Fitness Food (Protein Pancakes) & New Blog Friends

My blog tends to reflect my life, and since I’ve been getting more involved in fitness and healthy eating, I wanted to interject a few fitness posts.  I have no formal training in exercise or nutrition, but I have lost the 55 pounds I gained during pregnancy (albeit slowly), and have managed to gain back a lot of the muscle tone I lost.  It’s been a long, difficult road paved one day at a time, but definitely worth it to feel confident in your skin.  (Speaking of skin, that post-pregnancy extra belly skin is a whole other post- I have it too, but the picture below kinda camouflages it).

One of the main components to getting or staying in shape is eating clean, healthy foods every few hours.  I’ve read that it’s best to start the day with breakfast within 30 minutes to one hour of waking to jump start your metabolism for the day.  When your body doesn’t get food for several hours (as in while you are sleeping), it shifts into starvation mode and stores fat.  I think Shape.com explained it well: “Skipping breakfast or eating too little forces your body to switch into conservation mode and burn fewer calories, which means you’re more likely to hang onto body fat.”

I love to wake up and enjoy a fresh brewed cup of coffee.  If I don’t eat breakfast first though, the coffee suppresses my appetite and I’m not hungry for breakfast and end up skipping it or eating too little, like a single piece of toast.  So now, I wake up, eat breakfast right away, THEN enjoy my coffee.

Lately, in an effort to up my protein intake, I’ve been making protein pancakes for breakfast.  I find it’s easiest to find one thing you like for breakfast that you can eat everyday (for at least a while before switching it up) so that it becomes automatic and you don’t have to think about, “What am I going to eat this morning?”



Ingredients (*makes one large pancake)

Oats (finely ground in the food processor, about 1/4 – 1/2 cup) I keep a container full of ground oats on hand and just scoop them out each day.
4 Egg whites or 2 Whole eggs I use “All Whites”- they come in a carton and are sold by the real eggs
Cinnamon (to taste)
Vanilla (optional)

I spray the pan with nonstick spray, pour all the batter in, and cook just like you would a regular pancake. Be forewarned that the texture of the final result is more dense and less “cakey” than a regular flap jack.

Also, I spread a thin layer of natural peanut butter on top (maybe a tablespoon?) and add about two tablespoons of sugar free syrup.  I like it and James does too!

There are other versions of protein pancakes you can try (many add protein powder and/or cottage cheese), but I really like mine and they are so simple.  I came across this one, and it looked pretty tasty (but had lots more ingredients).

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I went to the Neiman Marcus beauty event last night and the highlight was definitely getting to meet and chat with Sam (The Peak of Tres Chic) and Paloma (La Dolce Vita).  Sam is seriously adorable and, conveniently, lives right by me!  She’s a busy girl with design school, work, and her fantastic blog, but I’m hoping we get to meet up for a run soon.  Check out her blog for some serious design fun and lots of stylish fashion too.
Many of you know that Paloma’s blog was the very first blog I ever read (before I even knew what a blog was) and, after I stumbled upon it, I spent hours going backwards and reading.every.post!  Meeting her in person was a little surreal after reading her blog for 4 years.  I’m not surprised that she has found such success with her blog and endeavors as she was completely friendly and classy.  Not to mention stunning.  I’m so happy I finally got to meet her in person!  
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And because I can’t resist, one more thing I love about The Voice, is watching the family watching their husband, wife, son, daughter, sister, or brother perform.  All that raw emotion gets me every time.  
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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

37 Comments

  1. You look amazing Megan! Thanks for the tips. I got off the breakfast bandwagon, but am trying really hard to get back on it. It does make a difference. Okay, off to find something to eat!!

  2. How do you organize your day with being a mom, working full time and working out and how did you do it when you first started after your pregnancy?

    1. SInce I'm not a morning person, my workouts are in the evening. The gym I go to now has a play area for my son so we can go together. When working, I might work out two workdays and then on the weekends since the weekdays are so busy. Also, I've put James in the running stroller and jogged with him. When he was smaller, he usually slept the whole time.

