A day in the life of Irena Macri from eat drink paleo (Paleo Coconut Pancakes).

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We are thrilled to have Irene Macri from eat drink paleo (one of our favourite paleo blogs!) guest post on our site. It is so exciting when we meet like-minded people and can collaborate and learn from one another, so thank you Irena for putting this little piece together! Not only did it make us laugh but it made our tummies rumble too! Irena recently published her first paleo cook book which looks absolutely beautiful! Eat drink paleo is a beautiful blog full of scrumptious recipes…which one to try next?! Over to you, Irena!

When merrymaking sisters (Emma & Carla) and I decided to swap our ‘day in a life of’ stories, I thought ‘But which day?’ as no day is the same and some days are not exactly what I’d want to share as a stellar example of healthy living.

So, I’m not going to share the day in the life of Irena’s hangover – curled up with a Bloody Mary and bacon and eggs; or the day I was too lazy to get out of my pajamas and ate the same meal three times in row because it was cold and rainy outside; or the day when I went to my friend’s birthday party and got *persuaded* to eat some cake (because it’s a good friend and all) even though I knew that I would crash with post-sugar coma. No, those are not the days I will share today, but I wanted to mention them because WE ALL HAVE THEM…and it’s ok. The main thing is that I always remember that tomorrow is a new day – filled with healthy food options, good night sleep, less stress, sunshine and beautiful hikes in the bush. That is my perfect day and that is what I strive to have most of the time.

And so on my perfect day I would get up naturally, as usual, and well rested because I made a point of not drinking alcohol or play with my computer before bed the night before. Less stimulation, better sleep!

When I can I like to go for a run or a swim before breakfast. It’s better than coffee…although that comes later anyway. I love eggs for breakfast – eggs over sweet potato rosti, egg muffins or a simple scramble – and I always have a side of vegetables or a salad.

On the days I don’t feel like eggs, I will have some of my homemade granola with fresh berries and some natural, unsweetened yogurt as I have a little dairy here and there. When I have more time, I will make my coconut pancakes with lemon butter or zucchini fritters with smoked salmon.

On the days I work from home I will usually work on new recipes and shoot new pics for the site. That means my lunches are whatever I cook and I try to invite a friend over to share my meals. Otherwise it’s a Moroccan warm chicken salad with avocado or sardines with vegetables. I also try to work from co-working spaces a couple of days week, in which case I will grab a healthy lunch out – maybe sashimi salad with wakame or a Thai stir-fry.

If I have time in the afternoon, I try to fit in a session of bouldering at a rock climbing gym or a yoga session. Otherwise, I try to get outside and go for a walk or a hike and get some vitamin D. If I need a snack I will grab some macadamia nuts, beef jerky and maybe a piece of fruit during the day. For my partner, who has quite an appetite and is trying to put on weight, I make banana bread and coconut milk smoothies.

Then comes my favourite time of the day – cooking dinner. I don’t know why but I find cooking relaxes me so it’s a perfect activity to wind down. We try to have fish or seafood a few times a week so I will make something like my Mexican tuna steaks with salad and warm red peppers or a fish and pineapple ceviche with yam chips. For a quick and easy meal I will make some marjoram & tomato grilled chicken skewers and a salad – it only takes 20 minutes. On the weekend I will make something more involved like my beef and porcini mushrooms Shepherd’s pies with sweet potato crust.

We actually don’t eat much dessert – neither me nor my partner have a sweet tooth – so most nights it’s either a cup of tea and maybe some fruit or dark chocolate. However, on special occasions I will make some brownies or strawberry and apple crumble. Having said that, I really enjoy making desserts and I had a ball developing sweets for my cookbook.

Unless we go out, we will usually watch a movie or read before bed. I have a real struggle avoiding my iPhone and laptop at night but I do sleep much better when I do. As I fall asleep I usually start thinking about what I’ll have for breakfast. Such is a life of a foodie!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Emma & Carla!

Irena

We couldn’t look past Irena’s coconut pancakes with lemony butter, so here’s the recipe!

Get merry app

Eat Drink Paleo's Coconut Pancakes.
Serves 2
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Stuff you need
  1. 1 medium banana, peeled and roughly chopped
  2. 2 whole eggs
  3. 4 ½ tbsp grated coconut
  4. 4 tbsp almond meal
  5. ¼ tsp baking powder, gluten free or 1/4 tsp bicarb soda
  6. 1 tbsp honey
  7. ghee or coconut oil for cooking
for the lemon butter
  1. 2 tbsp butter, grated or mashed if softened at room temperature
  2. ½ lemon, zest and juice
  3. handful of blueberries
now what
  1. Grate the butter stick into a ramekin and combine with grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Use a fork to mash the butter and incorporate lemon. Set aside.
  2. Place banana, eggs and honey in a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth and fluffy.
  3. Add shredded coconut, almond meal and baking powder and blend until combined, about 20 seconds.
  4. Heat up a tiny dollop of ghee or coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan.
  5. Cook pancakes in batches, about 2 tbsp of mixture for a larger pancake and 1 tbsp for a pickelet.
  6. Keep the heat on low/medium making sure the pancakes don’t burn too quickly and cook thoroughly.
  7. You know it’s time to turn them over when little bubbles start appearing in the batter. The batter is quite fragile so use two spatulas to turn them over.
  8. Add a little more ghee or coconut oil in between pancakes.
Merrymaker Sisters | MerryBody Online Studio: Unlimited Yoga, Pilates and Meditation https://themerrymakersisters.com/

Absolutely delish! You might also like to try our pancakes! We have banana, sweet potato OR pumpkin!

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