by | Nov 8, 2013 | 23 comments

When you think “healthy breakfast,” do you think “big stack of cinnamon pumpkin pancakes”??Β  If you read as many health blogs as I do, you’d have to be living under a rock to not notice the pancake craze that has been sweeping the blog world, but despite this, I have always thought of pancakes as a food that I would save for a “very special treat.”Β  One part of this is that I just love my satisfying and filling pumpkin-chia-yogurt breakfast, another part is that bringing a skillet and pancake ingredients with me while traveling might be a little bit of an overkill … but I think another part of me was at oneΒ point “scared” of eating pancakes.

13-worst-pancake-breakfast(picture source)

We’ve all seen GIANT stacks of restaurant-made pancakes that look as if they’ve been made with an entire stick of butter, a pound of sugar, and a gallon of maple syrup.Β  All I had to do was a simple Google search for “unhealthy restaurant pancakes” to determine that Bob Evans’ Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes have “the sugar equivalent of 7 Twinkies, the caloric equivalent of 8 Dunkin’ Donuts glazed donuts, the sodium equivalent of 6.5 large orders of McDonald’s fries, and 4.5 times the daily limit of trans fats.” (source).Β  Fine for an occasional splurge, but as a daily breakfast?Β  Umm, no thank you!

Now, I truly believe that NO food should be 100% off-limits.Β  No, I would not endorse eating 3 fast food cheeseburgers per day (and truthfully, the thought of eating a fast food cheeseburger kind of disgusts me in the first place), but if you’re a person that absolutely craves a fast food cheeseburger, do I think you should indulge a few times a year?Β  Absolutely!Β  If you’re traveling to a new place, or if a friend or family member cooks a special dish, do I think you should deprive yourself?Β  No way!Β  Enjoy it, and don’t stress about the caloric consequences.

But even though I believe this wholeheartedly, I still had a lingering “fear” of pancakes.Β  They seemed like a food that I couldn’t (or at least “shouldn’t”) make for myself on regular occasions.Β  See?Β  Even healthy living bloggers who talk about eating healthily most of the time and striking the right balance still have habits we need to coach ourselves through changing.cinnamon roll pumpkin protein pancakes

Not a ton of coaching was needed here, though, because once I tried these delicious (and nutritious!) pancakes, I was sold.Β  My fear of pancakes is long gone, and I’ve re-made these several times since.Β  These are pancakes I can feel good about eating!Β  I like to make them fairly small, because let’s face it … a tall stack of pancakes is just that much more fun!

I used Cinnamon Roll flavored protein powder from All Pro Science, but if you don’t have this, you could try vanilla flavored protein powder with an extra pinch of cinnamon. Β If you missed my review of All Pro Science protein powder last week, you can see it here.Β  And you can still get a 40% discount by using the promo code LYON40!Β  Β cinnamon roll pumpkin protein pancakes The Lyons Share

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Protein Pancakes

Serves 1

Ingredients cinnamon roll protein pancake ingredients

  • 10g (about 1/3 scoop) 100% Grass-Fed Whey All Pro Science Cinnamon Roll protein powder (or try other protein powder with an extra pinch of cinnamon)
  • 1 T coconut flour
  • 1 T oats
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (or 2 eggs)
  • 6 drops liquid stevia
  • 1 T low-fat cottage cheese (I used 2%)
  • 2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or 2 T regular milk or other non-dairy milk)

Instructions

  1. If you want to be fancy, mix your dry ingredients, then mix your wet ingredients and add in dry ingredients.Β  Truth be told, I just threw everything into a bowl and stirred the second time I made these, and it turned out just fine. dry ingredients
  2. Heat a large skillet, and coat lightly with cooking spray, olive oil, or coconut oil.Β  Carefully pour small circles of batter onto skillet, and be patient as they cook!Β  When you see bubbles coming up through the batter, turn over with a spatula, and heat until fully cooked. pumpkin cinnamon roll protein pancakes
  3. Stack them high, choose a topping, and enjoy!Β  For this batch, I made a sauce out of peanut flour, water, a pinch of salt, a bigger pinch of cinnamon, and 3 drops of stevia.Β  I poured that on the pancakes with a chopped peach over everything.Β  Feel free to get creative with your toppings, though! pumpkin cinnamon roll protein pancakes The Lyons Share 2

**If made according to this recipe (without toppings or oil for pan), the entire recipe contains 181 calories, 3g fat, 16g carbs, and 22g protein.**

So tell me in the comments … Are there any foods you are “scared” of?Β  When is the last time you had pancakes?Β  What’s your favorite breakfast food?

23 Comments

  1. Kmart deals

    pourquoi mettez vous des choses de jeune afrique ici?

    Reply
  2. Enoch Nadler

    These look delicious. I will have to make these! Thanks for always sharing awesome recipes Megan.

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Let me know if you try them, Enoch! They’ll work with any protein powder, I’m sure – just add some cinnamon if you use vanilla or plain flavored!

