I’ve been all about super simple recipes, and these 3 ingredient protein pancakes could not be easier! They are my new food crush and are great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack or “brinner” (breakfast for dinner).
These are not fluffy, carb loaded, make-pancakes-for-your-out-of-town company type pancakes. No, these are pancakes you make when you are craving carbs or a sweet but want to eat healthy and stay away from empty calories.
After eating these pancakes, you will not have the typical sugar crash that comes 30 minutes after eating simple carbs. These kill the cravings, are low calorie, and fill you up. I make little dollar size pancakes, eat all 10 of them, and know when I’m done that I just ate 2 protein-filled eggs, a fiber-rich banana, and omega’s from the chia. If you choose to top it off like I do, with smushed berries and cinnamon, you will also have a nice dose of antioxidants! All of this with just minutes of simple prep.
Protein Pancakes Pack A Punch
236 calories, and pack a whipping 12.6 grams of protein and 540 mg of potassium!
Not a bad return for such an easy-to-make recipe. I love making recipes are simple but give a great headway into the daily nutrients our bodies need.
Chia Packs a Punch
3 Ingredient Protein Pancakes are a great way to utilize my favorite little seed…CHIA! I’ve bragged about the punch this little seeds pack when talking about another breakfast favorite —No Cook Overnight Breakfast Chia Oat Pudding. How fun to have 2 breakfast options that include chia.
Why eat chia?
Packed with omega-3, protein, rare antioxidants, and fiber
Excellent source of essential minerals such as phosphorous, manganese, calcium, sodium, and potassium
3 tablespoons contains 6 times more calcium than whole milk, and 30% more antioxidants than blueberries!
Blend above ingredients together. Warm non stick pan to medium heat and add a little coconut oil to the pan. Cook silver dollar size pancakes about 30 seconds on each side. Stack on a plate. Serves 1.
Fast Berry Compote Topping:
I smash up berries with just a touch of organic real maple syrup to sweeten, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon juice. This is so delicious and much healthier than dousing the pancakes with syrup. If I am out of fresh berries, I will just thaw some frozen berries while I’m cooking my pancakes — they work just as well and naturally make more syrup.
A question I get asked often as a plant- based eater, is “Where do you get your protein?” Thanks to the meat and dairy industry, we Americans have it drilled into our brains that we need huge amounts of protein, so getting enough protein the first thing on every one’s mind when considering eating less animal foods.
I will answer that question in this post and with the help of Dr. Fuhrman’s words below.
In North America, about 70 percent of dietary protein comes from animal foods. Worldwide, plant foods provide 84 percent of calories. The first scientific studies to determine human protein requirements were conducted in the 1950s. These studies demonstrated that adults require 20-35 grams of protein per day.[1] Today, the average American consumes 100-120 grams of protein per day, mostly in the form of animal products. People who eat a vegetable- based diet (vegan) have been found to consume 60-80 grams of protein per day,well above the minimum requirement.[2] More importantly, eating more plant protein is the key to increasing our micronutrient intake.
It is interesting to note that foods such as peas, green vegetables, and beans have more protein per calorie than meat. But what is not generally considered is that the foods richest in plant protein also are the foods richest in micronutrients-vitamins, minerals, fibers, bioflavonoids, & antioxidants. By eating more of these high-nutrient, low-calorie foods, you get plenty of protein and your body gets flooded with protective micronutrients at the same time. Animal protein does not contain antioxidants or phytochemicals and is filled with saturated fat – the most dangerous type of fat. Even a professional bodybuilder desiring to build half a pound of extra muscle per week only needs about seven extra grams of protein per day over normal intake. No complicated formulas or protein supplements are needed to get sufficient protein for growth, even in the serious athlete. Since exercise results in increased hunger, athletes consume more food (calories), which provides more protein.
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I love the idea of eating foods with the MOST micronutrients. This is why my husband and I have really jived with the Nutritarian lifestyle. What is a Nutritarian? It is a person who chooses their foods based on micronutrient content.
Let’s go through the above foods and I will share with you how we incorporate them into our diet.
1. Almonds
This one is easy. I love buying them sliced thin to use on salads. Trader Joes has amazing Honey Roasted sliced almonds that make a salad taste like a treat. We will eat whole, raw & unsalted, just plain as a snack, or grind them into almond butter in the food processor. I use them in our Raw Taco “Meat” and will throw them into the base of Raw Raspberry Bliss Bars along with the walnuts. Trader Joes also has Dark Chocolate & Salted Covered Almonds. I eat a couple of these. At night. In bed. While reading. It makes me VERY happy!
Guacamole of course. These are great thrown in smoothies instead of yogurt. It makes the most creamy smoothies ever! They are amazing in my Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberries recipe. They are good sliced thin on toast or thrown onto a sandwich or salad.
Oh I love my black beans! I eat some sort of bean daily and black beans are one of my favs. They are great in wraps, on nachos, on salads. I love them simply seasoned and on top of brown rice.
