Marathon Monday: Flourless Banana Oat Pancakes

Hello, and Happy Monday! Marathon training is still going really well at the Lazy W. I now have two longish paved tracks from which to choose for my boredom buster runs, and last week I divided my energy and miles between them and the elliptical machine. A 15 mile run this Saturday taught me how much better I feel being really well hydrated, a sharp contrast to that Lake Hefner run a few weeks ago when I suppressed violent thoughts toward strangers. So much better!

This week’s training is starting strong, too, because the marathon is in less than a month and soon it will be tapering time. Soon my anxiety will start to rise in direct proportion to how low my mileage sinks. I’m enjoying these high-adrenaline weeks while I can.

But that’s not today. Today I have a quick and easy, delicious, healthy recipe to share. You’ve probably seen it on Pinterest; maybe you’ve already tried it. But just in case, here ya go… Plus I tweaked it a little. It’s so good!

Flourless Banana Oat Pancakes

1 ripe banana

2 whole eggs, beaten

1/4 cup quick oats

dash vanilla

dusting of cinnamon

All you do is mash the banana and combine it with the beaten whole eggs. Stir in the oats and some vanilla and cinnamon, then drop in thick puddles onto a hot skillet (I sprayed mine with cooking spray). Let them cook on both sides like regular pancakes, testing the edges for dryness. Mine didn’t bubble like regular pancakes, so don’t wait around for that to happen. They cook quickly!

These readily accessible ingredients made three hefty 4-inch pancakes. After eating them and some strawberries, I was nice and full but not all sugared up. Big score! It’s an easy meal that provides lots of nutrition and lasting energy, especially for runners. Don’t you ever get slightly bored of raw bananas and runny oatmeal? I do. This is a great new combo. And if you’re interested, here is the pancakes’ nutritional breakdown: calories 325, carbs 43 g, fat 12 g (the good fats), protein 16 g, fiber 5 g. Not too shabby.

I think most recipes like this are strictly banana and egg, but that mix looked too runny to me. Adding the quick oats made it the perfect amount of bulky. And the finished product is not fluffy but light. Fresh tasting and satisfying. Just sweet enough, even without syrup. I have made a new addition to my ever-growing list of favorite foods!

Okay, thanks for stopping in! I hope your week is happy and healthy. I hope your meals are delicious and nourishing. I hope if you run that you sweat out all those negative thoughts and worries, replacing them with dazzling new ideas and a brighter outlook! And remember to hydrate.

“Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.”

~Quintilian

XOXOXOXO