Maple Cinnamon Oatcakes

Well the weekend is over. Again. Funny how that happens.

I had a pretty eventful Friday followed by an uneventful weekend. Balance, right?

On Friday, I went to the doctor. A nurse who took blood samples told me I was so lucky to have Friday off. She asked if I was excited about not working on Fridays…while drawing my blood…at the doctors office. See where I’m going with this?

Yes, it’s a wonderful thing to have the day off…and spend it chatting with a doctor, having your blood drawn, and then your wallet drained. Fun, right?

I then had a great workout with my trainer, who was in a particularly cynical mood, which I found lovely and refreshing. I’m a pretty lovely person myself so it was nice to just let it fly for the afternoon.

After that, things became a blur. I went on this particularly odd mission for a certain m&m flavor (you know how that can be) and I couldn’t find it. I briskly walked up and down every aisle of several grocery stores…once I’m on a mission, I don’t like to fail.

During the brisk walk, I was mindlessly drinking a venti-sized cup of water AND a grande coffee…plus a coffee refill. And I noticed that it was starting to snow outside. I happen to live in a city where snow is the equivalent of the end of the world and drivers seem to lose all ability to drive semi-rationally, so I knew I had to get in my car and home as quickly as possible.

I dashed to my car…in my shorts (just came from the gym, remember), and I got the dirtiest looks from people, assuming I have a mental illness and don’t register the cold weather. Yes, I understand its cold, but I’m on a mission for a certain m&m, enough said.

As I hop in my car…it only briefly passes through my mind that I should have used the restroom before getting in the car for a 40 minute drive home.

I’m going to pull a “yada, yada, yada” on this one and just say: I’m so grateful for the downstairs office bathroom in my apartment building, or there may have been a lot more embarrassment at the end of this day. It was bad enough that I dropped all of my groceries in the mad dash to the restroom, in front of quite a crowd in the apartment office, all wanting tours and leases. Whoops, sorry.

I think after all that, an uneventful weekend was just fine by me.

I kicked back and enjoyed my newest weekend tradition: pancakes. Not a revolutionary thing, but to make pancakes that are actually healthy, that is!

I’ve honestly never been a pancake person until recently. I just suddenly had to have pancakes, and I had to have pancakes that came with enough of a nutritional punch to be considered a good breakfast! Besides my Protein Packed Morning Pancakes, these Maple Cinnamon Oatcakes with some yummy Maple Cinnamon Peanutty drizzle are my go-to weekend breakfast!

Maple Cinnamon Oatcakes
(makes 1 portion, 5 oatcakes)

1/3 cup old fashioned oats, ground into fine flour

¼ tsp. xanthan gum (or guar gum, or 1 tsp. corn starch)

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

2 tsp. granulated Stevia

¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

2 egg whites

1 tsp. maple extract

Maple Cinnamon Peanut Butter Sauce (optional)

2 tsp. peanut flour

¼ tsp. granulated Stevia

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. (a few drops) maple extract

2 ½ tsp. water (or more to desired consistency)

~In a mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and Stevia. Mix until well combined. Then, add the almond milk, yogurt, egg whites, and maple extract. Stir to combine.

~Start heating your nonstick skillet, sprayed with nonstick spray, over medium heat (while your batter is resting). When the skillet is ready, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to divide out the batter. Cook 2-3 oatcakes at a time, flipping after the bubbling on top has stopped and the bottoms are golden brown, then cooking the other side until it is golden on the bottom too (about 3 min per side). I like to spread a small amount of coconut oil on each oatcake as they come off the griddle.

~To make the drizzle, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mixing to combine. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency. Drizzle the sauce all over your oatcakes! If you want, you can add a dollop of sweetened Greek yogurt too, or maple syrup if you need it. Enjoy!