Breakfast: Pancakes - Healthy

I like love breakfast. I actually love it even more when it's vegan. I love weekend vegan breakfasts the most.
Chillin in my jammies in the kitchen.... Anyways... This post is about pancakes.

Pancakes are like a blank canvas. You can make them banana pancakes (if you clicked that link, you should've seen that I've made banana pancakes before) or you can make them chocolate chip oat pancakes. You understand that they're so easy to change up. KERF made them healthy too, in her fiesta jacks.

You can also make them really healthy in a number of ways.

1. Adding some Rolled Oats in it.
   - oats can add texture and more complex carbs to keep you fuller, longer. However if you don't like the texture of oats, I can suggest maybe soaking the oats in the almond milk and add it as a wet ingredients.
   ex) recipe calls for 1c Almond Milk and 1/4c Oats. Soak the Oats in the Almond Milk THEN add it with the rest of the wet ingredients (like apple sauce, eggs etc)
   
   
2. Adding Apple Sauce, Pumpkin Puree or Pureed/mashed bananas keeps your WW pancakes moist.
   - Normally, WW pancakes can be hearty and too savory, but adding the applesauce, nanner or pumpkin will prevent it from tasting too hearty. Of course, it adds flavor....
   - Adding the above ingredients can also eliminate adding any sort of oil to your batter.
   - The above ingredients can also sub any sweetener.
   
   
3. Water can be subbed for almond milk (cutting anywhere from 20-40cal, depending on serving size)
   
   
4. I highly advise using Whole Wheat Flour.
   - If WW is too much for you, then I advise White Whole Wheat flour, it can ease you into the transition, and quite frankly, I have a difficult time noticing the difference between WW and White flour in my cooking.- Accordingly, other flours can be subbed (ex. spelt)
   
   
5. You can add Protein Powder (Flavor of your choice) if you add more liquid to loosen the batter up accordingly.
   

Lucky for you guys, there is no evil Pancake Dictator to tell you what to do. So I hope you employ one or all of the tips up there, and live like you mean it.

Shenanigans

Weekend shenanigans are mostly composed of breakfast. For me... I look forward to my weekend breakfasts, much. My weeks go by so quickly now, school is fast paced.

About two months ago, my doctor diagnosed me with snapping hip syndrome, or Dancer's Hip. In lamen's terms, it can be best described as a sharp joint pain that can radiate down your affected leg down to your ankle. After activity, it can hurt for days; and if not treated, can hurt for weeks and months.

In short, my hip hurts like a mofo, it feels like someone is stabbing (and sometimes dragging) a knife in my hip. Of course, like all my other injuries, I ignored the diagnosis and kept running and just stretched a little. I love running, and I sure do miss it terribly. I just stopped running two weeks ago (a month and a half after the diagnosis) and with the extra time on my hands, I've been stretching, gaining weight, and taking up a little yoga and cycling.

I've toned down the activity significantly, and it's been... not so great. But as of yesterday, I've been trying to focus on being more positive, and trying not to be too concerned about my physical appearance, but in contrast, focusing on how I feel.

What a change right? This is a huge leap and change, it's a cliche idea, but I understand why so many have employed it.

I tried to enjoy my weekend, but I feel like my metabolism has kept trekking, while my activity has retarded. But onward to Vegan Pancakes.

**This recipe can be stripped of its chocolate chip specifics, and can be seen as a blank canvas for future variations. Here are a few tips on pancakes.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes

makes 5 silver dollar pancakes

1/4C Rolled Oats

2 tbsp WW Flour

1/2 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I used Soy Protein)

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/8 tsp Salt

2 Tbsp Applesauce (SF) *

1/8 C Vanilla Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

Dash of Cinnamon

1tsp Chocolate Chips (or 3 chocolate chips per pancake)

Mix together the dry ingredients (Rolled Oats, WW Flour, Protein Powder, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Salt) Make sure the oats don't sink to the bottom, and ensure that everything is well mixed. Then put in the apple sauce and Almond Milk and mix well. Don't over mix please. Just mix until incorporated then ladle into a hot and oiled pan. (don't drown them in a pool of oil please.) Cook until you see lovely bubbles around the side of the pancakes. Flip them when you see the bubbles, if you miss them when they first appear, no worries, more bubbles will form. You don't have to cook them as long on the other side. Just press on the pancake when you think it's done, (please press on the cooked side) it should bounce back immediately, and not squish down.
Serve with SF Maple Syrup and a bit of Agave

Gin Wigmore - These Roses