Saturday, January 16, 2010

Pineapple Pancakes

Saturday mornings are the time for homemade pancakes at our house. I learned the basic recipe during a stopover in El Paso with a friend's family, en route to California. It is so easy to remember because it is all in ratios of 1. I never bother with store bought mixes anymore now that I know this super fast and easy recipe.

Some time ago, when I decided to see if Moriah would eat pancakes for breakfast, I started adding 1 smashed banana to the batter. This was a HUGE hit, it was one of the only instances I actually saw her pick up food from the tray and put it in her mouth (usually only old stale cheerios from the seat of the high chair or from off the floor were voluntarily picked up and eaten). Most of the time I add in some mini-chocolate chips for the grown-ups and we can't seem to get them into our mouths fast enough either. Since that time, pancake Saturday mornings have become a tradition at our house.

Last week I didn't have bananas but I did have a small 6 oz. can of crushed pineapple. I added the whole thing, with juices, to the pancake batter and they turned out to be a delicious change of pace from banana. Tropical, moist, lightly sweet and fluffy, they didn't even need a lot of syrup.

Basic Pancake Recipe
1 C flour (I always split this 50-50 whole wheat and white)
1 C milk (this can be any kind of milk - I have tried soy, whole, 2%, and buttermilk)
1 egg
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl oil
1 Tbl baking powder
1 serving fruit - I suggest crushed pineapple, banana, grated apple, or berries depending on what you have on-hand
Makes 8-10 pancakes

Pancakes can be a great vehicle for extra nutrition for kids (or adults). For underweight children like M, they can be liberally buttered, or you can sneak in a little protein powder, increase the proportion of whole wheat for kids who need more fiber, etc. Having the ability to adjust the ingredients to your family's needs is one of the best things about making from scratch rather than a mix.

3 comments:

  1. Gasp! I can't believe you posted this 10 whole days ago and I'm just now reading it!! The recipe sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it. <3 you!

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  2. Wow, yum! Saturday morning is pancake morning here. My kids sometimes clamor for choc chips, and maybe I should try throwing a banana in and see if I can fool my two banana-haters, heh heh heh!
    Previously my best success has been with pumpkin pancakes, adding pumpkin puree and some pumpkin pie-ish spices.

    YOU NEED TO SEE UP!!! I'll lend you the DVD if need be.

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  3. We are huge pancake lovers in our house...and long ago, in an effort to increase the veggies in my kiddos, we began with zucchini (and sometimes squash) pancakes. They're a standing favorite and we mostly end up having them as a part of "breakfast-for-dinner." As you said, "Pancakes are a great vehicle for extra nutrition..."

    (Another favorite way for me to sneak food in is shredded or finely chopped foods in a quesadilla.)

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