Carrot cake protein pancakes

(minus the protein powder)

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Hi guys! How’s your week going so far? I’m excited that the weekend is almost here! Any fun plans? We’re having some friends over for dinner Friday night, headed to a birthday party Saturday, and Easter adventures Sunday. As much as we miss everyone, we decided to stay here in San Diego for the holiday weekend instead of making the drive to Tucson. We’re still settling and adjusting, and Liv is finally back on schedule after being a champ during the two-week moving/packing process. We’re hope to make a trip soon.. I can never stay away for very long. <3

We’re still having a blast exploring our new home, and went to check out the Safari Park yesterday. 

Hot air balloon  1 of 1

Goats: the highlight of any theme park.

Petting the goat  1 of 1

I loved the fact that the animals had so much room to roam and that they’re endeavoring to keep the California ecosystem intact throughout the park. We met up with some friends and their baby. rode a safari tram through “Africa” to see beautiful wildlife, saw a bird show, ate lunch, and hit up the goat petting area before leaving. All in all, a successful trip 😉

Later that afternoon, I went to Orange Theory for a workout and ended up biting the bullet to get a membership. The drop-in rate is $30, so if I went more than twice a month, it would be more cost-effective to get a membership. I got a 4 class pack per month, and I know I’ll be using it! It’s seriously one of the most challenging, fun and functional workouts I’ve tried. 

I have a delicious new breakfast to show ya this morning:

Carrot cake pancakes  1 of 1

Last time we went to the Good Egg in Tucson, my nana shared some of her carrot cake pancakes with me and I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind. I decided to take this recipe  for grain-free pancakes and jazz it up a little.

Here’s what I did:

-Made this almond meal pancake batter

-Added one peeled and grated carrot to the mixture, along with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of cloves

-For the icing, I mixed 2 tablespoons goat cream cheese with 1 tablespoon almond milk and sweetened it with Stevia (for Liv, I just drizzled hers with pure maple syrup)

It was a fun healthy take on the carrot cake pancakes, plus an awesome dose of healthy fats, fiber and protein (minus any protein powder). Livi loved them, too!

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Hope you have a wonderful day! <3

xoxo

Gina

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55 Comments

  1. karla @ finding my fit on April 17, 2014 at 11:19 am

    This sounds delicious! I’m a carrot cake fan of all sorts… so this must be tried in my kitchen =)

  2. Laura B @ FitMamaLove on April 17, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Those pancakes sound so good! Especially with the cream cheese topping! I’ve long been a fan of Peanut Butter Finger’s banana bread protein pancakes, but haven’t tried this recipe before.

  3. Michele on April 17, 2014 at 11:36 am

    That mug is so cute! Where did you get it?

  4. Carrie on April 17, 2014 at 11:57 am

    A $30 drop-in!? Jeebus!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 12:29 pm

      Right?! I was like “oh, I’ll just do drop-ins.” No way

  5. Nikki on April 17, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    If you don’t mind me asking, how much is the 4 pack/month membership? I’ve gone to their website but it doesn’t quote a price:-(

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 12:29 pm

      It was 69/month. About average for a gym membership, but can only go 1x week

  6. Courtney Bentley on April 17, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Wow $30.00 DROP IN, makes me rethink my prices 😉

    Have an amazing Easter <3

  7. Brynn on April 17, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    I love making carrot cake cupcakes but have never tried pancakes. My husband adores carrot cake, so I like to take recipes and give them a carrot cake twist. I can’t wait to try this out!

  8. Tracy on April 17, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    I love the Safari Park!! That will be a great place to visit on the regular for a dose of sunshine and entertainment! Gotta take advantage of the great things SD has to offer!

    I’m definitely going to try these pancakes…yum! Love carrot cake and always welcome an opportunity to add veg to breakfast!

    I think you’ll be glad you went for the Orange Theory membership. I have a friend who taught there and had great things to say about it. I would have joined jumped in if I didn’t already have a Lifetime membership!

  9. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on April 17, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    Those pancakes look yummy!

