Flax Pancakes with Banana-Coconut Compote | Stonyfield + Barlean's

I think my kid broke me. Or, at the very least, my ability to sleep peacefully for extended periods of time.

Though he's been "sleeping like a baby" through the night for quite some time, I find myself having the same "red light, green light" sleep cycles that began when he was just a tiny thing that needed tending to in the middle of the night. If I'm not waking up to take a peek at the monitor, I'm tossing and turning because I'm: hot, uncomfortable, unable to shut my mind off, have to go to the bathroom, having nightmares, distracted by sounds outside, etc. etc. etc.

Stress makes matters worse for me, especially in the dream department. I have always had VERY vivid dreams. Vivid to the point that sometimes I wake up and feel like I lived a second life during the hours I should have been snoozing.

Last week I started the daunting task of researching all of the whos/whats/whys/hows that come with the structural and design changes I hope to make to the blog soon, and those stressy thoughts leached their way into my subconscious. Whenever I'm feeling "out of control" in real life, I have tidal wave dreams. Usually the waves come as I watch them from a sound, anchored structure, but last week's monstrous swells came while I was on a cruise ship with no land in sight. {Also, it kind of makes me never want to take a cruise again.}

It's hard to sleep peacefully when you're dreaming about being battered around on the open seas.

Anyway, restless nights make for exhausting mornings. It's true that coffee is usually the only thing that interests me immediately after I get out of bed, but a nice breakfast is always a good follow up once I'm a little more awake. It's even better if I don't have to do to much to get it ready.

These Flax Pancakes with Banana-Coconut Compote are easy to make, and can even be made ahead of time and frozen so that you can have a luxurious weekend-style breakfast any day of the week.*

Don't run away just because I used the word "compote." If you can throw a few things in a pan together and let them simmer, you got this.

The lovely folks at Barlean's sent the members of Stonyfield's Clean Plate Club some of their great products to try out this month, and I have to say that their coconut oil and flax chia coconut blend worked perfectly in these pancakes. I loved the way they turned out hearty {yet fluffy} with the combination of white and whole wheat flours and the addition of the ground flax blend. I used Stonyfield's Whole Milk Greek Yogurt in place of the traditional buttermilk, and it gave them just the right amount of rise and tang.

Any time I smell coconut, I immediately think of palm trees and island-type things, so naturally I topped these babies with something that tasted equally as tropical. Each forkful is like a beach vacation for your taste buds. {Something I definitely wouldn't mind waking up to, even after catastrophic nightmares.}

Maybe one day I'll sleep deeply again, but for now, I'll settle for these pancakes --  truly a dream. :)

Flax Pancakes with Banana-Coconut Compote
Pancakes adapted from King Arthur Flour, Compote adapted from BlogHer
Yields about 20 pancakes

For Banana-Coconut Compote
2 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons Barlean's Coconut Oil
4 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Add all ingredients except for coconut flakes to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to combine.

2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for about 7-8 minutes until the banana softens and begins to break down and the sauce thickens a bit.

3. Stir in coconut flakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Set aside until ready to use.

For Pancakes:
Butter, coconut oil or non-stick spray for pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup Barlean's Flax Chia Coconut Blend
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Barlean's Coconut Oil, melted
3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek yogurt**
3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons water or milk

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients to combine.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until well blended

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined {don't over-mix}.

4. Meanwhile, heat pan, skillet or griddle over medium heat and add butter or oil to lightly coat. Scoop pancake batter {about 1/4 cup for each pancake} onto skillet, and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the edges set and the bubbles that form on the batter begin to pop. Flip and cook for another minute or two until puffed and golden. Repeat until all batter is used.

Serve with Banana-Coconut Compote and serve hot.

Notes:

* To make pancakes ahead, simply prepare and cook them as you normally would, cool completely and then place them on parchment-lined baking sheet -- side by side, not stacked so they don't fuse together -- in the freezer. Once frozen, place them in zip-top freezer bags. Remove as many as you need in the morning and reheat in the microwave, oven or even toaster.

**You can substitiute 1 3/4 cups plain, regular style yogurt in place of Greek + milk.

If you want to a stronger coconut flavor in your pancakes, you can add a tablespoon of unsweetened coconut flakes or 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract.

Meyer Lemon + Yogurt Cream Pie

Historically, "Pi Day" has gone something like this for me {in the last few years when it's even been a "thing", anyway}:

March 13: "Oh, tomorrow is Pi Day. I'm not really that into pie. I think I'll skip it."

