Banana Pancakes

I am not a kid person. When someone that has a baby assumes that since I have kids I must love all babies, then hands me their tiny infant, I cringe. Don't get me wrong I don't hate kids, I just don't go crazy over every one that I see. I never have. Growing up I never wanted kids, the thought of raising tiny humans was never something that made sense to me. I hated babysitting, it was horrible and babysitting boys was the worst. They destroyed things, they never sat still and honestly I always thought I should be paid more to deal with them. As an adult I still don't enjoy the company of many kids. There are always the exception, but they seem to be few and far between. I seem to be in the minority given the fact that I love my two boys, I don't want to try for a girl, and while your kid might be cute I don't feel a biological attachment to them. Maybe growing up in the late 80's/early 90's has just left my generation a little more jaded, for better or for worse I am the way that I am.

One thing that always makes me happy is pancakes. I love pancakes, I could eat them three times a day (if it wasn't nutritionally a horrible idea). My kids are pretty much the same way, but they love waffles and pancakes about equally. Since my household is also banana obsessed I make a lot of banana pancakes. The following is a recipe for banana pancakes (they freeze very well!).

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Banana Pancakes

Banana Pancakes

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Preparation Time: 0h, 5m

Cooking Time: 0h, 10m

Total Time: 0h, 15m

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Cooking Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Sift dry ingredients through a flour sifter (this step isn't necessary, but it really does make for fluffier pancakes).
3. Mash bananas either by using a potato masher, food processor, or blender. Using the blender or food processor makes for a better consistency throughout the pancakes and reduces the possibility of part of the pancakes staying uncooked.
4. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, butter and bananas.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
6. Don't overmix, the batter will be a little lumpy.
7. Heat either a frying pan on medium heat or a griddle with melted butter or oil.
8. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancakes onto the griddle.
9. Cook until middle is set and pancake is browned on each side.

Tips: 

• The melted butter can be substituted for canola or vegetable oil or if you are watching your fats applesauce. 
• I have made this with 1 percent and non-fat milk and either one works fine. Whole or 2% would also work, I have not made it with almond or other non-dairy milks. 
• The sugar could be substituted for honey, agave, or the sweetener you prefer. 
• I have made this gluten free before by making my own oat flour. Making oat flour is very easy, just place whole oats in a food processor and process until finely ground. Homemade oat flour is a great homemade gluten free flour (make sure the oats you are using are gluten free and there are some people with gluten issues that have sensitivities to oats, so be careful if you just found out you have celiac disease etc.). 

That's it! The pancakes in the photo I added dark chocolate chips and melted peanut butter. Just place peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and it pours easily over pancakes (and it's great with ice cream and other desserts too-yummy!). 

Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Television seemed more exciting to me when I was younger. The same goes for movies, I used to love going to see new movies every Friday evening in my twenties. I would get addicted to television shows and be excited for the next weeks episode. Now in my middle thirties television and movies just don't seem to hold the same appeal. A big part of the change might have to do with the Internet and the way that I watch movies and television. My family dropped cable years ago, we now rely on Netflix and Hulu. It's cheaper and we don't miss having all pointless channels that have nothing to watch on them. However, I also seem to not enjoy television the way that I used to. I get bored halfway through a lot of episodes and more than a couple of seasons of any show is just a little too much. There are exceptions, there are some shows that I have watched for years, but they are the exception not the norm. Maybe my expectations for television and movies have gotten higher the older I get. I have far less time to waste hours watching a movie that I hate. Maybe I just haven't watched anything great lately. Whatever the reason I have preferred books to television and movies for years and the trend seems to get only stronger the older I get. Hopefully I'm not alone.

Last week I was having a strong craving for pancakes. Gluten free pancakes can be very hit or miss, some are great, others barely edible. I decided to try a new recipe for Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes in order to utilize the large amount of oat flour I had in my cupboard.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, 10 minutes of which is active, and makes 8 pancakes. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First I had a large container of coconut oil so I used it in the recipe. I warmed it in the microwave and I had no problems with it re-solidifying (like the recipe mentioned). I also cheated and didn't let the batter sit for 10 minutes. It was breakfast and I was hungry and I just wanted to eat. Not letting the batter sit didn't seem to change the outcome of the  pancakes. They were still fluffy without the wait time. Finally, I doubled the recipe and made my pancakes a little bigger than the recipe suggested so I ended up with 12 pancakes total.

