What? You thought protein powder was just something you gulped down post workout to feed those muscles? Well, shame on you. I’m here to let you know that the sky’s the limit when it comes to tasty treats you can cook up with your Gnarly Whey. This is a little recipe I’ve been using for a couple years now as a post long run recovery that’s a little healthier than hitting up the local greasy spoon with whoever was dumb brave enough to run with me. I know as well as anybody how tempting it is to eat anything in sight after a really gruelling workout -trust me. And sometimes I say you gotta go for it. But in all honesty, you’ll feel better and recover better if you give yourself some real nutrition to rebuild everything you’ve just torn apart. I love these pancakes because I feel like I’m getting something I really love and still keeping my plate pretty damn clean in the process. I like having these pancakes on hand at my marathon finishes when I’m craving more solid foods.
Basic Protein Pancakes:
Protein pancakes have a reputation for being dry, dull and ridiculously thick. But I’ve played enough with protein powder that I think I’ve nailed keeping the pancakes light and moist but dense enough to still register as a pancake and yet pretty healthy. This recipe works really well as a base for you to build whatever pancake you want out of it. The idea is that, from this, you can add whatever fruits, nuts, berries, chocolate chips, etc that you want.
Ingredients:
-
3 Egg Whites
-
¼ Cup Vicious Vanilla Gnarly Whey
-
¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
-
Add Blueberries, Bananas, Pecans, Walnuts, Strawberries, Dark Chocolate, Apples, etc…
Directions:
-
Blend all ingredients except your add-ins
-
Spray pan with non-stick spray and heat on low/medium heat
-
Pour batter onto pan in small circles
-
Then cue your add-ins -drop them in as the batter begins to cook
-
When bubbles form in the batter, flip over slowly (if the bubbles come too fast, turn down your heat)
Some Good Tips and Alterations:
-
Whey Too Much: The secret to this recipe (or cooking with protein in general) is making sure you don’t dump tons of your whey into the recipe. This recipe, with a ¼ cup of protein, should give you about 30+ grams of protein per serving. Too much protein will make the batter start to be too firm and lose the moist, lightness that makes the pancakes so damn tasty. Some people will add a bit of almond milk to thin it out and add more moisture. This works particularly well at high elevations. I’ve had success both ways but think that the milk isn’t totally necessary so I opted to write the recipe without it.
-
Flour Power: Try experimenting with different types of flour. Coconut flour is a solid option and so are almond flour and buckwheat flour. These are all gluten free as well if you happen to be allergic. A cooked Sweet Potato does the trick also and helps add some serious nutrients and moisture.
-
Try Our Chiseled Chocolate Gnarly Whey with some bananas and dark chocolate chips mixed in to your batter. Then spread a good, natural peanut butter on top. This will cure even the most ravenous of post workout munchies nearly instantly. I promise.
-
Top It. Top It Right Now: Try Applesauce and cinnamon as a topping. Or a good pureed fruit. Or peanut butter. Or a natural hazelnut-cocoa spread -you get the idea.
So that’s it! Like I said, it’s pretty hard to screw this one up unless you’re adding way too much whey protein. And don’t forget to experiment with adding Almond Milk, a sweet potato or different ingredients into the pancakes. Go forth and enjoy.
