Lately, making it to the end of the week feels like a major victory. Balancing work, school, friends, cooking, gym, and a long distance boyfriend is just as challenging as it sounds. I was starting to worry that my intense yearning for alcohol by Friday was problematic. I could counter that with a lot – starting with the fact that I often don’t drink during the week – but recently I realized that this desire to drink is more reflective of something else: appreciation.
I know you’re wondering how I’ve managed to connect appreciation and, well, boozing…so let me explain. Sure, I had my embarrassing days as a teen and college student; I didn’t care what I was drinking and I didn’t understand why adults enjoyed the taste of alcohol. But the past few years have taught me how to appreciate everything – from the serious to the not so serious. When I’m plotting my post-work Friday drink, it’s more about the people who will make me laugh, the taste of a new cocktail or beer, and knowing I can relax and focus on appreciating the moment (not homework, not getting to the gym, and not finishing a project at work). Please excuse the philosophical rubbish I’m about to type…but I’ve decided the easiest way to be happy is to learn how to appreciate everything – and I think I’m getting the hang of it (just don’t interrupt my Friday happy hour).
I figure if I’m going to focus on appreciating the little things, I should try harder with my paleo breakfasts. The past few weeks have been rough and I’ve resorted to a Larabar at my desk. These paleo-friendly crepes are easy to make and pair nicely with the even simpler strawberry lemon chia jam. I’ve been stuffing my crepes with bananas, almond butter and cinnamon, but feel free to experiment! The jam makes about 1.5 cups and the crepe batter made five medium sized cakes.
Jam Ingredients:
3 cups of strawberries
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp water
Optional: sweetener (I opted out and think it’s great as is)
Crepe Ingredients*:
4 eggs
4 tbsp of coconut flour
3 tbsp of almond milk
1 tbsp of coconut or other oil
*Adapted from Elana’s Pantry
Directions:
De-stem your strawberries after rinsing, then slice them into quarters.
In a pot over medium heat, add in the strawberry chunks, fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce the heat slightly to a simmer, and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add in the chia seeds, then simmer for another minute.
Remove from heat and let cool. You’ll see the jam thicken before your eyes! If after 15 minutes of cooling, it still seems a bit watery, add some more chia seeds, stir, and let sit.
In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs and coconut flour. Add in the milk and oil, and continue whisking.
Use a saute pan over medium heat, add a touch or two of olive oil, and once the pan is heated pour in a little less than a 1/4 cup of batter. If the pan is hot enough, you’ll notice the batter start cooking immediately! Quickly – pick up the pan and angle it so that the batter spreads all the way to the edges.
Wait for the batter to firm up on the edges and bubble a bit in the middle before flipping. I used a rubber spatula to prod at the edges, then flipped it when firm enough. Cook the other side for 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
Spread almond butter on one half of the crepe, top with sliced bananas, roll it up and top with chia jam and cinnamon. Enjoy!