    I’m really jealous you got to pet goats! We saw some on a farm when we were in Mexico and I wanted to take one home with me. I’m not sure how I would have managed to get through customs though. ;p

  10. Jackie on April 17, 2014 at 1:16 pm

    These sound delish!

  11. Erin (Running Tall) on April 17, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    Reading this recipe right before lunch was a mistake! I’m starving now. Going to need to try these pancakes out this weekend for easter!

  12. Megan @ The Skinny-Life on April 17, 2014 at 1:29 pm

    Seriously, $30 for a drop-in? That is crazy! I seriously need to check out the orange theory near me. You must really like it if you bought a membership! I’m looking to jazz up my routine with something new! Those carrots pancakes sound delicious! Happy Easter!

  13. Yvonne on April 17, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Ohh I am so used to protein pancakes, this would be a nice twist. The pancake recipe calls for 1T sweetener. Do you use stevia or honey or?? thanks!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 2:03 pm

      i did honey and they were perfect 🙂

      • Yvonne on April 17, 2014 at 2:14 pm

        Thank you!!

  14. Kimberly on April 17, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    Glad you guys are doing well settling in. If you don’t mind me asking what is the name of the nail polish you are wearing? It is a beautiful spring color. Happy Easter!

  15. Brittany on April 17, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Sounds like an awesome day! So jealous you’re beach side :).

    How old was Olivia when you tried nuts? My daughters 15 months and with conflicting research I’m perplexed!!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 2:04 pm

      i can’t remember :/ she was a little over a year. i was really nervous about it, and then i told tom “she had peanut butter today and she was fine!” and tom was like “i know, i gave her peanut butter a couple months ago” haha

      • Brittany on April 17, 2014 at 2:07 pm

        That’s funny!! Okay today’s the day!!

  16. Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork on April 17, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing! I’ve been wanting to try out a new, easy weekend breakfast idea and this sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try!

  17. Haily on April 17, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    I need to know about Liv’s shoes. Stat.

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 5:13 pm

      freshly picked moccasins! THE BEST

  18. Alex @ Kenzie Life on April 17, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    These look like the perfect Easter breakfast 🙂 I’ve never tried Orange Theory but I have a hard time straying from my beloved Pure Barre. I’m most looking forward to dyeing my hair this weekend (though I probably won’t be dyeing any eggs!) Have a great one, Gina!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm

      haha i like the idea of dyeing hair instead of eggs 😉

  19. Odette on April 17, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    Just so you, the first photo and the one further below of the pancakes definitely show your progress with photography. Great job!! 🙂 I noticed as soon as the entry opened up.

    I hope you are enjoying SD, I have been leaving you messages since I heard you were coming and never heard back but I know you are busy! Just happy to see you made it!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm

      thank you so much! i’ve been working on it 🙂
      sorry i didn’t get back to your messages! via Facebook or here??

      • Odette on April 17, 2014 at 5:25 pm

        On here whenever I started seeing you guys got deployed to SD.

        I have a good amount of friends in the yoga scene here, they are great people so let me know if you ever want to connect with them! And I know you guys are foodies too so if you are craving anything in particular don’t hesitate in asking me for tips. I moved here from Guadalajara 4 years ago and I’ve spent my time crossing off restaurants off lists and finding the best Mexican food and fish taco here 😀 I work in the restaurant industry so i’t something that I love.

        I’ve been reading you for years, I am pregnant now so I am always happy to read your updated on family!!

        San Diego is such a great place to be with kids, Livi will LOVE it.

        Besos!

        • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 7:15 pm

          wonderful, thank you so much!! (i’d love to hear your recommendations for mexican and fish tacos!)
          congratulations on your pregnancy, too <3
          xoxo

  20. Odette on April 17, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    I meant to type:

    Just so you know….. on the first sentence

    Oops!

