There are all sorts of food products on Instagram that influencers promote – fit teas, waist trainers, protein shakes, detox juice cleanses. Everyone’s trying to find a way to look their best. But recently I’ve been seeing these pancakes pop up on my feed. All over fitness influencer’s stories and healthy food accounts that I follow. They’re called Kodiak Cakes, a pancake mix made with whole grains, whey protein, fiber, B vitamins, and even antioxidants. All you have to do is mix it with water, or milk if you desire. They started in Salt Lake City, Utah as a family business and have taken off since then. You can find them at Costco, Target, and on Amazon as well to name a few places.
The combination of healthy ingredients is designed to keep you fuller for longer and to provide a healthier alternative to the traditional pancake. But the added protein source is also great if you’re trying to build muscle or if you’re counting your macros. A serving of the power cakes contains 14g of protein and 5g of fiber. Compare that to a serving of Bisquick pancake mix that only has 3g of protein and 1g of fiber. Kodiak power cakes will fuel you up better for a gym workout or a day of exploration. Summer’s around the corner and if I can get fit and still eat pancakes, sign me up.
Target’s the closest location to me that carries the brand so off I went to pick up their classic buttermilk power cake mix. They also had mini microwavable muffin and brownie mixes for an easy sweet tooth cure. As well as boxes of muffin and pancake mix in several different flavors like cinnamon oat, almond poppy seed, and chocolate chip. I wanted to try their original flavor first to see if they lived up to the hype and fulfilled my pancake pursuits. One box was around $5 which seemed reasonable to me.
This morning, I whipped up a batch of pancakes. I used 1/2 cup of the mix, 1/4 plus 1/8 cup of unsweetened soy milk (a full recipe calls for 3/4, I eyeballed this one), and then 3 tablespoons of egg whites to add a little extra protein. I cooked them with earth balance butter in a small pan and sprinkled frozen wild blueberries on top of each one. They were super easy to make and cooked up just like a regular pancake mix would. I added half of a sliced banana to my stack, a few more blueberries on top, and drizzled them with Vermont maple syrup.
After eating 3 pancakes, I was full, satisfied, and fully aboard the Kodiak bandwagon. They tasted just like normal pancakes (almost better in my opinion) with the same spongy, fluffy texture that soaked up the syrup. They didn’t have the gritty, whole grain flavor which I was happy about too. I would commit replacing pancakes with Kodiak cakes forever, honestly. I can’t wait to switch it up and add different toppings, try the various flavors, and create new recipes. I’ll probably be back in Target tomorrow adding every flavor to my cart. Pancakes for breakfast 7 days a week is fine, right? Have you ever tried Kodiak cakes? What do you think? So far I’m a huge fan.
such sweet things 