Many of us moms have tried to sneak something healthy into our kid’s food. Sneak the “yucky” or less glamorous into their favorite foods. This mom venture is met with varying degrees of success. I failed pretty miserably at this scheme once my son reached age 6 or 7. 

But what about pumping more good stuff into our own adult foods? Added bonus if this can happen to redeem a particular food we think are “off-limits” for a healthy lifestyle. Enter, the “Protein Pancake.” Hat tip to Michelle (the Healthy Hedonista) for opening my eyes to this concept. Check out her instagram page and also follow her mom Joan for strength training 75+. Yes, the best thing we can do as we age is lift more heavy things. 

Most of the week, my breakfast consists of some GF granola, blueberries and almond milk, or a smoothie, or an Orgain Plant-Based Protein Shake ($2.50/ea). On decadent free weekends, however, I do love waffles or pancakes, but usually avoid these because the sugar and carb extravaganza. Until now. Enter, the protein pancake. Only to be consumed with real maple syrup (the other crap is really full of sugar and often has gluten in the Carmel coloring of the syrup-like produce). Here’s the skinny – you can modify based on the instruction of your pancake mix.

Protein Pancakes/Waffles (30 grams of protein!)

• One Cup of Your Favorite GF Pancake Mix (I use Pamelas, Bob’s Red Mill, etc)
• 6 tablespoons of Protein Powder (I use Complement Clean Unflavored Protein)
• Substitute Apple Sauce for Eggs (if your mix calls for eggs – prior blog post about that here)
• 2/3 cup of water (if your mix calls for milk, use almond milk instead)
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil (or whatever cooking oil you have on hand)

These are delicious! They are a bit dense. I had some issue with sticking to the waffle iron in some batches, so I preferred the predictability of the pancake over the waffle here. They will also freeze well, so you could make up a batch and pull 1-2 out for a quick breakfast later.

That’s all I have to say today about hiding things in food, except for one thing. It’s spring time in the Cherokee Nation, which means it’s time for my annual public declaration of Cherokee blasphemy. I hate wild onions and eggs. There. I said it again. Don’t try to hide those onions in my eggs. First, it’s impossible to do. Second, save the wild onions for some soup-ish dish please.

Happy eating. Make sure you are getting enough protein.