Banana Oat Pancakes

This short week has me in a fantastic mood! Something about starting over on Tuesday, instead of Monday, just makes the week fly by. I turn around and it's almost the weekend! For me, that means one thing, delicious, wonderful breakfasts!!! I eat breakfast absolutely everyday, it's my favorite meal, but during the week it's usually a smoothie as I'm flying out the door. On the weekends I like to slow it down, and one of my favorite new ways to do that (with out slowing me down, or fattening me up) are these absolutely delectable banana oat pancakes. They are delicious and a super healthy way to start your moving. I like to serve mine topped with fresh fruit and maybe a drizzle of maple syrup, or I will cook down some cherries or blueberries to make a little fruit sauce. Enjoy!

Banana Oat Pancakes:
1 medium banana
1 cup of quick oats
1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup of liquid egg whites
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Sliced fruit and/or maple syrup for serving

In a blendor, combine the banana, oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend until a thick batter forms, it should be relatively smooth. Heat a griddle pan or a skillet over medium heat, and spray with non stick. Pour/scoop the batter out into silver dollar sized pancakes. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook until golden on the other side, about 2 minutes more. This makes about 8 to 10 silver dollar pancakes, and serves two mindful eaters.

Nutrition Info:
1 serving (half of the batter, cooked, may vary by brand of ingredients used)
264 calories, 3g of fat, 18g of protein, 45g of carbs, 6g of fiber

Happy Eating.

Almond Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

One of my favorite things about the weekend is breakfast. Time to cook and enjoy a delicious, healthy meal to start your day. During the week, it's all oatmeal and yogurt, but on the weekends I can expand my breakfast horizons. I am usually an eggs kind-of gal, but every once and awhile I get a crazy pancake craving and will except no substitutions. I adapted this recipe from my latest cook book obsession Whole Living's Power Foods, which is full of amazing information and wonderful recipes that I can't wait to try. Just reading it makes you want to eat your veggies. But anyway, back to the pancakes. They are absolutely delicious, the boyfriend could not tell that they were "healthy" (and I waited until he had scarfed down several pancakes to let him know), and they are served with a delectable blueberry sauce. The yogurt and almond flour pack in some delicious extra protein, and makes these much more filling than your average pancake. So whip up a delicious and guilt free batch this weekend!

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Almond Pancakes:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of almond flour or almond meal
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of butter, melted
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 egg
3/4 cup of Greek yogurt, nonfat
Any optional mix-ins you want (almonds, chocolate chips, bananas,etc)

In a large bowl mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour in the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, and yogurt. Mix until well combined, and smooth. Stir in any mix-ins or leave plain (I choose plain). Heat a griddle pan over medium heat, and grease or Pam. Spoon batter into small circles and use the back of the spoon to smooth them down and shape them a bit (the batter is slightly thicker than regular pancake batter). Repeat until pan is full. Cook until bubbles form in the center and bottoms are golden. Flip pancakes and cook until done all the way through. I had enough batter to make 13 small pancakes. To serve all the pancakes hot (if your pan isn't that big, like mine), leave them in a 200 degree oven while you are cooking the others. To be 100% guilt free, this recipe serves 4, about 3 pancakes each. (adapted from Power Foods)



Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups of blueberries
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp of corn starch
zest of half a lemon, plus one light squeeze of juice

Heat a small sauce pan to high heat with blueberries and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then cook covered until all the blueberries have burst, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk in corn starch, lemon juice, and starch. Stir until sauce thickens slightly. Serve warm with pancakes. (adapted from Power Foods)

Happy Eating