Paleo pumpkin protein pancakes

I eat (almost) strictly paleo and for the longest time I’ve seen people posting photos of their protein pancakes but never got around to cooking them! I used to love pancakes (store-bought, boxed mix) covered in syrup… but we all know they aren’t the most healthy option – so why not make a healthier option?!

I searched around for several different recipes, but in the end kind of went for what I thought would work the best. Here’s the recipe I thought worked the best:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 serving of protein powder (I used Visalus, it takes like cake, enough said)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 almond milk
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (you can use cinnamon or nutmeg if that’s what you have)
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder

While beginning to measure all the ingredients out… this disaster took place:

OOPS! Surprisingly, coconut flour is much more dense which made it easier to clean up than wheat flour!

(There is a positive side to everything, right?)

Preparation

Step one: Measure out all ingredients in processor/blender.

Step two: Blend until smooth. My batter sort of resembled cookie dough, so I went with it! If you prefer it to be slightly runnier, add more water and mix again.

Step three: Turn burner onto 3-4, place batter in a little coconut oil, and let it cook!

Step four: Let cook about 10 minutes on one side (remember, LOW heat) and flip – if you really want to work your cooking skills – give the flip in the air a shot! I’m happy to report I landed the flip!

Since my dough was like cookie dough, it looks like a peanut butter cookie – don’t be fooled – there is no sugar or wheat in this!

Step five: Once cooked (mine was still soft like a cookie) top with your preferred toppings! I chose natural peanut butter and raspberries!

A few tips:

• My batter was quite dry, but I liked that. If you prefer runnier batter, use more water and or another egg.
• Some recipes call for stevia or some kind of sweetener. You’ll see I didn’t use any because I used Visalus in this recipe – it already has a sweet flavour to it so I didn’t need to add sugar or sweetener of any sort.
• Pumpkin is my favourite – feel free to swap that part out for whatever fruit/nuts you prefer!

Do you have a protein pancake recipe that works well for you? Please let me know – I’m looking to try others to see which I like the best!

Bring it on 2013!

I know I missed posting this on January 1st, but I haven’t felt as though I’ve really had a chance to reflect and think about my 2013 goals until now.

I went home to Halifax for Christmas, and although I loved every single minute of it (and miss everyone back home), I was glad to return to my routine and get focused on my 2013 goals. I’m pretty excited for the year to come – the known and unknown adventures I will take on and growing and over coming all the obstacles that come my way.

 

Without further ado, my goals for 2013:

1) Keep moving. 

Fitness is a huge part of my life and I often get so caught up in wanting to be better – I forget how far I’ve come. I missed out on my kettlebell certification last month because I was ill (I will tackle it in March of 2013)! I also plan on starting crossfit, running another 1/2 marathon and doing some kind of race (Spartan, tough mudder, etc.) as well as teaching kettlebell :)

Action: Continue to record my workouts and track my progress (I will be taking my inches not weighing myself.), workout in the morning, pass my kettlebell certification, train for another 1/2 and do new things that scare me (might as well hey?).

2) Reduce stress.

I over-commit and get overwhelmed by how much I have on my to-do lists. I need to learn to focus on what’s most important and be really great at those few things. I know stress is holding my back from reaching my fitness goals (honest post to come on this)

Action: Incorporate 1 yoga class a week into my regimen. Stop myself before I start worrying, continue to write my to-do’s on a list and keep crossing them off!

3) Keep up (and ramp up) eating paleo. 

I’ve cut a lot of foods from my diet (diet as in the foods I chose, not a fad that promises quick results) and am still testing out how my body reacts to certain foods. I’ve seen great results from cutting wheat (currently 1/2 through the book Wheat Belly and will be writing a review in the days to come), sugar and all modified foods

Action: Prep meals – Faith and I have been prepping food every Sunday for the past few months and we’ve both saved loads of money and are both feeling way better (and losing weight!) by doing so. Also, I will focus on being strict. I know many paleo eaters believe in cheat meals – but purposely cheating is not good for me personally. It will happen from time to time and I won’t let that deter me, but keeping myself in control of what I put in my body will keep me accountable.

4) Continue working on my Bucket List. 

As I’ve just started a new job and plan to devote a lot of my energy (and time!) to it. I’m okay with not focusing on those adventurous (and costly!) items at this moment – I’ll get to them! I will reflect on those I’ve achieved, re-visit and update those to make them more realistic.

Action: Review and update Bucket List! Try to cross off at least one a month :)

5) Gratitude journal 

Reflect on the wonderful aspects of my life. Be present in the moments I spend with my friends and family.

Action: Be more in the moment. Put my iphone away when I’m with friends and be in the moment vs. constantly looking ahead. Also, Faith and I will be writing one thing a day we are grateful for and putting them in a jar. It will encourage me to mindfully think about the good things that happen every day and by doing so, will ensure I stay grateful and appreciative of the wonderful things in my life.

6) Keep exploring, doing and chronicling my life in order to help inspire others to do the same.

A lot of who I am has come from the inspiration and support of the amazing people in my life. Sometimes you need an outside perspective – and I plan to continue to write about my goals and achievements in hope that others will also set some goals, write them down and stay accountable.

Action: Write 2-3 blog posts a week. WHEW, this one is going to be HARD.

Change is ongoing and I truly believe in order to keep evolving and being successful in life – you must embrace change. Acknowledge your accomplishments, chase your dreams, keep pushing and love what you do.

Have you written out your goals for 2013? What are you waiting for – think about it and write that list!