These pancakes turned out very well. I topped the servings with melted peanut butter (which is delicious on pancakes and waffles - just heat peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and it pours like syrup). The pancakes had a great banana taste and rose well on the griddle. They were delicious with peanut butter, but would also be great with butter or syrup. The only change I would make would be to add a small amount of vanilla extract the next time.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Strawberry Syrup

Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes

For the longest amount of time I loved flavored coffee. I would buy it whole bean and grind it every morning. Then I got tired of the extra work and started buying ground. This week I realized I now hate flavored coffee. I sat down with my morning cup and thought yuck, I really just wanted a cup of dark roast. It's funny how as we get older foods and drinks that we used to love just don't hold the same appeal. I hated beets growing up. However, a couple of years back I discovered roasted beets and I absolutely love them. I have converted pretty much everyone who has tried them, even the massive skeptics. Beets are also delicious hidden in baked goods, you can make a beet cake that is simply delicious. The flip side is also true. The foods that I loved in my 20's I really don't enjoy in my 30's. I used to love breakfast pastries, now I either can't have them or simply don't like sweets that early in the morning. There are still a few foods that have held on for the long haul, mostly peanut butter and popcorn. They are still the comfort foods that I turn to. However, this weekend I will be buying dark roast coffee, the flavored coffee is just not going to be a part of my late 30's. Apparently my food tastes have outgrown the need for sweet coffee in the morning.

My youngest is in a massive growth spurt. He has been eating everything in sight, especially strawberries and blueberries. When we where at the store this last weekend he wanted me to buy a pancake syrup with corn syrup and fake berries. Instead I agreed to make homemade berry sauce for breakfast. So this week I tried a new recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes from Allrecipes.com and made a homemade Strawberry Syrup.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes

This recipe has 9 ingredients. It takes 25 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 12 pancakes . I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I used coconut flour to replace the all-purpose flour used in the original recipe. I also replaced the butter with coconut oil. I bought a huge container of coconut oil and I have been trying to use it in recipes since I already have it in the cupboard. I found that the pancakes browned a little quickly on my griddle, so you might want to set the heat on a lower setting. Finally, I added 1 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract before adding the waffle iron. I love adding vanilla or almond extract to pancakes and waffles, they provide a great taste.

These pancakes turned out really well. They were sweet, without being overly so and rose nicely for gluten free pancakes. My youngest was a huge fan of the homemade strawberry syrup I made. It was easy, just 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of frozen strawberries and 1 cup of water. I allowed the mixture to cook until thickened and then added a small amount of cornstarch to make it a little thicker. It was great on the waffles and would also be delicious in Greek yogurt for breakfast. If you aren't a fan of traditional sugar coconut or date sugar or sugar substitute should also work.

For the recipe go to Buttermilk Pancakes.

Lemon Poppy Seed Buttermilk Pancakes

Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Buttermilk Pancakes 

My youngest was at my in-law's house for the last week. He loves going up and spending time with his grandparents and they love having him. What I don't love is how long it takes him to re-adjust. Today he has been whiny, had tantrums and repeated how nannan and papa let him do anything he wants. Mommy is the bad guy because he isn't allowed to have the 5th piece of candy he wants. Growing up my mother always joked that she couldn't wait until she was a grandmother because then she could spoil me without having to deal with the day to day discipline. When I started to act up she could just send me home. I never really understood what she was talking about until I had my own kids. Now my mother-in-law and I laugh about how we are good cop/bad cop. He knows exactly what he can get away with at both houses.  I'm hoping that he goes to sleep early and is back to normal soon. He has always been dependent on having a schedule, I think it might be because he is the baby of the family. We already had a routine in place when he was born and he fell right into it. It's funny how birth order can affect personality. In order to brighten up my son's mood today I tried a new recipe for Lemon-Poppy Seed Buttermilk Pancakes from the November 2013 issue of Food and Wine Magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 15 3-inch pancakes. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First I already had gluten free all-purpose flour in my cupboard. I had made a huge batch a couple of months back and I didn't see the point in making a new batch with the recipe in the magazine. I used my indoor electric griddle. A griddle is the best way to have your pancakes come out perfectly cooked with a nice brown color. I did end up making my pancakes a little bigger than the recipe. My pancakes spread out a little more than the magazine photo, so I ended up with pancakes larger than the recipe states.

My youngest loved the poppy seeds in this recipe. I wasn't sure if he would try the pancakes since he had only had poppy seeds a few times previously. It turns out he thought they looked liked Angry Birds pancakes (I have no idea why) so he ate almost half the batch throughout the course of the day. They were definitely a hit. I had my batch with maple syrup, but my youngest insisted on his just having butter. Either way, they were a nice and different way to start the day. If you do not eat gluten free this recipe would work with any type of baking mix (such as Bisquick) or regular all-purpose flour. You might need to adjust the amount of baking soda and baking powder since gluten free recipes rely on them more than wheat flour recipes.

