An Eclectic Mix of Inspiration

I've gotten in the habit of cooking breakfast, taking it outside to the front patio, setting it down on the little table, and snapping a picture to send to my mom.  I almost certainly will get an excited "That looks delicious!!!" response within minutes (complete with an expressive emoji- she's so hip).  Sometimes I'll get something like "Where's the beef?" My dad can't help but give his occasional input.  Anyway...my mom (whom I'll call "Maj" from this point forward) started asking me for recipes because she's been feeling a little stagnant in the kitchen. The faint idea of a blog gets planted...

Yeah...not kidding when I say every morning.

I also have been reading quite the assortment of books this summer: The Color of Water, The Secret Life of Bees, Life of Pi, and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, to name a random few.  Each of these have woven themselves into the fabric of my thoughts.  I should mention, by the way- I have been living away from anything I've ever known this summer, which gives one ample time to think. And cook. And run. The three go oddly well together.

Furthermore, a more explicit influence on creating this blog: I was asked to look over two new blogs, one for a friend raising money to go to Honduras, and the other for my recently engaged sister. Looking at these and then connecting with part of Eat Pray Love has led me to want to share my thoughts. About life. About health- in mind, body and spirit.  Balance.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, food will take the spotlight of this blog, with the occasional non-edible tangent.

And then lastly...yesterday, my sister (the engaged one) asked me to send some recipes her way, upping my total requests for food ideas to two!  And so...well, enter "when health is yummy" (ever typed "recursion" into google? Sorry. Nerdy comp-sci joke.)

So. I'm going to start simple.  My grandma Josie has one rule of thumb for cooking, and that is that if you need many more fingers than that thumb to count a recipe's ingredients, well then forget it (her safe maximum is around 5).  So I shall call these...

Josie's Pancakes.

Because there are four ingredients. So easy. And quick. And HEALTHY!  Throw in whatever mix-ins you want, and viola! Delish.

Note the cute plate, and the matching fork! Thanks, Maj!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 c. oat flour (or whole wheat, or whatever. I had oats, so I grounded them up and used that!)
6 oz. nonfat greek yogurt (meh- just eyeball it)
1 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:
Mix ingredients. Pour on hot skillet. Add mix-ins if desired! Flip when bubbly (which may be a little less obvious than the pancakes you're probably used to- just nudge the edge and peek underneath to see if it's slightly browned. If so, flip!). Top with more yummies, if desired, and consume.

I had one with sliced strawberries in it, topped with peanut butter. The other had cinnamon and chocolate chips, and was topped with peanut butter as well!

I ate these right after a long run- the perfect combination of carbs, protein, and healthy fats for a post-workout snack!