I have yet to find someone who does not like pancakes. For me, it’s reminiscent of lazy Sunday mornings with my family or at my best friend’s lake cottage, sitting around the breakfast table and just enjoying the start of a day of no pressing obligations. As a kid your obligations are not really pressing anyway, but not having school was definitely a day to celebrate.

As an adult, my love of pancakes has not dwindled, but I do realize that their nutritional value is next to non-existent. One of the “downsides” of adulting is knowing what the food you eat does to your body, gone are the days where you gorged on your favourite foods and the only drawback was a possible tummy ache. It’s both a curse and a blessing, in my humble opinion, that you need to watch what you eat. To have a balanced lifestyle, I have to plan my meals, and if I want pancakes I like to make sure that it’s a special occasion (like Christmas or Sunday brunch with friends). Because I really do enjoy pancakes, I’m always on the lookout for healthy and protein-rich pancake recipes that I can pretty much eat on a regular basis without feeling that I’m eating empty calories. I have found some recipes that I have mastered to make from scratch, but when a friend suggested that I try Kodiak cakes I was intrigued and excited. I found the large box at Costco, but they are also available from Amazon for those not close to, or who don’t have, a Costco membership.

There are different suggestions on how to make the pancakes, either just adding water for a calorie-wise alternative or adding eggs and milk, etc. for those working on their muscle gains. I usually just use water and I can honestly say that they are very tasty and filling! If you didn’t know you were eating protein pancakes you would never realize that they are not the regular thing. Kodiak cakes are pretty much a staple in my kitchen and I always end up getting the big box from Costco. However, pancakes are not the only thing you can make, they have other recipes on their website that you can try as well, but I personally use the recipe for power cakes (muffins) that they have on the box. Again, for my goals, I like the lower calorie option so I tweaked the recipe according to my goals, I’d like to share it with you here:

2 cups Power Cakes mix

1 cup lactose-free skim milk (plant-based milk makes for a denser muffin IMO).

2 tablespoons liquid egg whites

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon

Optional: 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out slightly moist (my oven takes approximately 20 min).

Makes 12 muffins.

Because I am not using egg yolk or oil, each basic muffin (no chocolate or walnuts) is approximately 90-100 calories, 0.7 g of fat, 15.4 g of carbs, and 6.2 g of protein. The addition of the chocolate or nuts does affect the macros, of course, but not to the point of adding an exorbitant amount of calories and fat, so I feel great having one (or two!) with my coffee for a fast breakfast, or a snack to hold me over.

You can check out Kodiak Cakes, other recipes, and their varieties on their website: https://kodiakcakes.com/ and buy on Amazon https://amzn.to/2ImsMcR or Costco!