The flavor screams “Fall,” and the ease of this recipe + the additional pro tip for mamas allows this one to be weekday morning appropriate!
Pumpkin Spice is, not surprisingly, EVERY. WHERE. I honestly hate to even contribute to the madness with yet ANOTHER recipe containing the name, but truly, I had to. It’s just so good. Even if you’re not the biggest pumpkin fan, this hearty pancake comes through in a mildly pumpkin, boldly spiced, moist, pleasantly orange-colored way. The secret to the spicing of it will leave you with a mouthful of flavor AND additional health benefits, so mamas everywhere are rightfully singing “hallelujah” over this one!
Plus, pumpkin itself is a healthy food full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and so much more. I realize the flavor of pumpkin alone can be a bit dull, but we’re going to fix that right up today!
And yep, as usual this recipe is gluten and dairy free! I see you, healthy and allergen-free mamas!
I’m sharing how we make this for our family of 6 - this typically allows for leftovers, which is my goal. But if nothing else, we all have full, happy bellies. Stay with me until the end for the greatest flapjack mom hack everrrr that will revolutionize your pancake making for a crowd!
INGREDIENTS:
Your favorite pancake mix or recipe. NOTE: We love Aldi’s LiveGFree Pancake and Baking Mix! I use a whole box at one time, which is a triple recipe (makes approx 30 pancakes), in order to make leftovers. This recipe is based on that ratio
3/4c-1c organic pumpkin puree (I love THIS brand)
2 drops Thieves Vitality Essential Oil
2-3 drops Orange Vitality Essential Oil
2 drops Ginger Vitality Essential Oil
2 drops Nutmeg Vitality Essential Oil
1 drop Cinnamon Bark Vitality Essential Oil
3 drops Copaiba Vitality Essential Oil
DIRECTIONS:
Mix up your pancake batter per directions on box or your base recipe, plus pumpkin puree and essential oil additions, WITH THESE ADJUSTMENTS BELOW:
Omit 1 egg from your recipe (the pumpkin is coming into play as a partial egg sub here!)
For milk/liquid called for in the recipe, sub homemade dairy free “buttermilk” - mix the same amount of dairy free milk of choice listed plus 1tbsp vinegar per cup of milk in a separate bowl, stir, and let sit until curdled. May not need ALL of this in batter - I suggest using half and adding more if needed for batter consistency.
Once mixed, grease up a griddle (I like THIS ONE for large families and quick flapjack flippin’! ) and fry up some pancakes! (Takes about 1.5-2min per side, or until browned to your liking) ORRRR
MOM HACK OPTION: pour all batter into a greased 9x13 jelly roll pan (HERE is a great one made in the USA) and BAKE in the oven at 350F for approx 20-25min. Cut into squares to serve! It’s like pancake CAKE! (I forget where I first heard this idea, but I cannot take credit for it myself!)
These pancakes taste PERFECT topped with real maple syrup and toasted chopped pecans! Go crazy with some homemade or dairy free whipped cream or coconut cream too if you're feeling especially festive!
Need a hook up for your Vitality Essential Oils? I’d be blessed for you to use my referral link HERE.
Ready to grab my FREE guide to boost your immune system like my family has? Get started TODAY on your immune system reboot and grab it HERE!
Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links are used in this post and are a blessing to our family if you choose to use them. There is no additional cost to you.
I’ve been asked SO much about how I maintain my mental health through my healing journey from Lyme disease. Because if you didn’t know, mental health struggles of ALL kinds often manifest or are exacerbated when battling Lyme disease.
Keep reading to hear my surprising suggestion for mental health improvement you can start today AND an opportunity I've created to help!
I’m a Lyme-y on a healing journey. And I got COVID-19.
I did “all the right things,” was still exposed, and got it along with a few unmistakable symptoms and the pleasure of what feels like a never-ending quarantine at home.
This was most definitely NOT how I had planned to usher in the beautiful month of September. You may have seen that I talked about it on social media as my quarantine began, and throughout. But it’s almost been harder to talk about as time goes on.
I think it’s important that I talk and keep talking, though. That I bring the hope I’ve always been called to bring. That I break free of being “the public health threat” and “another statistic,” as I’ve so often felt I’ve been reduced to these past couple weeks.
I’m now at the end of my quarantine, technically, and yet symptoms linger on. Kind of like a taunt. A slap in the face of the healthy, smart things I’ve done to stay well, get well fast, and NOT have to carry COVID with me any longer than necessary.
On one hand, COVID made me nervous because of the unknown, particularly in a person such as myself. See, no one really knows what to expect with COVID/Coronavirus/SARS-CoV-2 in a patient with chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, etc. Which is me - I am that person. I’m your fun little “corona with Lyme” joke, which don’t get me wrong, definitely makes me chuckle. And made me REAL nervous to personify.
But I’m here to say I did ok! I believe I’m truly through the thick of it, and I’m happy to walk you through how this whole adventure started.
I got some cold symptoms first. In fact, I kinda laughed at the thought that they even COULD be COVID-19, they were so generic and subtle. But knowing I had had an exposure and had a job to get back to, I was tested. Then I developed complete loss of taste and smell. Then shortness of breath started occasionally, and I was definitely fatigued - I felt like I could never get enough sleep. Headaches joined the fun - nearly daily - and some debilitating. Throw in some intense, keep-you-up-all-night leg pains, and I was starting to feel like a Lyme flare mixed in with a dose of Coronavirus. Who knows if that’s what it was. To me, it honestly was just a bunch of annoying symptoms thrown into the mix, but within a couple days they were resolving.
Thankfully I’m almost completely better now, 2wks later. I’m just left with persisting, and sometimes worsening, shortness of breath. I can’t talk well for long, or do much around the house because of it. It only goes away with rest and some serious huffing. As a nurse, I promise I’m really good at knowing if it needs medical attention. AND I’ve got a LOT of healthcare professionals and parties with a vested interest checking up on me almost daily. But I can’t be released to work and I certainly can’t fully get on with life until I can breathe well again.
All that to say, you have NO idea how grateful I am for the tools I have to help me manage recovering, symptoms, and allll the “joys” of COVID-19. Yes, it involves a slew of vitamins and supplements. It also involves intentional usage of essential oils, detox methods, and clean eating to fuel my body to fight.
To discuss a few basic tactics I used to fight, here's a non-exhaustive list. :) I eliminated sugar, upped my antioxidants and NingXia Red consumption, and took extra/additional supplements to my current regimen (so this list is NOT exhaustive) including Quercetin, high dose Vit C, Vit D, Vit A, Multigreens, Selenium, NAC, Glutathione, Curcumin, and Inner Defense. I used key essential oils in the diffuser and topically to help with support my lungs, support my body to fight inflammation, and to boost my natural immune function. I used detox baths and foot potatoes liberally. (Go HERE for more foot potato info!) I drank PLENTY of water daily.
And knowing this could have gone WAY worse, combining an existing condition with something new and relatively uncharted, I really couldn’t have asked for a much better recovery.
Cheers to not living in fear. To properly caring for our body. And to always ALWAYS being much more than a statistic in this life.
Oh, and if you’d like to start boosting your immune system right now, grab my free guide to 5 Ways I Boosted My Immune System to Fight Lyme (and now COVID too!) to help you get started easily. Be well!
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional here to diagnose, treat, cure, or otherwise influence your medical journey outside of the guidance of a medical professional. I am simply sharing my own journey and what I have learned along the way. Please find a doctor you trust and discuss any medical concerns or treatments with them. Also, please know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases through my site at no extra cost to you.
