Buckwheat Blender Pancakes Recipe

This Buckwheat Blender Pancakes recipe is a great way to start the day with a hit of protein and fiber. They also happen to be gluten free. 125 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP Thank you to Milk Means More for helping me to share this recipe with you.

Today is an exciting one because we're kicking off our second annual Healthy New Year 6-Week Challenge! Each week, my friend Liz of The Lemon Bowl and I will be rolling out a new theme, challenging each of you to make changes gradually. From experience, we know that making step-by-step changes to your diet and lifestyle will help to keep you on the path towards your goals. Be sure to join us in the challenge Facebook group, which has become a safe place for participants to share successes, struggles, ideas and inspiration. The group is already 800 strong!

So, what's the goal for week 1?

This week's goal is...Boosting protein at breakfast to fuel your busy day!

When I come back from my workouts in the morning, I am absolutely famished and I know that I won't feel satisfied until I get some protein into my body. Usually that protein comes in the form of my favorite breakfast parfait. I seriously eat this thing at least four mornings per week. Other times it's a bowl of whole grain cereal with milk and berries, whole grain pancakes or eggs.

I've run several races over the years and at every single finish line, I had an overwhelming craving for protein. I quick-crawled my way to the chocolate milk stand (paints a pretty picture, huh?) at the end of my marathon because I knew it was what my body needed. Sure enough, my stomach settled and my muscles started to feel better after I chugged down that mini bottle of milk. Those amino acids in the milk were hard at work!

But what if you aren't preparing for a big run, an epic hot yoga class or a morning of skiing? The experts tell us that starting the day with a nutrient-rich meal can affect our overall diet quality and weight loss goals. This is definitely the case for me! If I don't have a protein-filled breakfast, I'm sure to be snacking by 10am. And I don't mean the good kind of snacking!

I've talked to many people who tell me that they don't eat breakfast because they feel it will help their weight loss efforts - less calories before noon. For me, skipping breakfast has the opposite effect. Not only do I get cranky when I'm hungry (just ask my family), but my body goes into starvation mode (probably starts to hoard the extra fat) and then I get so hungry that I start to eat everything in sight, healthy or not. When I eat a protein-filled breakfast, my brain feels less fuzzy, I have more energy and my food cravings are far more even-keeled throughout the day. For all of these reasons, I have always been a firm proponent of breakfast.

So, how do you work protein into your breakfast routine? Many whole grains (such as buckwheat flour in these buckwheat blender pancakes) boast a good amount of fiber. Of course, eggs are another way to go. Milk products are probably the fastest way to get your dose of protein, and are easy to combine with whole grains and eggs. One cup of cow's milk or yogurt contains 8 to 10 grams of protein - think cereal with milk, pancake recipes with milk (and cottage cheese, like this one), yogurt parfaits and smoothies.

The beauty of these buckwheat blender pancakes is that everything can be thrown into the blender, whizzed together and ready to cook within a few minutes. Buckwheat flour can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, and all of the other ingredients are ones you likely have stored in your fridge and pantry.

So, let's jump right into the challenge together, and commit to eating a protein filled breakfast each day this week to help jump start our day! We'd love to see your breakfast ideas on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Just use the hashtag #HealthyNewYear so we can find your photos. You can also tag Liz (@thelemonbowl) and me (@cookincanuck).

Be sure to check out Liz's awesome Chai Tea Smoothie Bowl and her thoughts on starting the day with protein.

Other protein-rich breakfast recipes:

Baked Egg, Broccoli & Feta Breakfast Casserole
Healthy Yogurt Parfait with Blueberries & Granola
Berry Green Smoothie Recipe

Printable Recipe

Buckwheat Blender Pancakes Recipe

This Buckwheat Blender Pancakes recipe is a great way to start the day with a hit of protein and fiber. They also happen to be gluten free. 125 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

4.80 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 18 5-inch pancakes

Calories: 124.7kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• ¾ cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• pure maple syrup for serving

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Instructions

• In a blender, combine the buckwheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.
• Add the milk, cottage cheese, egg, maple syrup and olive oil.
• Blend until the mixture is just combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Do not overmix.
• Do not allow the batter to sit too long before cooking, otherwise it will thicken significantly. If this happens, blend in additional milk to achieve desired texture.
• Preheat a cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Alternatively, preheat an electric griddle to 375 degrees F. If using a nonstick skillet, lightly coat the skillet with cooking spray.
• Using 3 tablespoons per pancake (just less than a ¼ cup measuring cup), scoop the batter into the skillet, a few pancakes at a time. When the pancakes start to bubble on top, flip them over and cook until the pancakes are cooked all the way through.
• Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes with maple syrup.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 4 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 4 (Old SmartPoints)

Nutrition

Serving: 2Pancakes | Calories: 124.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.4g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 3.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 22.9mg | Sodium: 403mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 4.8g

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Milk Means More. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!