Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes... I. Love. You. Look at the beautiful orange color!

I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet... like the delicious stack of pumpkin pancakes that I had for breakfast yesterday... recipe to follow ;) I know, yet another pumpkin recipe, and I'll make no apologies. Autumn does this to me, and honestly, doesn't everything taste so much better with a little pumpkin spice.

This weekend... my oldest brother, his sweet wife, and my absolutely adorable nine month old niece came to visit all the way from Birmingham, AL. My mom decided to whip up a special Saturday morning breakfast... pumpkin pancakes, oh my! I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to test out some of the Greek yogurt that Chobani sent me. I had seen pancake recipes before using yogurt... so why not pumpkin pancakes? And why not Greek yogurt? If you wanna know why I've gone Cho-razy over Chobani, then check out my previous post, Ode to a Grecian Yogurt.

I chose the 2% Plain Chobani Greek yogurt for this recipe

 The result? Awesome-town USA! These pancakes were so moist, fluffy, delightful... and perfectly pumpkin! I highly recommend! I'll definitely add yogurt to pancake mix from now on!

Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

1 C. All-purpose flour
1/4 C. white sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 C. buttermilk**
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 whole egg
3/4 C. canned pumpkin puree
1 (6 oz.) contain of Chobani 2% Plain Greek Yogurt

- Mix all dry ingredients together thoroughly.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, and egg. Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly blended,
- In a separate bowl, add the yogurt to the pumpkin puree. Stir until blended.
- Add the pumpkin and yogurt mixture to the pancake batter and mix well.

Pumpkin mixed with yogurt...

Finished pumpkin pancake batter, ready for the griddle!

- Head griddle or skillet on medium heat. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Using a laddle or small measuring cup, pour a small portion of batter on the griddle/skillet to form your pancakes.
- Once bubbles begin to appear, gently flip the pancaked. Finish cooking until nice and golden brown on both sides.
- Enjoy with a drizzle of REAL maple syrup or some agave nectar (sorry, but the Aunt Jemima and Eggo brand contains HFC... high fructose corn syrup, which is not cool!) Mmm! ENJOY!

My mom was the short order cook for the day, so I took the time to relax and hang out with the fam...

Jordan (my lovely sister-in-law) and Alex (my brother) enjoyed the pancakes... with a side of fresh fruit.

My preggers sister was a fan of the pancakes, and apparently the coffee creamer.

**Did you know that you don't need to run out for buttermilk when a recipe calls for it? I have a solution that will save you the extra trip to the grocery store... and unnecessary calories and fat. You ready for this? MAKE IT YOURSELF! Yea, seriously... all you need is whatever milk you have on hand and some lemon juice or white distilled vinegar. Essentially buttermilk is just fermented milk caused by the presence of acid... which gives buttermilk the tart flavor. Here's a simple way to make your own... this is what we did for the pancakes we made yesterday.

Take your 1 C. liquid measuring cup and pour in 1 Tb. of lemon juice or white vinegar. Then add enough milk to fill to the 1 C. line (essentially you'll be using just under 1 C. of milk.) Let stand for 5 minutes... use as recipe directs. 

I thought my little niece, Ruthie, might want to try the leftover remnants of yogurt inside the container...

I think she was more impressed with the fun container...

Doesn't this look like an ad?

 

Well, that's all for now friends! Hope yall had a wonderful weekend! I know I did! :)

Yogurt

Going... Going... GONE!

Mmm... this morning when I woke up all cranky and cold, all I wanted was some hot oatmeal with a spoonful of PB! But alas, when I looked in the fridge I saw that my PB jar was nearly empty.
So...what do you do with that LAST little bit of PB at the bottom of the jar. Do you try your hardest to scrap it out with a spoon, your fingers, or a rubber spatula that is entirely to big? Well... if I have at all convinced you to start eating PB with your oatmeal, then I have a little tip for you!

OATS IN A JAR!

I first read about it over at Tina's blog Carrots 'N' Cake.

Going...

Then I just saw it all over the healthy living blogosphere! See for yourself!

Carrots 'N' Cake - OIAJ Tutorial (She gives you a great step-by-step tutorial)

Kath Eats - OIAJ

A Foodie Stays Fit - Oats In A Jar Blow Me Away...

Eat Live Run - Return Of The Oats (Love this girl's blog... she went to culinary school, just because!)

