Carrot cake (healthy & sugar free)

Summer is coming, the sun is out, or at least it's trying, which means it's leisure cycling season in my house hold. Most weekends we go for a ride, and usually that ride involves; country roads, fields, country houses/farms, sun and sometimes cake in a tea room. As much as I enjoy cycling pretty much 75% of the reason I go is to see the houses along these random country roads. There's something about cycling in the sun that instantly brings on cravings for carrot cake, or is it just me? Maybe it's the many times we stopped at the church around Mildenhall every year and got carrot cake. I've only been on one bike ride this year (it was pretty horrific) but it instantly made me want carrot cake, and flapjacks, but that's completely besides the point.

I found this recipe on green kitchen stories after getting back from a ride, hat's off to them their blog is amazing, I made a few modifications because we can't easily get fresh dates here and I wanted it a little more carroty. I was a little apprehensive making this not really sure if it would be to stodgy or if it would turn out too bananary but I was rather impressed. Also I must mention, coming from someone who doesn't like cream cheese, this icing almost tasted like unset cheesecake mixture, I would have eaten it by the spoonful while I was whipping it up if it didn't have to go on the cake.

Flapjacks (Wholesome & processed sugar free)

When I think of flapjacks I think, healthy, lot's of nut's and seeds, high energy and again, healthy? but your regular flapjack recipe, which is oh so misleading, is not usually all that healthy. Yes, if you pack it full of seeds and nuts it does make it feel healthier but even so, they're still usually full of a lot of sugar and butter.

When I was out with my mum a week or so ago, we went to a Harris + Hoole coffee shop in between food shopping, let me just add I love love loved their crockery! As I was walking around the food shop I started talking about eating flapjacks and the joy that's involved with all things flapjack related; we only went to the cafe for coffee, but coincidentally they had sugar free banana flapjacks, so we bought one to share. Surprisingly, note: I am not a fan of bananas, it was oh so tasty, it didn't actually specify if they had artificial sweetener added which I don't actually use or eat but I figured why not give banana flapjacks a go.

I'll be honest this recipe is completely different to the flapjacks at Harris + Hoole, theirs had more of a raw texture (even though we asked and it's baked) however this flapjack actually tastes like a regular flapjack, granted you don't get that sugary taste, although if that's why you're eating flapjacks you've clearly been living under a very large rock without any baked goods, but this flapjack is a pretty wholesome healthy version without lacking in taste. I feel like you'd be able to give this to anyone and most people wouldn't notice the difference.

Oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes (whole wheat & sugar free option)

I had been thinking about making these for a while, when a friend stayed over I finally got round to it and our reactions went as so; "umm these are good - oohh these are really good - these are - urrghh - they just - and the - and its - duuudddee". 

I know most people are butter and syrup people when it comes to pancakes, something that is incredibly baffling to me, butter melted on your food? what even is that, just why. Although, I'll admit I've never been a fan of butter on anything (unless it involves garlic). I'm not sure how many people do this but any pancakes I make I eat with greek yogurt, I don't know why it's just insanely appealing to me. I don't know why more people don't do it, unless I've missed an entire bandwagon floating by me. Don't get me wrong I'm usually all about the crepes and I feel like if you even uttered the idea of melting butter on them you should be shunned, but I'm sure somebody has done it and enjoyed the fatty fluids atop their pancake; maybe it's a delicacy in some remote part of the world that I don't know about (and here's where you all scream an obvious country that does it). 

I do occasionally get cravings for american pancakes however the majority of american pancake recipes I've tried usually end up feeling heavy, sit for a long time in my stomach and aren't as light and fluffy as I imagine them. I know what you're thinking, whole wheat flour and oats in pancakes, how are those not heavy, but I promise you they're not. I've found after a few times making these to tweak the recipe that these pancakes are the kind of food that just gets tastier the more you eat. Even my mum thought the banana was strange at the beginning and she gave me a sort of "they're okay" response but then she proceeded to eat 2 more. If you're not used to banana in pancakes then you may find the first bite a little strange, but take another bite they will not disappoint, and if you're not a banana lover you're preaching to the choir but they're barely noticeable after the first bite.