Power-Up Blueberry Vanilla Pancakes

Who doesn't love a nice hearty stack of pancakes in the morning? ;)

These pancakes are packed with protein and can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for the week! Besides breakfast, these round little gems can be eaten as a protein-rich snack or for lunch/dinner. I don't know about you, but I LOVE breakfast food for dinner.  YUMMMMY.

Requiring few ingredients, here's what you'll need:

Serves: 1 
​Prep Time: 5min
Cooking Time: ~5-10min

Pancake Ingredients:
1 Heaping Scoop NSF Certified for Sport Vanilla Protein Powder (*I used Garden of Life)
1 Egg, beaten
1/2tsp Baking Powder
1Tbsp Flaxseed, ground
1/4tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (*or you could use extract)
1/8tsp Cinnamon, ground
~1/4 Cup Non-Fat-1% Milk or Non-Dairy Alternative (*enough to get the consistency of pancake batter)

Toppings:
1Tbsp Blueberry Maine Stonewall Syrup
1Tbsp Almond Butter

Directions:
In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, beat egg and add in the baking powder - stirring until evenly incorporated into the beaten egg. Then incorporate the protein powder, ground flax, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon and milk - incorporating enough milk that you get a pancake-like consistency. If you wanted, you could incorporate blueberries or chopped up fruit into your batter to give it a little surprise on the inside. 

Heating up a medium-sized skillet on Low-Medium heat, spray your skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Once the skillet as heated up, use a large spoon and scoop batter onto the skillet - forming about a 4"-6" circle. Allow the batter to cook on the stovetop, watching for bubbles to form on the top. Then flip the pancake over and cook for about 20-30 seconds longer. Remove from the skillet and place the pancake on a plate. Repeat the process over until the batter is used up. 
 
*You could use any toppings you desire. Containing less carbohydrate than usual pancakes, you could either add dry oats to your pancake batter to give them some fiber and/or incorporate fresh fruit on top! This is highly recommended for my endurance athletes, those refueling after a long practice/training session/game, and for those using this recipe as a meal. However, the recipe alone may be a good bedtime snack, 1.5-2hours before bed, for my elite athletes!

Nutrition Facts (serves 1): 
415 Calories, 19g Fat, 2.5g Sat Fat, 188mg Cholesterol, 336mg Sodium, 27g Carbohydrate, 5g Fiber, 0g Added Sugar, 33g Protein

Healthy Regards, 
Jessica G. Anderson, MS, RD, LD, ACSM EP-C
​#FuelForTheGOLD