Splendid’s shopping list and whole pancakes recipe

 

 

We are what we eat. If not try fasting for a week or two and see what happens. Both Alex and I are very aware of the food we put into our bodies and we love cooking!

 

This is something I thought of a lot when I moved into Splendid because nutrition has always been absolutely central to me. I am convinced that a healthy diet, a stress-free mindset, an active lifestyle and a good night’s rest do not let illnesses get into your system, even when they are around. Being a vegetarian and all, I cannot remember the last time I was really sick or a doctor told me anything was wrong in my check-ups. And I do not take any vitamins or dietary supplements.

I’m no superwoman of course and I have been ill in the past. But it was when I was in college and had to work, attend lessons, study at home and have a social life all at the same time. I was stressed and could not sleep well for a few days, then I started feeling weak, then a sore throat or something… You know. It was the result of not being able to take care of my body. When I did have something serious and was prescribed antibiotics of course I took them and the effect was strong and instant because my body was clean. But I am all for preventing and avoiding medicine (even the natural kind, if it comes in a pill, I feel funny about it) for as long as possible. When you have some temperature or a flu or something, it’s so much better to just rest, take baths, drink tea with ginger and watch a cool film. The fever is there for a reason, your body needs it. Whether you take some pills or not, it will go away in the same amount of time and you’ll be saving your organism from all those nasty chemicals. I have to say I am very much against the whole pharmaceutical industry, animal testing infuriates me and don’t get me started on cosmetics! I do not wear any make-up or beauty products. I hate the idea of how much money goes into the whole business of making people feel they should look different or younger.

Good food, lots of water, happy thoughts and rest do prevent and cure most ailments and make you look your best: healthy and full of life!

And it’s really not so hard, you can make any meal whole and nutritious by adding some key ingredients, which also make them a lot more yummy. For example, imagine you are making pancakes for breakfast. Here’s how you can make them increasingly better. (If you have fresh eggs of course you don’t need pancake mix, you just need eggs, flour, baking powder and milk or water, but we often have no eggs left and that is why we carry pancake mix)

1. pancake mix + water
2. pancake mix + water + sliced apples + almonds
3. 1/2; pancake mix + 1/2 oats + water + apples + almonds + walnuts + raisins
4. 1/4 pancake mix + 1/4 bran + 1/2 oats + coconut water + apple + almonds + walnuts + raisins + cinnamon
5. etc, etc.

And you can just use whatever: almond milk, almond extract, ginger, other fruit and nuts, other types of bran and flour. Play, experiment with the ingredients you have. AND ALWAYS BUY BULK AND RAW INGREDIENTS.

Now, back to the boat, how do we manage to eat nice, healthy, tasty food when we only go to the land maybe twice a month and we do not have a car to carry big loads or a refrigerator to keep our foods fresh? Creativity and good planning. There’s plenty of dry foods that are absolutely wonderful and versatile. And some fresh fruit and vegetables can easily last for two or three weeks. Others only last for a few days. It’s really a matter of having a clever shopping list and good backpacks.

Here’s our favorite recipe for pancakes in detail…

SPLENDID RECIPE #1: Whole pancakes (for two or three people)

1. Mix in a bowl 1 small cup of oats, 1/2 a small cup of oat bran, 1/2 of wheat bran, 1/2 of pancake mix (or eggs, baking powder and wholewheat flour), 1/2 of chopped almonds and walnuts, 1/2 of brown sugar, some raisins or craisins (dried cranberries) 1 tablespoon of sea salt, 1 tbs of flaxseed, 1 tbs of wheat germ, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and two or three drops of almond extract.
2. Add an apple, banana or pear in small pieces.
3. Add the necessary water (coconut water or almond milk) until it’s like a cream.
4. Cook and flip the pancakes on a non-stick pan with a little oil and voila!

Alex wants to add that whatever you do, don’t slather them with maple-syrup-tasting high fructose corn syrup. Use honey or real maple syrup.

Another option is to eat these sweet pancakes without fruit but with ham and/or eggs on top! ENJOY!!

Published in Carla Dorsey