So how many days into Lent are we now?
I don’t even know… I don’t really keep track, to be honest. I think it’ll be 2 weeks this coming Wednesday.
Or is it 3? No, it’s 2… I think!
All I can say, really, is so far it’s been going extremely great for me.
As a matter of fact, I almost feel as though Lent hasn’t even started yet. I don’t feel deprived in the least. So much so, I sort of have a hard time remembering that it’s Lent, so I have to be extra careful not to eat something that is on the “forbidden” list by mistake. Good thing I got everything “grain” out of my cupboards!
The thing that I’ve been doing differently this year, and I think makes all the difference in the world, is that instead of plain cutting out “forbidden” foods from my regular diet, I’ve found ways to work around it. Found ways to still enjoy the things that I love so much, whilst leaving the “unwanted” ingredients out.
Like this very stack of carrot pancakes, for instance. Or is it carrot cake? I’m not sure.
All I know, is it was stunningly delicious, and so very Lent friendly.
Believe it or not, this gorgeous breakfast right here, fits all my Lent requirements. It contains no grains or added sugar whatsoever.
Yet, it was simply decadent. So moist, so sweet, so comforting. Exactly like any pancake should be.
I am telling you, I can honestly say that I don’t miss my grains one bit. Or my sugar, for that matter. How could I when I get to eat things like this? And even though I said that I would allow myself the use of honey to sweeten things up if I needed to, I haven’t even touched it so far.
One thing that’s very odd, though. I’ve been craving nuts, and especially nut butter like crazy. But I do mean CRAZY. I don’t get up in the middle of the night to dip my finger in that jar and that’s about it.
I’m pretty sure I dream about it, though.
So not sure where the craving comes from, but I’m certainly hoping that it will subside soon. I mean, nuts ARE good for you, but they are also very calorie dense, and rather high in fat.
Guess my body is in need of that fat… I certainly hope that it knows what to do with it!
Other than storing it, that is!
Oh, and if anyone has a clue as to why I’ve got these crazy cravings, please, by all means, enlighten me!
INGREDIENTS INSTRUCTIONS Notes Grain Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, High Protein, Low Fat
Very yummy pancakes….I don’t know how you do it. I think if I gave up sugar I would be a very cranky and mean person
grains no problem, but NOT sugar…..I love the fact that these pancakes have grated carrots in them. A very super healthy pancake indeed!!
Ah, so THAT’S why I’ve been so cranky and mean lately!
Nah, just kidding. No seriously, I am really surprised at how well I’m handling all these changes in my diet, but like I said, I don’t feel deprived at all and don’t even feel like I’ve given up on anything. Let’s hope that the remaining 4 weeks go just as easy as the first two did! Hey, so long as I can have pancakes for breakfast, I’m a happy camper! 
Yet another genius recipe from you Sonia!…You are a true Lenten inspiration…How can one feel “deprived” with such fare as this…AND it let’s one focus to turn to more positive aspects of Lent…such as being able to reflect on how lucky we are to have and pursue health (by eating sanely…taking care of our bodies..no small thanks to your superb blog)…and thus being able to share this healthy state by giving more of ourselves to others. Now THAT’S what Lent should be all about.
Good on you that you’re able to turn the “Oh, poor deprived me” aspect of Lent into one of purpose and positivity! I cannot wait to try your beautiful Carrot Cake Pancakes! They are gorgeously photographed (as usual) and plated…Question..If I cannot locate (easily) cottage cheese here in France…could I substitute fromage blanc (low fat/regular?) or ricotta or petits suisses?….Thank you so much for any insight!…
Oh…and I think the “nut” cravings come from your lower glucid and carbohydrate intake…the body wants the energy from healthy fats and protein to compensate for the other macronutrients…being in the relatively primal/paleo camp makes me realize this more and more…I imagine this is perfectly normal…and “au contraire”…your body will most assuredly not use these healthy fats for fat storage…but for conversion into glycogen and energy for your marvelous self to function at full-Sonia throttle! Have a lovely week
Wow, thank you so much Donna for such an amazing intervention. I’m at a loss for words, really… I don’t know what to say! Wonder who’s inspiring who, here. Such wise and beautiful words coming from you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As for using ricotta instead of cottage, I really wouldn’t see why that would be a problem. You might just need to adjust the consistency slightly by adding a little bit more milk, or not, if you want your “frosting” to be on the thicker side. Would you believe me if I told you that I have never in my life tasted a petit suisse? I’ve heard a lot of good things about them though, and I think it’s the first thing I will eat if I ever get to visit France!
