There’s a rad little cafe in the very Northwest corner of Portland called the Stepping Stone, and while I only ate there a few times during the years (when I was finishing culinary school) that I lived there, I will never ever forget the experience. The thing to order – if you’re of a certain mind – are the Mancakes. Aptly named because they are quite literally the size of manhole covers. Most folx order the shortstack (two massive pancakes.) I for certain fell for this trick, even though there is no way on god’s green earth that I could have come even close to finishing my order. I can remember eating less than a quarter of my plate before I needed a nap. But there was just something about a stack of pancakes so ample, you could use them as a pillow + fall asleep on their fluffy maple-yness, ya know?
There are quite a few stacks of pancakes that I can recall that warranted a nap shortly after indulging. And while naps are great and I do love them, having a satisfying, hearty breakfast and then a nap just isn’t my vibe. I’m much more likely to wake late on a winter’s day, make pancakes, linger over them, then motivate to play outside for a while. But most of the recipes that I’ve found for pancakes are the sleep inducing kind. Something just HAD to be done.
And so over the past couple of years, I’ve set to work making a couple of recipes that would fit all of my pancake needs. They need to be fluffy and light on the inside (not dense,) and crispy around the edges. They need to have some flavor so that they don’t REQUIRE drowning in maple syrup…and instead the maple is a nice accompaniment (as it’s meant to be.) And, I want them to make me feel like going out + enjoying the luxury of a lazy day breakfasting and enjoying. That’s a pancake breakfast dream for me.
These Sweet Potato Gingerbread Pancakes are the best stab I’ve made so far, zhuzhed up with sweet potato puree for a little boost of nutrients, packed with whole grains, and fluffed up with a rad little plant-based protein trick that I think you’ll dig. (And if you don’t, I share how to do it with eggs – keep reading!)
Now, you may already understand what’s happening in your body when you eat a stack of simple, cafe pancakes and promptly need to take a nap, but if you’re like me and you just hate that feeling, I’ll elaborate so that you can learn to guard yourself against such a pitfall. (If you want. Maybe that’s your jam + so that’s rad too.) A simple pancake breakfast, made from simple all-purpose flour, eggs, buttermilk, and butter will be lacking the fiber and protein needed to give your pancakes sticking power. Literally, you take a sweet sweet bite, drizzled with maple syrup + dolloped with butter, and your body transforms this magic into energy — right away. In fact, it’s such a simple burn that in a few mere moments you may be enjoying the euphoria of your cakes. And then, you’ll be smoked. That’s a sugar rush, friends.
Proteins, fats and fiber take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates (in this case, likely bleached all purpose white flour,) and so by adding these macronutrients to our pancakes, our bodies are required so slow down the digestive process, the assimilation of nutrients, and the pancakes stick with us a little longer, and keep our blood sugar more regular (meaning, we’re more likely to head out to play and stay out playing!)
In this case, I’ve built my pancake base upon whole, heirloom grain flours (rye, whole wheat and spelt) added carbohydrate-and-fiber rich sweet potatoes, boosted the texture and the nutrient profile with flaxseed meal, and then topped my ‘cakes with whole fat greek yogurt and a few other surprises. The result is a very balanced plate of pancakes that your body will be excited to adventure on.
Why not!? The “protocol” and stringency of many Ayuvedic diets come across as austere and sorta boring. Like monestary food. But let me remind you that “eating Ayurvedically” is all about eating in tune with your body, its constitution, and in line with the season. And these pancakes are alllll about all that.
Late fall (the season that we’re all in right now, even if you have snow on the ground,) is the time of year when nature shifts + prepares for winter. It’s a season rife with the cold, windy, dry, mobile and transitory qualities. If we continue to eat and live in a way that’s also cold (eating cold foods, going out without a coat, drinking icy beverages, salads and ice cream) windy (blasting through our day without slowing down to assimilate), dry (not drinking enough water, not eating enough oil or moist foods,) mobile (exercising too much, trying to DO too much,) then our bodies have to work extra hard to balance us out. We may notice that our sleep becomes inconsistent in this season, we find ourselves more constipated, our extremities will grow cold even though the sun is shining, our throats and noses will feel scratchy and dry etc. Sound familiar?