I don't have any Huntington pictures in my post today. I finally ran out of all the ones I took this summer. I'm hoping to have some fall pics up on the blog later this week!

For the recipe go to Lemon Poppy Seed Buttermilk Pancakes.

Lemon Poppyseed Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Summary:

A light gluten free Lemon poppy seed pancake recipe. Uses both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice and has a nice crunch from the poppy seeds.

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 0h, 30m

Yield: Serves 8

IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes

IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes

 
My youngest tried to run into traffic yesterday. It scared me half to death. He always walks out to the mailbox with me in the afternoon and yesterday he decided to run off down the street. In two seconds he was gone and I was running like a madwoman after him. I grabbed him right before he stepped off the curb. Then he was mad the rest of the afternoon since he received a long time out. As I was on the phone with my dad last night he volunteered to talk to my youngest. I turned him down. My dad is the sweetest person in the world, except he would tell me the scariest stories to get me not to do things growing up. In order to get me not to run into the street he told me what happened to our neighbor's cat. I was 5 and I don't think I ever tried to run into the street again. He also had a story with a clown and is one of the major reasons I hate the circus. I don't remember what the lesson was about, but I'm positive I never did the behavior again. They were very effective though and I never did the behaviors again. When I pointed this out to him on the phone, he laughed and told me that he learned from grandmother. I believe him since my grandmother had a look that could turn your blood cold. Whatever you did you would never do again. Ever. I think I need to learn these skills with my youngest. He is the opposite of his older brother and once every couple of weeks does something to give me a panic attack. I think it's going to be a very long 14 years until college. Earlier in the week before the traffic incident I made IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes for my family for breakfast.

Ritter Park Huntington, WV

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First I was out of eggs so I followed the recipe with the eggs omitted. I increased the amount of pumpkin to 2/3 cup and the oil to a little under a 1/4 cup. Pancakes always turn out best for me using my griddle and that was the method I used for this recipe. They came out nicely browned and perfectly cooked.

Waterfront Huntington, WV

My kids ate these pancakes for breakfast and loved them. They had a great smell and my kids liked them with just a little bit of butter. My favorite part was that they were easy to wrap in a paper towel with a little bit of butter and walk to the bus. They were definitely easy to transport since they didn't need maple syrup. I would suggest doubling the recipe if you have big eaters. I had to make another batch in order for my whole family to have enough.

For the recipe go to IHOP 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

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

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.

Triple Banana-Flax Pancakes

Triple Banana-Flax Pancakes

I have always hated funerals and graveyards. It has to do a lot with my mother and the child she lost before I was born. He had the same breathing problems that my oldest developed during labor, but didn't have the state of the art NICU that I was fortunate to have 30 years later. When I was a teen my mother decided to try to find his grave. I went with her and quietly held her hand when she found out there was no grave marker. A tiny piece of my heart left me that day to stay with the brother that I was never able to meet. Last week my husband's family experienced a loss. My first reaction was to find a way to get out of it. I was cranky the entire 1 1/2 hour drive to the service. We were late since my youngest son got very sick on the way. I ended up sitting in the back seat rubbing his back the entire time and we arrived 10 minutes before the memorial service ended. After the graveside service the family went back to the church for lunch. As I sat next to my father-in-law with tears in his eyes, it struck me. Just like I sat and held my mother's hand at the cemetery, my husband and his family needed me. When someone passes away those left behind are the ones that need our love and support. It was no longer about me and my comfort, but what I could provide for my family who I love beyond measure.  I hope that I was able to at least bring a little comfort to my husband, kids and the family that even though I am not related by blood I would do anything for. Family is the thing that binds us together in times of grief. Since last week was a long week with a funeral and the first day of school I made sure that everyone ate nutritious breakfasts. I tried a new recipe for Triple Banana-Flax Pancakes from the September 2013 issue of Parents magazine.

Old Building Wayne County, WV

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 12 pancakes. Since I was making these pancakes for my kids I did not make this recipe gluten free. While they will eaten gluten free, they prefer wheat flour and at least once a week I make bake and cook for them with regular flour. If you have never tried making your pancakes on a griddle, I recommend it highly. It is the best way that I have found to have light, golden brown pancakes. I left out the canola oil since on my griddle I never have a problem with things sticking and I like to save a little bit of fat where possible. They still turned out nice and brown without it. Make sure to spread out the pancakes for them to cook evenly. That way there will not be any doughy spots. Additionally, slice the bananas thin so that the bottoms of the pancakes brown nicely without the bananas burning.

