Premier Protein Snickerdoodle Pancakes

So I told you I’ve been reading The Miracle Morning (check out this link for more info).  I am only 1/4 of the way through (I am a slow reader when it comes to books!) but you basically wake up earlier than you normally would to do the things YOU want to do, whatever it is.  They can be broken into 10 minute intervals – like 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of folding clothes, 30 minutes on learning a new skill, or taking the time to spend on something that will help shape your future.

It’s not a secret that I love food, food photography, recipe developing, etc.  But I’ve not done the requisite work to do the behind the scenes on my blog to make the SEO higher (Search Engine Optimization), learn how to do recipe videos that you see all over social media, and make my site a bit more “user friendly” if you will.  The hope is that by working hard on that, I can start generating an income on this blog that will help me with my future goals.  This is going to be a long process, but I think by breaking it down into pieces, I’ll be able to figure it out.  I wish I was as smart as my brother when it comes to computers!

The problem with that is during the week, by the time I come home and exercise, and put dinner together, it’s nearly dark outside.  So I got up early yesterday and made pancakes!  And not just any pancakes, Premier Protein SNICKERDOODLE pancakes.  Yes, I am shouting the snickerdoodle part because I love all things cinnamon.  My step-son loves cinnamon more than I do.  I once made him cinnamon monkey bread one time and he ate nearly half of it all by himself with three large glasses of milk!  He was probably 16 at the time? (Hi Joe!)

Anywho this recipe is super quick to come together.   The secret is using vinegar with the vanilla Premier Protein to make a mock buttermilk. 

[sp_recipe]

And here I am getting all fancy with the syrup!   Gah, going to have to work on my photography background – and I love how my Nikon camera is hiding behind the Premier Protein

I misspoke on Instagram – while one pancake is 2 smart points, two pancakes is 5 points and three are 7 points. I ate two, with 1 point of SF syrup, the banana and blueberries, and added 2 ounces of deli ham on the side for some protein.  So breakfast was 8 points.

I was super busy at work, and didn’t eat lunch until nearly 2:15, so that extra protein from the Premier Protein really kept me full for a long time. 

This was a delicious picky plate.  Two ounces of leftover ground beef taco meat (2), baby peppers for dippers, cucumbers drizzled with Bolthouse Farms salsa verde avocado dressing (1)[you need to buy this – so good!].  Wholly guacamole mini cup (3) and 1/2 a large apple drizzled with chocolate PB2 (1).  Have you guys tried the chocolate PB2?! So good!  I found it at Walmart. 

I was night secretary last night and didn’t get home until 7:45.  I was a bit tired, a lot hungry, but it was only Day 3 of Insanity so I knew I couldn’t quit, because then I’d find an excuse any day to skip it.  When I did this back in 2013, I went 100 days in a row!  So only 94 days to beat that record! 😀

I meal prepped on Sunday, so these stuffed shells came together really quickly.  However, I am going to tweak the recipe – they are stuffed with fat free ricotta and chopped spinach, and while I thought I spiced it up, they were pretty bland.  I sauteed 2 ounces of smoked sausuage and zucchini for the base, and used this pasta sauce that Hannah bought at Aldi.  It’s only 35 calories per 1/2 cup (still costs 2 points), and if you have anyone who is vegan, this is vegan.   Apparently a lot of jarred tomato sauces have some type of milk or dairy in them?  Who knew?  

The shells are 2 points each, the cheese is 2 points, the sausage is 3, the sauce 2, for a total of 13 smart points.  This was very filling, and because I ate it at 9:00 last night, I wasn’t even tempted to eat anything before going to bed.

And because it was so late, it was already dark out, so I had to use the light box that my sister gave me, which is on a small table in my bedroom.  Just though you might want to get a sneak peak behind the scenes to see how professional food bloggers like myself work.  Ha!  Pretty sure Daniel Krieger doesn’t have piles of laundry (mostly clean!) around his  studio 😛  Ten minutes of my morning tomorrow on my Morning Miracle is going to be putting all that laundry away.

I’ll be going to my Weight Watchers meeting today because I love the leader, but I won’t weigh in until Saturday, my new weigh in day.  Pretty sure going to two meetings a week won’t hurt!

Here’s some Morning Motivation for you – if you don’t follow Steve Weatherford on Instagram, you should.  He has the hardest work ethic, and if that means spending time with his family and not hitting the gym until 11:00 p.m. at night, that’s what he does.  Everyone has the same 24 hours, hope whatever you do these next 24 hours gets you closer to the life you want.  Make it a great day!