If one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to start (or continue) to eat healthy foods, then you’ve come to the right place! With starting or maintaining a healthy lifestyle of exercise, good quality sleep, happiness and more, your diet is one of the most important elements of determining your overall health. Being surrounded by fast, packaged, and sugar-laden foods can make it difficult to incorporate variety and balance into our meals, especially when our lives are heavily scheduled with little time to spare.
Some people believe that healthy eating means sacrificing flavour and the happiness associated with eating yummy foods, but that’s not true! Although it might take some time to acquire the taste of healthy food (it’s OK if you still don’t like kale), there are ways to make the meals you love by substituting the unhealthy ingredients with healthy ones. For special occasions, or for days when you feel like having a treat, indulging in the original recipes are fine, as long as you sport this in moderation. But for times when you crave some variety and want the satisfaction of something heartier, keep reading.
One of my favourite things to have for breakfast are pancakes. As much as I love pancakes, I know that I feel sluggish after eating them because they contain wheat flour, whole milk and butter- ingredients that are rich and don’t always agree with me. I don’t think I’m alone here, which is why I have created a cleaner pancake recipe that contains ingredients filled with nutrients, healthy fats, good carbohydrates, and proteins. These pancakes will help you start your day off with energy and a sufficient balance of macronutrients, which is essential for having a healthy diet. Hungry? I’ve laid out the recipe below…
Ingredients (Serves 1):
– 1 banana
– 2 whole eggs (or egg whites if you prefer. Egg whites are an excellent and pure source of protein)
– 2 tablespoons coconut oil (one to be added into the batter and one for cooking)
– 1 scoop vanilla protein powder *
– ½ teaspoon baking powder
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– Pinch of coarse sea salt
* If you do not have protein powder, you may substitute with 1 cup of oat flour or any other flour you prefer. Simply grind 1 cup of oatmeal in a blender until it becomes a flour consistency. The protein content will not be as high as the protein powder, but you will derive many other benefits such as soluble fiber (which reduces cholesterol and improves bowel function), and complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs are slow digesting and have a low glycemic index. This means that the sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream without spiking insulin levels (which can result in a “sugar-crash”) and are more satiating.
Cooking Instructions:
1. In a blender, combine banana, eggs/egg whites, and coconut oil, then blend until a batter consistency is created. Add protein powder/flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and blend until all ingredients are incorporated. If the batter is too thick, add water or almond milk (or any milk of your choice for more creaminess) to a soup-like consistency.
2. In a skillet on medium heat, place the other tablespoon of coconut oil to grease the pan to prevent sticking.
3. Place a desired amount of batter into frying pan. Reduce heat to low. When bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter, flip the pancake over onto the uncooked side. Repeat until the batter is finished.
4. Serve and top with any desired ingredients (sliced fruit, walnuts or pecans, maple syrup etc.) or eat them plain.
These pancakes are filled with great ingredients that will not slow you down like some ingredients do. In fact, these pancakes are great to have as a pre or post-workout snack/meal due to their complex carbohydrates, high sources of protein and healthy sugars.
Give this quick recipe a try and let us know what you think. Happy cooking!