I shared this recipe for protein packed pancakes on my Instagram Stories a few weeks ago, but given that Stories have a shelf life of 24 hours, I’m sending it to you here….because it’s a good one to have in your back pocket.

Although I try to be upbeat as much as I can, the reality is that some weeks are challenging. This past few weeks have been like that for me. Thanks to the eradication of my daughter’s soother (it had to be done but my God I want it baaaaaackkkk!), she dropped naps on a dime. Here one day and gone the next! There have been a lot of tantrums over random stuff (like socks and toe nail cutting….really), tears from all parties involved, and just a general feeling that we could all use a vacation.

When life gets hard, one battle that I tend to give up on is fighting the kids over food. In general, we eat pretty healthy, but if given the choice, they’d still choose to eat hot dogs and soda crackers for every meal. The reality though is that we all need protein to stay sane, and when that’s the case, this is my go-to recipe. These pancakes are super quick to whip up and packed with an easy source of protein. I always have cottage cheese in my fridge, and can usually scrounge up  the rest of the ingredients, and once everything is gathered they only take about 10 minutes to make. (Truth: we ate these pancakes for dinner once and breakfast twice this past week!)

Protein Packed Pancakes
Makes 12

• 2 C Cottage Cheese (I use the 2% Beatrice from Costco, but I’m sure it would work with any 1% or 2% brand)
• 1 C white flour (You could probably try whole wheat but I won’t risk it as I make these when I really want my kids to eat.)
• 1 C egg whites
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C apple sauce (I use one squeeze pack.)
• Optional: 1C blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Toss everything except the blueberries in a bowl and mix. Once it’s well mixed, gently fold in the blueberries.

Cook them in a well greased frying pan over medium heat. Don’t attempt to flip until they are really set on the one side (or you’ll end up with a scramble, which I think is also delicious).

These protein pancakes are pretty fragile and won’t be fluffy like regular pancakes, but we love how gooey they get when the cottage cheese melts. Thankfully my kids don’t care if I feed them broken pancakes.

If you give this recipe a go, let me know how your family likes them in the comments!

Want to know what else saves my sanity? I often send out recipes and other fun randomness in the Raw Files emails. Scroll down to that little box below and enter your details to be part of the community? Or hey! Want to invite me over to hang out while you make pancakes as part of your family photo session? We can do that too!