A cheat day is often treated as a complete negation of weeks’ worth of hardcore exercise and diet maintenance. All of us have struggled to stick to our restrictive meals and felt guilty for even thinking of indulgences. However, here are some easy fixes and healthy breakfast recipes for that cheat day indulgence.

Savory Bacon, Cheddar, and Green Onion Pancakes

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese + 1-2 tablespoons extra
  • 1/2 Cup green onions, finely chopped + 1-2 tablesoons extra
  • 5 Strips of bacon, fried and crumbled (about 2/3 cup)
  • 1 Cup flour
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 Large egg

Optional

  • Hot sauce
  • Extra crumbled bacon, cheese, and onions for garnish

Instructions

  1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
  2. Then using a wooden spoon, stir in the milk and melted butter. Whisk the egg in a separate  bowl and then add it to the pancake mix. Be careful not to mix the batter too much.
  3. Add the cheddar cheese, and green onions to the bowl and stir everything together.
  4. Lightly butter a large pan or skillet and then warm it up on medium heat.
  5. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle at a time, and then sprinkle pieces of bacon over the top each pancake (as much or as little as you want). Then add just a FEW pieces of green onion and a light sprinkle of cheese to give it some color on that side.
  6. Cook each pancake until you start to see the bubbles popping on top then flip it over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side (or until the outside is slightly brown and the middle is cooked all the way through).
  7. Repeat for each pancake until the batter is gone.
  8. Top each pancake stack off with some extra crumbled bacon, cheddar, and green onions.
  9. Serve with maple syrup and your favorite hot sauce!

You can substitute the bacon-cheese-onion trinity with an all-vegetarian version with corn, onion jam, sundried tomatoes, etc.? Or you could mix it up for different flavors and cravings, especially when cooking for a lot of people, like this recipe for Espresso Chip Pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk (low-fat is fine)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

For the espresso glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-4 teaspoons of buttermilk as needed
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Instructions

  1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. Let melt.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, espresso powder and salt. In a small cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Pour this liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined – do not over-mix. Lumps are fine.
  3. Check the griddle for heat: you should be able to hold your hand a few inches from the surface for 5 seconds. Ladle heaping ¼ cups of pancake batter on the griddle. Immediately sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
  4. Let pancakes cook on one side until bubbles form around the edges, and the underside is brown when you peek at it. Flip the pancakes, and cook another few minutes until done.
  5. While the pancakes cook, make the glaze: whisk together the powdered sugar and buttermilk until a runny sweet sauce perfect for drizzling over pancakes forms. Just before serving, stir in the espresso powder. I wait to stir in the powder before serving so that the espresso granules stay crispy. I love the bite. But, if you would prefer a smoother sauce, stir the espresso powder in with the sugar.
  6. To serve, divide the pancakes between two plates and drizzle with espresso glaze. Dig in.

It’s cheat day after all, so why not make a whole bunch of variations and throw a Cheat Day Brunch party? You could also set up DIY stations for people to select their own versions of pancakes.

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