Seriously... give it a go. If you want a FABULOUS recipe for oatmeal (if I do say so myself,) check out my recipe for Banana Oats.

GONE! Mmm... Time to buy some more Better'n PB!

Pros:

- No washing dishes afterwards! Just toss the empty jar into your recylcing bin!

- Get every last speck of PB
- Screw the top back on for Oats On the Go! :)

Cons:
- No more PB :(

On the agenda today:
- Going for a run
- Working on my Teach For America application

HOPE YALL ARE HAVING A FABULOUS WEDNESDAY! :)

Banana Oats = Hot Breakfast of Champs!

I would say that on average... I make oatmeal (of the old-fashioned stove top variety) at LEAST 3-4 times a week. And yes, even when the heat index in Memphis soars up to 120 degrees. Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts for so many reasons...

1. Keeps me feeling full for a solid 4 hours, easily.
2. It allows me to get a healthy dose of protein, carbs, and fat (the good kind) into my belly before a long day of work/school.
3. I enjoy listening to NPR in the morning while I prepare/eat my breakfast. I truly enjoy the process of cooking, and it actually is a great for me to wake up and sort out of my thoughts for plans for the day.
4. And it's just so delicious! I CRAVE this stuff!

 
You may notice some strange ingredients in my "recipe" for oats, but I add them for health purposes. Allow me to explain that when these fabulous, fine ingredients are thrown together you have the SUPER breakfast fit for a champion!

Oatmeal -A great source of complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fiber. Simply put, when it gets around water, it forms this gel-like substance which allows the fiber to easily move through your intestines and regulate/get rid of waste." Also, because it takes longer to digest, it keeps you feeling full longer and helps you maintain your blood glucose levels.

Oat Bran - Slightly higher in protein, fiber, and iron content, but also a little higher in fat a calories. I mix a little in with my regular oatmeal for texture/taste and to get a little bit of that nutrition goodness ;)

Flax Seeds - MUST GRIND THESE UP! I've seen whole flax seeds baked into tortilla chips, added to muffins, breads, etc. They're a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. If you're not into fish or taking fish oil supplements, then flax seeds or using flax seed oil would be a great alternative.

Chia Seeds - Unlike flax seeds, your body can easily digest these little guys, so no need to ground them up. Also these seeds are hydrophilic (aka the LURVE water like I LURVE s'mores!) Chia seeds can soak up to 10x it's weight in water! That means when these seeds are in you body... you'll stay hydrated longer and maintain your electrolytes in your fluids. If you're a runner, try mixing a tablespoon of these seeds with some pomegranate juice and drink up about 20 minutes before you hit the pavement. Dehydration just ain't cool, especially in Memphis.

Agave Nectar - Made from the agave plant, it's a natural sweetener. AND it's lower on the glycemic index than honey (which is what I used to drizzle in oats.) Click on the agave link to learn more about the glycemic index. If you're diabetic, you should be well-versed on this stuff! Here's a little tip from me to you... head to your local TJ Maxx and check out their "gourmet grocery" aisle. That's where I always buy my agave, and it's way cheaper than it is in the natural food section of Kroger.

Laurie's Banana Oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1 Tb. oat bran
1 Tb. flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
Sprinkle of Cinnamon & Nutmeg
1 medium banana (the riper, the better!)
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 -2 Tb. vanilla almond milk
1 Tb. chia seeds
Blob of Better'n Peanut Butter

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
2. While that's happening, I always put the banana and agave nectar in a ziploc bag and smoosh it till you have a lovely banana "puree."
3. Add the oats, oat bran, flax seed, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the boiling water. Stir constantly for 3 minutes.

Don't confuse the paprika with nutmeg. Because I definitely did that the other morning.

4. Snip off the corner of the ziploc bag and squeeze the banana into the oats. Add the vanilla almond milk. Keep stirring for 1 minute.
5. Add the chia seeds and stir until completely combined.
6. Pour your oats into your bowl and top with a blob of PB and ENJOY!

If I had to be stranded on a desert island... THIS would definitely by on my list of things to pack!

Seriously check out that Better'n Peanut Butter if you're a PB fan, and watching your waistline! I actually prefer it to "regular" PB now. I could go on and on and ON about the goodness of this stuff... but one glance at their website and I'll be surprised if you don't utilize the "product locator.' All I'm saying is that I know EXACTLY where to find this stuff in Memphis... both Super Targets, and the Target on Colonial just started carrying it too! SCORE!