Healthy Pancakes... I swear

Well hello there,

I hope your hump day's going well.

Last night, I had a delicious dinner at work:

Salad with a side of well done salmon + wheat bread dipped in oil and vinegar.

While it definitely hit the spot, it didn't even COME CLOSE to the satiating experience that was this morning...

I wanted desperately to incorporate my new jar of delicious homemade pumpkin butter:

(It turned out quite well- the fresh apple juice is very present and I don't mind that one bit)

Hmmm, pumpkin pancakes? Nah, too much pumpkin. Toast with pumpkin butter? Nope, lacks the protein I need for my post breakfast workout session.

Then I thought back to a recipe I'd seen on The Fitnessista's blog a while back and figured I'd give it a try.

That's when these were born:

Perfect Protein Pancakes (courtesy of The Fitnessista)

The goods:

(coffee was for me, not the batter ;)

A little Earth Balance for the pan:

Here we goooooo...

Plop... Plop...

and BAM!

So good.

I'll admit: the consistency seemed a little strange to me at first- the batter's thicker and MUCH easier to handle than your average pancake recipe. "Sure it'll be healthy and protein-packed," I thought, "but will it make for a moist, delicious breakfast?"

Boy was my mind blown! With the pumpkin butter sandwiched between, it was a match made in heaven.

Another scoop? Don't mind if I do.

After those were SCARFED DOWN, I moved into my makeshift home gym...

and did some upper body work targeting the shoulders, upper back, biceps, triceps and chest.

It burned.

I hope I did it right... I know that's a weird thing to say, but sometimes working out at home just doesn't feel as effective as going to the gym. I'll know tomorrow when I get out of bed. I hope there's pain.

After I pumped da iron, I had a couple hours before acting class so I tackled the pile of dishes in the kitchen, only to form ANOTHER mountain with lunch (Santa, please bring me a dishwasher).

I was feelin' the lentils today:

I tried using the vegan bouillon cube to season the lentils (like I mention here with the quinoa), but it turns out: I prefer a simple garlic clove dropped into the water while the lentils are simmering (garlic means less sodium too).

I topped the legumes with raw red bell pepper and goat cheese.

The side dish (aka side paper towel):

Homemade sweet potato fries fresh from the oven.

I packed a salad for class:

Spinach, cucumber, carrots, goat cheese, strawberries, balsamic vinaigrette and pecans.

And brought this bottle along:

Aloe Vera juice is one of THE best bottled drinks you can consume on a daily basis. It contains all sorts of detoxifying properties that aid in digestion, clean the colon and act as anti-viral/anti-fungal agents (repelling those pesky seasonal colds).

**Note: I suggest drinking 100% pure aloe vera juice sans the sugar- the bottle above was a little too sweet for my taste... Be warned though: the REAL stuff tastes pretty tangy and plant-like, but as long as you know you're doing your body good, I think you'll acquire a taste for it. Plus, you only need 2-4 oz. a day to experience a noticeable effect!

Now I'm here on the couch, tummy rumbling with 2 pro sports games playing in the background (not my choice, obviously).

As soon as they're over, Alex and I are going to get dinner. It'll be an early evening since tomorrow is head shot day!

I'll let you know how it goes ;)

Tata for now,

mads