Snickerdoodle Protein Pancakes

Last pancake Saturday, I made one of my best pancake batches yet. And I've made a lot of pancakes.

Inspired by Heather and Katie and their recipes for snickerdoodle-inspired pancakes, I made snickerdoodle protein pancakes. Ooooh yes.

Look at that stack of healthy deliciousness.

When I have pancakes, I don't want 1. I don't want 2. I want a STACK of them! 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (you can sub with whatever flour you prefer)

1/8 cup (2 tbsp/half scoop) cinnamon roll (or vanilla) protein powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp (heavy dash) cinnamon
1 packet of Stevia/sweetener
1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 egg white (this is actually optional and just for added protein. You can omit it and just add more milk)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
tiny pinch of salt (don't omit!)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients completely.

Stir in wet.

Cook on medium/high heat. Flip halfway through (when it starts getting all bubbly!)

Enjoy with whatever you please!

 I recommend some peanut butter stuffed in between. But, when don't I?!

So. Freaking. Good.

Aside from peanut butters, I stuffed mine with plain Greek yogurt mixed with milk chocolate protein powder, and topped them with gingerbread "sauce" made with unsweetened almond milk + a sprinkle of gingerbread flavored Duncan Hines Frosting Creations. (You would think I was sponsored by them because I rave about them so much... I'm not. Promise! )

What I Ate Wednesday #28

Can you believe TOMORROW is THANKSGIVING already?! I CAN'T! Christmas is being seen everywhere... and I love it!

Then again, I see a little bit of Christmas everyday!

My grandma always believed you should leave a little bit of Christmas out throughout the entire year. I thoroughly agree, and that's exactly what I do! I leave my little tree up and my Rudolphs out all year long. To me, Christmas is the equivalent to happiness. I cannot WAIT to decorate on Friday!!!! 

Speaking of seeing Christmas, me and my mom recently went to Target...

... And it's safe to say we should not be allowed in Target, with money, around any type of holiday. Especially their $1 section. 

Oh, and one more thing before I get into this week's eats!

Say hello to my family's new/first adopted kitten, Landon! I'm in love with him. He's the sweetest cat ever and I'm so happy and grateful to have him now. Him and my pup are literally the most perfect pets!

Okay, okay, enough rambling! Onto some recent food adventures...

As always, thank you to Jenn for hosting WIAW! As a young foodie, I thoroughly love and appreciate it (and you, Jenn)! 

11/14/12 - Snack: fudgy black bean brownies with peanut butter. Sound disgusting, taste incredible!

I’m pretty sure these should be called ‘magic brownies’ because of their macros. We were given a few cans of black beans for free, and none of us really eat them and I wanted to put them to use. I’ve heard of using them in baking, but haven’t been courageous enough to try it... until this day! (And I'm so glad I did!)

I found a recipe and modified it a bit, to make some of the moistest and healthiest/cleanest brownies EVER. You would NEVER even consider the fact this was made FLOUR-LESS from BEANS! Without my added powdered sugar (hehe... I didn’t add quite enough sweetener and my momma LOVES powdered sugar), and with a bit of 100% natural peanut butter inside, they’re 57 calories with 3.25g protein & 2.25g completely healthy fats! Unbelievable. (Without PB, they’re 49 calories.) This batch made a bunch, too! Around 16-20 generously sized brownies.

11/14/12 - Snack: popcorn out of my new hot air popper! LOVE IT!!

11/15/12 - Breakfast: OIAJ never fail to make my day!

Pumpkin egg white oatmeal with chocolate granola + some cereal + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + some of a leftover black bean brownie + an extra splash of unsweetened Almond Milk, all inside a nearly-empty 100% natural peanut butter jar!

11/15/12 - Dessert/Snack: banana nut mug cake/muffin on top of a big sliced apple (plus a few banana slices) + chocolate granola + Kix cereal + a bit of a broken up black bean brownie and homemade almond milk cinnamon roll protein ice cream (with some sprinkles!), then all topped with peanut butter, cinnamon roll protein cream, and healthy chocolate sauce.

11/16/12 - Breakfast: can you say best healthy breakfast evahhhh?!