Old Building Wayne County, WV View 2

My two kids were big fans of these pancakes. When my oldest first saw that the pancakes had bananas cooked in he wasn't sure. He was quickly won over by the first bite and ate three. They worked well with either butter or maple syrup. My oldest preferred maple syrup, while my youngest was a fan of melted butter. They would also be delicious with a combination of both. I froze the leftover pancakes and re-heated them in my toaster oven for a quick weekday breakfast. Freezing big batches on the weekend is a great way to save time and is much cheaper than buying pancakes frozen at the store (plus they taste much better!).

For the recipe go to Triple Banana-Flax Pancakes. (registration required)

Triple Banana-Flax Pancakes

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Summary:

A kid friendly recipe for pancakes with flaxseed meal and fresh bananas. Freeze well for big batch cooking.

Preparation Time: 0h, 25m

Total Time: 0h, 45m

Yield: 12 Pancakes

A Sweet Way to Start the Day: Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I learned to bake from cookbooks. My mother was a fabulous cook, but she rarely baked. When she did it was great, however, she claimed she never enjoyed it. I am the opposite, I love to bake. I find it relaxing and when I get stressed out I bake up a storm. My oldest son also seems to share my love of baking. He helps me out in the kitchen and loves measuring out ingredients. I think his favorite part of the process is the eating. My two boys can eat up a storm and seem to be hungry as soon as they are done eating their last meal. Since my kids are continuously hungry I bake and cook a lot during the week. I love big breakfasts, in particular pancakes and waffles. Today I tried a new recipe for Chocolate Chip Pancakes from the Food Network.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, all of which is active. I made very few changes to the original recipe. I use an electric griddle to make my pancakes. It ensures that they brown without burning and makes great pancakes. I cheated on the recipe a bit. Instead of melting the butter and milk on the stove, I melted the butter in the microwave and then added the milk and let it cool to room temperature. Since I was using a griddle I did not use melted butter, but canola oil spray instead.

Since I can't eat gluten I was unable to taste these pancakes. However, my two kids are always honest with their opinions (even when they hate something). They really loved these pancakes. I liked that they baked up easily and weren't overly flat or fluffy. My kids like their pancakes somewhere in between, which is exactly what these pancakes were. Plus they browned very evenly with no problems with burning, which is always nice.

For the recipe go to Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

Don't Know What to Do with Canned Pumpkin? Try Pumpkin Pancakes

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes

I have a pet peeve, recipe disappointments. I'm not talking about recipe fails, they are obvious. You take the dish out of the oven and you can see right away, something didn't work. I'm talking about recipe disappointments, those moments when you finish your recipe, stand back and think wow, that looks yummy. Then you bite into the dish and everything falls apart. While it may look beautiful, the taste is flat. Don't worry I'm not perfect by any means and have these experiences quiet frequently. Normally when they happen I try re-making the recipe with changes in order to figure out what exactly needs to be modified. It doesn't help when many food sites are moving to user based reviews. While I like the idea of reviews, they have a few issues. When you see that thousands of people like a recipe you assume it will turn out and when it doesn't you instantly feel like a failure. I think that is the root of the problem, the more positive reviews a recipe gets the more pressure you feel to give a positive review. With my reviews I try to be as honest as I can, when something doesn't work I relate how to change the ingredients or steps in order to make the recipe work. Today I tried a new recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes from the new All Recipes magazine which was one such experience.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 12 pancakes. I made a number of changes to the original recipe and suggest even a few more. Perfect pancakes are something to be savored and I do my best to make delicious breakfasts. After struggling with pancakes for years I bought a griddle and haven't looked back. They are wonderful, no more gooey centers or burnt pancakes. I eat gluten free so I made two batches of these pancakes, one with gluten free flour and one as written. Either way I suggest a few modifications. The taste of the allspice is way too strong. It needs to be reduced to 1/2 teaspoon or less. The recipe does not include nutmeg, which to me helps reduce the strong taste of ginger and allspice in recipes. Additionally, the cinnamon flavor is hard to notice. I would suggest adding a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, increasing the cinnamon and using buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar. The flavor would be much better. The pancakes end up too dense and heavy, which could be alleviated by only using baking soda or baking powder. Using both of them and too little liquid makes for a pancake that sits in your stomach for days. A thinner batter would help for the pancakes to be a little less hearty.

