My Favorite Protein Pancakes

Howdy!

Well this week started with a bang, I have so much to get done before our road trip to West Virginia it’s unreal.

The good thing is that I had a nice and relaxing weekend to get all geared up for an ultra productive week.

Friday, my coworkers and I enjoyed some adult beverages after work.

This delicious New Glarus Wisconsin Ale brewed with Cherries.  Yum.

… and the Southern Tier Brewing Pumking at home.

(no, I didn’t buy the whole case unfortunately).

You might be thinking… Lindsay… it’s just way to early for such fall type drinks.  Well you are wrong, my friend.  This girl right here lives in the Midwest for a reason.

In keeping with the shotgun fall cuisine, I woke up Saturday morning craving my favorite protein pancakes:

The Best Protein Pancakes Ever

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 6 egg whites
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbsp. almond milk
• Chocolate chips
• Banana slices (garnish)
• Almond butter (garnish)
• Pure maple syrup (non of that fake shit)

Directions:

1. Mash the banana in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together.
3. Cook like regular pancakes… add some chocolate chips if your heart so desires
4. Top pancakes with some fresh banana slices, a dollop of almond butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.  bada bing bada boom.

These pancakes helped fuel our morning workouts at the gym.  I opted to do one of the Spartan WOD’s:

3 vertical jumps (max effort).  Fully recover after each set.  Repeat 3 sets of 3 jumps.

Split Squat Iso Hold.  Accumulate 60 seconds per leg.  Fully recover.  Repeat 3 sets

Accumulate 60 seconds in High Pull-Up Hold then accumulate 20 push-ups.  Fully recover.  Repeat 3 times.

Run 30 minutes – zone 1.  (aka – slower pace)

I was super sweaty after this one.  I typically sweat a lot, but the gym was humid and hot from the weather outside so it just tripled everything.  My running partner, Lindsay, probably would have been embarrassed if she was with me 🙂

Saturday evening, Brian and I attended the 40th birthday of one of our good friends.  I was so busy eating the delicious appetizers and tasting the signature cocktails that I forgot to take pictures of this wonderful event.  After 5 or 6 cocktails… it was a Liiitttllee hard to get up in the morning.

We had big plans to visit the suburbs, however, so there was no time to waste.  It was the PERFECT day to spend outside by the pool.  Bailey thoroughly enjoyed rolling around in the mud pits that have accumulated from all of the rain we have been getting.

She was pissed when we had to give her a cold hose bath.  Basically, she participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

P.s. I saw this on insta this weekend and couldn’t stop laughing…

I can’t even.

 

Bears & Bubbles

Good Morning!!!!

How was everyone’s weekends??  Here is my recap:

Fitness

Did everyone try my weekend challenge?  It was a good good challenge – those burpees really get me every time.

Saturday morning, I headed over to my yoga studio to complete one of their tone classes.  The class was great, we worked a lot on leg strength and abdominal strength, and I am still sore!

My favorite part, however, is that we always end each session with a little bit of yoga which was such a great decompressor from the craziness of the week.

Activities

Saturday afternoon, my girlfriends and I headed out to the burbs – way way out there in New Lenox to attend a BBQ/Housewarming for one of our closest friends who recently bought a house!  Her backyard was enormous – perfect for an outdoor BBQ.  They did a great job setting up for all of the guests who were coming – there were lots of places to sit and lots of things to do.  Including…

Bubble blowing.

Bubbles are fun at every age!

I stayed in Friday and Saturday night because A. I wanted to officially get over my cold and B. we were waking up bright and early Sunday to tailgate the BEARS GAME!

It was the home opener and I was so so happy that my friend asked if Brian and I wanted to tag along their tailgate.

Which brings me to…

Food

Look at this grill of meat!

I did really well food-wise everyday except Sunday 🙂  But seriously, everything on that grill was amazing.  There were meatballs, thinly sliced beef to put in warm corn tortillas with homemade tomatillo sauce, some type of bacon wrapped meatloaf and little bacon wrapped weenies.  Ohhhh yahh.

Remember that my philosophy about food and life is that it is all about the “balance”.  My eats leading up to the tailgate were all healthy, conscious decisions 🙂

Plus, I created a new quick and easy protein pancake recipe that helped fuel my tone class workout:

Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 container of Fage 0% cherry pomegranate Greek yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• Splash of vanilla almond milk

Directions:

1. Spray griddle or pan with olive oil spray at medium heat
2. Combine all of the ingredients above and mix them together is high-speed blender or food processor to create the batter
3. Pour batter on griddle and cook 2-3 minutes until the edges firm up – flip and cook for another 2 minutes
4. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Mother’s Day Extravaganza

What a great weekend we just had!