SUPER thick and fluffy banana cream pie egg white (+ some cinnamon roll protein) oatmeal with a “crust” made of 100% whole grain cereals + natural granolas + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + some crumbs and broken up black bean brownie pieces, topped with peanut butters + banana slices + prepared vanilla pudding + a mini dollop of plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a sprinkle of shredded coconut! Oh, and an extra splash of unsweetened Almond Breeze, as always!

Adding two egg whites to your #oats makes them magically 10x bigger and fluffier.

11/17/12 - Breakfast: I really love pancake Saturday.

Gingerbread (tea-infused) cheesecake protein pancakes layered with Biscoff + prepared cheesecake pudding mix + warm cinnamon apple slices + a bit of chocolate granola & cereal, topped with light maple syrup & 100% clean and healthy protein chocolate sauce.

11/17/12 - Dessert/Snack: microwave chocolate (with some peanut butter...) cake topped with peanut butters, cinnamon roll protein cream, and gingerbread sauce on top of a chopped apple + pumpkin flax granola +some cereal + hot chocolate flavored Goldfish (only a few... TOO ADDICTIVE!) + homemade vanilla coconut almond milk ice cream.

11/18/12 - Breakfast: SUPER fluffy and thick gingerbread “cream” egg white/protein oatmeal/OIAJ with granola + cereal + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + prepared vanilla pudding, all inside a nearly-empty Biscoff jar!

God, I love Biscoff spread so much.

11/19/12 - Breakfast: fluffy pumpkin egg white/protein oatmeal with 100% whole grains cereals + a bit of chocolate granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + Dark Chocolate Dreams & White Chocolate Wonderful + clean chocolate sauce + a splash of unsweetened Almond Breeze, all inside a nearly-empty Marshmallow Fluff jar!

Oats in a Marshmallow Fluff jar are equally as delicious as in a peanut butter jar. I promise you now.

11/19/12 - Dessert/Snack: microwave cinnamon apple protein mug cake topped with lots of peanut butter + peppermint protein frosting (WAY too strong of a minty flavor... I’ll add less flavoring next time for sure), on top of sliced apples (+ few banana slices) + some cereals + homemade vanilla coconut almond milk ice  cream, alllll topped with clean chocolate sauce + shredded coconut.

11/20/12 - Breakfast: gingerbread cheesecake protein egg white oatmeal with a bit of chocolate granola + cereals + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + a few slivered almonds + prepared fat-free/sugar-free cheesecake pudding (that came a bit too liquid-y... Oopsies!) + an extra dash of unsweetened Almond Breeze + White Chocolate Wonderful & Biscoff spread (more added after the picture!)

11/21/12 - Breakfast: delicious sweet potato pie protein egg white oatmeal with a mashed mini sweet potato + pumpkin flax granola + whole grain cereal + some Krave cereal for fun + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + #clean #chocolate sauce + shredded coconut + slivered almonds + White Chocolate Wonderful + a few mini marshmallows + an extra dash of unsweetened almond milk!

This was SO good! Let me know if you want the recipe!

Workouts of the Week:

all of my workouts can, as always, be found here or on my Instagram!

Here's two recent WODs:

The first one is featuring the ugliest and cheesiest smile because I had a good day that day. No shame.

The second one is featuring my new compression shorts I found in the little girl's clearance section at Target. They remind me of lemonade and I love them.

Gingerbread (Tea-Infused!) Cheesecake Protein Pancakes

What's your staple food/smell/flavor, now that it's the holidays? Pumpkin? Peppermint? ...Gingerbread?

If it's gingerbread, then you're in the right place because I have a recipe for gingerbread TEA-infused protein pancakes!

I never thought it was possible to make tea-infused pancakes... until I tried and succeeded! 

Oh, and what are they stuffed with, you ask?
Cheesecake pudding.

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

2 egg whites

2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp dry oats, ground into flour (or just more regular flour)

1 tbsp cinnamon roll protein powder

1 packet of Stevia/sweetener
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 medium banana, mashed
1/4 cup gingerbread tea, steepened in 1/4 cup unsweetened almond (or any other non-sweet) milk

*optional: for a heavier/more distinct gingerbread flavor, you can sprinkle in 1/4 a packet of gingerbread flavored Duncan Hines Frosting Creations!*

Cheesecake filling:

a sprinkle of cheesecake (instant) fat-free/sugar-free pudding mix (I used Jell-O brand! I don't have an exact measurement because I just eyeballed it and put as much as I personally wanted... You do the same!)