I made these again with changes and they were much better. However, my two kids liked them either way, they ate both batches. For the second batch, which is pictured, I added chocolate chips. Both my kids and I preferred the chocolate chips since it mellowed the pumpkin taste. My family is an example of different food opinions, my boys loved the recipe as written, while I preferred it with changes. Food as with many things in life, is relative.

For the recipe go to Pumpkin Pancakes.

Quick and Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I love breakfast foods. There is something so great about a big stack of pancakes, especially when the rest of the day has been less than perfect. In college I was known to study until the early hours of the morning and I quickly learned that 24 hour greasy spoons were a great place to study. They had unlimited amounts of free coffee and delicious breakfast foods (which often served as both my dinner and breakfast since I was always running from school to work to study). Making pancakes at home was always a problem for me. They never turned out as great as they did at my favorite diners and I literally switched to making waffles until my kids were born. Then I discovered what a difference a great griddle makes. No more burnt pancakes and lots and lots of yumminess. This week I tried a new recipe for Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes from the March 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep, plus the time for the pancakes to cook and makes 12 pancakes. I did make a few modifications. First I used low-fat buttermilk since it was what I already had in my fridge. I try to cut down on dairy fats whenever I can. Instead of all-purpose flour I substituted brown rice flour since I can't eat gluten. Finally I found that since I used a indoor griddle/grill my cooking time was slightly longer than the time suggested by the recipe.

My youngest son absolutely loved these. Make sure to let the pancakes fully set before you flip them or you will end up with patches of soggy pancake around the blueberries. I ate a number of these pancakes and really enjoyed them. They were delicious with frozen blueberries and maple syrup for breakfast. This is a recipe I would make again.

For the recipe go to Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.

Easy Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries

I love making breakfast from scratch. There is something so great about making up a big batch of pancakes or waffles and then enjoying them with butter and maple syrup. My love of breakfast foods comes from my father. Growing-up my father could only make one dish, fried potatoes. So every Sunday he would wake up early and make a huge breakfast. My mom would help with making the pancakes and I would make the scrambled eggs. It was one of my favorite things about my family growing up. I have never lost this love of breakfast and my two boys have followed on the tradition. My youngest son especially loves pancakes. He somehow managed to eat an entire batch of pancakes all by himself this morning. I don't know how he can eat so much, but never gain an ounce. Since everyone in my house loves breakfast I try new breakfast recipes frequently. Today I tried a new recipe for Basic Buttermilk Pancakes from Redbook Magazine.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 16 4-inch pancakes. Since I eat gluten-free I used brown rice flour instead of all-purpose flour. Additionally I substituted canola oil for the unsalted butter and decreased the amount to two tablespoons. Since my youngest loves blueberries I added 1 1/2 cups of frozen blueberries to the batter. The best way that I have found to make great pancakes is to use a griddle. They always turn out nicely browned and never under or over done. After the pancakes were done I topped them with maple syrup. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These pancakes turned out perfect. They weren't too sweet and the blueberries blended perfect with the maple syrup topping. I had to make an additional batch since my youngest ate the entire first batch. He really loved them, especially the blueberries. These pancakes are also a great base for making a number of changes such as adding chocolate chips, bananas etc.

For the recipe go to Easy Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I spent 4 hours last night wrapping presents. Luckily I got everything wrapped and my two kids are now asleep so I can finish up with stockings and then go to sleep. I would love to say that I find the thrill of the pre-holiday prep exciting, but I don't. I'm a perfectionist so I tend to spread myself way too thin. For example last night while wrapping presents I was dying my hair since it was the only time I had. I decided to tip-dye my hair turquoise, which looks great (I know everyone is now dying to know what I look like-blue hair and all :). My house is now quite and this is my favorite time of the holidays, when my kids are in bed and I can relax since everything is done until I cook tomorrow. Everything is quite and perfect. And I'm eating pancakes, no joke, I love them. Last week I tried a new recipe for Carrot Cake Pancakes from the December issue of Southern Living magazine, which looked like a great recipe to make gluten-free.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 50 minutes of total time, 40 minutes of which is active and makes 24 pancakes. Since the original recipe isn't gluten-free I made a number of changes. First I switched out the regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour. I used low-fat buttermilk instead of full fat since that is the type I normally use in recipes. The recipe states that 1 pound of carrots equals 2 cups. I found that it took me far less than 1 pound of carrots to make 2 cups of shredded. Finally, I chose to top my pancakes with butter and maple syrup instead of the mascarpone cream suggested by the recipe. The cream looked way too rich for a breakfast food. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These were really fun pancakes. My kids liked that they tasted like carrot cake, but were pancakes. I liked that they were delicious with just butter as a topping and could be eaten as a breakfast or a dessert. I found the nuts a little rich, I think if I made the recipe again I would chop them smaller or reduce the amount.