Morning of March 14: ::: browsing social media ::: "Ooooh, that's a pretty pie. Oh my gosh that pie looks so good. Wow, that's an amazing pie. I should make a pie!!!"

And then I spend the morning scrambling, trying to get in on the Pi Day action. Sigh.

Today was no different.

Let me be clear: I have nothing against pie. Or Pi for that matter. But neither really excite me to the point of celebration, especially the latter. {Math was NEVER my thing.}

But since I'm a team player in this crazy community of people who like to make and share recipes, I'll go ahead and take one for the team. Plus, I figured it would be a good time to use some of the many containers of Stonyfield's new Greek Whole Milk Yogurt in my fridge. {More on that in a sec.}

While I'm generally not wild about pie, I can appreciate the appeal. There's definitely something enticing about a buttery, flaky crust encasing a delightful filling. But like most delicious things, good crusts take work. And work takes time, which I don't have in excess. SO! As grateful as I am for a granny-made butter or shortening crust, I am just as grateful for shortcuts like store bought pie shells and graham cracker crusts, which is precisely what I used for this zippy little number I whipped up.

Meyer lemons {which basically taste like the lovechild of a tangerine and a standard lemon}, are the star of the show in this chilled pie. A layer of sweet and tangy Meyer lemon filling sits atop a billowy bed of lemon and vanilla-scented yogurt whipped cream -- a match made in heaven.

You know what else is heavenly? Stonyfield's newest addition to their yogurt family: Whole Milk Greek Yogurt and 100% Grassfed Whole Milk Yogurt. I've always been a fan of their 0% Fat Greek, but the whole milk version is... wowza. Seriously luscious, creamy and rich. I've been absolutely loving the vanilla bean flavor with granola and sliced strawberries, which is practically a dessert. And the plain flavor is perfection as a substitute for sour cream. Plus, it's perfect for baking which, you know, I do a little of here and there.

Their 100% Grassfed line is also delightfully creamy and smooth, with a lush flavor that can only come from cows who get to munch on their absolute favorite snack {organic grass} year round. I never realized that while some products claim to come from "grassfed cow's milk", what they mean is that the cows are fed grass as a part of their diet, in addition to other oats and grains. But Stonyfield's Pennsylvania Certified Organic Grassfed Cows are the real deal, eating a grass-exclusive diet. See the difference there? Lucky gals.

Anyway, their luck is our benefit as well, as you'll see when you try it for yourself. Whether you have a taste of it in this pie or straight off the spoon, odds are you'll be coming back for more. The same way I find myself getting sucked into Pi Day year after year...

Happy Pi Day, all! :)

Disclosure:  I have an ongoing partnership with Stonyfield as a member of their Clean Plate Club and received this product for review. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

Note: This recipe makes one small {about 5 inch round pie}, but can easily be doubled for a standard sized pie. {Use 3 egg yolks instead of 2.}

Meyer Lemon + Yogurt Cream Pie 
Adapted from Taste of Home's Complete Guide to Baking
Makes 1 Mini (5 inch round pie)

For Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

For Lemon Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup water

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest, divided

Juice of 1 Meyer lemon

For Yogurt Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Stonyfield Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (plain flavor)

1/4 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine crust ingredients in a small bowl, then press into a pie plate or springform pan, pressing up the sides. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until it begins to turn golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in water and mix until smooth. Bring the mixture to a bubble over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until it thickens. 

3. In a separate bowl with beaten egg yolks, add a few splashes of the hot mixture while whisking to bring the eggs up to temperature. Return the contents of the bowl to the saucepan and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes. 

4. Remove the saucepan from heat and add butter, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and the juice of the lemon, whisking together until smooth and incorporated. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.

5. In another bowl {I know, it's a lot of dishes, but it'll be worth it!}, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest and vanilla until the mixture can hold stiff peaks when the beaters are removed. Fold Greek yogurt into the cream mixture until completely incorporated. 

6. Spread about 3/4 of the cream mixture into the bottom of the baked graham cracker crust and smooth it out. {Set the rest aside and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.} Pour the cooled lemon filling over top of the cream mixture and smooth it out. 

7. Cover the pie with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm. {The longer the better.} 

Before serving, pipe on the remaining cream mixture to decorate the top. {Or just dollop it on, it'll still taste just as good!}

Top 10 Recipes of 2015

Here we are! The last day of 2015.

