I wake up naturally around 4:30 am every day. I know, that’s pretty early, which is why I will lay there falling in and out of sleep until I see the sun slowly peaking through the curtains. Once I notice that the sun has come out, I immediately go to the window and open up the curtains to let all of the light into the room. My dog, T.J., gets pretty excited at this point because he knows he’s about to eat breakfast. I then walk into the kitchen, make a pot of coffee, put on some music, and take T.J. outside to go potty. We then come inside, and I feed him breakfast. While he’s eating, I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down at my kitchen table and start my gratitude journal. After I finish journaling, I go sit down on my living room floor with my eyes closed and pray for 10 minutes. From the time I opened up my curtains to the time I’m done praying, about 20 minutes have passed. I do this every morning before I start my day. It has become a routine, like clockwork.
A few days a week, I will take T.J. on a long walk after my meditation. The town that I live in has a beautiful lake in the center that measures about 4 miles in distance if you walk around the entire lake. T.J. and I usually agree on the lake as our choice for a great walking location. Before we begin our walk, I will pick a podcast. I regularly listen to Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory because I love the topics and guests on his show. Most of the show topics revolve around health, wellness, and alternative medicine.
A recent episode of Impact Theory featured Trent Shelton, a former NFL wide receiver who is now considered one of the most impactful speakers of his generation. At one point in the episode, Trent and Tom were discussing mental health and practicing gratitude. Trent said that every morning when the sun rises, he is so grateful to be alive. The sunrise is symbolic to him in a way that it represents another opportunity to engage in all of life’s blessings and gifts. I started to think about the sunrise that I see every morning. Instead of being grateful for a new day, I usually focus on how fast I can get to the coffee pot and begin my meditation. I also noticed that in my gratitude journal, I left out “being alive” as the top things that I am grateful for in my life. Some people never get to see another sunrise. A sunrise to some people may mean another day of work and less play. It may mean another day of stress and pain. But it’s also another day to be alive, and that’s a gift.
I didn’t have any unique story for these matcha pancakes besides the fact that my body was sore and I wanted a tasty protein-packed pancake that looked cool. Then I went on a walk with T.J. and happened to stumble upon some wisdom from Tom and Trent. And here we are, talking about sunrises and matcha pancakes. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe it’s time to go out for pancakes with loved ones or give a special bright green pancake recipe, like this one, a try.
Paleo Matcha Blueberry Protein Pancakes
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large Ripe Banana
- 3 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Egg Whites
- 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla
- 2 teaspoons Matcha Powder
- 1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except blueberries to a mini food processor and blend until well combined then pour into a bowl.
- Heat a large skillet over low medium heat and lightly coat with olive or coconut oil.
- Gently spoon batter into 3-inch circles.
- Once the batter begins to cook, drop in 3-4 blueberries per circle. Since this batter is a little runny, you will want to add the blueberries slowly so the pancakes are easier to flip.
- Repeat, along with coating pan with oil, until batter is all used up. Makes 10 3-inch pancakes.