Cinnamon Apple Protein Loaf

I love making my own protein bars and snacks. This is a quick, easy, deliciously moist protein loaf. I love crumbling this on top of my protein fro-yo. If you don't have Cinnamon Graham Cracker protein powder, you can just use vanilla protein powder. I buy my Almond Flour online from Vitacost. It's cheaper and it's delivered right to my door. Use this link for a discount off your first order!

Cinnamon Apple Protein Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cinnamon Graham Cracker whey protein
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1/3 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place oatmeal in a food processor and blend until it becomes a flour.
3. Add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Do not over mix!
4. Place in a bread loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Add batter to the loaf pan.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

I cut mine into 6 slices. You cut bigger pieces if you like!

Nutrition Information (if cut into 6): 3 g Fat, 9 g CHO (1.6 g Fiber), 9 g Protein 

Chocolate Banana Quinoa Pancakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

I love trying new foods and experimenting with pancakes. I always try to order one new item that I haven't tried before whenever I place an order at iherb.com (one of my favorite places to order most of my flours and stevia extracts). My last order included quinoa flour. Quinoa flour is one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world- the Inca's called it the "mother of all grains". Quinoa is higher in protein than most grains, it is gluten free, and it is a rich source of iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. I am loving the flavor and texture that it gives my pancakes! It's similar to coconut flour in that it makes my pancakes fluffy, but it doesn't require as much liquid. Quinoa flour is officially a pantry staple for me! If you decide to order it from iherb.com, you can use my discount code (on my home page) to get money off your first order!

Note: If you don't have Sunwarrior protein powder, you can probably use regular whey protein, but don't use as much milk (whey protein doesn't absorb as much liquid). Remember, the thicker the batter, the better the pancakes! Also, don't fear the cauliflower. I use it in almost ALL of my pancake recipes because it gives such an amazing cake-like texture. You don't taste it- I promise!

Pancake time!

                               

                              

Chocolate Banana Quinoa Pancakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

Ingredients for Pancakes:

1/3 cup riced cauliflower (put in a food processor and pulse until it looks like couscous)
1/4 cup quinoa flour
3/4 scoop Sunwarrior Chocolate Protein Powder
1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 medium banana (about 50 grams)
3 tablespoons egg whites
1/3 cup almond milk

Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce (optional- use whatever sauces and toppings you like!):

1 tablespoon Walden Farms sugar-free chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons peanut flour (or PB2)
Water

1. Put the riced cauliflower in a small bowl and cook in the microwave for 40 seconds. Set aside.
2. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Add all of the pancake ingredients into a food processor (including the cauliflower). Blend until smooth.
3. Add pancake batter by the spoonful. Cook until the edges set and small bubbles start to form. Flip. Cook on the other side about 3-4 minutes.
4. To make the sauce, combine the chocolate syrup and the peanut flour. Slowly add water until it becomes a thick sauce. Layer the pancakes with the sauce. Enjoy!

Vanilla Almond Protein Pancakes

One of my favorite extracts to use is almond extract. Love the nutty, warm flavor! These were so fluffy :)

Also, don't let the cauliflower scare you! It makes the pancakes more moist and cake-like! You can omit if you don't have any, but I highly recommend it.

                              

Vanilla Almond Protein Pancakes 

3/4 scoop Vanilla protein powder (I use Cellucor Whipped Vanilla)

2 tablespoons oatmeal

2 tablespoons coconut flour 

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stevia packet 

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

3 tablespoons egg whites 

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt 

1/3 cup almond milk 

Splash of almond extract (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Be patient! They are thick and take longer than regular pancakes. Once you flip, cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Strawberry Banana Protein Pancakes

The only thing that could've made these pancakes better is if I had fresh strawberries to decorate them with. So delicious! You can probably use a different type of flour if you don't have quinoa flour, but I definitely recommend it!

                             

Strawberry Banana Protein Pancakes:

Ingredients: 

3/4 scoop (20 g) Stawberry Milkshake whey protein by Cellucor (or any brand)

3 tablespoons quinoa flour

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1 stevia packet 

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

1/2 medium banana (50 grams)

3 tablespoons egg whites

1 tablespoon almond milk

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium hear. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Quinoa Pancakes

These were so amazing that I contemplated crying when they were over. I love the combination of pumpkin and peanut butter. Plus the pumpkin keeps the pancakes moist. The cauliflower sounds weird, but trust me! You can't taste it, and it makes your pancakes thick and cake-like. 

