Banana Oat Pancakes

Full disclosure: I’ve been reworking my diet to include more protein.  Getting older I noticed that I need to find that healthy balance of protein, fat and carbs to get to a healthier weight.

As part of that mission I’ve been introduced to protein pancakes.  I really never thought about them before. I just knew I shouldn’t really eat pancakes since they can be loaded with too much fat, sugar and white carbs. I DO sneak a few bites when we head out to a local restaurant for breakfast occasionally (I insist my husband and I split one). But that’s about as far as I go, otherwise I will need a nap after indulging! It’s also one of those foods that strangely can fill you up quickly but have you hungry not long after since there’s little fiber to keep you full.

I was surprised to see this as an option on a fat loss plan I’ve been following. I’ve made some tweaks but basically you are just replacing the bad with the good: Ground oats for the white flour and egg whites and protein powder for the eggs.

These will fit perfectly into a healthy lifestyle with about 300 calories a serving for three pancakes! I like having them before a tough workout.

You may want to experiment with the addition of protein powder.  If you’re looking for additional protein, you can add a neutral or vanilla flavored powder to the recipe to up the protein. Maybe even chocolate with the banana and some peanut butter powder would make a great option to start your day!

Recipe – Makes 1 large serving (or 2 if you want to share)

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 scoop of protein powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of egg whites (or egg replacement)

1/2 banana

Grind oats into oat flour in a blender and place in medium-sized bowl. Add protein powder, baking powder, salt and combine.

In the blender add the half of banana and egg whites and blend until fully mixed. Add to dry ingredients and stir. Allow the mixture to stand for 5-10 minutes for baking powder to take effect.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat with nonstick spray. Drop pancakes onto skillet and let cook until bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes. Flip and cook a minute longer.