We eat our broccoli raw, steamed and roasted. Raw broccoli dipped in hummus is a double- whammy for protein. I love to steam it and season with salt, pepper & finely grated lemon peel. Roasted is also a delicious way to eat broccoli.
Hummus makes me happy. I’ve been using it as a salad dressing. Make a big green salad, add veggies, apples, dried cranberries & slivered almonds. Top with a big blob of hummus. YUM! Hummus is great as a sandwich spread. I use it to make my most favorite Hummus Sandwich Heaven. Trader Joes has flat pretzel chips that go great with hummus. Also makes a very healthy veggie dip.
I have yet to post one of my favorite lentil recipes here on the blog–coming soon! Another favorite lentil recipe of ours is French Lentil Soup. I could eat this soup almost daily, it is THAT good. I make it every couple weeks. Lentils are a quick cooking bean, and super easy to make! We use them to make Red Lentil Sloppy Joes. Mmmm…
We use it as a dip for apples. We use on sandwiches, toast, or a dip for dark chocolate. We often top our bananas with it–slice banana lengthwise and smear with peanut butter–this is great way to add some protein to breakfast!
I need to experiment more with these. I have used them in this granola recipe and it was yummy. I also like them thrown on a spinach salad with along with chickpeas. Spinach, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds all contain protein so it is a great way to put protein on your salad without meat. What are ways YOU use pumpkin seeds?
If you can make rice, you can make quinoa. It is one part water to one part grain, just like rice. Quinoa is a STAPLE in our home. It is a grain that is full of protein. You can eat it hot or cold. It has a bit of a nutty flavor, and takes on whatever flavor you add to it. I love making cold quinoa vegetable salads in the summer, and eating it like you would a warm bowl of oats in the winter.
Tempah is a soy product, and with my breast cancer history I stay away from soy, so we do not eat much of it. Honestly, I don’t trust many of the soy products in the United States since a huge percentage of it is GM. BUT, if I do choose to eat soy, organic tempah is a product that I feel most comfortable with as it goes through a fermentation process which makes it extra healthy. Tempah is a great way to add the “texture” of meat in dishes like vegetarian chili. My local health food store makes an amazing Jamaican Jerked Tempah, and served over rice it gives on the feel of eating meat. They also do a BBQ Tempah, and when slapped on a bun, even my meat-eating friends love it & comment that it feels and tasted like a BBQ beef sandwich.
12. Tofu
Not a fan, due to the reasons above. I don’t buy it and I don’t use it.
{to learn more, see Dr. Fuhrman‘s Eat To Live book. One of my favorites!}
In the chart below, an equal caloric amount (100 calories) of porterhouse steak is compared to broccoli, romaine lettuce and kale. Broccoli provides the greatest amount of protein per calorie.
Green vegetables are all rich in protein, and relatively low in calories. They provide generous amounts of most micronutrients with no cholesterol and virtually no fat. Meat on the other hand, is relatively low in micronutrients. Remember whole grains, beans and seeds are also high in protein and should be utilized to achieve adequate protein on a diet with no or minimal animal products. But the point in this example was to illustrate how weight-loss favorable green vegetables are and that no matter how many green vegetables you eat, you still cannot take in too many calories. If you fill up on greens, they will reduce your desire and ability to overeat.
Source: Data was obtained from Nutritionist Pro Nutritional Analysis Software, Version 4.7, Axxya Systems , Stafford TX, 2012.
Please note that 100 calories of steak is only about one ounce, which is not much meat to fill you up. More typically, 4 – 8 ounces is eaten, supplying too many calories and too much animal protein without the lifespan enhancing micronutrients. Bottom line—eat more greens and less meat to get more micronutrient bang per caloric buck and to suppress your calorie intake.
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The video below is one of the catchiest tunes about getting protein from plants. BEWARE if you watch it once, you will be singing it forever. My kids and I have fun with this one, singing “Where do you get your iron? PLANTS! Where do you get your calcium? PLANTS!” It is cute and fun.
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Last but not least, both my daughter and I had some blood work done recently. I was very curious how her iron, B-12, calcium etc levels were since she is eating Nutritarian.
Both of our levels came back perfect, and BOTH of us were high in calcium, despite the fact that we eat very, VERY little dairy.
1.Rose W. The amino acid requirements of adult man.
Nutritional Abstracts and Reviews 1957;27:631.2.Hardage M.Nutritional studies of vegetarians.Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1966;48:25.
This is my favorite on-the-go and go-to salad. It is very filling, healthy, delicious, and full of wonderful plant protein! Edamame, quinoa & chickpeas make this a plant protein powerhouse! I pick it up at Trader Joes, but don’t worry if you do not live close to a Trader Joes, because this salad can easily be made at home!
These are ingredients I now have on hand at home most of the time, exempt pumpkin seeds. I live right by a health food store that has pumpkin seeds so that is not a problem. The Carrot Ginger Miso Salad dressing it comes with is really good, but I have made this at home and really this salad goes well with any type of dressing. For some salad dressing inspiration, click over to my Salad Dressing Pinterest Boards.
