Chocolate Coconut Banana Protein Pancakes

This post will not solely be about pancakes. I swear. I will include other foods because today, on a FRIDAY, I am actually not working. I got called out (AKA my restaurant was not going to be busy and they had to cut staff) .  I freaked out for a little, then realized I could probably work on my presentations for my internship and maybe post a few meals on my blog :) . I decided early on that I was way too tired from working doubles, interning, and doing projects in between to go out and do anything. So, I'm using a little of my extra time to post a few meals. On to this morning's pancakes:

I got really overly excited to try a my brothers new flavored whey protein powder- banana! These pretty little 'cakes were good, but I think I tried to combine too many flavors. Flavored powders (other than vanilla and chocolate) seem to be very bold and I think they are better off being the only flavor in these type of recipes. I think if you have a sweet tooth, you'd enjoy these. This stack consisted of banana, chocolate, and coconut flavors.  It tasted like a chocolate-y coconut banana bread.

Chocolate Coconut Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons egg whites
2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla coconut almond milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon banana whey protein powder
1 t cocoa powder
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
11/2 teaspoons unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

Whisk together the wet ingredients until they just start to become frothy. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Cook your pancakes!

I added the extra teaspoon of protein powder because the batter was too liquid-y. I might just use less milk next time. Thicker batter = more substantial pancake.

And for dinner tonight? I've really wanted to be one of those people who knows how to make a soup with what they have on hand. I've been procrastinating cooking what I like to think of as an "impulse" soup, and decided to just go for it. I had a massive bag of stir-fry vegetables in my freezer and a random can of mushrooms in my pantry that I wanted to use up. So, I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 chopped onion in a medium sauce pan. Added about 3-4 cups of frozen veggies, 1/2 cup of the mushrooms, one can of low-sodium vegetable broth (plus about 1/2-1 cup of water), 1 1/2 T tomato paste, and oregano and basil to taste. I brought it all up to a boil, then lowered the heat, put on the lid, and let it simmer until the veggies were soft (about 20-30 minutes). I was so proud! I finally made an impulse soup- and it was YUM! I had a piece of Mahi Mahi defrosting so I baked it in foil topped with some Mrs. Dash and white wine. At the last minute I decided to throw it in the soup and pretend that I made a fish chowder-ish soup. Topped it with some parmesan cheese :)