Buttermilk Pancakes and Winter Core Circuit

Well, friends, today just might be a random assortment of all that's gone on around here over the last 48 hours. But you'll see a new recipe and a new core series, so I hope you won't mind the hodgepodge.

Terry left late last night and spent the day diving in Santa Barbara today, so I had the house to myself. I did a little school work and got to sleep pretty early, but didn't sleep very well (I'm inclined to blame the helicopters, which circled over our apartment for at least four hours, but who knows?). So instead of working out right away, I kick started the day with my new pancake recipe. And OOOHHHH man, I can't say enough about how delicious this breakfast was! So as promised:

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes (and the buttermilk trick!)
Serves 4 (8 medium-sized pancakes)

• 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cup buttermilk*
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Butter for frying
• Maple syrup and/or fruit for topping

*To make buttermilk, squeeze the juice of one small or ½ medium lemon into your measuring cup, then fill with milk to 1 ¾ cup mark. Let sit a few minutes, while you measure the other ingredients and start the batter. The milk and lemon juice curdle slightly to thicken the mixture, and you can’t taste the lemon in your final result!

First, stir together all the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Make a well in the middle of your dry mixture and add the honey, eggs, buttermilk (see note above), and melted butter. Stir until mixed, but do not overstir. Your batter might be lumpy, and that's just fine.

Heat a griddle or large pan over medium heat; grease with the butter. Pour the batter in 1/4-cup rounds and cook on medium until bubbly on top and golden brown on bottom. Flip and cook on the other side for another minute or two, until golden brown. 

Serve warm with maple syrup, fruit, and mimosas (optional). :-) 

I have been trying to find a non-banana-based pancake recipe (my favorite with bananas is Lisa's recipe), and this one is really phenomenal! I like my pancakes thick and dense, so if you prefer thinner pancakes, use only 2 cups of flour. The batter also keeps in the fridge for a few days, so you could make the batter on Sunday and enjoy pancakes for a quick breakfast the next few days!

After those pancakes digested, I finally got around to the gym for 30 minutes of this walking workout from The Fitnessista and a core circuit.

Some Tips:

• Scorpion on Ball
• Plank with Feet on Ball
• Side Plank Hip Drops
• Side Plank
• Ball Roll Outs
• Elbow Plank on Ball

Let me know what you think! 

In other news, we tried two new recipes this weekend: Grilled cheese (Manchego and Sharp Cheddar) with applewood bacon and spinach (YUM!)

and strawberry ice cream with our ice cream maker! 

We had some about-to-go-bad strawberries and decided to make the most of them. Deeeeeelicious! I'm pretty sure we're never going back to store-bought frozen treats. I have a feeling Terry will be enjoying an ice cream cake for his birthday!

The rest of the night will be spent celebrating the Niners' win, scrounging up something for dinner (I really need to go grocery shopping), and gearing up for...another day off tomorrow! Jenn and I are planning a workout (she doesn't know yet, but I've created a killer circuit for us), and then we're eating the rest of the pancake batter before settling in to get some work done. Not exactly the most riveting three-day weekend, but a productive one. 

How was your weekend? Anything exciting to share?