Strawberry-Banana Protein Pancakes!

Hey My Sweet Tarts! <3

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post about Prom. Each one of them really touched me and I am so grateful for all of your love and support. I had an amazing time with my guy friend and have recently been hanging out with him more and getting to know him even better.

I’m heading up to Girl’s Camp today (I leave in just a couple hours) and I’ll be getting home Saturday morning, when I’ll probably crash for a length of time. I may or may not get the chance to post on Saturday when I get back, but I should be able to on Sunday.

But, before I left for camp, I wanted to share with you my new favorite breakfast (that I had mentioned in my last What Kat Ate post):

My Strawberry-Banana Protein Pancakes!!!

Start heating up a non-stick skillet on medium heat.

In the meantime, add the protein powder, flax, baking powder, and cinnamon to a medium bowl.

Stir them all together. (This helps with mixing later on.)

Add the egg whites, vanilla, and almond milk.

Mix it well together until it forms a batter. Should be pudding-like. (Not as thick as shown above — I had to add a little more almond milk after this.)

Add the chopped strawberries and banana. (When using frozen strawberries and a frozen banana, they release liquid when the pancakes are cooked. If you use fresh strawberries and a fresh banana, you may have to add some more almond milk to the batter.)

Fold them in. (The batter should be chunky.)

Lightly spray the heated skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Separate the batter into three portions and form them in the shape of pancakes on the skillet.

After a couple minutes, or once the bottoms of the pancakes are golden brown (the sugar in the strawberries and bananas will caramelize, so there may be a few black spots: this is normal), flip the pancakes and allow them to cook on the other side for a couple minutes. Then once the other side is golden brown, transfer them to a plate, decorate, and devour!

Strawberry-Banana Protein Pancakes!

Ingredients

• 1 packed scoop (3+ tbsp) vanilla protein powder
  
• 2 tbsp ground flax
  
• ½ tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 cup egg whites (3 large usually work)
  
• 3 tbsp vanilla almond milk
  
• ½ cup chopped strawberries (about 5 medium)
  
• ½ banana, sliced and quartered
  

Directions

Start heating up a non-stick skillet on medium heat.

In the meantime, add the protein powder, flax, baking powder, and cinnamon to a medium bowl and stir them all together. (This helps with mixing later on.) Add the egg whites, vanilla, and almond milk, and mix them in until it forms a batter.

Add the chopped strawberries and banana. (When using frozen strawberries and a frozen banana, they release liquid when the pancakes are cooked. If you use fresh strawberries and a fresh banana, you may have to add some more almond milk to the batter.) Fold them in. (The batter should be chunky.)

Lightly spray the heated skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Separate the batter into three portions and form them in the shape of pancakes on the skillet. After a couple minutes, or once the bottoms of the pancakes are golden brown (the sugar in the strawberries and bananas will caramelize, so there may be a few black spots: this is normal), flip the pancakes and allow them to cook on the other side for a couple minutes. Then once the other side is golden brown, transfer them to a plate, decorate, and devour!  

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These are just absolutely AMAZING!!!! I love them topped with almond butter or a little sf syrup or preserves! <3

And not only do they taste INCREDIBLE, but they are also No-Sugar-Added, High-Protein, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, and is a Single-Serving recipe! Aka, you get the whole batch! And these aren’t small pancakes; they are HUGE!

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What is your favorite breakfast foods? Recently I’ve been loving pancakes. I’m working on another pancake recipe right now, so I’ll share that one with you soon.

Are there certain things you strive for in your breakfast? I usually strive for a balance in breakfast: protein, fat, and carbs = yumminess!

Are you going to any camps this summer? going on vacation somewhere? This is my “vacation” you could call it. I also have a couple conferences coming up later in the month and a family camp we hope to go to at the end of summer, but other than that we’re staying here.

xoxox,

Vanilla-Nut Banana Cookies!

Hey My Vanilla-Nut Swirls!

Thanks for all of your comments on my post on my JRA. UPDATE: My knee isn’t hurting as much, the swelling is starting to go down (it’s slow, but steady), and it doesn’t feel as stiff, all of which I am SUPER excited about. I really didn’t want to have to go to the hospital, as I would have had to if it didn’t get better, so having the rest, Motrin, and no-peanut-butter/less-gluten-diet work almost brings tears into my eyes. I can’t wait to when I get to do planks and use the treadmill and workout with Jillian again. I have been doing the workout I shared, but of course I don’t want to do it every day, as the muscles need rest in between workouts to actually rebuild and become stronger, but it’s not the same as doing a full body circuit workout like the ones Jillian Michaels does.

Since I have been avoiding peanuts and cutting back on gluten (which are two foods that can cause inflammation, since the swelling in my knee is a kind of inflammation, I don’t want to put any more stress on my knee than I have to),I asked my parents to get me a BIG bag of almonds, made over a quart of this almond butter (but this time I didn’t use the vanilla in it) to take place of my peanut butter, and then baked this lovely treat because … well — just because I wanted to.

They are gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and made with only five ingredients. And not only are they super easy to make, but they are also rich in fiber, have no sugar added, and are full of fruit and healthy fats!

What are they called? My Vanilla-Nut Banana Cookies!

Chop up your dates and almonds.

Add them along with the oat bran and cinnamon to your blender/food-processor.

Process them at medium-high speed

…until the mixture turns into a fine mill (flour-like).

Pour the mixture into a bowl and form a “well” in the center.

In the middle of the well, add the mashed bananas.

Stir it all up until it forms a dough.

Cookie-scoop the dough onto a non-stick or lightly sprayed baking sheet. You can use a fork to flatten them down if desired, but they taste great either way.

Bake at 350 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and set in the center. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

SERVE!

Vanilla-Nut Banana Cookies!