For the recipe go to Carrot Cake Pancakes.

Gluten Free Pecan Apple Pancakes

My husband thinks that there is something wrong with me because I love mornings. I pop out of bed and am ready to start my day. While most people take a while to wake-up, as soon as I open my eyes I am awake. My oldest son is just like me. He wakes up early and reads books until the rest of the house starts their day. My youngest son on the other hand is just like my husband. He takes hours to fully be awake and is grumpy most of the morning. Since our mornings are so vastly different I try to make breakfast foods that everyone will love. The one food that everyone in my house can agree on is pancakes. My boys love them and so do I. Since going gluten free it has been hit or miss with finding suitable gluten free pancake recipes. Some have turned out great, while others have been flat and lacking any flavor. This week I tried a new recipe for Pecan Apple Pancakes from the December issue of Taste of Home magazine, which looked like a great breakfast recipe to make gluten free.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 10 minutes of cooking per batch, 15 minutes of prep and makes 18 pancakes. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I did make a few changes. First off since I don't use mace often and don't like buying spices that I will not use I left it out of this recipe. I fully intended to make these pancakes with apples and even bought them at the grocery store. However, by the time I made the recipe my two boys had eaten all the apples so I left them out. Finally, since I eat gluten free I used gluten free all-purpose flour. I found that since I made these gluten free and left out the apples I had to increase the amount of flour by 1/2 cup. The pancakes were still runny, but worked well when made on the griddle. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My youngest son and I loved these pancakes. They turned out sweet and almost crisp. With maple syrup and toasted pecans as a topping they were delicious. I was happy that they were easy to convert to gluten free and my kids didn't even notice that I had changed anything. I would definitely make these again.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Pecan Apple Pancakes.

Gluten Free Eggnog Pancakes

Breakfast is the one meal that I always struggle with. I am horrible about grabbing a cup of coffee in the morning and then nothing else until the middle of the afternoon. After getting sick with pneumonia last winter I have changed my breakfast routine and attempt to eat breakfast every morning. Granted it's still a struggle. Some days I do great and others I glance up and it's 2 pm and all I've eaten is a brownie. Not so great. My two boys on the other are great breakfast eaters. They love pancakes, waffles and anything breakfast related. The only problem I have with them is that they get bored easily. If given the choice they would eat only sugar in the morning, pop-tarts, cookies you name it. I on the other hand want them to eat at least a little bit healthy, so I try to find a compromise. This week I tried a new recipe for Eggnog Pancakes from the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which looked perfect for my family's breakfast needs.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of prep, 4 minutes of cooking per patch and makes 16 pancakes. I did make a few changes to the recipe since I eat gluten free. Instead of all-purpose flour I used gluten free all-purpose flour. The gluten free all-purpose flour that I use has coconut flour as the main flour and is great for cooking and baking. I love eggnog, but I hate all the fat, so I used low-fat eggnog which only has 3 grams of fat per cup. For the cooking I used a griddle, which I love for making pancakes. A griddle makes all the difference for getting golden beautiful pancakes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys really loved this recipe. The pancakes baked up beautiful and neither of my kids noticed that I made them gluten free. I served their servings with butter and my serving with pure maple syrup. They were great either way and would be just as great with wheat flour. A great breakfast option for the holiday season.

For the recipe go to Gluten Free Eggnog Pancakes.

Glutenfree Blueberry-Flax Buttermilk Pancakes

I love pancakes. Growing-up Sunday mornings were my favorite time of the week. It always meant a big breakfast with bacon and pancakes. Lots and lots of pancakes, piled high with butter and real maple syrup. My two boys have carried on my love of pancakes. Their eyes go wide when they see me pulling out the griddle to make their favorite breakfast food. However, after I started having problems eating gluten pancake breakfasts were something that I wasn't able to enjoy. Luckily I found that brown rice flour can work beautifully in pancakes and they can be a part of a healthy breakfast routine. Recently, I made a new recipe for Gluten free Blueberry-Flax Buttermilk Pancakes from Everyday Food magazine, which looked delicious and perfect for a big breakfast.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes a total of 30 minutes, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. Since the original recipe was not gluten free, I obviously made a number of modifications. First instead of all-purpose flour I used brown rice flour. I used low-fat buttermilk instead of full-fat and frozen blueberries. I made no further ingredient modifications. Instead of a skillet I made my pancakes on a griddle, which I love since the pancakes always come out evenly browned. I always melt a tablespoon of butter on my griddle when making pancakes, it makes the outside delicious. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I loved how light and fluffy these pancakes turned out. It's the worst feeling when you try a new pancake recipe and they end up flat and tasteless. These pancakes were nothing like that. Plus with 18 grams of protein per serving they are a great breakfast option. This is definitely  a recipe I would make again in the future.

