Easy Blueberry Protein Smoothie

May 13, 2018 by

This post is sponsored by Wish Farms in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Recently I had the opportunity to go just outside of Lakeland, Florida with Wish Farms to visit their organic blueberry farm, Misty Organics, and learn more about the process of growing blueberries. We also got to see a packing plant and exactly how they go from farm to table, which was SO cool. We also ate at some delicious local restaurants who all used Wish Farms blueberries in special meals made for our group. Everything was so delicious and fun! It really got me in the mood to do more meals with blueberries. Since it’s getting HOT here in Florida I decided to create my own Blueberry protein smoothie that I could have before or after a hard workout. It’s super simple and fast to make with just a handful of ingredients. Great for busy on the go parents (or your kids, too!)

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But first let’s back up so you can see exactly where these delicious blueberries come from. We visited Misty Organics, Wish Farm’s organic blueberry farm, and got to see the cool way they pot the blueberry plants and use tunnels to control the temperature of the plants. healthy blueberry protein smoothie

We learned that blueberries like water but don’t like to “keep their feet wet”, so the pots drain to help keep that from happening. I also learned that there are so many different varieties of blueberries. I had NO idea there was more than one. We got to taste several different varieties, and I could definitely tell a difference.

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We also learned that NOW is the time to buy Wish Farms southeast blueberries! This covers Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

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After being treated to yogurt and blueberry parfaits (of course!) we headed over to the packaging plant to see how the berries go from farm to packages to the store.

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It was so cool to see the blueberries go up on a huge conveyor belt, get sorted by machine and by hand, and then weighed and put into packages. It truly is a very efficient process and I could have watched all day!

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It was a great, eye opening trip that made me want to support these farmers and make even MORE things with blueberries! As a busy mom on the go I don’t have time for elaborate recipes, so this super easy smoothie recipe is not only fast to make, but you can take your smoothie with you anywhere.

healthy blueberry protein smoothie

Ingredients:

-1/2 c vanilla greek yogurt

-1/2 c Wish Farms blueberries

-1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein power (I use Lean one)

-1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

-1-2 tbsp honey for desired sweetness

-ice cubes for desired thickness

healthy blueberry protein smoothie

Directions:

Add all items to a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

For updates, be sure to follow Wish Farms, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube

 

Filed Under: blogging, food, recipes Tagged: , , , ,

Southwestern Egg Muffins

August 25, 2016 by

Hey friends! Today I wanted to share something a little different. I haven’t done a recipe in awhile, but this one I really wanted to share. I have been counting macros, and realized I have a hard time getting in protein. I don’t like to eat eggs by themselves, so I finally found an easy way to get in a little more protein by making egg muffins.

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They are super simple to make, here are the ingredients:

– 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese (shredded)

– One carton of egg whites

-One bag of Birds Eye protein southwest blend from the freezer aisle

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DIRECTIONS:

-spray bottom of a 12 cup muffin tin

-preheat oven to 350

-warm up protein blend in the microwave for 4 minutes

– spoon the blend into the cups evenly

-distribute cheese evenly into the 12 cups

-fill the cups with a carton of egg whites, use the whole carton

-Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

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You could really use any veggie blend from the freezer aisle at the grocery store with this recipe, but I prefer the southwest blend because it has more protein, and it has a little kick to it which makes the muffin not taste to much like eggs.

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I can eat two or three egg muffins at a time, so it’s a great protein source! Also, you can put them in a bag and freeze them, and pop in the microwave for a minute or so for an on the go breakfast with staying power. Here are the nutrition facts per muffin:

Calories: 83

Protein: 7.1 grams

Fat: 1.5 grams

Carbs: 9.5 grams

Enjoy! I would love to hear if you decide to make these, or what other blends/veggies you use instead.

QOTD: Are you a big egg eater? What is your go to breakfast food?

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5 Things Friday XVIII

June 10, 2016 by

Happy Fri-yay! It’s a hot one here. Going to get up to 94! Lots to do today, but I wanted to pop in and share a few pieces of information with you. Have a great weekend!

 

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2.) Dessert or protein shake?: I found an amazing recipe on Pinterest for a delicious protein shake/smoothie that, I confess, I have been drinking 4-5 times a week for the past three weeks. It’s that good. It’s super easy to make (did anyone else know butter extract was a thing?) and it tastes delicious!

