Prudent Pancakes

While this post will focus on pancakes, sans gluten, many of the suggestions are applicable to traditional recipes as well.  If you eat gluten free, you have probably noticed that your diet may not be as filling as it previously was. You have probably noticed that baking is difficult and time consuming, and your grocery budget is screaming for relief from high priced specialty foods. In light of said realizations, I'll share with you my 'super-filling-quick-and-easy-not-too-expensive' pancake recipe(s).

First, I must point out that when I bake gluten free, I bake in bulk and freeze the excess. This is the ONLY way to have a life out side of the kitchen while maintaining this important diet.

Second, I will, unfortunately, discourage you from creating your own gluten free baking recipes from scratch if you are relatively new to this diet, and/or baking in general. It sounds fun to go buy all these new ingredients and stretch your kitchen skills with the challenge of whipping up something delicious and different that's completely gluten free, but realistically, you are setting yourself up for failure. Skip it for now, until you are very well versed in gluten freedom and the trials and tribulations of baking with foods that will never rise, fluff, sponge, look or taste anything remotely like glutinous foods do.

Third, I will reiterate the old adage that 'you get what you pay for'. Once you experience the more expensive specialty products from small independent companies like Namaste, Amy's and Pamela's, you will undoubtedly have a hard time swallowing (pun intended) the cheaper, easier to come by products from larger manufacturers. There IS a difference, and if you can learn to make your gluten free foods go farther, you CAN afford the higher quality, better tasting varieties.

On that note, I'll tell you the secret to making your pancakes, regardless of recipe, go farther. Add protein to the mix. There are several ways to do this, and the result is thicker, more filling, and healthier flapjacks. The higher the protein content of your pancakes, and any food for that matter, the sooner you will be satiated, causing you to eat less, and stay fuller longer.

I'll admit, I use a pre-made mix. I just do. It's simpler, and I have a deep, sincere appreciation for simplicity. Now that I have revealed my dark secret, I can tell you that my entire family prefers Pamela's Pancake mix. It is carried by most health food stores, enlightened mainstream grocers, and Amazon.


Food Prude's Favorite Pancakes:
1 Cup of Pamela's Pancake Mix
2 scoops of Arbonne's Chocolate Protein Shake Powder
3/4 cup of water
1 T olive oil
*(you will see that Pamela calls for eggs in the directions for her mix prep, however, I omit the eggs when protein powder is added)

Mix on medium with mixer. If the batter seems too thick, add a small amount of water and oil until it is just thin enough to barely drip out of the bowl onto the griddle. Make sure they are not too runny, b/c they will not fluff. Once it hits the griddle, what you see is what you get.  I double, sometimes triple the recipe and refrigerate or freeze the the extras.

These pancakes are so delicious, you can eat them plain. However, we do occasionally top them with a dab of butter (the real stuff, NOT margarine), and a tablespoon of pure maple syrup.

Along with a serving of fruit, my children will typically eat one of these power packed plate fillers for a meal, (and it's not always breakfast). Before I began adding protein, however, they would eat 3 or 4 pancakes.....EACH! Being the budget conscious shopper that I am, it was like I could hear the 'cha-ching' sound with every additional pancake that was consumed. To my defense, I feel it's important to note that Pamela's Pancake mix averages $6.59 a bag, and makes about 32 less than average sized pancakes, sans protein. So you understand the cash register in my head.

As I mentioned, there are several ways to make your flapjacks laden with protein. I have used other plain powders from health food stores, and added my own sweetener, (like Agave, or Honey), and flavoring, (like cocoa powder, or blueberries - note the OR). You can also use peanut butter and banana, or yogurt and the berries of your choice. I chose to feature this specific combination because it is the easiest, and happens to be the most requested in our household. I encourage you to play around with your pancakes and share your ideas and recipes here.

Two final notes, for a great scratch pancake recipe, among several other great recipes, check out The Nurture Diet by Shannon Mahoney.

To order Arbonne's delicious chocolate protein shake mix, check out my sister site, CassidyPrather.myarbonne.com

Trolling for Chocolate

On a recent grocery trip, I found myself scouring the candy aisle, my sweet tooth leading the way, when I remembered a friend's facebook post which read, "How do all you dieters get your chocolate fix without blowing your diet?"

I have noticed that there are times when I have serious cravings, and other times I don't. There are several factors that lead to food cravings. Most commonly known are the hormone imbalances caused by premenstrual syndrome, and depression. Another is adrenal fatigue caused by stress, or sleep deprivation. And the least familiar cause of food cravings is the increasingly popular 'low fat' diet.

"If you eat a low-fat diet in the hope of losing weight, you unintentionally make the problem worse. If, like millions of dieters, you have eaten a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet for many years, or followed fad diets, the odds are good that you have become at least partially insulin resistant, which means your body stops responding to insulin, and instead grabs every calorie it can and deposits it as fat. So no matter how little you eat, you will gradually gain weight. At the same time, your cells cannot absorb the glucose they need, so they signal your brain that you need more carbohydrates or sugars. The result is persistent food cravings." Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP 

Address the issues above to curb future cravings, and read my suggestions below for the days when you find yourself trolling for chocolate anyway.

1. Remember that sometimes it's not about discipline and indulge yourself.
2. Know that marketers have done a phenomenal job of portraying chocolate as a dirty secret that you should feel guilty about because sin sells.The definition of indulge is: to yield to, to satisfy, and to gratify. It does not, in any way, shape or form, mean wrong, shame worthy, or any of the other negative connotations commonly associated with indulgence.
3. Make sure you buy only high quality sweets. Leave the corn syrup and colors out of it. Reach for milk and dark chocolate in things like chocolate chips, (like the kind you bake with), chocolate covered almonds(good fat!), Hershey kisses or chocolate bar, Dove dark chocolates, Nutella Hazelnut Spread, or Hot Cocoa You Can Feel Good About. 
4. Don't buy sweets (or any junk for that matter) in bulk. The more you have available in your home, the more you will eat. If the chocolate is regarded as a delicacy, you will eat less of it, and enjoy it more.
5. Keep these old cliches in mind when dealing with kids and sweets: 'Out of sight out of mind,' 'A little goes a long way,' 'And they always want what they can't have.'

With the above principals in place, I allow my children to have one small treat a day, after lunch. This small treat includes anything with more than 10 grams of sugar, like a cup of my healthy hot cocoa, a hand full of chocolate chips, pretzels or fruit dipped in Nutella, a scoop of ice cream, a couple of gluten free cookies, honey or agave sticks, etc. The point is that if they know that can indulge in small doses, and with wise choices, they don't crave it and resent the moderation. In addition, I am content knowing that the key ingredients of the treats we have in our home are high quality and pass the food prude standards.

This same concept works with adults. If you are disciplined enough to only buy treats with quality ingredients, and don't over eat them, you too will enjoy being able to 'indulge' without the guilt.