Pancakes

Tip- Make your own pancake mix

I know how convenient pancake mix from a box is and I have bought and used it before. Once I found recipes that were tasty and simple to make (without all the added sugar the box mixes have) I started making them from scratch. I have tried a couple different recipes as a healthier option for pancakes which I will share with you below. But because pancakes themselves do not have much nutritional value I make sure that I do serve them with a least twice the amount of fruit then pancake.

These are the cottage cheese and egg white pancakes. I served them with a berry mixture of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. 

Bonus Tip- Serve pancakes or waffles topped with a fruit compote instead of syrup. To make a compote you take your fruit diced up add to a small pot. Cover the fruit with water and add about a tablespoon of sugar for 1/2 cup of fruit. Heat until thickened. 

Bonus Tip- If you need to use a syrup try using agave. It is thinner then honey and thus covers more surface area and without the high fructose corn syrup that most traditional pancake syrup. 

Whole Wheat Pancake mix

This is like your traditional pancake mix. Light and fluffy! 

Ingredients for mix (makes 6 batches of 4 servings) 

• 6 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt

Pancakes 

• 1 large egg, whisked
• 1 cup buttermilk (You can use 1 cup of milk (any kind) and add 1 tbls of vinegar) 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup pancake mix (from above) 

Directions- combine all wet ingredients first then add the dry mixture. 

Recipe from 

http://weelicious.com/2012/03/13/whole-wheat-pancake-waffle-mix-a-must-have-in-the-pantry/

Cottage Cheese and Egg White Pancakes 
These are not starchy like traditional pancakes but still very good. Definitely worth a try. 

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Instructions:

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Recipe from http://www.biggest-loser-recipes.com/oatmeal-pancakes.html

Carrot Cake Pancakes

These are my absolute favorite!! They are filled with shredded carrot (yes veggie pancakes for breakfast!) and the cream cheese frosting is so yum. When I give them to my boys though I simply put a little agave on top and they love them too. They take a little bit of time to prepare thus I only make them once in a while but so worth the time. Try them out and let me know what you think.  

Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used a smidge less)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional, I skipped them)
2 tablespoons golden raisins (optional, ditto)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated carrots (from about a 3/4 pound bundle whole carrots)
3 tablespoons butter, for griddle

Cream cheese topping
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dash of ground cinnamon

Place a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 200°F. This will keep the pancakes warmed as they’re fried in batches.
To make the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and, if using, nuts and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in carrots. Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients, stirring until just Incorporated. Let rest for five minutes while you make the cream cheese topping.
To make the cream cheese topping: In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and lump-free. Whisk in powdered sugar, two tablespoons milk, vanilla and cinnamon. If you’d like the mixture thinner, add the remaining tablespoon of milk (I did not).
Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a cast-iron skillet or griddle pan. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into the hot pan per pancake (to me, this seemed like too little but after experimenting with larger pancakes, I advise you to listen to Joy; It’s a wiggly batter and much easier to and cook in small puddles), flipping once, until pancakes are golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer finished pancakes to a serving dish or tray in the oven, to keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more butter as needed.
Serve warm with cream cheese topping.

Recipe from

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/03/carrot-cake-pancakes/