It's another gray rainy afternoon, and here's another one from the draft folder. Notice a pattern here?😄
So Dad & I don't go out for breakfast much; but when we do, Cracker Barrel is one of our favorite places. Why? Well, besides the usual good food, good atmosphere, good service, *relatively* good prices, etc. etc., they serve an absolutely amazing breakfast called Stuffed Cream Cheese Pancakes. After having this delight once, I googled the recipe, as all good thriftsters do, and found one that is remarkably close. The cream cheese filling is completely delicious... and these pancakes are very addicting.
Stuffed Cream Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pancakes
Fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries and/or strawberries
Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar.
Fry your favorite pancake batter into a nice big pancake, and smear cream cheese mixture over half of the pancake. Fold it in half, add a little strawberry jam or syrup, and top with a dollop of real whipped cream. Add fresh fruit if you happen to have some on hand ... or enjoy without!
So yeah. This is the best way to enjoy pancakes, because it kind of turns it into a justifiable dessert. (It's breakfast, right??!)
And omy do I love pancakes. But since pancakes, breakfast or not, are still panCAKES, I have to watch how many I eat.... or do I?
I have been a fan of Trim Healthy Mama for years, although I don't always agree with or follow all their suggestions. THM is an informative cookbook which, in a nutshell, pairs protein with either carbohydrates or fats (not both in the same meal) to facilitate weight loss or gain in a safe healthy way. It's really not a diet; it's a way of eating which is kind to your body. Since I can't eat sweets and carbs unchecked like I used to, this book/concept has been helpful for me to get my sweet tooth fix with healthier options; I've actually lost some weight that I've been battling for about 15 years. It's a good feeling. Like I said, I don't follow all their suggestions. The two authors are moms of many (like me) who are in their mid-50s (like me), with growing kids and grandkids (like me); so it's been interesting to follow their health journey for the past many years. Their mom, Nancy Campbell, has a ministry to encourage mothers, and I've appreciated her magazines and books for as long as I can remember. And that's where I learned about THM.
At any rate, Serene and Pearl can be a little - or a lot - too crunchy for me; but as with anything in life,
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!
I've tried many of their recipes; some are home runs and some are definitely not even fit for the dog lol. This one - their pancake recipe - is my most oft-used home run. As in, I have these almost every morning. Packed with protein and low in carbs, these taste amazing. If I was Truly Crunchy, I would pair this with fruit or granola or greek yogurt or something equally Truly Crunchy; however I am not Truly Crunchy so I enjoy it with butter and real maple syrup (Yes. That is a carb and a fat which the program discourages for weight loss... but it's not much of either and it is very filling).
Anyway. That got long. Sorry for the ramble. On to the recipe.
Here is my version (I double the original recipe and measure out all the "to tastes" in their recipe).
THM Pancakes
Ingredients:
1.5 cups rolled or quick oats
1.5 cups egg whites
1.5 cups cottage cheese
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Truvia
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In Vitamix or blender, blend oats to powder. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Fry in greased skillet.
That's it! Add Truly Crunchy or not-so-crunchy toppings and enjoy!
I usually fry these with blueberries because I like them, but you do you. I've thought about adding cream cheese filling... but I'm not sure I want to go there. That would kind of undo the whole point of eating these healthier pancakes... even though I'm pretty sure they would be AMAZING...
haha
life is so tough, isn't it??
So there you have it, my tale of two pancakes.
The End.
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