Blueberry Pancakes of Champions

I like pancakes A LOT. Pancakes in all their fluffy carby sugary glory were taken off our menu, until I found a healthy pancake recipe I could work with. Training for triathlons requires the right mix of nutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fat and these pancakes provide enough energy for our long weekend morning workouts! Speaking of workouts, if you want to check out all things related to our triathlon adventures, check out Rose's blog here!

The original recipe calls for low or non-fat cottage cheese, but we ran out last time and subbed in some of the Most Amazing Yogurt in The World, Chobani plain non-fat greek yogurt and we liked the texture better. Sometimes we add fresh blueberries and lemon zest and other times we mix in crushed pecans and sliced bananas, either way, they are a fantastic start to the day! Keep in mind that these are thicker and denser than regular pancakes, a bit more muffin-like in texture. 3 good sized pancakes makes one hearty meal and falls within a good nutritional profile!

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 large scoops plain or vanilla protein powder
• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 Tbsp xylitol or splenda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 handful fresh blueberries
• pinch lemon zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300'
2. Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until combined, but still somewhat lumpy.
3. Preheat large pan or smooth surface of cast iron skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray.
4. Pour batter into 1/3 cup large pancakes. Allow to cook until the bottom side is golden brown and bubbles are appearing on surface.
5. Flip pancakes and continue to cook until the other side is lightly browned.
6. Place pancakes on baking sheet and keep warm (and finish baking) for about 5-8 minutes (these tend to be thicker pancakes and need extra baking in my opinion).
7. Serve with a little maple syrup!

Banana Nut Breakfast Bake

It's that good!

I barely stopped in time to take this one measly cell phone picture for you! Why yes, I do eat my breakfast with a titanium Backcountry.com spoon. You should see my sweet spork too! Anyhow, these buckwheat breakfast cakes are pretty much all we eat every morning. They are so nutritious, so delicious and easy to make before hand. Grinding your own buckwheat takes two seconds in a coffee grinder and is well worth the effort.

So far we've made blueberry, chocolate, cherry almond and this fantastic banana walnut bake! Up next? Pumpkin pie! Enjoy!

Makes 2 (we use large ramekins)
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large ripe banana, mashed
• 3 heaping spoonful applesauce
• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup soy milk
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp raw buckwheat groats, ground into flour (use coffee grinder)
• pinch nutmeg
• small handful of golden raisins
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray ramekins with cooking spray. 
2. Preheat oven to 350'.
3. Whisk all wet ingredients to combine. Whisk in dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Evenly divide into ramekins.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned, puffed up and firm in middle.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool, uncovered. Enjoy!

Sausage, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

Hello Readers! We are still cooking and eating! Things have been a bit too hectic for photo taking, so I'm posting this without a photograph. I hope to update it soon. This lasagna is from the archives, and it's a delicious and healthy rendition of a classic! I'm not sure at all how Eating Well managed to wheedle the calories and fat in something as luxurious as lasagna down this far, but they did. The emphasis in this dish is on vegetables and fresh marinara, not cheese and fatty meats. Surprisingly easy and fast to prepare, we make one batch and freeze half for another time! We get 2 dinners and 2 lunches out of each half, so it's well worth the time it takes to bake.

We had some zucchini and squash laying around the refrigerator aging, so we sliced them up and added them to the layers. Don't like mushrooms? Add something else! Eggplant and kale? Okay! Vegetarian?? Use tofu or soy sausage! Remember, a recipe is just a template.

Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 pound lean spicy Italian turkey or chicken sausage, casings removed 
• 4 cups sliced mushrooms, (10 ounces)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably chunky
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese, (2 cups)
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided (now I'd use Daiya Mozzarella)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until not quite tender, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until it is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

*Note: We use our own homemade marinara that we make in a large pot and then freeze in 2 cup portions. Fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, bell peppers, carrots, and chili flakes all chopped, sauteed and simmered.