After experimenting with pumpkin over the last month, I’m convinced you can add it to anything to make it taste better. Greek yogurt? Check. Chia seeds and almond milk? Check. Protein Pancakes? Check. Cream Cheese Frosting? Check, again.
For Halloween tonight, what better way to celebrate than having a festive breakfast for dinner? With all the candy available, having a sweet dinner hopefully will help keep you from dipping into the bowl at the front door. I had this for dinner on Thursday and almost couldn’t finish the thing! It was so filling and festive. I had made pumpkin protein pancakes before, but wanted to add a special topping. Earlier in the week I made a pumpkin peanut butter which would have tasted amazing, but I was craving cheesecake!
Protein Pancakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- Makes 1 Serving
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 Laughing Cow Wedge Light Creamy Swiss
- 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 packet of Stevia (you can also use 1/2 tsp of sugar, agave nectar or maple syrup)
- 1/2 tablespoon Ground Flaxseed
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp of Pumpkin Puree
- 1/4 cup Egg Whites (or the whites from 2 whole eggs)
- 1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (I like Designers Whey or other stevia sweetened brand)
Directions:
In a small bowl, mash together Laughing Cow Wedge, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, stevia and 1 tbsp of pumpkin puree. Blend well until it is a smooth like consistency. It may take up to 5 minutes. I used a rubber cooking spoon.
Next, combine 1/4 cup of pumpkin, protein powder, flaxseed meal, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and egg white using an immersion blender or fork depending on your desired consistency. You can also use a blender. Pour into a greased preheated pan on medium. Let sit for about 4 minutes or until edges are firm and pancake can be flipped without falling apart. Cook on opposite side for 2-4 more minutes. Remove from pan and top with cream cheese filling. Enjoy!
I burnt mine a little as you can see above, but ran out of pumpkin puree. I love how the edges got crispy! It was lighter and fluffier using the pumpkin rather than the banana. It was not as sweet which is why the cream cheese filling/topping was paired perfectly.
This weekend, I ran the NYC Urbanathlon in the freezing rain. It was a blast. I finished in the top 8% of female competitors which makes me happy. I celebrated afterwards with a delicious brunch. I couldn’t decide if I wanted sweet or salty so I did both. I love having pancakes as an appetizer out at brunch if I’m getting eggs or lunch and that is just what we did! We ordered the Carrot Cake Pancakes with raisins from The Comfort Diner in Midtown East. This is going to be my next healthy version recipe of the pancake for sure. I went with the turkey sandwich with sprouts, avocado, and honey mustard. It tasted great and reminded me of my own favorite turkey sandwich recipe!
After a long race, what is your go to post-race meal indulgence?
Oh yum! You had me at “cheesecake!”