Friday started out with one of our best friends from New York flying in and meeting us at our favorite bar – Hopleaf.  We stayed there all night catching up, drinking delicious craft beer and splitting an order of frites!

The next morning we all woke up bright and early to prepare for the big bachelor weekend Brian and our friend were participating in.  I made a big batch of protein pancakes to fuel our mornings and then they were off!

All of the men wore personalized Jerseys that accompanied the theme of the bachelor weekend — the groom is a huge soccer fan and part of the day-long celebration was going to a Chicago Fire game.

While the men were out drinking, my mother and sister made their way down to the city to start the Mother’s Day Extravaganza.  Before I met up with them, I went on a light 3 mile jog and completed a few Tone It Up! toning videos.

I met the family in the Lincoln Park area where we spent 3 hours shopping and strolling the area.  One of our pit stops included a bakery gem called Interurban Cafe and Pastry Shop.  This amazing bakery is located just off Armtiage in an ALLEY.

Seriously, you might miss it if you don’t look closely, but it adds a little charm to this sweet spot.  My sister and I split a homemade apple cinnamon “poptart” that tasted like a decadent apple pie.

We also picked up a few lemon spice cake pops and some homemade trail mix.  Everything was so delicious, it was the perfect shopping snack!

After we finished shopping, my sister and I headed back to my apartment and my mother headed into the city to spend the night at the Marriott with my dad.

Kristan, my sister, and I relaxed with Bailey for a few hours, ordered some Thai food and then headed out to a birthday party for my sisters friend who was turning 21!  I cannot believe my sister and her friends are turning 21… This means I’m getting old.  We’re only four years apart, but still 🙂

Sunday morning, Kristan and I headed down to my parents hotel room so we could start the Mother’s Day festivities.  We packed my mom’s gift, some coffee to go, flowers and a bottle of champagne – obviously!  My mom opened her gifts and loved what my sister and I got her – a CamelBack Hydration Pack!  My mom and dad go on a lot of bike rides in the summer and my mom always talks about how she wishes there was a more convenient way to carry around water.

She was very happy with all of her gifts 🙂

Around 11:00 a.m. – we headed over to GT Fish & Oyster for brunch!  I have been to GT several times for dinner, but never for brunch so I was VERY excited.

Of course, the food was amazing!  My mother ordered the Biscuits with Lobster Gravy which was creamy and succulent, my dad got the Homemade Lox, I got the Crab Benedict, and my sister got the shining start of the morning – the Duck Chilaquiles.

Oh my word – so many wonderful textures and such an amazing fresh taste.  Seriously, if you go there for brunch make sure someone in your group order’s this!  Way to go, Giuseppe Tentori.  What topped off the whole experience was that the restaurant gave my mother a $20 gift certificate to spend on her next brunch there!  Amazing.

After brunch, we parted our ways and I gave my sister an extra big hug because she is leaving to study abroad in Italy/Greece.  What an awesome experience that will be for her!  I studied abroad in Paris, France after my Junior Year of college and it was honestly one of the most life changing experiences I’ve ever had.  Plus, I got to learn a lot more about my favorite subject – food!

The weekend ended with my scheduled training run.  Honestly, it was very difficult to get off the couch and go run after a weekend filled with mimosas and delicious treats,  but it had to be done!  Surprisingly, my legs felt great and the six miles flew by!  It was definitely a chilly and windy run, but there were plenty of people out on the trains to keep me company.

Cheers to a productive Monday!

Half Marathon Training

Sunday was quite the productive day around the Hanson/Steigerwalt apartment.

We woke up bright and early to Bailey girl doing her little pee dance around the bedroom, anxiously awaiting us to step out of bed and take her out.

After our little walk, my stomach was a growling so I whipped up some pumpkin spice protein pancakes!  I love protein pancakes on Sunday mornings 🙂

Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. Organic Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Ripe Banana – Mashed
• 5 Egg Whites
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. Unsweetend Vanilla Almond Milk
• 2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl – Mash the banana first!
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together until full incorporated
3. Spray a nonstick saute pan and cook pancakes about 2 minutes per side.
4. Batter makes about 10 – 12 medium pancakes
5. Enjoy!

These little guys really hit the spot! – I topped mine with a Greek yogurt mixture that had: 0% fat Greek yogurt, almond butter, cinnamon and honey.

Next on the agenda was to grab my car and run some errands – Wigglyville Boutique to get Baileys food and Trader’s Joe’s for this week’s groceries.

We eat A LOT.  Some of the exciting things I added to this weeks list were – Fresh Pineapple, Sweet Potato Tots and diced butternut squash… mmmhmmm.

When we got back to the apartment, I literally had to tear myself away from the fridge so I did not eat all of our new yummy items.  Does anyone else experience that “eat everything after grocery shopping” syndrome?  So many choices!

To stop the temptation, I decided to go on a run!

