Strawberry Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes topped with Blueberries. Summer food. Weekend food. Food that smells so good it will get your kids or husband out of bed to enjoy the summer day with you kind of food. One of my most favorite things about summer is the great berries and produce that instantly becomes available. Everything is so colorful, flavorful, and juicy. In honor of the upcoming fourth of July I wanted to fix something red, white, blue-ish here are some healthy colorful pancakes. 

 EASY strawberry OATMEAL blueberry PANCAKES

Makes 5 1/2 medium sized pancakes (using a 1/2 cup measuring cup)
Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time: approx. 3-5 minutes. 

Batter can be made the night before,covered, in the fridge. If you do make it ahead you will need to add more liquid - add 1/4 cup at a time until it gets back to the consistency you want to make it pourable

Ingredients:
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs unprocessed wheat bran
2 Tbs white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of 2% milk * can use water here too
1 egg
1 Tbs veg oil * melted butter is a good sub here
1/2 pint of blueberries, 1/4 lb strawberries diced small
optional: butter & syrup

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine all the wet and dry ingredients 

2. Then heat your flat pan to medium heat

3. Apply some unsalted butter or nonstick spray or oil to the pan to help with the browning process and not sticking part.

4. Using a measuring cup, 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup, to measure out the batter and start cooking the first few pancakes 

5. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side 

6. Top each of the cooking pancakes with strawberry pieces and blueberries.  I did equal ones of blueberry and strawberry with the idea of putting the opposite berry on the top when serving. 

7. Lightly and carefully touch each berry so they so they sink into the pancake and not just resting no the top. 

8. You will know when they are ready to flip by the massive amount of little bubbles formed, a dry appearance on the edge of the pancake, and by checking the color on the other side of the pancake. Should be firm and golden colored. 

9. Cook the second side for an additional 3-5 minutes until it too is golden and delicious

10. Serve with the additional berries on top

Enjoy!

Stephanie  

Harvest Apple Pie Pancakes

One thing I enjoy about fall is apples. I wasn't ever roped into picking them as a kid or teen (thankfully), but I loved eating all the Washington apples that I could get my hands on. With school starting, it is even more important that breakfast is done, and done well. Incorporating healthy into breakfast is easy with whole wheat white flour and this easy pancake recipe that is WAY better than anything that comes out of a box. By making it with milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt you can be sure you and your kiddos get the calcium they need to have a good start to their day. You can even make it ahead of time and throw it on your griddle or in a nonstick skillet the morning you wish you eat it. Enjoy breakfast and my recipe featuring my favorite fall fruit.

P.S. This will make your house smell AMAZING! 

Harvest Apple Pie Pancakes 

Makes approx 8-10 pancakes (using 1/4- 1/2 measuring cups)

Prep time is about 5 minutes

Cook time is 7-10 minutes for the entire batch

Recipe adapted from Apple Blintz Pancakes. Click on the title to see the original recipe. 

Ingredient List:

1 cup whole wheat white flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbs white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp cinnamon (divided)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 Tbs baking powder

1 egg

1/4 cup of cottage cheese

1 cup of milk

1 apple, sliced thinly, peel left on

1/4 cup of yogurt, plain organic

Directions:

1. Mix all the wet ingredients together. 

2. Add the dry ingredients into the wet. 

3. Let the pancake mixture set for a 5 minutes to let the flavors blend

4. In a small nonstick saucepan put the apple slices and 1/4 tsp cinnamon on over medium heat. Let the apples soften and cook for 5-10 minutes to your liking. 

5. Spray your skillet or pan or griddle with nonstick spray. 

6. Heat your pan or griddle to medium. To start your pancakes use 1/2 or 1/3 cup of pancake mix and spread it out a little to make a big circle for each one. I was able to fit 3 on a griddle. 

7. Wait to flip the pancakes until the edges look done and there are some bubbles on the top side. You can also check the doneness and adjust the temperature by peeking at the other side with a corner of your spatula to see how dark the other side is getting. 

8. Serve the finished pancakes with the apple cinnamon pieces and syrup or powdered sugar. 

Enjoy this wonderfully fall breakfast

from my kitchen to yours

Dinner Can Be Breakfast

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Breakfast can be Breakfast. Breakfast can be lunch or even dinner. Once a week my family usually ends up having breakfast of some kind at a meal other than breakfast because its easy and a good way to stretch our food budget.  According to Wikipedia, dinner was actually referred to the first meal of a two meal day and was the heavier meal. The word dinner actually comes from the French word "disner" meaning breakfast so you see we have been confused about this whole breakfast thing since the early 1300's. Please see wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner for more info.  Now, if your dad is anything like mine he was good at two things. He was awesome at breakfast and the bbq. So this recipe is adapted from his wondrous breakfasts in the kitchen. Thanks Dad for all those great pancake breakfasts. I tweaked your recipe (which was almost perfect).My Dad's Pancake Recipe Almost 

Ingredients:1 & 1/2 cup of flour (a combo of whole wheat/white or oat flour)1/2 Tbs of SugarDash of Salt1 Tbs of Baking powderWater or Milk (start with 1/4 cup - slowly add more if needed)1/2 cup of applesauce (or some other fruit such as a mashed up banana)1 egg2 TBS oil or melted non salted butter

























Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a dish or bowl and all the wet ingredients together in another dish or bowl 

2. Add any extra nutritious ingredients you want to sneak in here to the appropriate bowl. Nuts would be a dry ingredient so it would go into the dry mixture. No sugar added applesauce is a wet ingredient so it would go into the wet mix.

3. Stir dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients with a large spoon

4. Heat a pan or skillet with non stick cooking spray (instead of butter)

5. Make sure pan is hot before adding circles of pancakes to your pan. Remember to space them out. They do spread out a little and rise to get fluffy.

6. Wait until the surface (side facing up has lots of little bubbles) and then carefully flip it over. Only takes 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat.

*** Optional: For a crispy texture apply just maybe a 1/2 Tbs of oil to the pan or grill after you flip them just around the pancakes.

7. After both sides are golden brown remove from heat and serve immediately. Top with fresh fruit, strawberries and whipped cream, pb, dab of butter and syrup, or some cinnamon and a little bit of applesauce whatever you prefer.

This recipe makes about 6-7 pancakes depending on what size you are going for. I usually use a 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cup to help me pour equal size amounts on to my grill. If you double the batch it keeps nicely in the fridge for several days just be sure to keep it covered in the fridge, and before cooking mix it well, and add more water or milk .