September 12, 2016
This recipe was from Runners World so it must be good…Pancakes the perfect fuel. Thank you Pam Anderson.
MAKES: 16 pancakes
SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup each: cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, and old-fashioned rolled oats
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk
½ cup low-fat milk (or water)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing the griddle
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS: Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over low heat. Mix flour, whole grains, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Note: white flour is included to provide fluffiness. If you don’t have all three whole grains, pick one and use the following ratios: 1:2 whole wheat to white; 1:1 oats/cornmeal to white. Microwave buttermilk and milk for 30 seconds in a 2-cup measuring cup. Whisk in eggs, oil and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry; whisk until just mixed. Return batter to measuring cup. Increase heat to medium and brush skillet with oil. When oil starts to spider, pour batter 1/4 cup at a time. When pancake bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble, after about 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes; cook until golden brown on other side. Repeat, brushing skillet or griddle with oil. Serve hot.
KILOJOULES PER SERVING (two pancakes): 1240
CARBS: 26g
FIBRE: 2g
PROTEIN: 8g
FAT: 6g
10 Super Spins On Pam’s Recipe
1 MUSCLE MOTIVATOR
Bake in dates, raisins and cinnamon. The potassium in dates and raisins gives you protection against muscle cramps. Anti-inflammatory cinnamon reduces soreness.
2 STOMACH SOOTHER
Mix fresh apricot and fresh ginger into batter; top pancakes with honey. Fibre from apricots, slow-digesting honey, and ginger can help calm an upset stomach.
3 CRANBERRY OAT
Mix ground oats with white flour (1:1 ratio); add oatmeal, dried cranberries and orange zest to batter; top pancakes with cooked cranberries and cinnamon. Oats provide good-for-you fibre, while vitamin C in cranberries can help convert fatty acids into energy.
4 ESPRESSO DELIVERY
Sub espresso for half the milk; mix cocoa powder and hazelnuts into batter; top with raspberries. Caffeine reduces the brain’s perception of exertion, improving performance. The B vitamins in hazelnuts help your body process energy more efficiently.
5 PB BOOSTER
Use only whole-wheat and white flour (1:2 ratio), mix bananas into batter; top pancakes with peanut butter and apple slices. Whole wheat and peanut butter combine to make a complete protein with all the essential amino acids needed for muscle repair.
6 QUIRKY QUINOA
Mix quinoa and white flour (1:1 ratio); add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and blueberries to batter; dust with powdered sugar. Quinoa is a quality protein because it contains all essential amino acids, ideal for vegetarians.
7 GREEN MONSTER
Mix chopped baby spinach leaves into batter; top with strawberry puree and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, and spinach provides a heavy dose of vitamin K for bone health.
8 GUAC IT OUT
Mix corn kernels into batter; top pancakes with homemade guacamole. Avocados contain good fats to lower bad cholesterol. Corn’s high fibre and B-complex vitamins have been shown to help regulate blood sugar.
9 AZTEC WARRIOR
Mix chilli pepper, unsweetened cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate (70 per cent cacao) into batter. Chilli peppers contain capsaicin, which can relieve a stuffy nose. The flavonoids in dark chocolate can help lower high blood pressure.
10 FIG & PEAR FIBRECAKE
Mix figs, pears and walnuts into batter; top with vanilla Greek yoghurt. Figs, pears and walnuts pack in the fibre, while protein-rich Greek yoghurt satisfies your appetite.
After meeting my mate Luke for a sneaky afternoon latte my evening run felt a lot easier and the pace a tad quicker than the norm. Was it the second coffee for the day or just my legs recovering from the City to Surf marathon ? I know my friend Dave ‘Sugar’ Cane likes a sneaky coffee pre-racing but never really tried this myself. There has been numerous studies linking the mental boost the coffee gives you and this has the added benefit of a physical benefit to-boot. So it sounds all too good to be true. maybe one of the few stimulants we can still legally take.
This brings me nicely along to the subject of doping in sport. It was unfortunate to see a lot of Kenyan’s falling foul of the testing regimes pre-Olympics but for these athletes they are competing against so many talented runners just for a spot on the team. Add to this the pressure of performing from their families as they really do face life or death struggles. With a slack administration turning a blind eye to the ”chemical advantages” it is difficult to walk away. Finally the knowledge that their team mates may be doping and gaining an advantage and the temptation becomes unbearable. I am not condoned drug testing, but I can see how for some the choice is difficult.
Maybe they should drink more coffee ?
A half is a good distance, not too long to disrupt training but long enough to be a good test. Normally set off at 10k pace and try and hang on for as long as possible. On this run hung on until the end.
I run with a group called the “St. Georges Terrace Running Club” as we are all based on, you guessed it, St. Georges Terrace in Perth. We’ve even had some tops made, pretty serious.
Attached is a shot of the usual suspects on one of our many pre-marathon ‘pb runs’ as we call them…
On the back of this I have changed my training to extra distance and more double-up days. Still some speed work but more 80% -20% between distance and speed. Lots of racing in-between marathons has also helped.