For the recipe go to Blueberry-Flax Buttermilk Pancakes.

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Pancakes

If you've been following my blog you know that I have working on refining my breakfast habits. So far it is going very well. I have more energy and my two boys have been staying full longer in the morning. I thought that adding more whole grains into my family's diet would be very hard and I would be met with lots of complaints. I have been pleasantly surprised that I have been met with no complaints and many compliments from both of my children. It helps that I have found recipes that combine chocolate and whole grains, but a little bit of chocolate is fine in my book. For the most part I have almost given up using white flour except for once a week and my whole family feels better eating more whole-wheat flour, quinoa, and whole-wheat couscous. There really are a lot of healthy options for breakfast that also taste great. Last week I tried a new recipe for Multigrain Chocolate Chip Pancakes from the April issue of All You magazine, which looked delicious and perfect for a weekday morning breakfast.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 10 minutes of prep and 5 minutes of cooking time and makes 8 pancakes. I actually had to go to multiple stores to find oat bran. I would have assumed that it would be easy to find something as simple as oat bran, but I was wrong. The only store in my area that had it in stock was the high end grocery store in the suburbs. As I have discussed in previous posts I was given a griddle last Christmas and I love it. It makes making pancakes so easy and they turn out perfect every time. Since I use a griddle I don't use oil or butter to coat. If the pancakes start sticking I spray olive oil, but it is rarely needed. I was able to get all of the pancakes on the griddle at once, which was much more convenient than doing them in batches. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two boys really liked these pancakes. I thought that without the maple syrup they weren't sweet enough. I would suggest adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to make the pancakes sweeter, especially if you are topping them with butter only. When topped with maple syrup it helped with the pancakes being on the dry side. They were great when topped with syrup or would also work well with the addition of vanilla and powdered sugar. Another great way to get whole grains in your breakfast routine.

For the recipe go to Multigrain Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

Nectarine Pancakes

This summer has flown by. I didn't realize how quickly until I found out that my oldest son starts first grade in two weeks. Two weeks, I can't believe how fast time has gone. Since I only have a couple more weeks with both of my sons home everyday I have been trying to bake and cook with my oldest son as much as possible. He absolutely loves spending time in the kitchen with me and I use the time to teach math and reading skills. One dish that we make frequently together is pancakes. I love how easy it is to make a great homemade breakfast with only a few ingredients. However, I haven't always loved pancakes. As a gift this last Christmas I received a new griddle/grill. I was very hesitant to use the griddle part since every pancake I had made previously either burned or was raw in the middle thanks to my disco era stove. All that changed the first time I used my griddle, pancakes are pretty great. There are so many ways to make pancakes and when they don't burn or end up raw they are a great breakfast food. This last week my oldest son and I decided to try making the Nectarine Pancakes recipe in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 10 pancakes. Since I was making the pancakes on a griddle I chose not to use the 1 tablespoon of butter. I try to reduce fat in recipes if it is unnecessary and the butter didn't seem to be needed. With the first 4 pancakes I put the sliced nectarines on top as stated by the recipe. My boys weren't huge fans of the nectarines baked in so for their servings I served the nectarines on top after the pancakes were cooked. For kids I would recommend cutting up the nectarines and actually putting them directly into the batter.This could also work well for adults who are texture sensitive. I used my griddle on 400 degrees and my pancakes took longer than the suggested 3 minutes per side, I would say approximately 5 minutes each side. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love recipes that are easy to put together on a busy weekday morning. This recipe fits that description perfectly. It was very easy to put the ingredients together and cook and it was nice having breakfast done in only twenty minutes. I liked that the pancakes were very fluffy and sweet and the nectarines were a nice way to add fruit to a breakfast recipe. Overall, a delicious way to start the day.

For the recipe go to Nectarine Pancakes.