Like so many of you out there, I like to take some time to reflect back on the year with gratitude for the opportunities and experiences that it held, thinking about how they've shaped me and how I'll expand on and grow from them in the year to come. And, let me tell you, this year has been one HUGE learning experience for me both personally and professionally!

My friends at Stonyfield, with whom I've worked throughout 2015, asked us to ponder "the best gift we've ever received", and it just so happens that this year-end wrap up post was the perfect place to give it some thought.

There are certainly dozens of tangible gifts I can think of that I count among the "best" -- namely my DSLR camera, my KitchenAid stand mixer, and a handful of other things that make daily life more efficient or enjoyable. Then there are the gifts like our children {furry and human}, friendship, a supportive family, etc. that fill you from the inside and make all the other things worthwhile. Though they might be a bit cliche, those are the best kind, in my opinion.

Gifts are an interesting thing, because sometimes you can receive them without even knowing that they're being given. This year, YOU were one of my most generous gift-givers, which is pretty incredible because I've never met most of you! But nevertheless, you gave me the extraordinary gift of being able to work from home.

While I'm still flabbergasted that I get to do this as a job, the rewards I reap from this blog go far beyond "employment." With this blog, I gain a community. A creative outlet. A sounding board. A challenge. It's become part of my identity.

This year hasn't been easy for me from a blog perspective. I had to re-learn how to work from home with a growing little guy who needs my attention 95% of the time. I stumbled over the type of content I want to share and grappled with writer's block {for the first time ever, I think!} while I settled into my new role as a mother and dealt with personal issues {that I decided to make public}. I had to learn how to say "no" to some things because I simply couldn't do it all, and evaluate how to make my "yeses" worth my {limited} time and {extensive} effort. Most importantly, I had figure out how to make it all happen without sacrificing my relationships and sanity!

I'm going to be honest: I haven't done it all gracefully and I have a LOT left to learn. Earlier this year I told a friend that there are some days I'm a great blogger and a so-so mother and wife, and others where the opposite is true. I haven't figured out how to give them both 100% effort. I've had to accept my limitations and push my own boundaries at the same time. My husband has dealt with more ugly-crying this year than I care to admit. My professional contacts have probably gotten accustomed to my down-to-the wire submissions {though I always meet the deadline!} and my delayed response emails. I'm working on it. All of it.

But getting back to the gift thing... without you, there would be nothing to work on at all! So, thank you for being part of something that is so important to me and for forgiving me when I don't do it well and encouraging me when I do. Thank you for being kind to me when I share things that are hard to share and for getting excited over food with me and for laughing with me {and at me} at how ridiculous it all is sometimes. Your gift doesn't need a big, fancy bow -- it's too big to wrap up anyway.

And with all that sentimental mumbo-jumbo out of the way, let's get back to business and talk about the things that made you hungry in 2015. Here are my top 10 recipes, as decided by the best gift-givers ever!

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pops

2. Pimento Cheese Biscuits

3. Iced Almond-Lemon Loaf Cake

4. Baked Churro Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sandwiches

5. Baked Rosemary Parsnip "Fries"

6. 4 Ingredient Breakfast Cookies

7. Easy Smoked Ham, Broccoli & Cheese Pastry

8. Graham Cracker Latte

9. Hummingbird Cake Smoothie

10. Roasted Apple Bread

Quite a mix of sweet, savory, healthy and decadent! The perfect balance if you ask me.

Happy New Year from my kitchen to yours. Let's make 2016 the best year yet! xo

Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Snacks | Target Made to Matter

Confession: I've been running on empty. Sputtering along with barely enough fumes of creativity to move forward, which I'm certain has been obvious by the lack of regular posts lately. For a girl who's never truly had "writer's block", the experience has been completely maddening.

Sure, blogging has come with its own list of challenges {namely, learning how to do pretty much everything involved}, but writing was never been among them. I got 99 problems, but blabbing ain't one. Or it wasn't up until now, anyway.

I used to be able to sit down and fill post after post with anecdotes {that I found slightly amusing, at least}, but now... this. Talking about having nothing to talk about.

The condition has been creeping up on me slowly over the past few months, but I've managed to pull it together and plug along, until a few months ago when I found myself having a meltdown stressing over a blinking cursor. And then suddenly -- in the middle of a succession of uninspired key strokes --  I realized that while, yes, I do have obligations and posting deadlines from time to time... I am the boss of me.

