Healthy pancakes DO exist!
These are not the kind of pancakes you will find at your hometown diner. Heck, these aren’t even your average protein pancakes. These stacks are made with a simple and nutritious ingredients, but with an added twist!
I was first introduced to protein pancakes when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and I saw them on a fit Instagram account. Protein powder in pancakes sounded a bit sketch to me – how can they taste good AND have protein? These pancakes continued to appear on my feed with different ingredients, toppings, and forms of preparation.
Is it too good to be true?
My curiosity led me to the kitchen; I had to try them out for myself.
After researching different recipes, I developed a protein pancake recipe with a not-so ordinary ingredient. My friends let me use their apartment’s kitchen ( S/O to Lauren and Sydney 😉 ) to test out this idea. I made a batch and my friends devoured the pancakes. They described the pancakes as “appetizing”, “delicious”, “light and fluffy” and “filling”. We went for round two.
My secret ingredient: Chapul Cricket Protein Powder. I wanted to try out the protein powder after eating their bars. Once again, I was impressed with the taste and so were my friends. So I thought, why not mix them into pancake batter?
( I didn’t tell some of my girl friends that they were eating cricket protein until the plate was clean. mwahaha! )
I admit that I sometimes feel like “that mom” who adds spinach to their kids smoothie. Err, I guess cricket protein in pancakes??
My friend who knew what she was eating said she was “scared to try them but they were nothing short of delicious!”
Here’s what I whipped up.
Recipe:
+ 1/2 banana
+ 1 scoop Chapul Protein Powder
+ 1 tsp Cinnamon
+ 2 T milk
+ 1 egg white
That simple.
Directions:
Mash the banana. Add all other ingredients and mix until consistent. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil to a pan. Add mix and flip when bubbles appear. Stack the pancakes and add desired toppings ( maple syrup, dark choco, and berries are my go to ).
As for the nutrition, numbers don’t lie.
These babies have 300x more protein, 8 less grams of carbs, 9% more Iron, 16% more Calcium, and all natural sugar compared to a serving of Bisquick.
Protein a key ingredient for this recipe because it is necessary for your metabolism, healthy hair, nails, and skin. Also, have you ever heard of the thermic effect of food? The thermic effect is the amount of energy expenditure above the resting metabolic rate due to the cost of digestion. Protein has a thermic effect of 20-30%. That means that 20-30% of the calories from protein are burned off during digestion!
These pancakes aren’t limited to being only a breakfast meal. Whip them up for a post workout snack, lunch, or even dinner! After all, “that mom” would approve of these pancakes.
Check out my Banana Protein Pancake video!!
Dig in 😛
What are your favorite toppings?!
xx