2+ tbsp milk

*Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight*

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients completely.

Stir liquid ingredients (including mashed banana) into dry, then stir again until completely mixed.

Cook on medium-low heat.

When done, layer with prepared cheesecake pudding, and whatever else your heart desires! I recommend some healthy chocolate sauce (splash of milk + 1 tbsp cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder) on top.

*These come out pretty thin, but they also make 5-6 big pancakes! So worth the thinness!*

So. Good.

For all of September and October, my go-to flavor was pumpkin! I'm still in complete pumpkin-mode (I don't know if I ever won't be!), but I've been leaning more towards gingerbread lately... Seasonal flavors are the greatest thing! 

Inspiration for these pancakes came from the lovely Rungry Chef! Thanks, pretty!

The Most Random of All WIAW (#27)

I'm dubbing this 'the most random WIAW' because I have no intro, this post is filled with goodies from all throughout the past week, AND because this is a quicky post! 

11/6/12 - Snack/Dessert: celebrated having power and heat back for the first time in nearly 9 full days with a healthy MICROWAVE CAKE, of course!

Strawberry-coconut microwave oat (flour-less!) cake on top of a chopped apple + chocolate granola + cereals, topped with peanut butters & cinnamon roll #protein cream and homemade healthy "Almond Joy" almond milk ice cream, all topped with clean chocolate sauce!! 

11/7/12 - Breakfast: healthy banana split egg white oatmeal inside a nearly empty Dark Chocolate Dreams jar.

11/7/12 - Dinner: brinner. Breakfast food at dinnertime... The best of both worlds!

Pumpkin pancakes topped with peanut butter + cinnamon roll protein cream + cinnamon + banana slices + cereals/chocolate granola + clean chocolate sauce + light maple syrup and an egg white protein scramble over lettuce & hot sauce! And a mug of protein hot chocolate with 5 mini marshmallows. Mmmm!

11/8/12 - Breakfast: this was quite delicious!

Gingerbread tea infused egg white oatmeal with chocolate granola + cereals + apple slices (from the smallest and cutest apple ever!) + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + Biscoff spread + cinnamon roll protein cream + a mini gingerbread man! Oh, and an extra dash of unsweetened vanilla almond coconut Almond Breeze milk!

11/8/12 - Snack: nothing too special here... Just showing off our awesome $1 apple corer AND slicer!! Best invention for the lazy... aka me.

11/8/12 - Snack/Dessert: (this went with the apple!)

Banan anut oat microwave muffin stuffed with a pumpkin spice Hershey Kiss (topped with PB & cinnamon roll protein frosting) over diced apples + cereal/granola, with homemade "Almond Joy" almond milk ice cream, allllll topped with healthy chocolate sauce!!!

It's all about balance and moderation, lovelies!

11/9/12 - Breakfast: 100% clean 'coffee cake'/'crumb cake' egg white oatmeal with crushed up protein cereal + granola + lots of peanut butter (my one true love!) + banana + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon “crust”/bottom, topped with a healthy peanut butter crumb topping + cinnamon + crushed protein cereal & an extra dash of unsweetened vanilla almond coconut Almond Breeze milk!

This actually came out REALLY good! {Let me know if you want a recipe!}

11/9/12 - Snack/Dessert: nutrient-packed snack of microwave pumpkin cake on top of 2 small diced apples + a few banana slices (and some granola + cereal) topped with peanut butters and cinnamon roll protein frosting, with homemade chocolate protein almond milk ice cream, all topped with healthy chocolate sauce (that was a bit too liquid-y...)!

 11/10/12 - Breakfast: I love pancake Saturday.
rotein #pancakes (using a FULL SERVING! of protein powder!!!!) layered with peanut butters + cinnamon roll protein cream + banana slices + chocolate granola (gluten-free & nut-free) + a bit of cereal, all topped with some shredded coconut, cinnamon and a drizzle of light maple syrup.
A better look at these beauties...

11/10/12 - Dinner: went all out and made my family a super healthy and clean dinner!

