Valentine's Day Raspberry Pancakes

Valentine's Day is only two days away! Here's a fun little recipe for you to try out for Valentine's Day breakfast, or dinner, if you like breakfast food for dinner like me. This is a variation of the healthy oat and banana pancakes I made here a couple weeks ago.  My boyfriend and I don't really do anything too extravagant for Valentine's Day, we never really have, and I actually like it that way. Don't get me wrong though, the day is still special, but we don't really buy each other gifts, so this year I'm going to make him some extra special red valentine's day pancakes (although he may get them for dinner or the day before because we have an exam on Valentine's day). Whether you are looking for something to make for your significant other on Valentine's day, for your family or you friends, this is a really easy and healthy breakfast you could whip up for them!

^^ I was hoping they would turn out a little darker pink, but oh well! ^^ 

Here's the pancake recipe 

2 cups oats blended into oat flour (could substitute with whole wheat flour, quinoa flour ) 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 cup almond milk (any liquid will work) 

2 ripe bananas (easily substitute with 1 cup of other fruit or veggie - apples, pears, sweet potato, squash)  
Water (to your desired consistency, depending on how thick you like your pancakes) 

Coconut oil 
1 cup raspberry puree (heat frozen raspberries) 

Directions 

Blend the oats until flour consistency, place in mixing bowl and mix in baking powder. Blend your banana and raspberry puree with milk and mix with dry ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together and add water until you reach the consistency you like (the oats tend to absorb the water and bulk up so I sometimes need to add water half way through cooking the whole batch).  Heat a pan and use a small amount of coconut oil to oil the pan. Fry the pancakes the same way you would a regular pancake, they are ready to flip when you see bubbles. 

Strawberry Pineapple Sauce 

10-15 frozen strawberries (can use any fresh or frozen berry)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple

a little water 

1 tablespoon of chia seeds (great fibre!)

Directions

Heat the frozen berries and pineapple over medium heat with the water until they are soft and warm. Blend the mixture for a few seconds for a smooth fruit sauce. Then take off the heat and add the chia seeds and allow the sauce to sit for a few minutes. The chia seeds will absorb some of the liquid and firm up the sauce. 

**Since I knew I would be topping these pancakes with maple syrup I didn't add any sugar to the pancakes or the strawberry pineapple sauce. This is a great way to control the sugar content, and a great alternative to the sugary jams you can buy at the grocery store, or the traditional pancake recipes.**

This would be a great way to surprise your loved on on Valentine's Day morning ;) 

^^ all you need to make the strawberry and pineapple sauce ^^ 

^^ the raspberry puree ^^ 

^^ blend your fruit together ^^ 

^^ this batter is ready to go ^^ 

^^ once you remove your fruit sauce from the blender, mix with chia seeds a let sit for a few minutes ^^

^^ I topped these with the fruit sauce, plain yogourt, maple syrup and some dried coconut ^^ 

^^ I don't know how to make foam hearts, so I topped my espresso with a cinnamon heart instead ^^ 

Enjoy!
-M