Who doesn't love a good stack of pancakes. Unfortunately heading to the local IHOP is usually not an option when you are trying to eat clean and track your food or just trying to avoid gluten in general. Through conversations with my sister, poking around the internet and trial and error, I was able to come up with a pretty simple recipe for a pancake that I can stand behind.

Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla flavored whey protein powder - I personally like a few types of protein powder - the first is Pure Protein Natural Vanilla Whey. Whey sometimes gives people digestion issues, specifically those who do not eat dairy. In that case I would recommend Equip Foods Prime Protein, which is a beef based protein powder.

1 egg - I typically use Cage Free eggs since they are generally fed a decent diet and not as mass produced as conventional eggs. If you are on a tight budget or don’t eat too many eggs, you can probably get away with regular conventional eggs, but just remember you are what you eat!

1 medium banana - The riper the banana, the better. This will help you blend it into the other ingredients and will help make the batter nice and smooth.

1 TSP vanilla extract - Be sure to use a good quality real vanilla extract, rather than imitation vanilla extract, since that is typically artificially flavored.

1 TBS cinnamon - You can decrease or increase this as you see fit, but I personally am a fan of cinnamon in my cooking and it has great anti-inflammatory properties.

1 TSP baking powder and dash of salt (optional) - Generally baking powder is considered “clean” or “Paleo” friendly, however if you are worried about it, just leave it out. Your pancakes won't puff up as much, but they will still taste delicious.

Cooking Spray - I use either olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray. Avocado oil doesn't have much of a taste, so it is my preferred choice but either will do. Make sure you read the label as many cooking sprays have additives in addition to the oil.

Directions:

Step 1 - Prepare the mix

In a medium bowl, mash up the banana into small pieces. Sometimes it helps to heat the banana quickly in the microwave
Crack egg into bowl and add protein powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon salt (optional) and baking powder (optional)
Stir all ingredients until batter is smooth
Let stand for about 5 minutes and give another stir to break apart clumps

Step 2 - Cook the pancakes

Heat cooking pan over medium heat
Spray pan with cooking spray
Drop 2 scoops of batter into center of pan
Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown

Step 3 - Plate, top and enjoy!

Remove pancakes from pan and plate
Top with your favorite toppings (see below) and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (Please note these are estimated):

1 serving (which comes to about 4 pancakes) without any toppings: 302 Calories; 31 Protein; 7 Fat; 33 Carbohydrates

Variations:

Add gluten free oats, nuts, seeds, more bananas, or dark (85%+) chocolate chips to your batter and cook. Top with real maple syrup (none of that fake stuff here!), butter or whatever else fits into your daily eating plan!