Ingredients

• ½ cup almonds, sliced or chopped (or if your blender/food-processor is strong enough, you can use whole)
  
• ¼ cup chopped dates
  
• 1 cup oat bran
  
• 1 tbsp vanilla
  
• 3 bananas, ripe (with brown spots) and mashed
  

Directions

Chop up your dates and almonds. Add them along with the oat bran and cinnamon to your blender/food-processor. Process them at medium-high speed until the mixture turns into a fine mill (flour-like). Pour the mixture into a bowl and form a “well” in the center. In the middle of the well, add the mashed bananas and stir it all up until it forms a dough.

Cookie-scoop the dough onto a non-stick or lightly sprayed baking sheet. You can use a fork to flatten them down if desired, but they taste great either way. Bake at 350 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 9-11 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and set in the center. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

SERVE!

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Note: to make completely gluten-free (for those who have those concerns), use gluten-free oat bran or gluten-free rolled oats in place of the regular oats.

These did not last long at all. (As they didn’t last long enough before they were all eaten, I’m sure they’d last for over a week or two, as long as they were kept in the fridge; they’d of course last longer in the freezer, which is one of my mom’s favorite ways to eat cookies – straight from the freezer.) They were all eaten within a couple days of me making them. Oh I guess that means I’ll have to make another batch.

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Do you like recipes with a short list of ingredients? I feel that the shorter the list of ingredients the better, and the easier to read and recognize the ingredients on a label the better.

What do you like to do to celebrate birthdays? Tomorrow is my Dad’s birthday and he wants to just go out for dinner. My birthday is coming up and hopefully we’ll get to go bowling! My AP tests will be done that day and by then my knee will hopefully be strong again. If not, I may just make a cake and have it at a game night (we’re thinking of having one at the end of May as an “End-Of-The-School-Year” game night. If that was it that would be enough for me.

How big is your water bottle? Mine’s a 20-oz bottle, but it has a tracker on the top that goes up to 6, so I can track right on my bottle how much water I drank that day.

xoxox,

Blissful Reese’s Pizzert Babies!

Hey My Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post. I’ve been having a lot of fun with my Sunday School class I now teach. Also, I just had one of those SO DELICIOUS Coconut Yogurts I mentioned I bought and it tastes fabulous!

What do you like to have for breakfast?

Well, I kind of like to eat candy bars for breakfast.

What?! I eat candy bars for breakfast?!?!

YEP!

In the form of nut butter, bars, and milkshakes;

But in particular, pizzert babies!

My Blissful Reese’s Candy Bar Pizzert Babies!

Oh yes, you want one.

Make that six.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and stevia in a small bowl.

Stir them all together (making sure the baking powder doesn’t have any clumps) and form a well in the center.

Add the milk and pumpkin purée into the center of the well.

Fold them all together. (If you let the batter sit for a few minutes, it will get light and fluffy, meaning the baking powder is working! This is a good thing. )

Spoon the batter by tablespoonfuls into each cupcake-mold in a lightly sprayed cupcake pan.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 6 minutes, or until firm in the center and bouncy when lightly pressed. (The time may vary depending on the power of your oven, so it may be more around 5 minutes, or even 7 minutes.)

Let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, and then take ‘em out and frost with peanut butter…

And decorate with mini banana pieces. I used an apple-corer to cut the mini banana slices! (I cut the banana into slices, and then cut the centers of the slices out with my apple corer, resulting in mini banana slices!)

Grab a fork and devour this blissful treat! <3

Blissful Reese’s Pizzert Babies!

Ingredients

• 3 Tb. whole wheat flour
  
• 1 Tb. cocoa powder
  
• 1 tsp. baking powder
  
• 2 tsp worth sweetener (I used 1 packet stevia)
  
• ¼ cup almond milk (I used unsweetened)
  
• 1 Tb. pumpkin purée
  

Frost with peanut butter and decorate with banana pieces and chocolate chips!

Directions

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and stevia in a small bowl. Stir them all together (making sure the baking powder doesn’t have any clumps) and form a well in the center.

Then add the milk and pumpkin purée into the center of the well and fold them all together. (If you let the batter sit for a few minutes, it will get light and fluffy, meaning the baking powder is working! This is a good thing. )

Spoon the batter by tablespoonfuls into each cupcake-mold in a lightly sprayed cupcake pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 6 minutes, or until firm in the center and bouncy when lightly pressed. (The time may vary depending on the power of your oven, so it may be more around 5 minutes, or even 7 minutes.) Let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then take ‘em out and frost with peanut butter and decorate with mini banana pieces. I used an apple-corer to cut the mini banana slices! (I cut the banana into slices, and then cut the centers of the slices out with my apple corer, resulting in mini banana slices!)

Grab a fork and DEVOUR! <3

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These babes are also vegan, whole-grain, no-sugar-added, can be easily made gluten-free (just use oat or buckwheat flour in place of the whole wheat and up the baking powder by ½ tsp.), and can be easily made high-protein by using chocolate protein powder in place of the cocoa powder.

I love how these aren’t just for dessert, but for breakfast or lunch or as a snack or even dinner if you wish.

And this is ONE serving! Yes, you get to eat them ALL! (And trust me, you will.)

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What would you say to eating a candy bar for breakfast (or for any other meal)? I’d say YES!

Are you going to wear green (eat anything green?) tomorrow for St. Patrick’s Day? I may wear green; I’m thinking of making a goal tomorrow to eat at least one thing that’s green at every meal tomorrow (like collards, kiwi, celery, avocado, green grapes, broccoli, green beans, and spinach, just for example) just as a little challenge to get into the St. Patrick’s spirit.

Did you take naps as a child? I stopped taking naps at the age of three (yes, I drove my parents crazy because of it), but now that I don’t have the time for naps I grab one when I get the chance!

xoxox,