Pandemic Pancakes - Easy Peasy

I had forgotten about these very simple pancakes. I made them for myself this morning when my breakfast chef was not available.

Many years ago, I belonged to a diet group (Insert name of any diet group here. I've belonged to them all.)   I remember getting this pancake recipe. It's ridiculously simple, delicious, and filling. They're especially great if you don't have, or don't want to use flour, baking powder, or sugar.

The beauty of these is that the content is easily measurable in calories, protein, carbs, and fruit. There's no added sugar.

If you have a blender, it makes a more smooth pancake, but it's not essential. Basically, just toss all these ingredients together.


Ingredients    (makes 2 medium or one large)

1 egg     80 calories
1 slice bread (any kind you like, I used thin sliced) 70 calories
1/2 banana (good use for any that are starting to darken) 45 calories
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon if you wish

Total calories for a substantial breakfast 195 . I find these pancakes
to be quite sweet and moist enough on their own, but if you prefer to top them with a bit of syrup, honey, agave, or a dusting of powdered sugar, be sure to consider the extra sugar and calories.

If doubling the recipe, just use another slice of bread and another half banana.  I  have never used a second egg, but have added a splash of milk if the mixture looks too dry.

Directions

If using a blender, put egg and banana into blender and mix. Tear bread into a few pieces and add it along with vanilla. Blend briefly until smooth. Pour onto a pan as in photo.  (I used a tiny amount of spray olive oil to cook).

Recipe as I wrote it made 2 medium sized pancakes or if you prefer, one large.

If  you don't have or don't want to use a blender,  mash the banana and whisk
together with egg and vanilla. Break bread into very small pieces and add to banana and egg . Mix together. Pour into pan. If there are small pieces of undissolved bread, it's not really a problem.

I hope you enjoy them. I did.

Goodbye Garb and Magnificent Memories

I recently lost a few pounds. It was about time. As with all weight loss, both the skin and the clothes got loose. Ok...so both got loose and wrinkly. I've retired some pairs of pants after friends said I looked as though I had droopy drawers...not a good look on a senior. People might get the wrong impression. We elders have enough embarrassing issues.

I don't think I'm a very vain person. I also don't think that I'm terribly materialistic, but then everything's relative isn't it?

When it comes to clothing, I have a decent wardrobe. I like clothes. There was a time I barely had two outfits to wear to work (insert tiny violin playing here). There was also a time when I wore clothes out. That is now beyond the realm of my comprehension, but then, vinyl, barkcloth, terylene, crimplene were all the rage. Who ever thought those were a good idea and did they actually wear out or just disappear as some fads and fabrics should?

Now, rather than wear clothes out,  I eventually get tired of seeing the same outfits. It's like looking in the mirror every day and seeing the same old thing, but at least with clothing, we have a choice. We can get rid of the 80% we don't wear and the 20% we wear far too often. (a statistic I recently heard)

So it has been necessary to downsize my clothing along with my girth. I spent a few days test driving a lot of pieces to see what fit, what was still borderline, and what was unacceptable. I found a lot to give away. I also found some items that still work plus a few from a previous diet, an earlier size, and so on. Then there were a few....just a few that I know are too large, but went back into my dresser drawer. It made no sense, but there they are.

I think that most people who hoard "stuff" which they consider treasures do so because of the memories they stir up. The clothes that went back into my drawer had memories, fond memories. As I put each thing back, I had flashbacks of friends I was with, events I celebrated, and trips I went on while wearing the piece. I was not yet ready to say goodbye to everything.

There's a quote by Rachael Taylor that goes like this. "For me, clothing is nothing without the story behind it. Everything I own evokes some kind of memory."

Whereas Petticoat Lane and Diabetes Society have been the beneficiaries of much, my dresser drawer still contains a few....a few good memories of times gone by.