Fitness Friday: Protein Pancakes

I know I've been a little AWOL, but I recently went away to visit a friend in the wonderful city of Nagano, and I've been enjoying my very brief spring break from work, so I've just been enjoying reading blog posts as opposed to writing them.

I've recently attempted to make my diet healthier and more specific for my nutritional needs. I have a massive sweet tooth, and I managed to make it by one week without so much as a piece of sweet goodness passing my lips, but unfortunately my trip to Nagano ruined my resolve, who can pass up the opportunity to try a cherry blossom flavoured ice cream? Not me, that's for sure. 

So I had this massive craving for some pancakes last night, and whilst the box of Japanese pancake mix and I had a stare down, I quickly put the search for hash tags to good use, and found a recipe I wanted to try my hand at.

So kiddos, today I'm going to share with you this pantastic pancake protein recipe!

You will need:

1 x medium sized banana, or half a big one
2 x egg whites
1/4 cup of oats
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 scoop of protein powder of choice (I have vanilla flavoured at the moment)
1 x teensy bit of coconut oil

You mash the banana with a fork and add the egg whites and mix them around a bit. Add the oats, cinnamon and protein powder, and add a dash of water to make the consistency a little runnier. I think I added a tbsp or two.

Warm up your pan, add just enough coconut oil so your pancakes don't burn, and add the mixture to the pan once warm enough. I had enough mix for two pancakes, and I cooked them on a medium flame.

Fail at making my pancake look pretty, but I scoffed down the other one with a bit of peanut butter and blueberries on top and it was yum as!

What do you think, kiddos? Something that you might give a go? What's a simple and healthy dessert you enjoy?

 

Liebster Award!

I really wasn't expecting this so this really made my Tuesday morning! A big thank you to Monica from The Total Opposite blog who has nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. Please check her out, she's a bilingual beauty, and I hope she'll help me brush up on my Spanish!

I've been trying to source the original blog that started this, but unfortunately it seems like this might not be possible but this blogger has done the detective work. I'm going to change the rules around just a wee bit, because it's a bit like that game, Chinese whispers, and I'm a rule breaker ;)
 
1) Share 10 things about yourself.
2) Answer the 10 questions that your tagger has given you.
3) Choose at least 5 fellow blogs to nominate. The nominees must have under 200 Google Friend Connect followers and be told in a comment on their blog.
4) Think of 10 questions to ask the bloggers you have nominated.
5) Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.

10 Tidbits About Me

1. It has been my dream to visit Japan since I was 12 years old, so I'm living the dream as I am currently living and working there. 
2. I have a deep love for a Japanese boy band called NEWS (ニュース). They are all things fluffy and adorable and they make my life. And this song is super catchy (I suggest watching it from 3:00 unless you want to see their adorkableness).
3. I am a group fitness instructor. Minus the leggings and neon tights.
4. I have lived in 3 different countries.
5. I am multilingual.
6. I once almost ate a bug by accident. It was in my drink and I chomped down on it *cries*
7. I used to read a lot of vampire/werewolf/witch teen romance books as a teen. Twilight does not compare to them.
8. I smell all my fruit before buying them.
9. I never wear my new shoes in so I get painful blisters 99.9% of the time.
10. I don't drink coffee because I know that if I started to drink it, I would never give it up.

11 Questions From Monica

1. Shorts or skirts?
Shorts! As much as I'd like to say skirts...I always slip into shorts in warmer weather.
2. What's your favorite magazine?
I don't read them much, but if I did, it'd be The National Geographic.
3. Favorite piece of clothing you own?
Jeez, this is a toughie. But I have to say this dress I am absolutely in love with and can't wait to wear again during summer!
4. Wavy or straight hair?
Wavy, definitely! I think it just always looks sexy.
5. Do you like to read?
Hah, do I ever? I'm a total bookwork.
6. What's your ideal job?
Doing close to nothing whilst earning lots of money and helping others. Is this a real job?
7. Do you have any pets? How many?
I wish :'( My current pets are a stuffed penguin and a dying plant on my windowsill.
8. Favorite fruit?
Difficult! Bananas...and strawberries...and cherries.
9. Do you play an instrument?
My best friend started to teach me how to play the guitar and the bass when we were in high school. I stopped because I didn't have a guitar of my own which I really regret.
10. Heels or flats?
As much as I adore heels, I wear flats all the time, so flats it is!
11. Favorite thing in your room?
My Montego Bay candle. It smells just absolutely divine, I cannot describe my love for Glasshouse Fragrance candles. (I also own Tahaa, the best vanilla scented candle in the world.)