And The Boss said, "Dianna, take some time off to get a life so you have something to write about."

Ah, clarity. You elusive creature.

That's how I knew it was time for a little break from the way I've been doing things. So while I've been gone from a regular posting schedule, I've been attempting to fill my real schedule with things to fill me with wonder, joy and peace. You know... stuff to write about.

I've spent late afternoons outside sitting on a blanket under a tree letting my son climb me like a jungle gym. Cooked and baked all kinds of things, just for fun {imagine that!}. Cleaned and organized parts of my house that I've been putting off attacking since we moved in years ago. Took a weekend trip to Miami to celebrate 6 years of marriage with my guy. Met friends for lunch. Took Cole to a baby yoga class. Visited with my Aunt & Grandma. FINISHED A BOOK I STARTED READING 3 YEARS AGO.

In other words, I lived.

There have been times during all this living that I've had the urge to sit to down and write, or have had a creative idea or two pop up... and then fade again. In short: I haven't been "cured" of writer's block. But I know that the memory is there, filed away and ready to be written about another day when I'm inspired to do so -- not just because I feel the need to regurgitate what happened to meet a {self-inflicted} "3 posts per week" quota.

A few weeks ago, I was able to recapture some of my enthusiasm at the Food & Wine Conference in Orlando, where I couldn't help but be energized by the folks around me who are brimming with creativity and talent. It didn't hurt to receive a compliment from the conference keynote speaker, Monica Bhide, who kind of knows what she's talking about.

My tank is full.

Things have changed. My motivation has changed. This blog may change. {A little bit. Not too much.} There is a lot and nothing at all happening in my life all at once. It's a weird place to be.

While I figure out where this is all going, I'll still be sharing recipes and collaborations when I can. And when I can't? Well, hopefully that will mean that you can find me living, collecting stories to share again when the writer's block falls away.

Because living is the only thing that truly matters.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Incidentally, I have a tie-in here to a project I've had the good fortune of being a part of as a Stonyfield Blogger: Target's Made to Matter campaign.

Target and Stonyfield understand what really matters, too -- conscious living that focuses on the health and prosperity of humankind and the planet. Though it may seem like a very small step, choosing to purchase products that are made by companies who take the time to create products that make a difference to the environment and their consumers' lives is a powerful way to start a wave of change.

Stonyfield, along with 29 other wellness brands {such as Justin's, Annie's Homegrown, EVOL., Ben & Jerry's and Seventh Generation} is being included in Target's collection of products that promote better living. To celebrate being among such an elite group of sustainable, quality-driven companies, Stonyfield is launching a new line of "Supergrain" Greek yogurts {think: flaxseed, buckwheat and quinoa!} that will be hitting store shelves soon, exclusive to Target!

I love Stonyfield because of their commitment to organic, smart choices... and I love anyone who helps me stay on track with better-for-you snacking.

Among the goody bag of Made to Matter products that I received was a jar of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Knowing that this delicious treat could only lead to a trip to the silverware drawer for a spoon to dig in with, I whipped up a batch of their Energy Snacks... best idea ever!

These little bites are packed with oatmeal, unsweetened shredded coconut , and of course, rich, decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Butter to hold it all together. In other words, there's no guilt in popping a few of these as a sweet treat... and how amazing would a few of these crumbled over some Stonyfield yogurt be for an afternoon snack?

Enjoy these treats knowing that you're doing something good for yourself and for the world with products that are "Made to Matter" AND made to satisfy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Snacks
Hardly adapted from Justin's 
Makes about 12 mini muffin-sized snacks 

1/2 cup Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon honey
Optional: Flaked sea salt, such as fleur de sel

1. Prepare a 12 cup mini cupcake tin by lining with mini cupcake liners. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate hazelnut butter and coconut oil {if it needs softening, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds}.

3. Add shredded coconut, old fashioned oats and honey and stir to combine. The mixture should come together and be able to somewhat hold its shape. If it is too loose, add a bit more coconut and/or oats.

4. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into each mini muffin liner. Press down with fingers or with the back of a spoon to pack down. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of flaked sea salt if desired.

5. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour. Pop into a zip top bag and store in fridge.

Note: I have also made these by rolling the mixture into balls. Equally as delicious, but a bit messier! If you don't have a muffin tin, this is an option.

Disclosure: As a Stonyfield Blogger, I received samples of some of the Target Made to Matter products and compensation. As always, all opinions here are my own!