And I do hope you are right about the nut thing. That’s what I figured too. I remember reading somewhere that your body actually needs good fat in order to burn fat more efficiently. If you do not give it enough fat, then it just ends up storing more fat. I need to research that some more. Thank you very much for your insight! I truly appreciate!
You have yourself a tremendous week too!
My week will decidedly be tremendous in great anticipation of trying out your exquisite recipe this weekend for brunch!..Thank you too for the sweet comments.. (big-time blushing happening now)
Holy moly, congrats on removing grains! That’s awesome. I couldn’t be happier that you have because these pancakes look awesome, and I can eat them! I remember as a child I would give up chocolate during lent every year. It was so challenging for me, but I was so happy when I got to have chocolate after all those days!
Hey thanks Leanne. Not sure whether this will be permanent, but I’ll definitely try to reduce my grain consumption in the future. I already know that I will definitely want to reinstate oats, altough I will get out of my way to get the gluten free variety. Not that I miss it all that much, but I just know I won’t be able to go my entire life without my precious oats.
Funny, I too remember giving up chocolate for Lent when I was a kid. And I too remember finding it pretty hard. Looking back on it, it wasn’t that big a sacrifice… but I have to admit that I really look forward to indulging in a piece of smooth, silky, extra dark chocolate. I’ll probably have that right on Easter day
I am thrilled to hear how well things are going for you! Woohooo! and with recipes like this, I can understand why you aren’t missing grains! I love carrot cake – where did the pineapple go? Thought you loved pineapple in your carrot cake? (hehe jk) now this is right up my alley!
beautiful and fabulous as always!
Haha! You have a very good memory! And you are so right too… where did the pineapple go? Funny ‘cos I made another “carrot cake” based recipe this past week-end and that one did feature the pineapple. Guess my brains must’ve had the hickups when I made the pancakes and it totally forgot that it wanted pineapple in there!
Oh well, I’ll have to make them again, with pineapple this time! 
These pancakes look amazing…I love carrot cake! My favorite part has to be the icing though so I can’t wait to try your cream cheese ‘frosting’!!
Can’t wait to make these in the weekend!! I love that you post recipes on delicious looking cakes without added sugar. I have not given up grains though – like you I love my oats
Do you have any alternative to vanilla flavored whey protein powder? I’m not sure I can buy that in Denmark.
Thanks Anna! Glad you’re enjoying the “no added sugar” goods! As for the whey protein replacement, I really don’t know! Do you have access to any other types of protein? If not, I guess you could probably just add vanilla and some sort of sweetener, but the result would be very different. The protein powder does play a huge role, in both the texture and the taste of this “frosting”. I certainly hope you can find the whey protein though. This is one ingredient that I could no longer be without! Great way to boost protein intake and to sweeten things up a bit!
Yeah a recipe to try out my newly bought coconut flour
Maybe this week-end.. definitely bookmarked.
I was wondering if it would be ok to substitute the egg whites with flax seed + water (or the chia mixture) without altering too much the taste and texture (since you’re not trying to achieve a meringue here and just trying to bind the ingredients together)? And if possible, how much flax seed powder + water would be needed to replace those 7 egg whites? I’ve never tried it before but since reading about this substitution, I’m a bit intrigued and want to experiment with that..