Chocolate Chip Cakey Buttermilk Pancakes

I love breakfast foods. Growing-up my family always had huge Sunday breakfast with both of my parents cooking eggs, potatoes, pancakes and sausage. After I moved out on my own my breakfast habits became horrible. My idea of a great breakfast was a mocha and cookie from the student center on campus. These weren't little cookies either, they were literally half the size of my head. As I look back I am so thankful that I inherited my dads fast metabolism and those cookies never caught up with me. When I got married I started making waffles. I love waffles and they are very easy to make for breakfast. Pancakes were another story. Every time I tried to make pancakes they would burn or the middle would stay uncooked. Then I bought my griddle/grill and all that changed. If you don't have a griddle I highly recommend one. I have a gas stove and it can be finicky at best, so making pancakes can be a task to say the least. However, my griddle has completely changed my opinions on pancakes. No more burning, or underdoness, just deliciousness. Recently, I started using a new recipe from the Food Network for Cakey Buttermilk Pancakes, which is very easy and works with a variety of mix-ins.

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes twenty-three minutes of total time and makes 3 to 4 servings. I made one large modifications. I prefer my pancakes to have some sort of add-in, so I added dark chocolate chips to the batter. Additionally the original recipe tops with blueberry maple syrup, I chose to top my pancakes with strawberries and butter. Since I used my griddle I left off the two tablespoons of butter for cooking since I felt it was an unnecessary fat. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

These pancakes are delicious. They are light and fluffy and the dark chocolate chips give the pancakes an almost dessert taste. Another great mix-in would be fresh fruit such as raspberries, blueberries or chopped strawberries. My two boys love this recipe and can eat a whole batch in a day. This is a definitely a keeper recipe in my household, sure to be made frequently in the future.

For the recipe Cakey Buttermilk Pancakes.

Redbook Oat-rageous Chocolate-Chip Pancakes

I've been struggling with getting my two growing boys to eat breakfast. Some weeks they love eggs, the next they hate them, and so on and so forth. I have tried just about every breakfast recipe I can find, with no luck in getting them to eat anything more than a bite or two. The one breakfast food that they have been pretty good about eating at least a little of, is pancakes. I love pancakes also, but most of the time I prepare them with white flour, sometimes with fruit, but overall they are lacking in the nutrition department. I have been trying to find a healthier pancake recipe and was pleased when the July issue of Redbook magazine had a recipe for Oat-rageous Chocolate-Chip Pancakes.

This recipe has 10 ingredients including salt. I used regular egg whites, rather than liquid egg whites and tripled the recipe, so I used 3 egg whites total. I made the rest of the recipe as stated with no modifications. I did notice that even when tripled, the recipe made far fewer pancakes than the 5 suggested per serving. In total my tripled recipe made about 10 pancakes.

My two boys really enjoyed these pancakes. They only noticed that the pancakes had chocolate chips, not that they also included whole-wheat flour and old-fashioned oats. I liked that since only egg whites were used that the fat is lower and that there are whole grains, which Im trying to incorporate more in my kid's diet. I would recommend using two eggs whites per serving. I felt that the pancakes were a little thick and increasing the egg whites would make for fluffier pancakes. Overall,  a great nutritious way to get healthy grains into my family's diet.

For the recipe go to Redbook Oat-rageous Chocolate-chip Pancakes.

Parents "Pumpkin" Pancakes

Getting my two young boys to eat breakfast can be a struggle on the best of days. They either wont eat anything or insist on the worst possible food choices. Eating a breakfast containing vitamins, fruits or veggies can be a particularly tricky endeavor. I was pleased when Parents magazine had a recipe for pumpkin pancakes, that looked like something my children would actually eat.

I found out after searching at three separate stores that none of the stores in my area carry canned pumpkin, except during the holiday season. You can find pumpkin puree for making pumpkin pie, but no straight canned pumpkin. I have bought it in previous years, but the organic sections of my local grocery stores have downsized due to low demand and they no longer carry the item year round. So I made a major substitution and used a cooked sweet potato, which I processed in my food processor to get rid of the strings. Everything else in the recipe I kept the same, except I didn't add fresh berried on top.

This recipe actually turned out very well with the sweet potato substitution. The taste was similar to a regular pancake and my kids couldn't tell the difference. Next year during the holidays I am planning on buying a baking pumpkin and making my own pumpkin to can and keep for the rest of the year when I will be unable to find it at my local stores. Then I will be able to try the recipe with pumpkin and compare which version I like better. This recipe is a great way to get more variety into my kids breakfast diet.

For the recipe go to Parents Pumpkin Pancakes (registration required).