Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes – GF, low-carb, high-protein

This plate of pancakes looks like the ultimate weekend brunch indulgence but I might just throw some nutritional facts your way to blow your mind:

• This entire plate of pancakes is just over 200 calories
• The pancakes have nearly 30g protein, and with toppings this gets to close to 40g!
• Super low in carbs, this whole plate is just over 10g carbs
• You’re packing in nearly 10g healthy fats
• You are maximizing the benefits of coconut oil! This is a big exclamation point for me – I’ll explain more down the page.

I follow a high-protein and low-carb diet, also packing in the healthy fats where I can, and as a vegetarian this can be challenging. Starting my day off with a plate of these beauties not only makes me really look forward to breakfast (hello? Chocolate and peanut butter – for breakfast!). Plus there’s no sugar and tons of proteins and fats so my energy is sustained all morning. If I eat a plate of these at 7:30am I am stuffed and don’t even begin to feel hungry until after 1pm, in spite of the relatively low calories. Also, I am getting a headstart on my protein count for the day – I aim for an absolute minimum of 100g of protein a day so starting with nearly 40g at breakfast is awesome.

Now onto my coconut oil soapbox: I like to have 2-3 tbsp a day almost as a supplement. In that, if you are counting calories or fat grams, I don’t consider the 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil each day in those counts. The body doesn’t process this amount of coconut oil as energy consumption – it processes it almost like a supplement and helps your skin, fat and good cholesterol levels boost. I LOVE it. NOW, final comment on coconut oil: all coconut oils are not all created equal. Be prepared for a long list of adjectives, but I highly recommend: extra-virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed and organic coconut oil. The best flavoured and healthiest version I have ever found is Carrington Farms (I buy it from my local warehouse store and its giant tub looks like this):

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes – GF, low-carb, high-protein

Ingredients

• 1/2 scoop protein powder (whey isolate works best but use what you have!)
• 2 tbsp PB2 or powdered peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch sea salt
• 2-3 packets stevia
• 2 tbsp full-fat or 2% plain Greek yogurt (I use full fat, 4%)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp canned coconut milk (I use lite, but full fat would be fine)

Peanut butter topping:

• 1-2 tbsp PB2
• 2-4 tbsp lite canned coconut milk

Chocolate sauce topping:

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 5-10 drops liquid chocolate stevia

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a mug and in a small bowl mix wet ingredients.
2. Combine the two and mix until combined.
3. Heat a frying pan with coconut oil and then fry pancakes. For me it makes 5 thick medium-sized pancakes.
4. Mix toppings together: I combined my Greek yogurt with a couple of drops of vanilla stevia, and in two separate mugs I combine my cocoa powder, stevia and coconut oil and in another the PB2 and lite coconut milk (if you don’t like things bitter, add a couple of drops of vanilla liquid stevia too).
5. Assemble in a beautiful way on a giant plate and devour your healthy yet decadent breakfast!