Send your family out to conquer the morning with pancakes that will fill them up, make them happy, and leave them fueled in a nutritious way. Whole Grain Banana Pancakes are just as quick to mix up as the stuff from the box (well, okay, not quite, but close). They also are loaded with good-for-you white whole wheat flour, oats, and potassium rich bananas. What they lack are a lot of salt, sugar, and fat. The pancakes get their sweetness from bananas, which also keep the pancakes moist. A little cinnamon and nutmeg keep the pancakes nicely spiced and complement the bananas. Yes, you can serve the pancakes with syrup, but why not try them topped with a little vanilla yogurt and, for more banana taste, some sliced bananas? Ham slices also are great alongside the pancakes. The pancakes reheat well in the toaster and are great slathered with a little peanut butter for a quick weekday breakfast or after school snack.
Whole Grain Banana Pancakes -- Serves 4+
3 bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of quick oats
1/2 cup of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and spritz it with a little non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, eggs, milk, canola oil, and brown sugar and whisk them well. Add the white whole-wheat flour, oats, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk or stir them into the wet ingredients until just blended. Let the batter sit a few minutes, stir it again and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot skillet, smoothing it out a little into a round shape about 1/3-1/2-inch thick. You should be able to get the batter for two or three pancakes at a time into the skillet, but don't overcrowd them, or they'll be hard to flip. Cook the pancakes for a few minutes. When lots of bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes and the edges appear set, flip the pancakes and cook them for a minute or two more. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Keep the cooked pancakes warm or give them to someone to eat while you cook the remainder of the batter.