3.) Relight: I like nice and bright photos, but sometimes my iPhone pictures come out less than desirable, and some of the filters that look brighter also distort color in a way I don’t like, so I started using a free app called Relight and have had great results! Of course using my “big girl” camera would be better, but this is the next best thing for a quick touch up.

4.) WOW week: I’m old school and still call it VBS (vacation Bible school), but our church is hosting over 1200 kids this week and I have been volunteering some and having a blast! I’m so happy to be a part of a special church with an amazing children’s program. Emma Kate has been enjoying it too (she gets to come since I am a volunteer) and I can’t wait for her to be old enough to attend the “real thing”.

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5.) Bible Study: My small group at church will be doing a women’s Bible study in July and I have been trying to figure out what book we should use. I have a few that seem good I have been looking at but thought I would ask y’all if you have done anything lately you really liked? Looking for something a little on the short/light side for summer. Thanks for any suggestions you have!

QOTD: Did you attend VBS/WOW week as a kid? Any Bible study book ideas?

Filed Under: Disney, family, health, recipes Tagged: , , , ,

Spread Cookie Joy Giveaway

December 7, 2015 by

Confession: I am not much of a cook. I work a lot, and by the end of the day, I usually just throw together whatever is the easiest, quickest thing I can make. However, there is one exception to this, and that is baking around the holidays where I love to spread cookie joy! I grew up making Christmas cookies with my family, and hope to continue the tradition with Emma Kate.

Baked goods (cookies more specifically!) make great gifts as well, and I have made them many times as Christmas gifts for family and friends. spread cookie joy

Krusteaz brand cookie mixes are not something I have used before, but when I saw all the delicious flavors, I knew I had to try them! I made some of the Snickerdoodle cookies for Thanksgiving, and then decided to make the butter vanilla sugar as gifts for some sweet friends. I knew I wanted to put icing on them, so I knew the butter vanilla sugar would be my best bet for decorating with red and green icing and sprinkles. spread Christmas cookie joy

I used the recipe on the back of the box for the cookies, and for the icing I used a tried and true simple recipe:

1 cup powdered sugar

2.5 tablespoons 2% milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

5 drops of neon green food coloring

-Stir until smooth, and decorate!

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I love wrapping gifts, and knew I wanted a cute and fun way to package my cookie creations. Zazzle has some adorable options and I ended up getting some cute little boxes, stickers, and personalized name tags.

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I love how everything turned out, and I can’t wait to spread cookie joy with my very sweet and deserving friends.

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If you are looking for more baking and gifting tips and Krusteaz prizes, a #SpreadCookieJoy Twitter Party will be held on December 14th from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm ET. I hope you will come!

The kind people at Krusteaz have offered a GIVEAWAY for one THLG reader so you can #SpreadCookieJoy with your friends, family, or neighbors. Giveaway includes everything below EXCEPT for the ball jar, so you would get:  two boxes of the following mixes: Shortbread, Gingerbread, Snickerdoodle, Butter Vanilla Sugar and Oatmeal Scotchie; an apron, tote bag, cookie cutters and frosting pen.

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To enter, simply follow the Rafflecoptor instructions below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was provided with baking supplies and my own prize pack, however all opinions are my own. 

Filed Under: food, Giveaway, holidays, recipes Tagged: , , ,

Meatless Monday Night

September 24, 2015 by

Ah, football season. I have waited six long months for you to come back! One thing I was NOT looking forward to though was being tempted by all of the unhealthy snacks that come along with watching football. I have really been trying to watch the unhealthy snacking while in front of the TV. I hate feeling sluggish the next day when I am working out or running because I ate poorly the night before. I knew I needed a challenge to help me get through it, so enter #MeatlessMondayNight!

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While I was trying to think of something I could snack on during a football game that was semi healthy and meatless, I knew one of my main problems would be finding something I could eat “mindlessly”. You know how it goes. You are watching the big game and your hand is constantly in the chip bowl and you don’t even realize it. Or, your team goes into overtime and you keep nervously taking sips of that sugary margarita because you don’t know what else to do. I happened to look at the back of a carton of Silk almond milk, and that’s when it hit me…a smoothie!

