Good morning!
Well, it is official, late night swims make it really hard to fall asleep at night!
Last night Eric and I tossed and turned until about 2am.
This morning, these were needed desperately:
That would be Four O’Clock White and Green loose leaf tea.
But, before I had a cuppa, I clearly demonstrated why I should not be cooking in the kitchen on too little sleep.
Microwave door edge, meet Angela’s head.
Angela’s head, meet microwave door edge.
Was a mere bump on the head going to stop me? Absolutely not. I put that ice pak on my head and cooked one-handed. I was on a girl on a mission.
Remember that juicy orange I had last night before bed? Well, it turns out that oranges do nothing for hunger. They make you get up in the night to go to the bathroom, but that is about it. Of course, I knew this, but I can’t eat much before bed or I get stomach pains. I woke up this morning with a growling tummy!
You know what it said to me?
It said: Banana Pancake Sandwich– in a jiffy!
When my tummy speaks, I shall listen.
In A Jiffy Banana Pancake Sandwich
Adapted from my Healthy Spelt Pancakes for One.
Ingredients:
Pancakes:
- 1/2 cup whole grain spelt flour (other flours would probably work although you might have to adjust the milk amount)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp Amazing Grass Amazing Meal Chocolate protein powder (optional)
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup Almond Milk
Directions: Pre-heat skillet on medium heat and lightly coat with oil (I used coconut oil). Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add the wet ingredients and use a whisk to mix well. Pour a small amount of the mixture onto the skillet and make tiny pancakes, no larger than about 3 inches in width. Because the pancakes are tiny, you will be able to flip them very easy.
While the pancakes are cooking, slice a banana and set aside. Now combine the syrup ingredients in a small bowl.
Reduced-sugar pancake syrup:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Now assemble the pancake sandwich by layering the pancakes with the slices of banana. Add desired toppings and syrup. I used cacao nibs as a topping, but the sky is the limit! You can also double or triple this recipe, I doubled it this morning and make them for Eric too.
I love, love, love this syrup.
Let me just say I was feeling MUCH better after this breakfast!
I love these pancakes for 1 because it is the perfect amount and I don’t feel sick after eating them like other pancakes.
They tasted wildly indulgent, but they are actually really healthy. For the nutritional info, see this post.
Here is another one of my favourite quotes that I thought would be a good topic for discussion today:
“When I was young, I thought confidence could be earned with perfection. Now I know that you don’t earn it; you claim it. And you do that by loving the wacky, endlessly optimistic, enthusiastically uninhibited free spirit that is the essence of style, the quintessence of heart, and uniquely YOU.” ~ Cecelie Berry, writer
I too used to think that confidence was gained through perfection, but I realized after many years when the goal is perfection nothing will EVER be enough. There will always be something else to achieve or to do before you can finally be content with yourself.
I used to base my confidence on the number on the scale, but even if that number was low, I still wasn’t there yet, so I couldn’t give myself permission to be happy. Some day, I thought. Some day I will be there. Well, you know what? That day never came.
Years went by and I GOT SICK OF WAITING to give myself permission to be happy. I was sick of wasting precious time because I didn’t think that I deserved to be happy yet. I finally had to claim confidence, slowly over time, and to realize that I was good enough as I was in that very moment.
And so are you.
Right now, you are good enough. No, you are more than good enough, you are fabulous, amazing, inspiring, unique, and capable of so much more than you dream of.
Today’s question: Can you relate to this quote? Have you ever claimed confidence or happiness instead of waiting for it?
Angela, your posting of that quote is so timely for me. I am in the middle of training for a 5K and a pretty horrible run on Tuesday. At another time in my life, I would have let that run discourage me, and would have felt horrible. Instead I chose to be happy with what I was able to accomplish. Perhaps it was not my total goal — but it was something. And the “glow” I was sporting after my run had me feeling strong and confident.
This is exactly how I have lived most of my life….I have begun to give myself permission to be happy!!!! Thanx for the reminder!
Wow, I absolutely love love love that quote. Since I’m newly single I’ve really gone up and down with confidence and this quote really settles me. Thank you for sharing this :)
love that quote! sometimes you gotta fake it when you dont feel that confident and then you kinda grow into it.
Looks so yummy! I’m definitely of the mind set that if I tell myself I am happy or confident then I become it. Your own pep talk is totally underrated.
these looks delicious AND I have all of the ingredients in my pantry right now, which NEVER happens. So excited to try these tomorrow :)
Oh my gosh can I relate to that quote! I lived my life thinking I was a failure and worthless for so long but then one day I realized the problem wasn’t that I was overweight (which I was) but that I was ALLOWING it to define who I was. Slowly and steadily I started to crawl out of that and, although I still struggle with it every now and then, I’m in a MUCH better place. Last week I made the decision to literally throw my scale away. I still have weight to lose but I’ve decided to not let a number dictate when I should be happy with my body but to let ME be happy with my body!
