Eating pancakes remains a fond childhood memory for many of us. Perhaps you went to grandma’s house and she spoiled you with some nice white fluffy cakes topped with butter and drizzled with some syrup, or maybe it was a pancake feed at a small-town celebration that conjured up those distant memories. However, now that adulthood is set in, I bet you realize that all that processed white flour and sugar isn’t the best thing for your fitness health, your blood sugar, or your weight loss goals. But no worries, there are many ways to enjoy some fluffy pancakes and still get some good nutrition to help build muscles.
The problem with fluffy white pancakes is that the processed white flour tends to make your blood sugar go up, and then fall down again fast. This leads the feeling of hunger resurfacing too soon, and may even lead to low blood sugar and midmorning drowsiness.
In order to avoid those blood sugar highs and lows, you should enjoy those pancakes as part of a balanced breakfast by enjoying whole grain pancakes that are rich in fiber, with protein. For example, a couple of whole wheat pancakes with 2 eggs, a glass of low-fat milk, and some fruit would be a balanced meal that would level out your blood sugars and still provide the nutrients and energy you need for work out stamina.
You can also enjoy some gourmet pancakes that include most of the food groups in one awesome healthy pancake dish. A really easy way to do that is by making whole-grain pancakes, topping them with a protein like peanut butter, adding some fresh banana slices, a touch of real whipped cream and a little authentic maple syrup, or perhaps some sugar-free syrup. Healthy protein-rich gourmet pancakes like these taste awesome and can easily fit into your health routine.
Here are some other healthy protein-packed gourmet pancake meal ideas that won’t sabotage your fitness routine and will still let you relive those fond memories:
- – Buckwheat pancakes topped with some blueberries and walnuts, real whipped cream and served with a glass of low-fat milk.
- – Whole-grain pancakes topped with low-fat cream cheese and fresh sliced strawberries.
- – Gluten-free pancakes topped with real raspberry syrup, served with a fried egg and a glass of almond milk.
Still determined to enjoy some fluffy white pancakes? You can add a scoop or two of Total Gym FIT BLAST Shake to traditional pancakes to make them healthier protein pancakes. Serving them with some fresh fruit and milk will balance them out nicely.
FIT BLAST pancake recipe
1½ cups whole milk
1 egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup organic cane sugar
1-2 scoops Total Gym FIT BLAST Shake protein
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
In a small bowl, mix together milk and egg, then set aside. In a medium-size bowl, mix together flour, sugar, Total Gym FIT BLAST Protein, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk mixture and the melted butter. Mix everything together with a whisk, just until the dry ingredients are moistened, adding extra milk or Total Gym FIT BLAST Shake to bring it to a nice consistency, if needed. Be careful not to over mix. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
Heat a griddle sprayed with cooking oil over medium heat. Once hot, ladle the pancake mixture onto the griddle and cook until bubbles form. Flip the pancakes over and cook through. Serve piping hot with your favorite toppings.