Banana Split Overnight Oats

Dessert for breakfast? Yes, please! Healthy dessert for breakfast? Even better. Not only are overnight oats delicious, they are so easy to make- no cooking involved! Make them the night before, and grab and go in the morning.

Banana Split Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon reduced-fat coconut flakes
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed
2 teaspoons peanut butter (I used organic crunchy peanut butter)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 ounce banana, mashed (about 1/4 of a banana)
Stevia to taste
2 tablespoons chocolate protein powder

Directions:

1. Mash banana with a spoon or fork. Combine all ingredients except the protein powder. Let it sit overnight in the fridge.
2. In the morning, combine the protein powder with some water to make a thick "sauce". Pour over your oats. EAT!

Sweet Potato Pie Protein Pancakes

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. They are a great source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Sweet potatoes are a great choice as a complex carbohydrate, and one medium size has a little over 3 g of fiber!

        Unlike simple carbohydrates such as white rice and pasta, sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index don't raise your blood sugar levels as quickly, giving you a steady supply of energy throughout the day. 

        There are so many ways to eat sweet potatoes. I love roasting them or baking them, and when I'm short on time I cook them in the microwave! Sweet potatoes are a staple in my diet, so I always make sure I have them pre-cooked and ready to go. These pancakes are a great way to incorporate sweet potatoes at breakfast time for a satisfying, nutritious breakfast.

Sweet Potato Pie Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

3 ounces cooked sweet potato
1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Stevia and cinnamon to taste

Directions:

1. Blend together all ingredients (I used my Ninja).
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add your pancake batter by the spoonful.
3. Once the pancake begins to set and small bubbles start to form, flip your pancakes. Cook about 2-3 more minutes until done.

I served mine with PB2 sauce and sugar-free maple syrup. YUM.

Nutrition Info: 198 calories, 1.4 grams Fat, 20.7 g CHO, 3.1 g Fiber, 25.6 g Protein

Nutrition information will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. I used unsweetened almond milk, and MRM protein. 

Lemon Blueberry Protein Pancakes

These pancakes are moist and hearty, and the warm, juicy blueberries inside make them extra delicious. This recipe is actually long overdue, but I always like to do a second or third round of recipe testing before I post them. The problem is, I'm always making new recipes so it takes a long time to get back to all the ones I have to test! I decided that I'm going to stop being such a perfectionist and changing all my recipes two or three times . . . or just never posting them. If they taste amazing, they are just getting posted. Many people have been asking me where I get some of my ingredients. I linked some of the ingredients below to the website where I bought them. If you use the link provided, you'll receive a discount off your order :) . Also, there is a link on my homepage that brings you to the website that automatically applies the discount if you if you click on it.

Lemon Blueberry Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

Pancakes:
3 tablespoons egg whites
2 tablespoons cottage cheese

2 tablespoons almond milk 
1/4 cup blueberries
15 drops lemon stevia (or regular stevia to taste)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Few drops lemon stevia (or regular)

Directions:

1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium hear. Coat with cooking spray. 

2. Blend together all ingredients in a food processor/blender. 
4. Cook your pancakes!
5. Layer with more blueberries and Greek yogurt mixed with stevia.

Strawberry Protein Cheesecake

My parents were coming home from vacation yesterday, so I thought it would be nice have a nice meal waiting for them- including dessert. They traveled to Vienna, Budapest, and Prague for the past ten days. My dad posted pictures of their trip everyday on Facebook to keep us updated. The scenery, castles, and old buildings looked like they were right out of a fairytale. Definitely adding it to my LONG list of places I want to go.

They returned bearing gifts : ) . . . and what excited me the most? HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA. Yea, the real deal. I added it to my super egg white omelette that night.

 OK, recipe time. I had to use up some fat-free ricotta cheese, so I thought I'd attempt to make a cheesecake. I have never made a cheesecake in my life. So I knew going in, this could be a complete disaster or a pleasant surprise. Luckily, it came out great! My sister said it tastes just like cheesecake! The one and only downside to this experiment was that it probably would've come out better if I owned a cheesecake pan. I used a small brownie pan instead, so they are kind of more like cheesecake bars. I don't mind the shape at all because they are perfect for crumbling into my protein fro-yo. If you are lucky enough to have a cheesecake pan, I would probably double the recipe to make it fit.

Strawberry Protein Cheesecake 

Ingredients:

1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 scoop Cellucor Strawberry Milkshake protein powder
3 tablespoons stevia (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend together all ingredients. Pour into a small cheesecake pan sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until set.

How easy is that?!

Serves 6

Nutrition Information (1 slice) : 74 calories, 1 g Fat, 4.1 g CHO, 11.1 g Protein

Cinnamon Swirl Cauliflower Pancakes

These are seriously unreal. I cannot preach enough about how moist, dense, and cake-like that cauliflower makes to your pancakes!! And no, you absolutely DO NOT taste the cauliflower. This recipe was originally posted by Kim, but since I'm not a good recipe-follower, I modified some of the measurements to fit my needs (and to get the batter looking nice and thick). You really need to try these- LIFE CHANGING.

As a side note, many people have asked where I get some of my ingredients. There is a link on my homepage on the bottom right that brings you to a website where I order a majority of my ingredients at incredibly low prices (iHerb). If you use my link, or click on one of the ingredients that I've highlighted, it will bring you to the website and automatically apply a discount for you :) If you just go to the website, my coupon code is ZSG766.

Cinnamon Swirl Cauliflower Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup riced cauliflower (I used my Ninja to rice it)
2 tablespoons Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl protein powder
1/2 tablespoon pysllium
2 tablespoons coconut flour
3 tablespoons egg whites
2 ounces banana (about half a medium banana)
20 drops vanilla stevia (or any stevia to taste)

Directions:

1. To make riced cauliflower, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks "rice-like".
2. Microwave the cauliflower for 30 seconds.
3. Blend together all ingredients except the cauliflower. Then, stir the batter into the cauliflower. Batter will be THICK.
4. Cook over medium heat on a nonstick pan coated with cooking spray. Be patient. Flip when the edges start to set.

 Macros: 2.6 g Fat, 28.4 g CHO, 13.3 g Fiber, 19.3 g Protein