Ever since December we have been having some rough patches at our house. We all got a little sick right before Christmas and haven't fully recovered from that yet. It's frustrating and a lot to handle. Lucca is definitely much more functional than he was at his worst and I am thankful for our low inflammation diet. Our paleo lifestyle has definitely made his symptoms less extreme, but he has stilled declined and it sucks after making so much progress. It is a crappy situation to watch your child regress, have difficulty in school, have trouble sleeping, anxiety, and start to show ADHD symptoms again. ADHD has always been Lucca's biggest symptom when it came to PANDAS, which is probably why it took years to get the PANDAS diagnosis. Lucca never presented the typical PANDAS way, he didn't have the tics or strong OCD tendencies like most studies show. He pretty much just became a tornado one morning with no ability to focus. He could no longer get dressed by himself, couldn't sleep by himself, and definitely was moving all the time with no rhyme or reason. In hindsight we realize we missed a lot of other symptoms but so many symptoms would come and go that we never worried about it and thought it was just a phase. His ADHD symptoms would wax and wane as well which made us believe that therapy was working. Looking back at it all, when he was at his worst it always correlated to when he was sick and the time of year (winter and start of spring, being his worst). It truly makes me wonder how many kids are misdiagnosed and are on unnecessary meds when they really should be on some antibiotics. Which is where we are at again.
We have been trying different antibiotics to knock out whatever is lingering in our son. After 4 different antibiotics and several different doses and combos we are hoping we finally found one that will work. Either way we are on our way to tonsil and adenoid removal. Infections can linger in the tonsils and adenoids and the doctor suspects those infections aren't fully going away, so we need to remove them. We will have them cultured as well to see what infections we are dealing with. Then maybe we will know what antibiotics will work best instead of the trial and error game we are playing now.
It's been a lot to take in over the past couple of weeks and I haven't been able to devote much time to the blog. With Lucca's sleep issues, I am exhausted and we have had so many doctor and teacher meetings/appointments that something was bound to get pushed to the side. The blog is unfortunately the thing to suffer. I am still cooking and creating dishes but I just haven't had a chance to sit down and actually write about any of it. Lack of sleep can really play a number on you!
So here it is. A new favorite pancake recipe. These are the perfect snack or quick breakfast. I like to make double batches and freeze them. It makes for a quick breakfast before school or snack after school. The recipe is very similar to the Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes but with a big chocolate flavor that the kids really enjoy. You can make these in the waffle maker as well but it becomes too time consuming for me so I almost always opt for pancakes. These are perfect topped with fresh berries and a nice cup of coffee. Or maybe I just need coffee so I don't fall asleep!
Hope you guys enjoy!
Happy Cooking and Eating!!
Banana Chocolate Pancakes/Waffles
Serves:Approx 40 mini pancakes
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes, depending on size of pancakes and pan
Total Time:25-35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 3 bananas, cut into chunks
- 2/3 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 cups almond meal
- 4 TBSP cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 TBSP coconut flour
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- coconut oil for cooking
Instructions:
- Combine all wet ingredients (except coconut oil) in a food processor and puree until well blended, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add remaining dry ingredients and blend until fully combined.
- Coat hot pan with a little coconut oil. Place a small amount of batter in the pan.
- Cook for a couple of minutes until browned/cooked. Flip and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Repeat until batter is gone.
To freeze - Let pancakes cool completely (very important)and place in freezer safe container.