Honestly, I’ve never ever worked with flaxseed “eggs”, so I couldn’t tell you. I guess it would work, but you wouldn’t be getting all the protein from the egg whites and it would most definitely impact the texture as it would require quite a lot of flaxseed meal to replace 7 egg whites! For each egg that you want to replace, you need to use one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of water. But since we’re only using the whites here, I guess you could use that ratio per 2 egg whites. So you would need 3½ tablespoons flax to 10½ tablespoons water.
Worth a try, I guess…
Make sure you let me know how it turns out if you do try it!
Eh I didn’t even think about the protein aspect…
ok I will probably test the flaxseed “egg” with another recipe.. maybe a quinoa burger since it also need to be “binded” with eggs. Will have to think about that one. Thanks for the tip though!
I wish I wasn’t a Uni student at McGill and could afford these ingredients, haha! Another mouth-watering recipe Sonia. Maybe I will attempt a “cheap-twist”
I have just made the frosting from this recipe to go with my flourless choc cake and I am amazed that something so full of protein tastes sooo good:) How do you come up with this cool ideas?! You are a health food genius!
Thanks a bunch Olga! You are too kind. I guess it’s the passion that does it. When you’re super passionate about something, it just comes to you naturally…
Glad you liked the frosting! But… hum… did you say flourless chocolate cake? YUM! Would it happen to be of the healthy kind, by any chance? I sure wouldn’t mind having a peek at that recipe…
Sonia, well, I just took a random flourless chocolate cake recipe and used dark chocolate, plus replaced sugar with sweetener and oil with apple puree. So there is no special recipe as such:)
Thanks for the answer, Olga. Guess I’ll have to come up with my own recipe! Been toying with the idea of creating a totally healthy flourless chocolate cake. I made one last week, it was good, but not exceptional, so I need to try again… I get the feeling that the next try will be amazing! At least, I hope!
Wow! I just made these and they were delicious! I added some of my own homemade maple syrup on top and the combination of flavors worked great. I’ll be honest – these are the most filling pancakes I have eaten. ever. I think that has something to do with the 3 tablespoons of butter I added to the mix (I incorporated that part of Mark Sisson’s recipe for coconut pancakes). I’ll be sure to make these again and again. Thanks a bunch!
Glad you liked the pancakes, Christopher! Coconut flour is extremely filling too, so I’m thinking it might have a thing to do with those pancakes being the most filling you’ve ever had. And butter? Really? Oh no! Nasty!
Seriously, I think butter will add a lot of flavor, richness as well as extra calories 
but won’t really help much as far as keeping you full and satisfied. 
I say you should try them again without the butter, just to see… and then let me know if you found them to be just as good or not!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such great feedback too, I really appreciate that! You rock!
p.s. you make your own Maple Syrup? Really? Lucky! I wish I had enough maple trees in my backyard to try my hand at this. Think I could make Birch, or even Pine Syrup instead?
Haha yea I was combining the recipes like I said, but I’ll definitely try it without the butter next time (hey, at least it was organic butter, haha) Also, I did make my own maple syrup BUT not from maple trees. I got some all-natural maple extract from totonac (on amazon), added some truvia baking mix along with a little xanthan gum, reduced it on the stove, and voila – maple syrup! It tastes great, though its a bit more liquidy than I’m used to. A little goes a long way, too, so you should definitely try making some. It goes great with pulled-pork bbq.
Have a great day, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes (and do the true version of these pancakes…sans butter
Chris
Haha Christopher, you’re totally awesome! Good on you for wanting to try the recipe without the added and unnecessary fat!
As for the Maple Syrup, I live in Quebec, so we have a very easy access to the real stuff here. I’d still love to make my own, though. Basically, all that needs to be done is stick one of these weirdos in the trunk of the tree, attach a bucket to it and collect the sap every day. The thing is, though, you need 40 liters of sap in order to produce 1 liter of pure maple syrup. That’s is an awful lot to keep in the fridge when you don’t have a lot of maple trees in the yard!
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the other recipes you intend on trying. Hope they turn out as good as the pancakes have!