An amazing church gave us a HUGE homegrown cabbage and a HUGE bag of fresh russet potatoes for free, so I decided to put it all to good use.

I baked mini 93/7 lean Italian hamburgers in cupcake tins then put them in a pot of sautéed beef soup broth & mushrooms, garlic & onion steamed cabbage, and microwaved “baked” potatoes! We also have some canned veggies, and I also added some salsa and garlic & onion diced tomatoes to my plate! Loads of nutrients going on (I had TONS of greens at lunch prior, btw), and calories were not being cared about at ALL! I even had BUTTER on my NON-SWEET potato with no regrets! (Including my other true love, feta❤, and some plain Greek yogurt.)

11/11/12 - Breakfast: I discovered how amazing warm oatmeal + cold pudding went together this day.

'Boston cream pie' egg white oatmeal with gluten-free & nut-free natural chocolate granola + banana slices + healthy chocolate Greek yogurt mixture + vanilla pudding & White Chocolate Wonderful mixture + a sprinkle of shredded coconut and slivered almonds + a dash of unsweetened vanilla almond coconut milk.

H.E.AV.E.N.L.Y.

11/11/12 - Snack/Experiment!: made really yummy clean and healthy egg-free, oil-free & flour-free peanut butter oatmeal cookies with natural gluten-free & nut-free chocolate granola since I had no chocolate chips!

I took inspiration from Chocolate Covered Katie, but I wish the batch came out to more!

My mom, dad AND little sister approve! I’d definitely add more peanut butter next time, though.

11/11/12 - Snack/Dessert: clean chocolate protein microwave mug cake topped with peanut butters & cinnamon roll protein frosting & cinnamon, on top of fruit, chocolate granola, and homemade chocolate protein almond milk ice cream!

11/12/12 - Breakfast: we also got a huge container of dry instant oats from that lovely church that I mentioned earlier, and I've never had them before, so I decided to try them out this morning...

Holy COW did this oatmeal come out big and FLUFFY! I don't know if it was the oats or not, but I'm gonna convince myself it was.

Healthy pumpkin CHEESECAKE egg white oatmeal with chocolate granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + a drizzle of light maple syrup + prepared sugar-free/fat-free cheesecake pudding mix + cinnamon + a dash of extra unsweetened Almond Breeze + Biscoff spread (more added after the picture!)

Everyone needs to add prepared (the night before or a few hours before) pudding to their oats immediately, okay? Okay.

11/12/12 - Breakfast: this oatmeal bowl deserved an award.

I added 2 egg whites plus a scoop of pumpkin puree to the oats before cooking, along with my other ingredients, stirred really well, cooked it in the microwave for a few minutes... And, BAM! A HUGE bowl of SUPER thick and fluffy oats appeared! It looked like I doubled the amount of oats I made! So awesome, so filling, SO delicious!

THICKEST and FLUFFIEST healthy caramel apple protein egg white oatmeal with pumpkin flax granola + a little bit of cereal + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + drizzles of light maple syrup + 100% natural peanut butter + caramel Greek yogurt + an extra dash of unsweetened Almond Milk.

I'll take four more bowls of this, thank you.

11/14/12 - Breakfast: clean and healthy 'brownie batter' protein egg white oatmeal with plain Kix cereal (one of the healthiest cereals… Barely any ingredients! Really dry and bland on their own, though) + chocolate granola + banana slices + plain Greek yogurt + cinnamon + an extra dash of unsweetened Almond Breeze, all inside a nearly-empty White Chocolate Wonderful jar!

Here's a random workout diary featuring me, my naked face, and awkward "douche" pictures:

My other workouts can be found here and/or on my Instagram... which I post on a bit too much!

OH, and I didn't mention this to you guys yet, buuuuut...

I BEAT MY LONGEST PLANK BY ALMOST A FULL MINUTE ON SATURDAY!!

My arms and "abs" have been sore for DAYS since then...  And it's such a great feeling.

I hope you all are having an amazing November, an amazing week, and an amazing day! Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!! Can you guys believe it?!?! The holidays are HEEEEEERE!! YAY FOR FOOD, FAMILY, FRIENDS, DECORATIONS, HAPPINESS, HOLIDAY MUSIC, AND CHRISTMAS MOVIES!!