Fall is approaching. The weather is cooling down & the kids are back to school. Workouts migrate outside to embrace the cooler temps & the vibrant scenery. All of these things bring me to my favorite seasonal ingredient to use – PUMPKIN! Pumpkin is chock full of vitamins and is very low calorie. Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidant rich. Plus vitamin C & fiber which help promote a healthy blood pressure & heart. So many benefits in this vibrant-colored ingredient. Plus along with everything else that grows, it has protein. Protein! Never has one ingredient been so controversial for people. If you’re vegan like me – the typical question is… “Where do you get your protein?” to “How much is necessary in a diet?”
How Much Protein Do I Need?
The US Department of Agriculture recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound). That means a woman who is 130 pounds should get at least 48 grams of protein but some recommend 70-80 grams if you’re athletic. Depending on your daily activities, you still may not be getting enough to help your muscles recover from your workouts.
If you get too little protein, you can suffer from fatigue, weakness or muscle loss. Your metabolism slows down and you put yourself at risk of gaining weight. It also weakens your immune system. This breakfast can be made ahead on the weekend so that you can refrigerate or freeze them and defrost as needed. Plus this makes a perfect quick & healthy breakfast for your kids too. And let’s face it… homemade trumps store-bought daily. These are vegan & gluten free.
Click here to get this recipe!
Method:
Into your food processor, add your oats and blend down to a chunkier flour. See photo below.
Then add your protein powder through salt and pulse a few times to blend. Blend your flax and water in a separate bowl and set aside for a few minutes to thicken up. While that’s working… add the remaining ingredients through the flax egg (when thick) to your food processor. Pulse several times to blend completely. If you need to, stop and scrape down the sides and pulse a few additional times.
Top with your favorite nuts or seeds.
Workout. Refuel. Rest. Enjoy!
Thank you Lucy Activewear for sponsoring this post.
— Knead to Cook
This recipe looks great, I’ll give it a try soon. I make big batches of oat flour, wheat, flax pancakes and keep them in the freezer for snacks with nut butter, etc.
I noticed on your Instagram you said you were streamlining your eating and your weight is down 7lbs. You always look so fit in a all your pictures. Did you gain weight during your injury? How have you streamlined your eating? How much weight do you want to lose? I herniated a disc at the beginning of this year and just started getting back to running a couple months ago. I think I actually lost some weight because I lost muscle. I was running 50-70 miles a week with no injuries and feeling very strong. I asked my ortho how many miles a week he recommended for somebody my age(44) and his advice was 20-25 miles a week! I hope that was a very conservative estimate! I think I’ll just listen to my body and go from there, 25 miles/wk doesn’t seem like much.
Hi! I had a lot of muscles loss during the recovery process for sure. I was extremely lean prior to my injury and would like to get back to it. I would like to lose 5 more pounds. I’m also 44 and the age thing and weight loss can be a maze to navigate. I’ve been intermittent fasting and eating 2 larger meals per day with one snack. I’m attempting to run 3 x this week as long as my knee behaves. I did 7 trail miles on Sunday up a mountain (I’m so out of shape) and 8 today with no pain or swelling. My focus is tightening up because the squishiness must go 🙂
These look amazing and I love all things pumpkin and fall! I see these as a dinner one night too! ❤️❤️
Amanda, TOTALLY! Love breakfast for dinner. We love these on the weekend. Good luck on the giveaway! oxo
Oh my this sounds good! I’m a new follower thanks to your Garmin giveaway ☺️
Christa, Thanks for the kind words! These are a favorite on the weekend 🙂 Best of luck on the giveaway! oxo
Hi Christa!! Welcome new friend oxo Best of luck to you.