My Nominees

1. Kendra from Beauty By Kendra C 
2. Emma from A Hundred Lip Things
3. Rosina from All Things Beauty 
4. Stacey from Expat Make-up Addict
5. Ezi from I.K.I.N.T.O.O.

My 10 Questions For the Nominees

1. What song are you currently bopping along to?
2. What is your favourite fairy tale?
3. What is your favourite online store/s?
4. What is your pet peeve?
5. What book has had an impact on your life?
6. If you were turned into a vampire, what would you do?
7. What is something that's really made you laugh recently? (Link us to the video/image/post, if you can!)
8. How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus?
9. What is your favourite Disney/childhood movie?
10. If you rubbed a lamp, a genie popped out and could grant you three wishes, what would those wishes be?

Spreading the love, y'all. Big thank you, again, to the lovely Monica for nominating me!  If you think there are any other lovely blogs that deserve this, shout out so we know!

Image from www.theyesgirls.com

 

February Favourites

Better late than never!, is what I always say. With that said, I'm jumping aboard the monthly favourites bandwagon all the beauty bloggers seem to be riding.

My selection is small, but there are the ones that have stood out most for me *cough*didn'thaveenoughroomforotherthings*cough*.

Pompadour Peppermint Tea: A favourite tea of mine no matter what the time of year, but was even more of a treat during the cold winter. Warms me up, and keeps the discomforts of gluten-filled food eating slightly at bay. Unfortunately, tea is on the expensive side here so this cost me a horrifying ¥600!
Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil: This lip balm has lived in my right jacket pocket for the last couple of months, and I don't go anywhere without. It smells delicious, tastes sweet, and has helped relieve my poor lips of their chapped pain.
Rausch Moisturizing Body Butter: A gift from my aunty's friend who used to work for Rausch. This body butter smells amazing, clean and refreshing. The scent just reminds me of Greece now because I used it constantly on my poor sunburned body. It's perfect because it deeply nourishes, and absorbs into the skin straight away. Will definitely be doing a review on this.
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water: Has been my saviour for those lazy winter nights when I can't be assed waddling over to my sub-zero temperature bathroom to take off my makeup. I can hear the tsk-tsk's from over here...But review is over yonder.
Fake Pearl Stud Earrings in 8mm:  To make myself look (and feel) more classy, I bought myself these stunners from this eBay seller for 2 buck. Sweet as.
Flowerbomb by Viktor&Rolf EDP: One of my favourite all-time perfumes. Bought this LE gorgeous perfume for myself 2 Christmas' ago, and it feels like I'm indulging in something very luxurious whenever I wear it. It's a scent I would describe as heavy, and is perfect for cooler weather. Very sweet, very beautiful, and I think a favourite of many other women.
It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product: My hair and I are in constant war with each other, but I feel like my techniques of pacification have been helping me with a peace treaty. I have been using a few other new hair products, but I feel like this has been helping with the split ends and hair breaking off. Unfortunately, have naturally fine and curly hair that's been dyed blonde for the last couple of years, means that I have an array of hair problems.

I have kept it short and sweet my lovelies, but what has been your favourite of the short month of February?

Almost The One Ring to Rule Them All

I'm a big fan of costume jewellery, as much as the real stuff. I worked in a jewellery store for most of my time in university, so I know a thing or two about the bling bling. I love something different, something I know not many people will have. At the same time, I'm not about to avoid something because I know it's "trendy" or a lot of people also own it.

This weekend I spent a fair bit of time in a shop I'd normally speed by on my way to the amazing 315 yen store. It's a costumer jewellery store, and it has a lot of rocking, trendy things in there that I wouldn't have noticed had I not actually gone in. From the outside, it looks like it sells the normal type of delicate chains and earrings commonly seen here in Japan, but once you go in for a closer look, there are many beautiful things to be discovered.

I have been lusting after a plain bar two-finger ring for a couple of years now, and I have not been able to find "the one" even after hours of searching on etsy and eBay. However, this weekend, I think I've found something very close to "the one".

As you can see from the misalignment of the bars in the ring, it's not a very high quality ring. Even though it was overpriced, I was happy to treat myself to something I'd been wanting for a while.

As you can see you can bend it to fit the size of your fingers - though surprisingly, it's the first ring in Japan that I've tried that doesn't bend to be as snug as I'd like it to be. I was definitely thinking, 'wow, this ring is definitely made for fat gaijin fingers!'. (P.S To those not familiar with Japanese words - 'gaijin' means foreigner, and it has a somewhat derogatory nuance to it depending on situation, and who's saying it, etc.)

Selfie of fat gaijin fingers as aforementioned. I think this ring will definitely spice up my otherwise boring work outfits!

What kind of jewellery person are you? Do you prefer rings, necklaces, earrings? Are you a silver, gold or rose gold fan?