September 25, 2013

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Pancakes



A nutritionist has been talking to my oldest son's class. While this would seem a good thing with most kids, not so with my son. He has decided that all he is now going to eat is salad. Apparently the kids have been told that they need to eat salad with low fat dressing and lots of green veggies. I would see this as great advice for households that rely on a lot of pre-packaged goods. We are not one of those households. The only thing that I buy pre-packaged is cereal. My son is not eating junk food at home and is very thin. He has decided that he should now never eat any red meat or anything high in fat. I'm really not happy with the lesson plan. I understand that our state is overweight. My city has been listed as one of the fatest in America. However, my family is thin. We eat a variety of foods and everything is made from scratch. That also means that I have no problem with my kids enjoying a homemade brownie or french fries from a fast food restaurant occasionally. I am a big proponent of moderation. I also wish that we could educate families about proper nutrition such as recipe selection etc instead of making my thin child think that he can't eat certain foods. I grew up eating red meat, home baked goods and my mother's mean lasagna. If you ask anyone that knows me I am also thin and exercise everyday. The food has not made me fat, I eat decent servings and don't eat to the point I am too full. I hope that my son moves out of this phase. I talked to him about healthy food choices and that those choices can include higher fats as long as there is balance. Today's recipe is an example. My youngest loves pancakes, I love him eating foods with vitamins. So I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes from the Food Network.
Disc Golf Rotary Park Huntington, WV
Disc Golf Rotary Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 14 ingredients (I only followed the part of the recipe for the pancakes). It takes 30 minutes all of which is active (different than the original recipe) and makes 4 servings. I made a large number of changes to the original recipe. The original recipe had a syrup and whipped cream, I prefer my kids to only have butter on their pancakes since too much sugar can make them a little wild. Additionally I made this batch gluten free using gluten free all purpose flour. Whenever you convert to gluten free you need to add more liquid, I added more buttermilk until the batter had a thinner consistency. I substituted low fat buttermilk for the half and half and used all canola oil instead of butter. I made the pancakes on my griddle, it's a great way to ensure nicely browned pancakes. Finally, I reduced the sugar to an 1/8 cup since my youngest doesn't like things too sweet.
Look Out Tower Rotary Park Huntington, WV
Look Out Tower Rotary Park Huntington, WV

I doubled this recipe so my youngest had enough to snack on the rest of the day. They turned out very nicely and had a great pumpkin taste. Instead of topping them with syrup we ate them with melted butter and they were perfect. They are a nice way to celebrate fall and pumpkin is great since it is full of vitamins A and C. If you aren't a fan of pancakes I use pumpkin all the time in smoothies and they are delicious!

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Pancakes.

10 comments:

  1. I hate it when they scare the kids into eating like that. Please let them know that it is ok to eat foods but each food has a serving size. There is no need to stuff your face like a greedy pig as I tell my kids. Eating healthy and exercising are two of the main things that I recommend and kids need to exercise too. That pumpkin pancake looks delicious. Perfect for the fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what I always tell my kids too. As long as you are watching your portion size most things are okay. Especially if your not eating things like ice cream etc in large amounts everyday.

      Delete
  2. The whole situation is getting out of hand, I think. My son has been learning about nutrition in school too and was required to keep a food log for a few weeks. He didn't learn anything from it; his diet is largely very healthy. He knows that's why he feels good and doesn't have a weight problem. My pediatrician tells me every time I take them for their yearly check-ups that he wishes every one of his patients was like my kids, in terms of weight and overall health and fitness. I guess I must be doing something right. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad that my son didn't have to keep a food log, that would have been even worse. My kids are very healthy and thin so they are fine, I wish that they didn't have to have all kids listen to the same lectures....

      Delete
  3. I make pumpkin pancakes occasionally and I love them. The good thing is is that I am the only one, so I get to eat them all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to be that lucky, my two boys are always stealing my food :)

      Delete
  4. I hope he comes out of that phase quickly for you. I try to keep a mental log of what my kids are eating. They, especially my oldest, eats way better than I do. She's great with the fruits and vegetables. I do rely on pre packaged foods too much because it's quick at the end of a busy day. My little one though who use to be a real good eater I feel rarely eats anymore, except yogurt. I sweat that girl would live off of yogurt. Also finally name dropped you as the food blog I love to read. I always love your little personal post with your awesome recipes :)
    Angela @ Time with A & N

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't worry I allow my kids occasional pre-packaged foods too :) My youngest is the same way with yogurt, he goes through a ton. I buy the non-flavored Greek yogurt so I can add honey or fruit. Thanks for the sweet comments and the mention on your blog, I really do appreciate it!

      Delete
  5. The great thing about the kids picking these things up is they usually deviate from them pretty quickly. I'm sure pumpkin pancakes doesn't help his goal at all. ;) And mm mm mm to 'em, they look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true, kids seem to change their minds every couple of minutes about everything. Thanks for the nice comments!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...