Topic —  Kids in the Kitchen,

Stack ‘em High

April 07, 2011
Denise Smith

Pancakes are one of my children’s favourite breakfast (or dinner) choices, so we tend to have them on the menu fairly often. More recently, the kids and I have been making them on weekends in larger batches and then freezing the extras.

Leftover pancakes can be refrigerated for two days or layered between wax paper, wrapped or placed in re-sealable plastic bags and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Remove them from the freezer one at a time and pop them in the toaster for a delicious, quick breakfast. This saves us time in the morning and allows the kids to have their favourite breakfast any day of the week.

I want my kids to have fun in the kitchen and make healthy choices, so I encourage them to make suggestions for ingredients (bananas, blueberries, whole grains, chocolate chips, and puréed berries are all faves) and toppings (more fruit, nuts, and whipped cream are always popular). They can also help by mashing the bananas, measuring ingredients, cracking eggs and stirring the batter. Their favourite addition to our basic pancake recipe is bananas. It’s a great way to use up that pile of frozen ripe bananas in the freezer or in the fruit bowl, while upping their fruit intake.

Here is a simple and nutritious pancake recipe, but if I’m strapped for time, a will pick up a bag of Coyote Pancake Mix, which is made from natural whole wheat flour and is made in Canada. If you are looking for other great pancake recipes, try these delicious pumpkin pancakes on EatSavvy.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Makes 15–20 10 cm pancakes

You’ll Need

• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp light-brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil
• 2 mashed ripe bananas
• Unsalted butter for cooking
• Maple syrup (optional)

Prep and Cook

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, oil and mashed bananas until batter is well combined and free of lumps.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush with butter or oil. Working in batches, add batter in ¼ cup portions; cook until golden brown and tiny air bubbles form evenly on top, 2 to 5 minutes.
3. Top with banana slices, dividing evenly; flip pancakes, and continue cooking until slightly puffed, 2 to 5 minutes (reduce heat if browning too quickly). Transfer to a baking sheet; keep warm in oven while you cook remaining pancakes.
4. Serve pancakes with maple syrup and/or fresh fruit purée.

Good to Know: if your bananas are too firm to mash, slice them into disks and add them to the pancakes before you flip them.

What do your kids like to make for breakfast?

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