Healthy Eats: Protein Pancakes

It seems like I can eat and drink over the holidays, and like the credit card bills, it doesn’t seem to catch up with me until mid-January. So I finally got up enough courage to get on the scale, and it’s official – I’ve gained five pounds. I mean what did expect, that I could eat  christmas cookies every day, drink RumChata every night (I just discovered this liqueur over the holidays, and it’s sooo good!), hardly exercise and not gain weight? I don’t think so. Oh well, I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I’m here to tell you that I’m back on the straight and narrow. And since I’m trying to clean up the eating (and drinking), I thought I’d share a very healthy recipe today – protein pancakes.

You make these just like regular pancakes and you can eat them like regular pancakes with a little syrup (the way I serve them to my kids) or just straight up. They taste good hot or cold which makes them an excellent grab and go snack. I love the texture  - kind of chewy and substantial. You can add as much sweetener as you like and/or fruit like blueberries or mashed up bananas.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 C. Oatmeal (I prefer the quick-cook over old-fashioned)
• 6 Egg Whites
• 1 C. Skim Soy Milk or Almond Milk (I prefer vanilla flavored)
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Flax or Canola Oil
• Optional Additional Ingredients: Sugar, Honey, cinnamon, fruit

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Heat a skillet or griddle coated with non-stick spray to medium-high/350 degrees.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the batter like you would when making regular pancakes.

Cook until brown on both sides. Avoid over cooking as they will become dry.

Enjoy these like a regular pancakes with syrup and other toppings or just eat them plain.