Jumpstart Your Morning: Protein Packed Pancakes

Lots of research has shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. One of the primary reasons for this is that breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and therefore helps you burn more calories throughout the day.

When you eat a full meal in the morning, you signal to your body that there are plenty of calories to sustain your needs throughout the day. When you skip breakfast, the message your body receives is that it needs to conserve rather than burn incoming calories.

Given the importance of this meal, we set out to find a recipe that was delicious without sacrificing nutritional value. Pancakes are a breakfast staple and typically get a bad rap for being full of unhealthy ingredients like white flour, butter, and syrup. However, we found a recipe that is just as appetizing and packed with protein and healthy ingredients to leave you feeling full charged for the day!

Whole-Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Makes: 16 pancakes

1 serving = 4 packing

Ingredients:

1 egg

¾ cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Combine milk, egg, and yogurt in a large bowl Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl Whisk dry ingredients into web until fully combined Let sit for 5 minutes Grease skillet and heat over medium-high heat Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoon of batter onto heated skillet. Cook until the pancakes surfaces start to bubble and then flip. Allow to cook for another minute or two and then transfer to a plate Feel free to add any toppings of your choosing (strawberries, syrup, etc.)

Nutritional information per serving (4 pancakes); 184 calories, 11g protein, 29g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 7g total sugar (3g added sugar), 3g fat