Mike Geary's variation of healthier pancakes

by Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - Truth About Abs

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that your typical pancakes are certainly
NOT the type of food you want to eat if your goal is fat loss or staying lean.

However, for years, there's been a basic type of modified pancake recipe floating
around in bodybuilding circles that is a healthier version (although not my
favorite)...

Basically, the bodybuilder version is as simple as using a carton of egg whites in a
blender, adding some dry oatmeal and vanilla whey protein (and a few other minor
ingredients), and then cooking them up as "protein pancakes".

I'll be honest with you... this bodybuilding pancake recipe tastes more like
sweetened eggs than it does like pancakes.

So what I've done is come up with my own variation of healthier pancakes that
actually TASTES like pancakes. Of course, we know that most pre-made pancake dry
mixes are not the healthiest option. However, they can be more convenient for most
people than trying to make pancakes from scratch.

Here's what you can do to make much healthier pancakes:

1. Take only 1/3 of the quantity of pancake mix that the box calls for. So if the
box says to use 1 cup of dry pancake mix, just use 1/3 cup instead. This way, you're
greatly reducing the amount of refined wheat flour and sugar that are in these mixes
by only using 1/3 of the amount recommended.

I know I'm usually pretty strict with ruling out ALL refined wheat flours, but
sometimes just reducing the quantity and substituting the remainder with healthier
ingredients is the best option for something like this.

2. For the remaining 2/3 of the dry mix, substitute in a mixture of equal parts oat
bran, rice bran, and whey protein. You can find oat bran at most grocery stores, and
rice bran at health food stores.  Try using a little cinnamon too if you like the
taste (it also boosts the antioxidant content).

3. Use whole eggs instead of egg whites and use 1 extra egg than what the recipe
calls for to increase the protein and healthy fats content.

More info about eggs


4. After mixing in the milk called for on the box, whisk the mixture in a bowl. Now
you're ready to pour the healthier pancakes into the pan. Don't forget to top them
with some blueberries or other berries for some extra taste and healthful benefits.

5. The best oil to use in the pan for cooking is virgin coconut oil. I use virgin
coconut oil for most of my cooking as it's one of the healthiest options. It's a
much more stable oil for cooking so it's not prone to the oxidation and free radical
production that typical vegetable oils are prone to.

You can get virgin coconut oil at - go here

Also, be sure to check out their coconut flour, as it's a great super-high fiber
alternate flour that can be used in baking (note that if you use coconut flour, you
should mix it with another type of flour to balance the moisture content as coconut
flour tends to soak up more moisture than other flours).

If you're confused about which cooking oils are healthy and which are not - go here


Again, the trick to this recipe is using only 1/3 of the dry pancake mix (since
that's the least healthy part of this recipe) and the other 2/3 of the dry materials
are the oat bran, rice bran, and whey protein to boost the fiber and protein content
of the pancakes.

I only do pancakes on occasion as they are a nice treat, but at least with this
recipe, you have yourself a much healthier version of pancakes that are quite high
in fiber and much higher in protein and healthy fats than your typical pancake
recipe... but they still taste like pancakes and are delicious in my opinion!

And do yourself a favor and please do not ruin this meal by dousing it with your
typical fake maple syrup, which is usually all high fructose corn syrup!

Instead, a much healthier option is to simply top it with berries or other cut fruit
instead of syrup.

Enjoy!

Feel free to fwd this email to all of your friends, family, and coworkers that might
enjoy it.

Til next newsletter,
Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - Truth About Abs