Pancake Sunday Is Back!

Multigrain Pancakes & Mixed Berry Syrup

I really love pancake Sunday.  What is better than having something a little special for breakfast on a late Sunday morning?  I decided to make the Multigrain Pancakes & Mixed Berry Syrup from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook .  These are awesome and full of fiber.  They will definitely satisfy a sweet tooth and keep you full until lunch.

Jillian Michaels’ Multigrain Pancakes & Mixed Berry Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 cups Fresh Frozen Blueberries
• 1/2 cup Real Maple Syrup
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup Nonfat Yogurt
• 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1 1/3 cups 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Aluminum Free
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cinnamon, Ground
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 egg
• 2 tbsp Agave or Honey
• 1 tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions –
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.  In another bowl combine yogurt, almond milk, eggs, agave, oil & vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix really well.  Heat a little coconut oil in frying pan and drop 1/4 cup of pancake mixture.  Cook a few minutes per side.  You know when they are done!

In a separate pan, combine 2 cups berries & 1/2 maple syrup. Simmer until it thickens a little and fruit breaks down.

Divide pancakes onto 6 plates and drizzle with fruit syrup!

*Tip- If you don’t have 6 people, freeze the rest of the pancakes.  You have a fast, tasty breakfast whenever you want it.

Each serving has just 340 calories.

I remember that saddest pancake Saturday I ever had was when I decided to make low carb flap jax.  Boo!!!!  Low carb is boo!  It was like eating rubbery eggs drizzled with syrup.  They gave me sad face!

Hope you enjoy these healthy carb Sunday Cakes!

Quinoa Crunchy Morning

Quinoa Crunch, Greek Yogurt & Berries

Happy Friday!  Wahoo.  What’s everyone doing for this holiday weekend?

For breakfast, I wanted to make something really special to celebrate Friday and the upcoming long weekend.  I decided on Quinoa Crunch, from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook.  =)

Now, this recipe is kind of like a super healthy granola.  Quinoa is a rockin’ grain with tons of fiber and protein.  We always like when we can get the most health bang for our buck!  It kind of has a nutty flavor that might need some getting used to.  It also might be kind of expensive at the grocery store.  You can find it much cheaper at a Trader Joe’s, Ocean State Job Lot or some other discount store that carries food.

*Unless the box says pre-washed, you need to rinse it in a mesh strainer!

Quinoa Crunch,
adapted from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

Ingredients
1 cup rinsed quinoa
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (you can use another kind, this one is just the healthiest)
1 tablespoon of honey or agave (you can use 2 if you like your crunchies a lil’ bit sweeter)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or maple extract =)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Spread across cookie sheet.  I recommend cooking on one of those silicon baking mats.  Bake for around 15 minutes stirring mixture once in the middle.  Take out and allow to cool.  Break up and store in airtight container.

This makes 8 – 2 tablespoon servings.

Serve 2 tablespoons with 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup berries, 1/2 teaspoon honey.

216 calories

I hope this recipe passes the lunch time hunger test!

Sunrise Tacos

This morning I managed to drag myself out of bed after pressing the snooze button for 45 minutes. =)

I was in the mood for something zesty to perk up my morning, so I chose the Lose 8 Sunrise Tacos. They were just what I needed to get my morning going.

Sunrise Tacos
Heat 2 corn tortillas in the oven (I used whole wheat english muffins because that is all I had.)
While those are warming in the oven, scramble 1 whole egg & 2 egg whites with a little salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
Place 1/4 cup cheese and half the egg mixture on each tortilla. Divide 1/2 cup tomatoes between the two and top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream. I omitted the sour cream and added black salsa to spice things up a bit.
All this for 350 calories!

What did you have for breakfast today?

Apple-Walnut Waffles

Good morning! Welcome to day 3 of the Lose 8 Challenge.  This morning for breakfast I had Apple-Walnut Waffles.  They were kind of amazing.  They almost reminded me of a healthy dessert for breakfast!

Apple-Walnut Waffles

Apple Walnut Waffles

Top 2 whole-grain waffles each with 1 tbsp part-skim ricotta, 1/4 cup apple slices, 2 tsp chopped walnuts, 1/2 tsp maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

366 calories, 18 g fat (5 g saturated), 40 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 12 g protein

If you are interested in these meals or workouts sign up for the Lose 8 Challenge at Self.com.

Pancake Sunday… Well, almost

Hola!  Welcome to the official kick off of my Self Challenge.  Hope your Sunday is going smoothly so far.  If you are a crazy pants like me, you got up bright and early at 7 and got in your daily workout and made a super fun breakfast! =)

My first Challenge breakfast was a blueberry oatcake topped with nonfat greek yogurt and a little maple syrup.  I picked this breakfast because I enjoy whipping up something special on Sunday morning…  Something that compliments my morning coffee just perfectly.  This was very similar to a pancake with a little different consistency.

The Creation of the Sunday morining oatcake.

Blueberry Oatcake Recipe

In a bowl, combine 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp water; whisk 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup blueberries and 1 tbsp sliced almonds. Heat a medium skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat; cook batter until eggs are set on bottom, about 3 minutes; flip oatcake and cook 1 minute. Top with 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt and 1 tsp maple syrup.

No breakfast is complete without a strong cup of Joe in a Lizzie Borden mug. =)

And voilà!  In a few short minutes you have a tasty breakfast packed with protein and fiber!  Here are the stats…
363 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 43 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 33 g protein

After my Sunday morning breakfast and several cups of coffee I completed my first challenge workout.  I decided to being the program with the bootcamp strength exercises.  This consisted of 8 exercises performed for 30 seconds each.  In between the strength exercises you can throw in 30 seconds of jump and jacks for some extra cardio.

All you need for your workout is a resistance band with handles, a set of 5-8lbs weights and a timer.  I am kind of wimp and went with the lil’ 5 pounders. =)  The circuit was tough but manageable.  My least favorite exercise is the honing hike.  It is basically a reverse mountain climber.  I happen to despise regular mountain climbers and this move is like mountain climber on crack!  I was really excited when that 30 seconds was over!

Try it!  Really, it’s tough.  Start in reverse plank: wrists under shoulders, legs extended. Bring left knee toward chest (as shown), then return to start. Repeat with right leg. Continue alternating sides quickly for 30 seconds.

I hope that exercise gets easier!  What is your least favorite exercise?

To try this workout go to Self.com to get a list of the exercises and watch the video.  It is fast and you can definitely feel it working.

Happy Sunday!