With every dawning of a new year comes the ambition to launch the new me. I am about 15 years into this project but have yet to find the key to a healthy balance of good eating, exercise and sleep. In fact, with a recent new arrival, I’ve come to the conclusion that it may be a further 15 years before I feel human again. In any case, good intentions can still lead to positive results, even if you don’t reach your goal. How does that song lyric go? “Reach for the stars and if you fall you still land on a cloud.”
With this in mind, I’m starting January full of good intentions. Something I have seen a lot of on social media in recent years is the rise of the protein pancake. This seems to be the happy medium between comfort food and fuel. Sceptical, I set about testing a few recipes with John from my team. Of the six recipes we trialled, one came out on top, in fact it was the only one I enjoyed, mainly because we were able to mask the unavoidably synthetic nature of protein powder. Close your eyes here and you probably wouldn’t know the difference between a dessert and a fitness fuelled breakfast. It’s essentially a take on Japanese soufflé pancakes, whisking the whites of the eggs with some sugar to create a meringue that folds through the dough and lightens the mix. Vanilla protein powder and some extract blurs the line sufficiently while upping the nutrition count. Almonds, yoghurt, spices, honey and figs bring some winter sweetness to proceedings and make for a very tasty, guilt-free brunch.
The second recipe involves a list of ingredients packed with nutrition and flavour. It’s the kind of dish you could mix together for a speedy lunch on the go or even use as a side for a piece of grilled chicken or fish for dinner. Quinoa ties the salad together nicely, a sprouting grain that eats like a starch. It’s packed with protein and every amino acid available. In short, replacing traditional starches with it every now and then will make a big difference. As always, I’m in search of flavour, so I’ve made a very tasty dressing using olive oil, honey and orange zest. This works beautifully with some ripped mint leaves to finish off the dish.
A different take on the January health kick and one worth a shot. Now to reacquaint myself with the gym.
Recipe: Protein pancakes with spiced yoghurt, fig and toasted almond