      Reply
  3. Caitlin

    i really like that you shared this recipe along with a related personal anecdote. i definitely can relate to feeling as if certain foods are “off limits” and pancakes are certainly one of them. i’m not a big breakfast fan in the first place but i tend to associate them with going out to the diner in college after a night of drinking, or a hungover breakfast! neither of which, while there’s a time and place for everything, are not situations i often find myself in or hope to find myself in. but protein pancakes are definitely sweeping the blog world lately! i can’t relate to many of those recipes since i don’t purchase/use protein powders so it’s nice to have more to read in this post and relate to than just the recipe πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      I’m glad you liked the little story pieces, too, Caitlin! I totally hear you on associating pancakes with hungover diner breakfasts, but they don’t have to be just for that :). I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

      Reply
  4. Arman @ thebigmansworld

    Need to admit this, but I have to echo Amy here- Currently eating pancakes as I type this haha.

    For me, Pasta is something not really ‘fearful’ but one which I don’t eat often because it doesn’t fill me up- I have foods which I tend to avoid for that reason.

    Favourite breakfast food IS pancakes I think- that or eggs in some form! Hope your weekend is a good one!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Love it!! Glad you were enjoying some pancakes at the time! I don’t eat a ton of pasta either – I honestly don’t enjoy it like most people do, and it either leaves me still hungry or overly full. I hope you had a great weekend too!

      Reply
  5. Debbie

    Hello Meg.
    These sound delicious! I think I will try them!!! Thanks for finding the recipe.
    Have a great weekend

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thanks, Aunt Debbie! Not only did I find the recipe, I created it ;). I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too, and thanks for following along!

      Reply
  6. Michael Anderson

    I am not the hugest fan of waffles or pancakes, so I will rarely eat them – but reading through those ingredients I was thinking ‘yes, Yes, YES!’ πŸ™‚ Definitely want to give these a try with Lisa and the boys.

    I totally agree that no feed should be ‘off limits’, unless your body has an issue with it! The trick is always to work on portion control and moderation …

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      I hope you do try them, Michael! I saw a breakfast of yours on Instagram (I think it was spiced quinoa?) that looked delicious too! Oh yes, I forgot to mention the part about your body having an issue with a food. In that case, 100% off limits is ok!! Good points!

      Reply
  7. Davida @ The Healthy Maven

    Fortunately I’ve never had a fear of pancakes but that’s because I might starve without them! Healthy or not-so-healthy I could eat endless stacks of pancakes. Once in a while I indulge in the later (as in this weekend I will be eating 3 pounds worth of beauty’s apple cinnamon pancakes) but generally I stick to healthier recipes. Must try yours!

    p.s. your email was the sweetest!! Why is Texas so far????

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Oooh, I hope we get to hear about the 3 pounds worth of apple cinnamon pancakes you consumed – yum!! My love for pancakes is growing quickly, maybe one day I’ll catch up to you! And yes, I wish Texas was closer to Canada!

      Reply
  8. Holly Lyons

    I’m excited to try these. Teddy is gonna miss out though case he is headed to SE Asia again before the holidays πŸ™ His loss! Anyway, i have a stevia question……is there a ratio that we can use when substituting it for sugar? Like x amount of sugar = x number of drops? and what about the stevia powdered extract? I can probably look this up online but i’d love to hear your thoughts as perhaps you have exceptions to the “norm” or suggested ratio. Love you!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Hi! Bummer about Teddy traveling over to Asia again. I usually go with 3-4 drops for 1 teaspoon of sugar. I don’t really have anything aside from the generally recommended ratios, and here’s one I’ve found – http://www.stevia.net/conversion.html. The one thing I would caution you about is the different types of sweeteners! For example, one of my recipes has used xylitol, which is another naturally-occurring but lower-calorie sugar substitute, and the ratio there is about 1:1 for sugar. So be sure you know what you’re comparing :). Glad you got the protein powder!!

      Reply
  9. Kerry @ The Adventures of Z & K

    These look scrumptious! I agree that pancakes always exist in my mind as a “treat” type of breakfast. With the right ingredients there’s no reason why they can’t be a normal staple. Z and I actually made some recently with oats and spelt flour and topped with pb and banana. Mmmmm.

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      I love spelt flour – tastes hearty, and I bet with the oats, pb, and banana, it was delicious!!!

      Reply
  10. Amy @ The Little Honey Bee

    Reading this as I inhale a stack of pancakes. Fitting? I think so πŸ™‚ I love your approach to food and to life and I think your messaging is amazing. You know I love coming up with healthy pancake creations and yes I like to indulge in the “real deal” every once and awhile but I have to say, I feel so much better eating a stack of goodness. Have a great weekend lovely!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Hehe, funny that you were having pancakes when you read this! Totally agree that if you go healthy most of the time, you can indulge in the real deal sometimes! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

      Reply
  11. Janis Rosenthal

    Megan,
    Stephen and I have added pancakes and waffles occasionally for our special treat breakfast on Sundays. Love them and you’re right, no guilt if you prepare then in a healthy manner. We buy Organic Sprouted Grain mix from whole foods with 22g whole grain and easy to prepare.

    I recommend them.

    Janis

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thanks, Janis! I’ve never had sprouted grain pancake mix but it sounds like something worth trying – sprouted grains are great on the digestive system and body overall! I’m going to look for that next time I go to Whole Foods. Thanks for continuing to follow along! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  12. Sara @ LovingOnTheRun

    Oh wow Megan these look amazing!! I will be making these soon FOR SURE!! Thank you for sharing πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Of course, Sara! Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

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Megan Lyons Headshot

Hi! I'm Megan Lyons,

the voice behind The Lyons’ Share. I love all things health, wellness, and fitness-related, and I hope to share some of my passion with you. Thanks for stopping by!
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