to apples.

Before you dive in, if you’re wondering about that delicious syrup and whipped topping, it’s coconut whipped cream and date syrup! The recipes for the date syrup can be found here. The coconut whipped cream is available from a variety of brands, including Reddi Whip!

Apple Hand Pies
Serves: 6

Ingredients: 
Apple Pie Filling
– 5 C of apples peeled, cored and diced (from about 3-4 apples)
– 2 T ghee (or butter)
– 1/2 C packed coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp ground ginger
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Pastry Dough
-1/4 C maple syrup
-1/4 C ghee (or unsalted butter)
-1/4 C water
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 ripe banana, mashed
-1/2 C arrowroot flour
-1/2 C coconut flour

Directions:
Step 1: Make the pie filling by heating a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Add the ghee (or butter). Once the ghee is melted, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook until the apples are soft, but not mushy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the dough by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. Add the maple syrup, ghee (or butter), water, vanilla and salt to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil on the stove top, then remove from the heat. Add the arrowroot flour, coconut flour and mashed banana. Mix until it forms into a dough. Option to refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to work with the dough (reduces the stickiness).
Step 3: Roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8-1/4 inch. Using a mason jar, cup or biscuit cutter, cut 10-12 circles out of the dough. Transfer the parchment paper to a sheet pan. Place 2-3 T of the apple mixture on half of the dough circles. The remaining dough circles will serve as the tops of your pie. With a spatula, lift and gently place each of the remaining dough circles on top of the prepared circles to create an individual pie. Cinch the edges together using a fork to form an impression around the perimeter of each circle. Don’t worry if the tops of the crust crack since this will help with ventilation.
Step 4: Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the pies are golden brown. Allow to cool and enjoy!

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