Mini pancake cereal looks super cute, right?
I saw mini pancakes from TikTok and Instagram and thought, “I bet I can healthify that recipe!”.
And, rose-colored mini pancakes are even more awesome! Plus, the soft pink colour in these little pancake bites is functional – it adds extra energy to start the day, thanks to Red Beet Crystals!
Now, for the most part I aim to eat most of my carbs to fuel some kind of activity, since I want the carbohydrates I eat to either be used immediately for energy or used to restore glycogen levels after, rather than be stored as fat.
But let’s face it, all the confinement and sourdough over the past few months has made my “get up and go”, kind of get up and leave on me: I need a little extra nudge to get out the door and go use the pancake energy for something.
Enter Red Beet Crystals. These easy to use, delicious crystals provide a serious turbo boost to help me get myself moving.
Made from dehydrated red beet juice, something that true athletes like to call an “ergogenic aid” (aka fitness secret weapon), Red Beet Crystals are deliciously sweet and salty. Not only can they color food from pastel to power pink, they help me get moving.
If I was to eat these before a run, I’d give myself 2-3 hours to digest and allow the carbs-beet combo to get to work. That will ensure blood sugar levels are up, beet nitrate levels are up, and glycogen stores are full, prior to hitting the road.
Mini Pancake Cereal with Pink Power
Ingredients
1 cup (120 g) finely ground oats1 banana
1 cup milk of choice, (we used vanilla oat milk) plus more to thin or to eat as pancake cereal
Red Beet Crystals to desired intensity (try a tablespoon to start)
Instructions
- Mix the banana and milk in a blender, adding the oat flour and Red Beet Crystals. The batter should be a little lumpy but pourable, and a bit thinner than your usual pancake batter. If you need to, add more milk so that you can pour them and flip them very quickly.
- Allow the batter to rest while you heat a non-stick pan over low – medium heat. I used a ½ tablespoon scoop of batter for each pancake. I cooked for 45 seconds before flipping to cook for another 30 seconds or so.
- Enjoy right away with your favorite pancake toppings, or like cereal in a bowl of your favorite milk. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and eaten later in the week as well.
Dana Green Remedios, RHN, RNCP, is a Vancouver-based educator and coach. She is a regular contributor to the FloraHealthy blog and can answer your questions in English, French, and Spanish as a Product Information Specialist at Flora.
