Oatmeal & Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup

This recipe is dedicated to one of my very near and dear friends Lexis. In the last 6 months she has become very proactive about her health and I am so proud of her! She started the P90x workout series, a feat I still cant fathom taking on, quit smoking, dropped soda out of her diet almost completely and has even been found experimenting in the kitchen. The girl makes her own home made almond butter for Pete's sake! Who does that? I haven't.

I have to tell you I have never been a huge pomegranate fan. But then I tried this recipe and it always has me drooling when I think of it. Its like a little flavor explosion in your mouth. So even if you aren't a fan of pomegranate please consider trying this. I do want to tell you this original recipe came from Clean Eating magazine and really impressed me! With that said I do encourage you to try this recipe and if you like it please support Clean Eating magazine by going out and purchasing their next issue (No they are not paying me to say that, but I wish they were)



Pomegranate Syrup

1 cup pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp honey

In a small saucepan whisk together the honey and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then drop the heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes reducing down to a syrup. Oops I have messed that up every time I have made this. I see the word simmer and in my head that translates to low heat, obviously my syrup was still quite liquidy. Alright so now you guys aren't going to make that mistake right? Simmer it over medium heat got it, 15 minutes alright. After that remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly before using.

Pancakes

3 medium bananas (ever buy a bunch of bananas and they start to go bad before you get to eating them? Peel them break them in half and put them in a freezer bag. You can use them frozen in smoothies in place of ice yum or in this case you can thaw them back out in your fridge to use in this recipe)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, ground to a coarse flour in a food processor (about 3/4 cup ground oats)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks (do not attempt to do this by hand)
cooking spray or butter or butter alternative

Add bananas, milk and vanilla to blender and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground oats, rolled oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Fold banana puree into dry ingredients to form a thick batter, taking care not to overwork it. Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet and coat with cooking spray or whatever you choose over medium heat. Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook until lightly browned on each side. 2 pancakes is a serving and is plenty to fill me up and stick to my ribs. This recipe makes 6 servings. If you are single like me then you should know that these freeze great! Just separate them with wax paper and place in a freezer bag in the freezer then reheat when you are hungry. These are also excellent slathered with some almond butter for an extra protein kick and then drizzled with pure maple syrup. And if that isn't enough reasons to make these then do it for your dogs (if you have them). With no sugar and such wholesome ingredients you can't feel guilty about sharing with your favorite canine(s). Daphne already taste tested today and she definitely approves.

Today I didn't workout and I am not going to but, I did shovel the additional 4 inches of snow off of my bosses whole drive way. They have a big driveway so it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I think that counts as a workout. Tomorrow is going to be a special post that one of my friends is graciously allowing me to re-post. I am so excited to share it with you that I can hardly wait until tomorrow. I love you all. I am going to sip my coffee (I had to make it to go with pancakes), watch a movie and then clean my kitchen. Enjoy your evening!
Food.Exercise.Life