It was perfect timing, because right as I stepped outside the sun came out and the weather was perfect.  I ran about 4.5 miles stopping briefly around mile 3 to do some stretching because my right calf was tightening up.  I’m really taking the time to listen to my body during my runs because I do not want to cause any injuries… ESPECIALLY because today starts my HALF-MARATHON training 🙂  12 weeks away, can you believe it?

I am using an adapted plan of Hal Higdon’s Training Program.

One of the biggest changes is incorporating more yoga into my weekly workout.  Yoga really helps strengthen my core and stretch out all of my muscles.  It has been an integral part of my training in the past and I love pairing it with other workouts!  I am incredibly excited to start training, but a little scared at the same time.  I have never run over 10 miles in my life and I cannot believe that I will be running 13.1 by the end of 12 weeks.  It’s crazy to think how far my running has come in a year, but it goes to show that anything can happen if you work hard enough to achieve it!

Happy Monday, friends!

Oh, What a Night

A week ago, I had absolutely no plans for the weekend I just had.  Yet, somehow it was SO eventful.

Thursday and Friday was pretty much consumed by work.  We finished our 2012 performance review cycle and now the craziness will die down a bit.

After work on Friday, I had plans to travel out to the suburbs and spend time with my college best friends.  One of my girlfriends recently moved into a new apartment with her boyfriend, so I brought along a very special “housewarming” gift.

I’m fairly certain this is better than giving a casserole dish or food.  Craft Beer + In a wine bottle = Ahmazing.

I ended up getting there pretty late in the evening because the commute from the city was rather long.  I dropped off my stuff and we headed straight to dinner.  The restaurant my friend chose was excellent.  It had a real casual, beautiful interior, there was a live guitarist and all of the food was from local sustainable Illinois farms.

One of my girlfriends and I ended up splitting the scallops as an appetizer and the steak salad as our entree.  The portions were very generous and the meal was excellent.  If I recall correctly, we arrived at the restaurant around 8:30 p.m. and I do not believe we left before 11:30 p.m… the wine just kept coming 🙂

We ended back at my friends apartment and had no problem digging into a dozen Molly’s Cupcakes!  It was an great night and I had a fabulous time catching up with everyone.  I am truly blessed to have such an amazing group of girlfriends who live so close to each other!

Insert Lauren.

Saturday night was spent with two of our good friends who are getting married in June!  We met them at a local pizzeria/wine bar and then proceeded to go on a mini dive-bar bar crawl.  We ended up finding some really awesome dive bars that I did not even know existed.  Also, Bells Oberon is officially back on draught in Chicago which means summer is near (even though it snowed earlier in the day)!

Surprisingly, I was not that tired when I woke up Sunday morning.  I whipped up a batch of protein pancakes and decided that it needed to be a very active day considering I indulged quite a bit the whole weekend.

Fresh Salads with a side of edamame was on the menu for lunch and then we were off on a 3 hour walking excursion!

The weather in Chicago was completely opposite from the day before. 65 degrees and sunny!

Brian, Bailey and I walked all through the Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Roscoe Village neighborhoods.  We made a pit stop along the way at one of our favorite outdoor beer gardens and enjoyed one beer before heading back home.

It was the perfect end to the weekend.

Spring Cleaning & Protein Pancakes

Buongiorno!

I had every intention to make yesterday my “lazy day” when I woke up.  Brian and I actually slept in… until 9:00 a.m… CRAZY.

Sunday mornings are my absolute favorite because growing up they always meant someone in the house was making pancakes!  My father would typically go for the thin Swedish pancakes, while my mother might opt for the buttermilk with chocolate chips.  No matter who was making them, they were always delicious.

Since I didn’t have the Swedish pancake mix handy, I threw together a batch of “Cookies & Cream” protein pancakes.

“Cookies & Cream” Protein Pancakes

(This recipe makes about 12 small pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2 scoops “Cookies & Cream” protein powder
• A dash or two of cinnamon
• 2 tbs. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

This recipe is pretty much adapted from the original Tone It Up protein pancake recipe.  Side note: their Perfect Fit protein powder is SO good.

You mix all the ingredients up (mash the banana first!) and then cook them like regular pancakes.

We topped our pancakes with little dollops of Greek yogurt and sliced fresh strawberries.

Accompanied by a mimosa or two 🙂

After breakfast was over, we took Bailey on a long walk and bought her a new doggy bed.  She obviously loves it.

The walk must have given me a lot of motivation because when I got home I decided it was time to clean out the closets and get rid of some clothes I NEVER wear!  Spring cleaning is such a pain, but so worth it.

Homemade pizza and a spinach salad was waiting for me when I was all done.  All was right in the world.

I would be lying if I said I was thrilled about work starting again today, but cheers to a productive week!