Thanks so much for sharing that quote (AND those pancakes! Holy yum!)!
This blog has always struck a familiar chord with me, this post specifically.
Last year I was extremely unhappy and unsatisfied with my life. I was struggling in a PhD program, and the only way I made it through was by reminding myself that it would be over soon enough, that 5 years wasn’t that long. Over last summer I realized that I didn’t want to struggle, I wanted to live and thrive!
I made a huge decision, I abandoned my NY life and moved to Scotland!
It was the best decision I ever made. I stopped dieting, stopped using a scale, stopped worrying in general. Life is not about waiting to be happy, it’s about living!
Thank you for all the wonderful posts. It is nice to know that there are others out there just like me who have struggled with these problems.
First off, that banana pancake sandwich makes me happy :) I can relate to this topic of waiting to be happy. One day, esp. after spending a lot of time travelling and simply observing people of all different cultures, I realized that I can be happy just the way that I am. There was no need to wait for “perfection,” b/c regardless of achieving it or not, the world is going to keep whizzing by! I am so happy that I realized this now (at 30) rather than later in life. Enjoying life is the purpose of it. Allow yourself to do just that!
I have battled depression and low self-esteem for a number of years and still struggle with it from time to time. I, too, have been waiting for happiness to come to me and feel that I have based so much of my life by the numbers on the scale. I am tired of wasting the wonderful times in my life by thinking I don’t deserve to be happy yet. I am now on the road to changing that. I am claiming my confidence and right to be happy. Wish me luck!
I can totally relate to that quote. It’s SO true. My husband always says ‘perfection is the enemy of the good’.
Great post!!! You are so right about not waiting for happiness. The day to start living is today. You are so wise…
GREAT quote. I’ve recently had a similar experience, courtesy of training for (and finishing!) my first half marathon this past Saturday.
I’ve been working through depression over the last year and a half, and gained some weight in the process. (Because of the depression? the meds? not sure…) I’m at the heaviest I’ve ever been – about 20 pounds from my happy weight – and it was really eating at me.
I signed up for a half marathon with the thought of getting back in shape. I had a ridiculous exercise regime planned, but I quickly found that I needed to concentrate on getting my miles in. My schedule was too busy to be perfect with lifting, yoga, swimming, and running. I got the miles in, and did the best I could with the rest.
A few weeks before the race, I had an epiphany while running. I hadn’t really lost any weight (maybe a pound or two), and it suddenly dawned on me that despite this, here I was, accomplishing my goal anyway. I realized I needed to love and appreciate my body for doing what once seemed daunting, no matter if the size on my shorts was bigger than what I’d like. I was good enough! It sounds simple, but it really was an amazing realization for me.
I finished my race and am already committed to doing another half and then a full marathon in the fall! Of course, I’m working on losing some of the extra weight – but now because I want to get faster – not because I’m chained to the scale. My perfectionistic tendencies aren’t gone, but I’m learning to quiet them, run by run.
Fav photos: The 2nd syrup pouring photo + the last photo with the fork! They look delicious! I’ve made 2 similar syrups before…one with maple + coconut butter and the other with maple + cacao bliss. Seriously to die for! Weird that swimming kept you up so late!! I haaaaaaaaate having to pee in the middle of the night!
That coconut syrup is making my stomach grumble. And with the nibs!! Genius!! I had a kitchen accident myself today, they’re the worst!
My key for feeling confident is realizing that no one is more critical of me than….me. I feel like when I see something I don’t like in myself, I’m probably the only one who truly notices so if I beat myself up, I’m the only one who’s affected or suffering!
omg those pancakes look soooo good!!!
“Right now, you are good enough. No, you are more than good enough, you are fabulous, amazing, inspiring, unique, and capable of so much more than you dream of.”
Love this quote! I actually got shivers down my back when I read it. So many peoples lives could be so much more fulfilling if they believed this!
My last clumsy accident was whacking my head on the side of my van as I hurried to get into it. OUCH!! Hope you’re feeling better!
I’ve been having horrible sleeps lately too. I think it’s the weather change or something?
Enjoy your day! :)
I have decided after seeing this post I am for sure making pancakes tonight for dinner!!!
Yes I can relate…I got tired of waiting to be happy/waiting to be “skinny.” I did something about it!
P.S.
That pancake creation looks crazy!
Those pancakes look delicious! Thanks for the reminder as well that it is ok to give ourselves permission to be happy. :)