Recipe: Healthy Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes

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Sometimes you just need a lazy Saturday morning. You know, one of those mornings where you spend a good majority of the day in your pjs, linger a little longer in bed, rock the bed head look and sit down to some thick and fluffy pancakes with someone you love (or a book - they're always good too).

Lately, we've definitely needed a morning like that; ever since we've gotten back from Louisiana, we've been running around like headless chooks. A lazy Saturday morning was justttt what we needed to recharge out batteries - and of course, pancakes are essential for the success of said morning. 

Our favourite healthy pancake recipe is this Better Than IHOP Pancakes Recipe which uses cottage cheese as the super secret ingredient, however, on this morning we had some sad looking bananas in our fruit bowl and I reaaaaaally wanted banana pancakes - so I decided to combine my two favourite pancake recipes into a thick, fluffy Healthy Banana Pancake Recipe that we both absolutely loved. 

These pancakes are delicious on their own or topped with butter, maple syrup or (my personal favourite addition to anything) peanut butter. You can top them with fresh fruit or yogurt or whatever else you feel like - just make sure you make them ASAP!

So let me give you the recipe! >> 

Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes Recipe serves 2-3

high protein, gluten free, low fat, sugar free, clean eating friendly

1 cup (90g) gluten free rolled oats

1 large ripe banana (the riper the better!)

2/3 cup + 2 tbsp (~200g) cottage cheese*

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (120g/4 large) egg whites 

2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional: if you like things sweet, add 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup for sweetness

Pulse your oats in a food processor or blender until they resemble a coarse flour. 

Add all of your other ingredients and pulse until smooth and combined (you may need to scrape the edges down to get everything mixed together). 

Lightly grease a medium non-stick frying pan and heat over a medium heat. 

Add ~1/4 cup of mixture to your frying pan at a time, waiting until the pancakes begin to bubble and set on the top and then flipping and cooking on the other side until cooked through. 

If you find your pancakes are browning too much, turn your heat down. 

Repeat the process until all of your pancakes are cooked. 

These pancakes will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or will freeze and keep for months, however, you'll probably find they disappear in minutes ;) 

*I just used 1x 200g tub of cottage cheese hence the weird measurements. I wouldn't suggest using fat free cottage cheese for this recipe as I've never tried using it in recipes before (we only have low fat/2% cottage cheese in Australia)

But tell me, what does your ultimate lazy morning look like? 

And what's your favourite "weekend breakfast"?

My ultimate lazy morning would probably involve snuggly blankets, lots of hot tea, a yummy breakfast, my husband and puppy and either a good book or a Supernatural Marathon (yes, we're still watching Supernatural - nearing the end of season nine - eek!)