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Not only are smoothies meatless (ew that would be weird) and yummy, but it’s something I can mindlessly sip on during a game without the guilt. I decided to whip up one of my favorites instead of a big bowl of cheesy and bacon dip like I normally would make. Check out the recipe below:

Meatless Monday Fruit and Protein Smoothie:

  • 1.5 cups of almond milk
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • half of a banana
  • sprinkle of cinnamon
  • scoop of vanilla protein powder
  • handful of baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Blend well and enjoy!

This smoothie recipe is also great fuel pre workout as well, I love it! Silk is lactose free, plant based, and contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors.

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Hits the spot! I also have recently been thinking a lot more about milk because Emma Kate is ONE today! How crazy is that? I know she will be needing some good whole milk in her diet, and we love Horizon Organic whole milk! If you aren’t an almond milk fan, you can add this to your smoothie instead. Yum!

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Be sure to check out Silk’s website for tips and recipes for your #MeatlessMondayNight, and to win a giveaway! I hope you will join me! Have fun watching the big game!

QOTD: What is your favorite meatless football watching snack?

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: blogging, food, health, recipes Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Easy Honey Broth Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

July 8, 2015 by

Please enjoy this yummy recipe/guest post by my friend Lesley!

Before I get started on the recipe I want to say a huge hello to all of Heather’s readers, and a big thank you to Heather for the opportunity to share a guest post with y’all!

Heather and I have been “blogger friends” for a couple of years. We finally got to meet at runDisney’s 2013 Tower of Terror 10 Miler.

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I blog about weight loss and running (among other things) at greaterfitness.wordpress.com Stop by the blog or say hello to me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! My username is @greaterfitness

An old friend of mine actually shared this recipe with me a few years ago. I cook it pretty frequently because it is now a favorite of mine, and it is super easy and not too bad for you. Because of its simplicity, this recipe is definitely one you can get your kids involved with. The leftovers are great as well! I suggest using any leftover chicken to toss in a salad or thinly slice the chicken and put it on a sandwich. The best part about this recipe is that it only requires two ingredients that you probably always have in your kitchen:

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Yep, that’s all you need! You’ll need 1 cup of honey and 2 cups of chicken broth.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the broth and ½ cup of honey. In an oven-safe dish, combine the remaining ½ cup of honey and 1 cup of broth. Stir both.

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Set the saucepan aside. This will later become a sauce. Place chicken breasts or tenders in the oven-safe dish with the honey and broth mixture. This will cook in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes. You’ll know it is done when the chicken has a tender, white center. Once the chicken is done cooking, let it cool. While it is cooling, put the saucepan containing the remaining honey and broth mixture on medium heat. Cook until it just begins to boil and then back the heat down to simmer. Once you are ready to serve the chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken. This keeps the chicken very moist and gives additional flavor.

I actually prepared the side of roasted potatoes before the chicken. They will cook at the same temperature, but will need an additional 15 minutes. I will usually get them ready and in the oven then start to prepare the chicken. Once the chicken is ready to go in the oven the potatoes have already been cooking for the extra time they require. This way both foods are done at the exact same time. You can use any type of potato that you like.

Simply clean the potatoes, cut into small bite-size pieces (I leave the skin on for extra flavor) and spread onto a baking/roasting pan. Liberally coat them with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Put them in the oven and you are all set!

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Usually I serve the chicken and potatoes with a salad. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any lettuce when I made this recipe last week so I steamed some green beans as a substitute.

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This meal is so yummy yet so simple to make. I hope that you give it a try and like it just as much as my family does!

QOTD: What is your favorite way to cook chicken?

Filed Under: food, Guest Post, recipes Tagged: , , ,

Easy Energy Bites

October 5, 2013 by

Today is a recipe/guest post from Lesley. Please enjoy while I am prepping for the Tower of Terror 10 miler that is tonight!

A while back, my friend shared with me a recipe that I really love to make, and my husband and I snack on these often. I call them Easy Energy Bites, and they are a great little “pick-me up” if you need a boost on a rough day or right before a run/workout.

You can easily swap out some of the ingredients in this recipe for others that you might like. Or feel free to add additional ingredients. I often add peanut butter or chopped nuts, although neither one are in the original recipe. Don’t like coconut? Leave it out! It really is a simple, versatile recipe.

ingredients

 

1 cup oatmeal

½ cup honey

1 cup shredded coconut

½ cup ground flax seed

½ cup chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract (only use real-not imitation)

Measure each ingredient and pour into mixing bowl. I measure the dry ingredients first, otherwise the honey will cause your dry ingredients to stick to your measuring cup if you measure the honey first.