  3. Please stop spreading the "starvation mode" and "stoking the metabolism" myths. Both of them have been thoroughly debunked. You do not go into "starvation mode" after 12 hours of not eating – there is no such thing as starvation mode where not eating makes you "hold on to fat". And you do not have to eat every few hours to keep your metabolism going.

    I would suggest you do some research into Intermittent Fasting and the studies done on starvation and nutrition. Shape.com is not a reliable resource – it's a magazine company that publishes what it needs to, in order to maintain a subscriber and advertising base.

    1. Thanks Kara for your input. This is what has worked for me and what I have read, but readers, please always use your best judgement, doctors advice, and own research when deciding what is best for you.

  4. So jaelous you got to meet Sam and Paloma! Girl you are my inspiration for reals, you look amazing post baby. That stripe dress I could never pull off but you look gorgeous in it! I weill have to try the pancakes, thanks for the recipe!xoxo

  5. Megan thanks for the post! I've been wondering when you'd start posting more about fitness since your journey is so inspiring !!! I'd love to hear about your workouts for some ideas so I can change up my routine. Keep em coming !

  6. You look fantastic and I am bookmarking this recipe right now. I definitely need more ideas for healthy breakfasts, and this looks like one that both adults and kids will like (as you point out). Thanks and have a great day!

  7. Megan,

    Loved your post! I go to the gym daily and love lifting weights! I've been struggling with losing about 15 lbs because of my eating. Your post inspired me to get on it. Thanks so much. You look great and I love your blog!

  8. You look amazing! I'd love to hear about how you organize your days to fit everything in too – between working out, cooking, family and work…there's so much to fit in and I get overwhelmed. Also, PLEASE post any tips you might have about post-pregnancy extra belly skin!! I have the same issue.

  9. Love this recipe. I found one similar on Carrots N Cake blog that is a mashed banana and one egg or you can use egg whites. I add cinnamon and pb on top too! I make it almost every morning and it is d-e-l-i-s-h! I may start adding some ground oatmeal to mine now too.

  10. Guess who had their very first protein pancake for breakfast this morning?! Thanks for the recipe! I'm sensing an addiction. I remember your 'day in the life' type Saturday post a while ago, loved it! You're such an inspiration xx

  11. You truly look incredible! I haven't had a baby (yet) but am also working on bettering my health and fitness everyday and it feels so good! I work out about 30 minutes after I rise, so I find I can't eat first thing. I do start my day with a latte though, so I hope the non-fat milk gives my body the cals/nutrition boost it needs first thing before I have my smoothie after my workout. PS- LOVE these kinds of posts. I was hesitant about posting fitness/health posts on my blog since it's mostly home-geared, but then I figured it's a blog about my life, and it IS a part of my life. I certainly appreciate hearing about other people's journeys! Thanks for the post and the inspiration!

  12. So excited to see another fitness/healthy eating post! Your story is always so inspiring! Fingers crossed for more posts related to your work out routines and clean eating!

  13. Geez Louise you are one hot momma! Love your dress Megan! I just made those pancAkers yesterday, they didn't turn out so hot. My trainer used to make them for me and I loved them. Gonna try again. I use Agave syrup on them, yum. And! I am going to try and implement your eating before my coffee, so smart. If I ate more I would be skinny I don't care what other people say, it does matter, I workout 3 times a week but only take in about 700 calories a day.

  14. YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!!! That's it! I'm making myself and the boys breakfast every morning now…because we never eat it and it's true about the metabolism. Thanks for reminding! XOXO So glad you got to meet those girls! I love their blogs and follow Sam on instagram and we are always liking eachothers photos! She's a doll!

  15. Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try it this week.

    I'd love to see what a week's worth of exercise for you looks like. Do you do videos or go to the gym?

    Nancy

  16. Please do a post about the belly skin! My stomach is firm except for that thing right in the middle. When I think about how big I grew during pregnancy, I guess I'm lucky that my belly even went back to normal…but I just can't get rid of that mom pouch!

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