Slimming World Porridge Pancakes

So I started Slimming World back in April but just wasn't ready for the commitment at that time. What with waiting patiently with my recovery from post traumatic stress disorder, I needed a bit more time to get my head round it.

Having gone from desserts every night and eating convenience food with zero prep, it was a shock to the system to start with! I started again in July and have continued since. I feel like I've found my groove with it. Adding in a few Iceland Slimming World ready meals and easier dinners with less prep. It takes the pressure off. I also went too hard on the exercise to start with. Now I just do a bit of walking when I can. It's not so intense and I love it. Put your music in and switch off. It really helps clear my mind.

It's also been a saviour in cooking for my son, with his rare genetic disorder of not absorbing fat. If I'm prepping and cooking for us, then I can adapt the same dish and cook alongside for him. As all the meals are so low in total fat, it's a winner!

So, as I mentioned, I have a sweet tooth. So what better way to indulge than some Slimming World friendly pancakes! Here's a recipe I found after hearing about it in group.

You Will Need

• 40g of Porridge Oats (no syns if using as your Healthy Extra 'B' choice. Or count as 6 syns).
• 2 eggs, beaten.
• Light, greek style, syn free yoghurt of your choice. I used Muller Light Greek style cocunut flavour, 120g pot. Half a syn for this.
• Half a tsp of vanilla extract.
• 2-3 tbsp sweetener. (You now need to syn this at half a syn per tbsp).
• Fry Light, preferably the coconut one.

My Top Tips

A little update for you. Since writing this blog post, these pancakes have become a weekly treat in my Slimming World journey! Whilst I am constantly battling my urges and cravings for sweet things, this dish is great for satisfying them! So after doing this regularly, I've learnt a few tricks for optimum results.

• If you have the time and organisation, always try to do the first step overnight. That's mixing the oats and your chosen fat free yoghurt and leaving them to soak in the fridge overnight.
• If you can give more time for the second step too, I think this also helps.
• Another key factor is to keep the mixture chilled in the fridge at all times until you are ready to cook.
• It all helps to stop it burning and allowing a more even cooking result. I think it also helps to keep the mixture less runny/messy. Trust me, if you try to flip these before they're set you will end up with a soggy mess! Common sense really!
• Another way to stop it burning and allow best use of the Fry Light is to take your pan off the heat each time you dollop in another round. As the Fry Light is an emulsion, this means it's oil mixed with water. This is why it's always best to cook with this stuff on a low heat. On a medium/high heat, such as with these pancakes, the water evaporates off and the oil isn't far behind! So by doing this, not only do you reduce the sizzle and burning off, you also reduce the inconsistency of uneven cooking.
• Only do one desert spoon/tablespoon at a time. If you try to do more, it'll end up too runny and cook awkwardly! It can be tedious standing there doing round after round which is why I tried this to get bigger pancakes for a smaller yield. It just didn't work! Patience pays off.
• Lastly, I would keep the heat at a constant medium temperature.

Method

1. Mix the yoghurt and oats together. Leave to soak for 10-15 mins.

2. Add the beaten eggs, sweetner and vanilla extract. Mix well then leave again for 10-15 mins.

3. Using a tablespoon of mixture at a time, fry it using your Fry Light on a medium heat. Flip them over half way through. I needed to turn the heat down slightly half way through. As I found the longer I cooked for, the hotter the pan got! Funny that! So the first batch took longer, about 2-3 mins before needing to flip over. Then was about 1-2 minutes each side. They won't bubble up like normal American style pancakes.

4. Serve and add your toppings. You can either keep it low and add fruit, syn free yoghurt. Or add fruit and choc shot as I've done. I used 2 level tsp, so 1 syn. Including my yoghurt, the whole lot worked out as 1 and a half. Using the porridge as my Healthy Extra. Another yummy topping would be bacon (fat removed) with maple syrup as a filling breakfast. And synning the syrup accordingly.

These were so yummy! I had them for breakfast but you could definitely have them as a dessert. We're going away to Spain in a couple of weeks, self catering. I was wondering how I'm going to resist having a pastry or croissant with my coffee for breakfast... Well I think I've found my answer! Pancakes every morning it is!!

Please do let me know if you try this recipe and what you thought. Or any fantastic toppings you've tried. I'd love to hear from you!

Links and credits:
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Recipe taken from:
http://www.nobodysaiditwaseasy.co.uk/2016/02/recipe-yogurt-oat-pancakes.html