                             

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients:

 

3/4 scoop Peanut Butter Cookie protein powder (by Metabolic Nutrition)

3 tablespoons quinoa flour 

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stevia packet 

1/3 cup riced cauliflower

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons egg whites

2 tablespoons almond milk

1/4 teaspoon butterscotch extract (optional)

DIrections:

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium hear. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Cafe Mocha Protein Pancakes

These pancakes had the perfect amount of coffee flavor . I layered these with stevia sweetened Greek yogurt and topped them with Wild Friends Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter (one of my top three favorite nut butters!). Perfect. 

                                     

Cafe Mocha Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 scoop Cafe Mocha protein powder (I used Dymatize)

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

2 tablespoons oatmeal 

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 packet stevia

1/4 teaspoon coffee extract

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt 

3 tablespoons egg whites

2-3 tablespoons almond milk 

Directions:

1. Cook cauliflower rice in the microwave for 40 seconds.

2. Grind oats into oat flour with a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients (includig the cauliflower!) and blend well. 

3. Heat a large, nonstick pan over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Make sure the pan is hot!

4. Add the batter by the spoonful. Flip when the edges set and small bubbles start to form. Cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. 

Chocolate Creme Brûlée Protein Pancakes

I found sugar-free Creme Brûlée coffee syrup at Target, and I thought it would be fun to use in some recipes. Came out delicious.  Someone should come out with a Creme Brûlée protein powder. Just saying. 

                                    

Chocolate Creme Brûlée Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 scoop chocolate protein powder 

2 tablespoons coconut flour

2 tablespoons oatmeal

1/2 tablespoon pysllium husk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 packet stevia

1/3 cup riced cauliflower 

2 tablespoons sugar free Creme Brûlée syrup (from Target)

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons egg whites 

Directions: 

1. Preheat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. 

 2. Place cauliflower in a food processor and finely chop. Place in a bowl and microwave 40 seconds.

3. Add all ingredients including the cauliflower to your food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add pancake batter to your pan by the spoonful. Cook until edges set and then flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Serve with your favorite toppings/fillings!

Tips for Fluffy Pancakes

I've been getting a lot of questions about how I get my pancakes so thick and fluffy :) So here are some ingredients and tips to make your own!

Ingredients:

Baking Powder

Psyllium husk

Coconut flour 

Cauliflower 

You can order psyllium husk and coconut flour from Vitacost. It's an online health/grocery store where I order the majority of my ingredients from. Use this link for a discount off your first order:

Baking powder is a mix of baking soda and an acid. It is a leavening agent, which means its added to recipes in order to produce carbon dioxide to give rise to the finished product. Make sure your baking powder is fresh- old baking powder will make your product flat. No one wants flat pancakes! 

Psyllium husk helps to bind your pancakes and gives them extra texture and fluff! I use about 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon in my recipes. It's also a great source of fiber.

Coconut flour makes light, fluffy pancakes. It absorbs more liquid than other flours, so you'll need to add extra water, milk, etc. when cooking with this. It can be used alone or mixed with another type of flour to make delicious pancakes, breads, cakes, bars- anything!

Cauliflower in pancakes?! Yes, and I swear you don't taste it! Cauliflower makes your pancakes dense and cake-like. To incorporate cauliflower for that cake-like look and texture, simply process raw cauliflower in a food processor or blender, then place in a bowl and microwave for 40 seconds (I usually use about 1/3-1/2 cup for my recipes). Blend it with your other pancake ingredients until smooth.

Pancake Techniques:

While preparing your pancake ingredients, make sure you pre-heat your pan. I usually preheat my non-stick pan over medium high heat and spray with no n-stick spray (you can also use coconut oil or other oil). Make sure it's hot before you add your batter. Do not use high heat. Keep it on medium and be patient :)

DO NOT over mix. This will lead to flat, sad looking pancakes. 

Make sure your batter is thick. Thick batter= thick pancakes.

Hope this helps! More questions? Ask away!