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Mix all of the ingredients together. The mixture may seem a little dry but this is ok.

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Once the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes. This will help the ingredients combine and stick together.

After the mixture has refrigerated for at least 30 minutes, pinch off some of the mixture, and roll it in the palm of your hand, creating a 1 inch ball.

finished

 

This is essentially a pre-exercise superfood. The flaxseed provides a strong dose of dietary fiber, the honey and chocolate gives you some readily bioavailable sugars, and the oatmeal provides complex carbohydrates that increase energy without spiking your blood sugar levels.

Oh, and they are DELICIOUS.

Looking for other yummy recipes, exercise tips, and race reviews? Follow my blog at greaterfitness.wordpress.com. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram-username @greaterfitness.

QOTD: What do you eat for energy?

Filed Under: Guest Post, recipes Tagged: , , , ,

Grilled Drunken Barbeque Shrimp

May 1, 2013 by

There are times when I crave something that doesn’t exist. Sometimes a version of it exists but it’s still not exactly what I have a taste for. Then I have no choice but to try to develop a recipe for it. That’s exactly how my Grilled Drunken Barbeque Shrimp came into being. While Heather’s off enjoying some major fun in the sun, I wanted to share this with you just in time for grilling season. I’ll have the complete recipe at the end.

There are really only two tricks to this recipe. Number one, use good, quality shrimp.

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I live in Tennessee, about as far from an ocean as possible so I don’t have access to fresh shrimp. I did get the best thing I could find, and these guys are colossal!

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Next, the thing that really makes these shrimp fab is the sauce. You’ll want to make it an hour or so before you add the shrimp. Otherwise, if you add the shrimp to the heated sauce, you’ll end up boiling them, and grilled is what we are going for here, not boiled.

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About the sauce, as you are heating it, be careful not to let it boil over. I really just heat it until the butter is melted and the beer is incorporated well.

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Don’t be squeamish about the whole stick of butter! Remember, this is more of a marinade and most of it will end up getting tossed anyway. The same holds true for the beer. Even though you won’t cook the sauce long enough for the beer to evaporate, once you grill the shrimp, there will be no alcohol left. Even the little ones can eat them. You will also notice I have cayenne pepper in the recipe. It’s not really enough to make them too spicy, but it does add a slight kick. It can be omitted if you want zero heat. If you want more, add more. I’ve also used Tobasco sauce before so whatever heat source you like will be just fine. You will also notice that this sauce recipe works for 1-4 pounds of shrimp. It works for 4 pounds, and it’s just easier for me to make the whole thing even for just 1 pound.

I also sprinkle my shrimp with salt and pepper and let them sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes before adding the sauce. If you add the sauce right after seasoning, the salt and pepper will just sort of wash off of the shrimp and become a part of the sauce. Once I add the sauce, I let them bathe in it for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Any more than that will completely overwhelm the shrimp, and sauce is all you’ll taste. Since there’s lemon juice in the sauce, you also run the risk of making the shrimp mushy if you let them sit too long.

Once you are ready to grill, make sure your grill is at the right temp. They are going to go FAST! About the time you have them all on there, it’s going to be time to turn them.

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What you are looking for is for them to start curling (yes, I know they are already curled, but they will curl even tighter once they start cooking) and for the edges to start turning opaque. About 1-3 minutes is all this is going to take. Then you just flip and repeat.

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These are best served hot right off the grill. I don’t anticipate that being a problem because every time I’ve made them, they’ve been eaten about as quickly as I can get them off. Enjoy!

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Grilled Drunken Barbeque Shrimp

Ingredients

1-4 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 17.5 oz. bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce

1 12 oz. bottle of beer

1 stick of butter

Juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce, heat the barbeque sauce, beer, and butter just until the butter is melted and the beer is incorporated. Add the cayenne pepper and lemon juice and let the sauce come to room temperature.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then add the cooled sauce and let it marinate for another 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat your grill to 300-350 degrees and grill the shrimp for 1-3 minutes per side.

You can also reserve some of the sauce before you add the shrimp, reduce it by half (just keep cooking it in the pot until you have half the liquid you started with), and use it as a dipping sauce or drizzle over the cooked shrimp if you want even more sauciness on your shrimp.

