My Sunday Pancake Series is inspired by them and their love of cooking, brunch, and family❤️

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Makes: ~

9 thick pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 cup milk

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh blueberries, depending on size

Toppings

• Vanilla bean Greek yogurt

• Warmed wild blueberries

• Maple syrup

How to Make

In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently mix until combined.

Fold in the fresh blueberries.

Be careful not to overmix the batter. A few small lumps are okay and will help keep the pancakes fluffy.

Let the batter sit for 5–10 minutes before cooking.

Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat. Pour the batter onto the pan and cook until bubbles start to form on the surface and the edges begin to look set. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla bean Greek yogurt, warmed wild blueberries, and maple syrup.

Pancake Tips

For extra fluffy pancakes, let the batter rest before cooking. This gives the ingredients time to hydrate and helps create a thicker, softer pancake.

Do not overmix the batter. Over mixing can make pancakes dense instead of light and fluffy.

Find more unique pancake recipes here!!

I just got back from the Sports RD conference in New Orleans and I needed something fast, filling, and actually nourishing for lunch.

I wanted a meal that felt easy, balanced, and budget-friendly as I am ballin’ on a budget :)

So this is what I whipped up: a tangy, crunchy chicken salad with Greek yogurt, pickled okra, olives, peppers, and a little Kewpie mayo for creaminess.

I can’t wait to report back with some of my top takeaways from the conference and my travels in NOLA, but for now, we’re starting with a simple meal that got me back into my routine.

Pickled Okra Chicken Salad

A tangy, crunchy, high-protein chicken salad with Greek yogurt, pickled okra, olives, red onion, and a little Kewpie mayo for extra creaminess.

Ingredients

• 2 cans chicken, drained

• 1 container FAGE 0% Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon Kewpie mayo

• 1/3 cup chopped pickled okra

• 1/3 cup chopped red onion

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1/4 cup chopped olives — I used jalapeño-stuffed olives

• 1/4 cup olive juice/brine

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• Salt, to taste

• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Drain the canned chicken and add it to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to break it apart.

2. Add the Greek yogurt and Kewpie mayo, then mix until the chicken is evenly coated.

3. Stir in the chopped pickled okra, red onion, red bell pepper, and olives.

4. Add the olive juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

5. Mix everything together until well combined.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

7. Serve with crackers, on toast, in a wrap, over greens, or straight out of the bowl.

Notes

This chicken salad is creamy, salty, tangy, and has the best crunch from the pickled okra, red onion, and bell pepper. It’s easy to throw together and works well for lunches, snack plates, or a quick protein option during the week.

Substituons:

Pickled okra - swap for chopped pepperoncini, dill pickles, banana peppers, pickled jalapeños, or giardiniera.

Greek yogurt - swap for blended cottage cheese or mayo.

Kewpie Mayo - use regular mayo, avocado oil mayo, or leave it out and add a little extra Greek yogurt.

Olive juice/brine - swap for pickle juice, pepperoncini juice, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Red bell pepper - swap for celery, cucumber, shredded carrots, or another crunchy veggie.

Canned chicken - use shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover grilled chicken, canned tuna, or canned salmon.

My name is Kyra Hungerford, MS, RDN. I am a performance dietitian based in Chicago and I am Midwest born and raised: I grew up in Iowa which is where my passion, love, and complicated relationship with food started.

I was a big foodie thanks to my grandparents, though looking back most of the meals they made were struggle meals but they could make anything taste good! They made the best tabouleh and I lived for their weekend brunches (which is where my sunday pancake series inspo came from).

I was a foodie growing up but in high school that once healthy really wasn’t “okay”. I struggled with that all through college and it progressed until I reached my breaking point and I couldn’t hide it anymore. I went to an outpatient center where I saw a dietitian and an eating disorder therapist. I made a vlog of my full ED to RD story here.

Going through that experience as a college athlete changed everything for me. I knew I wanted to give back to the athletic community and be a safe space for evidenced based nutrition. I was set to help other athletes struggling with knowing how to properly fuel their body for sport and after. I completed an internship in undergrad at St. Louis University clocking in 720 hours with the sports RD there. After graduation in May (which I didn’t get to walk because of COVID) I was working 40 hours a week at SLU, I was also working 2 part time serving jobs in the evenings and weekends and on Thursdays I had a 3 hour chemistry Lab for an accelerated 5 week Chem 2 class which I highly don’t recommend because that shit ain’t for the weak. I didn’t pass and had to retake and those nights I stayed up with a tutor until 1am on the nights I wasn’t serving until 1am.

I remember finding out I got into UIC’s graduate program for dietetics which is ranked top 15 in the nation! That next May of 2022 I moved to Chicago to start the program in August. I was sleeping on an air mattress with hardly any of my things for almost a month but we can get into that another day. I made so many great friends in my program and even from social media. A few of my videos started blowing up and I was able to start working with more brands and I felt so blessed I was finally able to start making money from social media.

I’m skipping over several formative years because I want to keep this short n sweet. I am now a registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition and performance. I work with athletes and active individuals, and I’m still very much building, learning, growing, and figuring it out as I go. I also work as a social media dietitian.

Here in this corner of Substack you will find easy + healthy recipes, evidenced based nutrition, fueling tips, and lessons I learned along the way to becoming a private practice owner and dietitian who is still learning!

So we’ll see where this goes but I hope you’re hungry for more :

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