Oreo Protein Pancakes

Happy Friday!! I have been chomping at the bite to share this recipe because it has become a favorite among my friends (aka my lovely taste testers). I am also formally dedicating this recipe to Sam because it just feels like a Sam recipe to me! If you haven't checked out her blog by now y'all are seriously missing out for 4 reasons: 1. She is genuinely the nicest, sweetest, and most thoughtful person, 2. Her food will make you swoon (case in point), 3. LAYLA- her pup is seriously just as sweet as Sam is, 4. Her sister and mom just as amazing as Sam is! I also love Sam because she introduced me to macros, but that's a story for another day.

Let's talk pancakes shall we? I wanted some chocolate protein pancakes, but I wanted them to be richer, fluffier, and more like a brownie batter. I have no idea why Oreos popped in my head but they did and then I thought, "this would be genius in pancake form." Thus, Oreo pancakes were born, but these are not ordinary Oreo pancakes- they're packed with protein and fiber, they're low in fat, and they're DELICIOUS (even my mom thinks so). So I present to you HEALTHY Oreo pancakes!

Oreo Protein Pancakes

• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, I've used Quest chocolate milkshake, Vega, and Cellucor
• 1 Tablespoon gluten free oat flour
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 Tablespoons special dark cocoa powder
• 1 packet stevia/zero calorie sweetener
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 5 Tablespoons liquid egg whites

In a medium mixing bowl combine protein powder, oat flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, stevia, and baking powder.

When dry ingredients are mixed add in almond milk and egg whites. If batter is too dry add in 1-2 tablespoons more almond milk. The batter will be very thick, so you don't want it too runny.

Spray skillet with nonstick cook spray or coconut oil and heat to medium.

Drop roughly 1/8 cup batter into skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, watch carefully so the pancakes don't burn. Repeat with remaining batter.

Oreo Pancake Filling

• 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt- greek yogurt and silk nondairy yogurt work good
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon stevia/zero calorie sweetener
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk

In a small container combine yogurt, coconut flour, stevia, and almond milk. 

Refrigerate to allow it to thicken and the flavor to set. The longer it's in the refrigerator the better it is. I recommend making it before you make the pancakes.

If you make them tag me on instagram and use the hashtag #thesimplelife I'd love to see your creations! Don't forget to like my page on Facebook!

Nutrition for pancakes:
MACROS: 23C/5F/26P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 232
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 3 g	13 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 8 mg	3 %
Sodium 1695 mg	71 %
Potassium 180 mg	5 %
Total Carbohydrate 23 g	8 %
Dietary Fiber 12 g	49 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 26 g	52 %
Vitamin A	3 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	25 %
Iron	37 %

Nutrition for filling:

MACROS: 11C/2F/8P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 94
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2 g	4 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	10 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 4 mg	1 %
Sodium 69 mg	3 %
Potassium 64 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 5 g	21 %
Sugars 4 g
Protein 8 g	15 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	10 %
Iron	10 %

WIAW: 30 Day Challenge Week 3

Happy Wednesday! It's officially halfway through the week and I'm happy to say I'm officially on the mend from all of last weeks craziness (see here). I am still doing the 30 day challenge despite everything that's happened. Since the whole hospital episode happened I've been on a really, really restricted diet. The doctors wants my pancreas to heal, which means a very bland, very low fat diet. 

Honestly, my body hasn't been able to handle a lot of food since everything happened so my WIAW is a little sparse. I know the haters will come out and say I need to eat more, but I'm recovering from pancreatitis and following doctors orders and listening to my body. Things take time to heal and I know that I will eventually get back to normal, but I thought I'd still do a WIAW to show you what I have been able to eat while recovering (LOTS of carbs). 

I'm still allowed to have baked cinnamon pear oatmeal for breakfast, although I'm limited to a few select fruits because my doctors don't want me having anything acidic. Basically there's been a LOT of pear action going on. 

My mom has been really awesome in helping me come up with foods to eat. I'm not allowed to have raw apples, but my doctor said applesauce is ok. My mom makes KILLER applesauce and it doesn't have any sugar or anything in it. It's just apples (I'll have to get her to share her recipe sometime soon!). For lunch I had my mom's apple sauce, some roasted and mashed buttercup squash, a kiwi (my doctor wants me having LOTS of vitamin C), and a cinnamon banana bread muffin. 

Dinner has been a hard one because a lot of days I'm not hungry at all and other days I still get a bit crampy when I eat. The struggle to get protein in has been real, especially when I don't feel like eating. For dinner I had a bowl of Banza chickpea pasta, which helped me get some protein in, and I had a Salad Power drink (full review coming soon). Since I can't eat veggies right now the Salad Power drinks are great for helping me get my veggies in and my doctor gave them a stamp of approval nutritionally and taste wise! 

Go ahead and hate on me, but I'm doing the best I can and allowing my body to heal. Pancreatitis is no joke peps! Have a great Wednesday!

Have you ever been on a restricted diet? How did you manage and what were your go to meals?

Cinnamon Banana Bread Muffins (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Oil Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free)

I cannot seem to get my days straight. It's like my brain does not want to accept the fact that it is Sunday. Maybe it's because this past week was a bit chaotic, but on the bright side I am not waking up to four feet of snow (sorry East Coast folks!). On behalf of everyone can I say is it summer yet?

The snow and cold makes for good days to stay at home cuddled up with a good book, a cup of tea, and the dog, but it also makes for excellent baking days! Since I'm still on a really restricted diet (explanation here) eating has been semi-difficult. One person can only eat so much oatmeal, egg whites, and pears without going slightly crazy (read: I miss veggies so much). 

I had some browning bananas and I really wanted banana bread, actually I really wanted Sam's banana bread, but I can't have dairy or oils right now. My parents thought I was semi nuts because I just started throwing stuff together, but after a bit of tweaking I finally got it right. Granted, it's banana bread muffins, BUT it's gluten, dairy, nut, oil, AND sugar free! AND it tastes delicious!

Banana Bread Muffins

• 1.5 cups gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon (more or less to taste- I like lots of cinnamon)
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 6 Tablespoons liquid egg whites (1/4 cup+2 Tablespoons)
• 3 bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and grease muffin pan with coconut oil or nonstick cook spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. 

Add honey, vanilla extract, applesauce, and liquid egg whites into the mixing bowl and combine. The batter will be drier, but will mix together. Set aside.

On a plate or cutting board mash the bananas. You can mash them finer if you don't like bites of banana in your muffins. 

Once bananas are mashed add them into mixing bowl and stir to combine. Mix just enough to combine bananas, but you don't want to overmix the batter. 

Pour batter into muffin tins. I filled tins about 3/4 full and got 15 muffins. Fill any empty tins with water before putting pan in oven.

Bake muffins at 350F degrees for 15-20 minutes. Check if muffins are done by inserting a toothpick into a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean the muffins are done, if not bake for an additional 1-2 minutes and check again. 

Allow muffins to cool before removing from pan and serving. If storing, allow muffins to cool completely before covering. Store at room temperature in a airtight container for 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

*I think the muffins are even better the day after baking! If you make them tag me on instagram and use the hashtag #thesimplelife I'd love to see your creations! Don't forget to like my page on Facebook!

Nutrition per muffin:
MACROS: 17C/0F/2P

Nutrition Facts
Servings 15.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 73
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	0 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 65 mg	3 %
Potassium 152 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 17 g	6 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	7 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 2 g	4 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	3 %