Ja cię kocham…

Holy crap, it’s a blizzard!

I stepped outside and the snow is blowing sideways and the visibility is probably oh, 100 feet.  I took this picture of my deck before the wind kicked in.  We have satellite TV and the only channel we are able to get is Syfy, and the ONE thing that bores me more than no TV is Science Fiction.  Okay, that’s not completely true, Country Music TV would probably do me in.  Sorry country lovers.  Not my thing.

Food on the other hand is totally my thing.

These pancakes were gone in less than 5 minutes.  Hubby and I split them.  We were so hungry that we didn’t even put them on separate plates.  He grabbed the silverware, I grabbed the serving platter filled with pancakes, we crowded at the dining room table and just stuffed our windblown faces.

We managed to squeak in a conversation while we were shoveling in the sweet, fluffy discs of oatmeal and vanilla.  We debated whether or not it actually tasted like an oatmeal cookie.  Honestly, they tasted like regular pancakes to me… the nutmeg and cinnamon were awesome, but I just couldn’t find the oatmeal taste.  Jay told me that they tasted exactly like oatmeal cookies.  Don’t get me wrong, these were VERY good, and I could understand the “cookie” in the title as they were a little sweeter and had a freshness about them that reminded me of a bakery but the oatmeal flavor and texture was lost on me.  I couldn’t find it.  Of course I did omit the raisins from the recipe because nuts and raisins are a deal breaker for me as far as baking is concerned.  Most of you know this about me already.  I just can’t bear them in my sweets, but I’ll be the first to put carrots in my pancakes.  I know, I’m weird.

Maybe they should be called Sugar Cookie Pancakes.   They weren’t overkill on the sweetness, but it was like eating a very fluffy cookie.  Yum!  Perhaps you’ll find the oatmeal in there like Jay did.  Or not.  Quite frankly it doesn’t really matter because they were perfect for being snowed in.  Side note: I think these would be faboo with bananas on top, too.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Source: Joy the Baker
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
heaping 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
healthy pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbs pure maple syrup
4 Tbs butter, melted and cooled
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

Directions:

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter , maple syrup and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in raisins and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water,  when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

The New Year is quickly approaching, which means many of us are racking our brains with ways to make our 2010 better than our 2009.  Some of us want to volunteer more and spend more quality time with family, and others want to lose weight and/or live a more healthy lifestyle…or you want to do all the aforementioned, plus more!

Let me start by stating what is the obvious to me – my dad is my hero.  Everything he does, aspires to be, and accomplishes is so motivating and so awesome.   His New Year’s Resolutions are a little different than your typical lose weight and save more money resolutions.  Not that those aren’t great… every year I vow to lose the same weight and it never happens.  I tend to lose some weight, rejoice, and then overindulge.  Oops.  Some day love handles… I will defeat you!

Anyway, about my dad…sure he’s running 5 miles a day now (GO PAPS!)…

It must be disclosed that we are loyal Temple Owls fans despite the Nittany head gear

…but what makes his resolutions so intriguing are how personal they are.  And the fact that he sticks to them:

• Don’t sweat the small stuff or even the large stuff
• Let others finish what they are saying before he speaks
• Read one book a week

These are all great ideas!  I am sure that many of you out there in cyber-world also have very cool resolutions that set themselves apart from the traditional ones.

For those of you that are like me and can’t help but want to live a healthier lifestyle each January, this recipe is for you.

The holiday seasons are coming to an end, and I have allowed myself to overindulge a little (okay… a LOT) without guilt.  Seriously what’s the point of eating the food if you’re going to feel guilty about it?  You don’t enjoy it.  So I say if you are eating the savories and sweets this week, please take time to enjoy them.  If you’re going to fret about it, you might as well not do it.

That being said, I am noticing that I am feeling a little more sluggish and run down than usual.  And it’s simply because I haven’t been eating and exercising the way I should be.  It’s amazing how food alters your mood and more importantly your health.  You are what you eat.  This week, I am sweet, fat, and delicious because that is what I am eating.

Well not today!

I had my biweekly bout of insomnia and starting researching new recipes that are easy and healthy.  Just the way I like it.

I came across Oatmeal Pancakes from the Clean Eating Magazine.  These were very good although the texture was initially off-putting.  Pancakes don’t normally feel like oatmeal.  BUT oatmeal is so good for you (Oprah starts her day off with a bowl of it every morning) and it is incredibly filling.  Often I get so excited to eat my oatmeal and then taste it and wonder what I was thinking.  This recipe is a new way to consume that healthy bowl of oatmeal.  I added a little turbinado sugar to the batter so it wasn’t as blah as unloved oatmeal can be.  I’m glad that I did.  Next time I will add vanilla extract, too.

I couldn’t finish the meal!  I am a piggy, and I could not finish one serving.  LOVE that!  And it’s a different type of being full.  When I eat junk and need to unbutton my pants, I feel sleepy and overloaded.  These pancakes fill you but unbuttoning is not necessary!  I still feel light and healthy even though I am quite full.

Try these out!  They are a little different in texture, but they are a great start to a healthy and satisfying day!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Online -  Nutritional information on website.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal
3/4 cup egg whites (from 5 or 6 large eggs)
1 Tbs. low-fat cottage cheese
1-2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (not reflected in nutritional value)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbs. agave nectar, honey, or pure maple syrup (Grade B)
1/4 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries) – (I used bananas and added a little almond butter to each pancake, also not reflected in nutritional value)

Directions:

Mist small pan with cooking spray and set over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except agave and fruit (and almond butter if you’re using that as well).

Pour into pan in pancake form. When sides start to brown, flip, cooking for about 3 minutes per side. Serve with agave and berries.

That one banana slice decided to be different.  I was just haphazardly slicing them onto the pancakes.  Ha.

Here’s to a healthy and fun-filled New Year!

It’s pouring.  It’s dark and gloomy.  And I am lazy.  So lazy in fact that I didn’t take the normal 40-50 pictures of my food for you.  I took 3.  And they were all “eh”.  But it’s a lazy Sunday so I’m sure that you can forgive me.  Will you forgive me?

As lazy as I am on dark and rainy weekend mornings, I still want my big, cozy meal.  What is cozy and filling without all the fuss?  Pancakes, my friends.  The answer is pancakes.

You can do one of two things.  Create your pancakes from scratch like I did with my Homemade Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting OR get out your pancake mix (mine happened to be the Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix) and add a little love to it.  My love of choice for this morning was fresh blueberries, lemon zest, vanilla and cinnamon.

My little fluffy pancakes tasted like a gourmet chef made them.  Mind you they TASTED gourmet-ish but the appearance was that of a lazy wife trying to squish all of her pancake batter into her large skillet at once.

Try it!  Give your pancake mix a little love next time.  You won’t regret it – even on your laziest of days.

Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon Zest

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 cups of pancake batter
handful fresh blueberries
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Mix all ingredients into a medium bowl and cook pancakes as directed.  Top with confectioner’s sugar and extra lemon zest.