The way that we eat – and live – in season is by embracing the notion that like increases like, and that opposites balance. To balance our diets against this blustery, ungrounded season of transition, we need grounded, soothing foods that don’t weigh us down. Making sure we’re not overloading ourselves or our schedules, taking time to turn in to rest, getting cozy, keeping warm, emphasizing oily, brothy foods, and enjoying sweet, bitter and astringent tastes are all ways to stay healthy this season and start winter strong.
In addition to bolstering your body with the nutrients you need to crush in sport and life, these pancakes are naturally sweet, grounded by sweet potato and grains. The spices incorporated into the gingerbread blend will keep digestion high and functional, and the toppings in the recipe to follow will keep your brain focused, your body at ease, and your performance strong…all season long.
There’s another HUGE reason that I want my pancakes to stick with me through my playtime.
It’s not new for nutritionists who work with athletes to recommend eating every few hours to keep energy stores high. But this is something that the philosophy of Ayurvedic medicine highly cautions against, and something I never recommend to my athletes or clients. Snacking through the day is a surefire way to burn out our digestive fire, and without strong digestion, we don’t break down, assimilate or benefit from ANYTHING we eat.
There are a couple of ways to think about digestion. The first is like a hamster on a wheel. The hamster can’t run on the wheel forever, it must take a break. If we eat each 3 – 4 hours, the only time our digestive systems get to take a break is when we’re sleeping…and by the way there’s a lot that the digestive system has to do when we sleep, like reset and cleanse itself for the next day. So, eating every few hours is literally exhausting your digestive system, preventing it from putting in a good effort and assimilating all the amazing nutrition you’re putting in.
The second way of thinking about the fire in your digestive system is to compare it to the fire in your fireplace. You’ve got a little flame, you put some wood on it (in this case, food) and it starts to burn. Amazing! This is like the energy that your body gets from the meals that you eat. Now, if you let that flame burn down without putting any more wood on the fire, the fire will burn out. This is like missing a meal, and frankly a lot like intermittent fasting – another diet fad. Conversely, if you put too much wood on the fire, if the flame isn’t strong enough, the fire will burn out and smolder, and the wood won’t burn. This is like eating every 3-4 hours as an athlete. It takes a healthy digestive system about 6 hours to completely burn through whatever you’ve eaten, so if we’re eating every three to four hours and we AREN’T bolstering our digestive systems significantly – making sure that they’re strong and functioning at their peak – then we’re probably burning them out.
So, how do I manage this as an athlete? I do my very best to eat just solid meals at the same times each day. I arrive at these meals hungry, and I don’t miss my set mealtime. I don’t overeat at these times, instead, I just eat a moderate amount of foods that will keep me going. On days that I do big rides/hikes/skis, or if hunger is really striking me, then I eat a snack. And, instead of eating tons of little snacks, I try to pack more substantial items that will stick with me longer – like a big Ride or Die Cookie, a nut butter sandwich, rice cakes and the like. But in general, and for shorter rides, I try to ride between my meals, and strive to keep my digestive system in tip-top shape by seasoning my foods with spices and herbs that stoke digestion, not consuming too much food, not consuming too little food and making my meals really count. I’m happy to report that my digestion is stronger than ever, my blood levels and nutrient levels are high (meaning I’m assimilating my nutrients,) and I rarely if ever have indigestion, suffer from bloating or gut rot on rides of any length. (Because my digestive system is relaxed, with plenty of nourishment to keep it busy.)
Before I stop rambling and just give you this recipe already, let’s talk about how to zhoosh them up. Below, I share all of my favorite things to put on top. Here’s what I top with, the why, and some ways you can customize:
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