Pancake Day - not the stoma life kind!

Hello Comfizz reader,

Another new month...where did February go?!

I hope this blog post finds you well & I'm sending you encouragement & hugs if you need them.

Today is Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) & I always count my lucky stars that thanks to my stoma, it is a day I can now enjoy and not dread. In the stoma world, we can also speak of pancaking, which isn't so tempting or enjoyable! To read more about this, you can check out my blog post I wrote in 2020 here.

I absolutely love pancakes & like food in general, they were something I could only dream of eating before my surgery in 2011. 

Thankfully, I have enjoyed a good number of pancake days now!

I love so many types of pancakes to be honest and sometimes the mini shop-bought ones are spot on, but sometimes we make our own at home so I wanted to share the recipe that my other half and I use. I shared this recipe two years ago on my own blog.

Disclaimer 

This recipe works for me with my stoma. Shop-bought pancakes shouldn’t pose too much of an issue in most cases for ostomates but I wanted to share my quick & easy take on how we do pancakes. It is more the toppings you have to be weary of if you are using fruit, for example, or nuts. What may affect me may not affect you and vice versa. Always approach new foods and recipes with caution & chew well! If in doubt, try a small sample & see how you get on. It's also advisable to try one new food at a time so if you do experience issues, you're more likely to find the root of the cause. Remember: you know your body & your stoma! If in doubt, don’t risk it and speak to a stoma nurse!**

Ingredients (for approximately 2-3 small pancakes):

• Rolled oats (approx. 3 – 4 handfuls)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 medium egg
• Coconut oil (or an alternative such as extra virgin olive oil)
• Honey (1 tbsp)
• Sprinkle of cinnamon (if you wish)
• Something for toppings – you can pick pretty much whatever for this! I like strawberries or raspberries with golden syrup or Lotus Biscoff spread (I’m making myself so hungry just typing this!) I also like melted white chocolate or pancakes with crumbled Kinder Bueno - just dreamy!

Method:

I'd say you need 15-20 minutes maximum to prepare these tasty pancakes. An electric food processor or even a smoothie maker can help to make the process smoother as you need the ingredients to be blended down into a fairly runny liquid so there are no bits or clumps (a bit like a yoghurt consistency that can be gently poured into the pan for cooking).

• Blend the ingredients until there are no clumps.

• Select a shallow frying pan that is big enough to create 2-3 small pancakes in & place over a medium-high heat on the hob to warm the pan up.

• Add a tsp of coconut oil once the pan is warm (be careful the temperature isn’t super high or the oil may spit at you!)

• Once the coconut oil is melted (don’t let it get too hot before adding the mix), gently pour the mix into the pan so that you create 2 – 3 circles (roughly about the size of a mug bottom) each.

• Cook the pancakes for roughly 1 minute each side (depending on the thickness) until you see the pancakes starting to bubble through on top.

• Gently run a spatula around the outside of the pancakes, and underneath, when you think they are ready, allowing a bit of extra time if the pancakes are still pale in colour or runny.

• Once you are happy the pancakes are ready, leave them to rest on a piece of kitchen roll for around a minute, then plate up & add your desired toppings!

• Enjoy your Pancake Day! 🙂

Until my next post,