  21. Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs on April 17, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    Ooooh those pancakes look so good! Happy long weekend 🙂

  22. Lauren @ Focused To Be Fit on April 17, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    HEAVEN!!!! These look like perfection. <3

  23. Sara @ LovingOnTheRun on April 17, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    Looks DELICIOUS! Enjoy your weekend 🙂

  24. Kelly on April 17, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    Yipes! That’s spendy for a “drop-in”! These cookies look amazing and I can’t to try them out!

    What is the brand/color of your nail polish? I love it!

    • Fitnessista on April 17, 2014 at 5:11 pm

      thank you! it’s butter london “trout pout” 🙂

  25. Runner Girl Eats on April 17, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    Cream cheese frosting for breakfast?! SOLD.

  26. Erica Chavez on April 17, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    These look so delicious!! Thanks for sharing this recipe! Got to love protein pancakes!

  27. Jeannie on April 17, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    I’ve been meaning to try OTF for a bit now…I keep chickening out because I’m afraid I’ll look like a fool in the class. Since you enjoyed it enough to buy a membership, I just may give it a shot.

  28. Faye Holloway on April 17, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    I’ve really gotten into Orange Theory this year and try to go twice a week, but I get so frustrated because I never get 12 minutes in the orange. Today I only got five and was green for 39 minutes. How much are you in the orange? I think it’s hard because I’ve just started running so I take a few more walk breaks than they give us, but I really want to get up to 12!

    • Fitnessista on April 21, 2014 at 1:37 am

      i’m in the orange for about 15 minutes, green for about, and blue for the rest. if you’re in the green, you’re good! can you up the incline on your walk breaks? that might help you make it there!
      xo

  29. queenoffitness on April 17, 2014 at 11:04 pm

    Just wanted to echo the comments above….the photo lessons are paying off! Your photos the past 2 weeks have looked stunning. I always liked your photos before but wow, what progress in such a short time frame. I just got a DSLR a few months ago. I need to retread your post with the photo tips after seeing your results.

    • Fitnessista on April 21, 2014 at 1:36 am

      wow, thank you so much!! it makes me so excited that you can tell a difference 🙂
      xoxo

  30. ashley on April 18, 2014 at 12:25 am

    Orange Theory looks like a GREAT workout!!!– I wish there was one near me! Have you tried veganizing the protein pancakes? I haven’t attempted to make them with flax eggs but I think this weekend I might try because carrot cake pancakes sound awesome!

  31. Elizabeth {Positively Healthy} on April 18, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Just in time for the holiday weekend!! They looks so pretty as well which is always a plus!

  32. Rhiannon @ Bound to be a Buckeye on April 18, 2014 at 8:47 am

    You have no idea how excited I am for this pancake recipe!!! I just saw some mini carrot cakes in the grocery store yesterday and it made my heart hurt not to buy one 🙂 We’re staying in our new “home” instead of heading back to visit family for Easter too. I think it’ll be great though, we’re cooking a nice meal and having another Ohio transplant over. I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday in your new home!!!

  33. Grace @The Big Reveal on April 18, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    What a great pre-Easter treat! We will definitely give these a try.

  34. kate on April 19, 2014 at 1:12 am

    Looks delicious as does everything you whip up 🙂 Just wanted to let you know your Pinterest link up at the top is broken.

    • Fitnessista on April 21, 2014 at 1:26 am

      thank you, i need to fix that thing

  35. Kate on April 19, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    Happy to see you guys getting all settled. Having the kitchen set up really does wonders for making a new place feel like home. And those carrot cake pancakes look divine! I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a whirl soon. Thank you for sharing, as always 🙂

  36. Anon Canuck on April 20, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    What necklace are you wearing and where is it from?

  37. John Harris @ Shortcut Workouts on April 21, 2014 at 2:38 am

    Finally a protein cake that doesn’t require protein powder. I was using Tim Ferriss’s approach till now, I will try the carrot cake next sunday!

  38. Meg K on April 21, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    love the color of your top…may i ask where it is from?!

    • Fitnessista on April 21, 2014 at 6:12 pm

      white plum sent it to me. i just looked on the website for a link and can’t find the top :/

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