So pull up a lounge chair, crack open your favorite beverage, throw these shrimp on the grill, and maybe you, too, can at least feel like you’re on vacation!

Be sure to stop by my blog at http://www.myglasssneaker.com/

QOTD: What is your favorite way to eat shrimp?

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Favorite Posts of 2012

January 2, 2013 by

 

I am loving this short week business. Thursday already? I’ll take it! Does anyone still have outside Christmas decorations up? Guilty. I promise they are coming down today, it’s just been a little crazy around here. I thought it would be fun for me to share some of my favorite posts from 2012 with you, and break them into categories. For new RWS readers this will be a fun way to get to know me more, and for my old faithfuls (I love you!), hopefully still entertaining!

Most Read Post of 2012:

IT Band Stretches

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Most Commented on Post of 2012:

Under Armour Bra Giveaway with 315 comments

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Most Inspiring Post of 2012: To Be Great

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Favorite Race Recap Post of 2012:  Disney Princess Half Marathon

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Post with most Surprising Success in 2012: Castaway Cay 5k take two. This is a post I wrote recapping the 5k I ran in the Bahamas on Castaway Cay. I was definitely not expecting the success of this one, and it is still the third highest searched post on my blog and gets hits daily!

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Post I am most Proud of in 2012: How It All Began (my running story)

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Favorite “Tips” post of 2012: Now What? What to do after you run a 5k

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Favorite Recipe post of 2012: Enchilada Casserole with Ground Turkey

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I hope you enjoyed my little look back on some of my favorite posts of the year here on RWS, I can’t wait to share even more with you in 2013! Cheers!

QOTD: Do you have a favorite post on your blog? Share the link in the comments! If you don’t have a blog, do you have a favorite post from a blogger? Share!

Filed Under: blogging, Disney, family, fitness, food, health, motivation, Race Recaps, recipes, runDisney, running, tips Tagged: ,

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

October 9, 2012 by

 

clip_image002Hi, my name is Stephanie and I blog at Food and Fitness 4 Real. As a busy working mom with two young kids, I blog about trying to balance real life with healthy living while encouraging my family to eat real food! This week I am excited that I am able to guest post for Heather.

Heather and I met at the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia in 2011 and I have also featured her on my blog. We have several things in common; like being New Orleans Saints fans, healthy living bloggers and we both are runners!

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Today I am going to share my recipe for Pumpkin Protein Pancakes with you. When I started training for my first half marathon with Team in Training last spring, we would often have pancakes as our post-run meal. While in training, I learned that after long training runs it is important to have a recovery meal that includes protein, carbs and fat. This pancake recipe combines vanilla protein powder, pumpkin puree and chopped walnuts for a filling and delicious breakfast. It is lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and can be topped with pecans, yogurt, fruit or agave.

The batter for these pancakes can be mixed the night before your long run and stored in the refrigerator. Once you get back from your training run, just stir it a few times while you heat up your griddle or pan the cook as instructed below.

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Every Sunday morning, I make pancakes for my family before we go to church. Unfortunately, my kids only want me to make PLAIN pancakes and I have yet to entice them with my Dutch apple pancakes, peach pancakes or coconut-pineapple pancake stackers. This pumpkin pancake recipe makes two servings, so I end up eating one serving by myself and freezing the second serving for later in the week.

Although I am not currently training for a long distance race, I still crave pumpkin pancakes this time of year. You should whip up a batch of these pancakes this weekend and share them with your family. Hope you enjoy!

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Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Servings: 2 (four pancakes each)

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all purpose (or whole wheat) flour
  • 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or agave or honey)
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (or low fat milk)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
  • *If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

 

 

Directions

  • Heat a griddle to 350 degrees or a pan to medium high heat.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, protein powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, egg white, vanilla extract, maple syrup and milk.
  • Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Allow mixture to rest for 2-3 minutes.
  • Coat your cooking surface with non-stick spray. Spoon batter onto a hot griddle or pan and spread into a circle (about 4 inches across). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until edges are set and bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
  • Continue with the remaining batter until all pancakes are cooked. (Batter makes about 8 medium size pancakes).
  • Top pancakes with 1 tablespoon chopped pecans and agave or maple syrup.

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QOTD: Do you like Pumpkin? What is your favorite pumpkin flavored food?

Filed Under: food, recipes Tagged: , , ,