This has been a pretty low-key weekend for us, which has been nice because it has allowed me to recover from my case of the sniffles.  That is important because, starting tomorrow, I have a full week of Parent-Teacher Conferences, and I need to be 100% for those!  I woke up this morning and headed to the gym to complete my second legs workout of the week.

Week 5 Day 6: Legs

• Seated Leg Curl: 3 sets of 10 reps (50 pounds)
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps (75 pounds)
• *Superset – Barbell Lunge: 3 sets of 20 reps (40 pounds)
• *Superset - Abductor Machine: 3 sets of 20 reps (100 pounds)
• Kneeling Alternate Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps each leg (15 pounds)
• Adductor Machine: 3 sets of 20 reps (80 pounds)
• Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps (60 pounds)
• Single Leg Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 10 reps (30 pounds)
• Leg Press: 1 giant drop set to failure – for me, 20 reps (135 pounds)
• Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps (50 pounds)
• Calf Raise on the Leg Press: 3 sets of 20 reps (90 pounds)
• Cardio: Incline Walking (30 minutes)

The stiff-legged deadlift and single leg barbell squat were new-to-me exercises, so I referenced the original workout to watch the demonstration (can be seen here).  Then I came home and was excited to whip up a pancake and create a recipe on the fly.  One of the many reasons I love the weekend is because it gives me more time to prepare delicious, healthy food!  My parents had bought me a container of unsweetened, shredded coconut (which I love!), so I made sure to incorporate that in the recipe, plus other ingredients I had on hand. This was a high-protein breakfast that will keep me satisfied for a long time!

High Protein Blueberry Coconut Pancake & Frosting

Pancake Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 3 tablespoons flaxmilk (any milk will do)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, natural applesauce
• wild frozen, blueberries

Pancake Directions:

• 1.  Mix all dry ingredients.
• 2.  Add wet ingredients and stir.
• 3.  Pour into a greased pan.
• 4.  Cook on medium heat for a few minutes.
• 5.  Flip.  Cook.  Remove from eat.

The pancake came out looking quite scrumptious, if I do say so myself!

While the pancake is cooking, preparing your frosting.  Katie always includes her own protein frosting in her breakfasts, and I decided to copy her.   I made a couple of tweaks to her original recipe, so here is mine below.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/4 cup wild, frozen blueberries
• 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• 2 drops agave nectar
• dash of water
• chia seeds (for thickening)
• unsweetened, shredded coconut (for sprinkling)

Frosting Directions:

• 1.  Microwave peanut butter and blueberries for 1 minute. (Blueberries will leave some juice in the bowl.  That’s ok.)
• 2.  Stir in protein powder, agave nectar, chia seeds, and add water slowly until you reach the consistency you desire.
• 3.  Top pancake with frosting.
• 4.  Sprinkle more unsweetened, shredded coconut on top!

The frosting doesn’t look so pretty due to the color, but I can assure you it tastes amazing!

Can anyone guess how much protein this guy packed?  Fine, I’ll just tell you.  33 grams!  Now if that isn’t the perfect protein-packed breakfast after a strenuous week of weight-lifting, then I don’t know what is.  Happy Sunday to you!

Do you like to make your own pancakes? Any secret ingredients?