A healthy twist on a delicious breakfast staple!
Heyyyoooo! I’ve been crushin’ it getting this blog ready for launch! I’ve finally picked a date and now it’s go-time. I have a lot to do before then, but I’m getting more anxious and ready to release this beast to ya’ll!
Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about why it’s so hard for me to take a break from working out. (To catch you up, I’ve been having knee pain, leading to physical therapy and most recently a cortisone shot.) I got back in the gym today after taking a week off. I teach Insanity on Monday nights. (Love that class!) I took it super easy because 1.) my knee still feels really unstable. 2.) it hurts 3.) I know my body needs rest. I say those things so easily, but mentally it’s really tough.
I look forward to the hour after work for “me” time. Its the one part of day where I can put in headphones and just go to town, I don’t have to think about anything else. Plus the endorphin rush doesn’t suck. 🙂
I’m not the type of person to sit and watch tv. I have to be doing something at all times. And I think that’s why not working out is so hard for me. I need that time to release energy and be active. It makes me feel good physically and mentally.
Nick (my boyfriend, who I live with – you’ll get to know him more later ;)) hates that I never just sit down. When we first moved in together, he was always trying to make me watch tv with him. He said it made him feel uncomfortable because I was always up doing “something.” That’s my famous line by the way. “I just need to get some stuff done.” Nick will laugh that I just put this out for the world to see.
I know I’m not the only one that feels this way! I probably relate to a lot of 35 year-old moms out there. (that’s sad 🙁 lol) Anyway, one of my new years resolutions was to take time to rest. Like completely rest, no phone, no computer, even no tv. So instead of trying to force my knee to get better or push myself before I’m ready or worry about not working out, I’m just going to try and enjoy the time off and let my body heal.
I follow a lot of bloggers that have incorporated mental health into their their food and fitness blog, which I love. (shoutout to Fit Foodie Finds, Ambitious Kitchen and The Healthy Maven! You guys are my inspiration <3)
Now to the pancakes! These bad boys are delicious and have a true pancake taste. Not the “healthy” stuff that actually tastes like shit. I took a few of my favorite pancake recipes and mashed them into one to make these delicious, perfect for any weekend breakfast pancake. ANNNDD you can freeze the leftovers, pop em’ in the toaster for an easy grab-n-go breakfast option during the week. Best of both worlds!
If you couldn’t tell I love to add greek yogurt to recipes. It’s a perfect substitute for butter or oil, which can add a lot of fat to normal dishes. Plus it adds some protein 🙂 I also really like dark chocolate chips and try to add them to any recipe. Life’s better with a little dark chocolate :). (Enjoy Life brand is my favorite!) Oh and you have to use 100% pure maple syrup. (p.s. check out TJ Maxx or Marshals, they usually have pure maple syrup for fairly cheap!)
I almost forgot, the best part of the whole recipe! You don’t even have to dirty a bowl. I throw all the ingredients into my ninja single serve cup and blend away. So easy! Although I will say, making pancakes is one messy feat.
Add these delicious healthy pancakes to your next brunch spread!
- • 1 cup rolled oats (gluten-free)
- • ½ cup vanilla greek yogurt
- • ½ cup almond milk
- • 1 banana
- • 1 teaspoon baking powder
- • 1 teaspoon vanilla
- • ¼ teaspoon salt
- Put 1 cup rolled oats in the ninja blender and blend until flour-like (~30 seconds)
- Add in the rest of the ingredients (vanilla greek yogurt, almond milk, banana, vanilla, salt)
- Blend until smooth (~45 seconds - the batter will be grainer than normal batter)
- Put pan/skillet on the stove and let it heat up.
- Spray pan and pour batter into ¼ cup and the pour ¼ cup batter onto pan. (Wait to flip until you start to see the edges "bubble." I also lift the pan and tilt it side to side to see if it slides on the pan. If it does, it's probably ready to flip.)
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all the batter is used.
- Top with blueberries, dark chocolate, bananas, etc.
- Enjoy!
