Mom's Sunday Morning Pancakes All Week Long!

This is the pancake recipe we ate at my house when I was little. My mom would make us a plate of pancakes in whatever shapes or letters we requested, and then finish off the batter with one large pancake for herself. I learned her pancake-dressing ritual by heart: a smear of warm apple sauce, a big scoop non-fat plain yogurt or cottage cheese, a handful of berries and almond slivers, a couple of spoonfuls of wheat germ, and finally, a little drizzle of real maple syrup. By the time she was done, you couldn't even see the pancake under the mountain of healthy toppings. 

I have two tips for making pancakes an easy, healthy breakfast (or dinner, if you're so inclined!) all week long. First, load them up like my mom does. This recipe is pretty healthy as far as pancakes go: it's made with half whole wheat flour, and calls for a pretty minimal amount of oil. If you make low-fat dairy and fruit toppings the main affair, the pancakes will just be an added bonus!

Here's how to enjoy these pancakes on a busy weekday morning: on Sunday, mix up a big batch of dry ingredients and a couple servings of wet ingredients (keep them separate!!) Store the buttermilk mixture in a jar in the fridge (if you haven't used it by Tuesday, make a new batch; it doesn't take long,) and the flour mixture in an airtight container in your pantry. To make, mix a little of each together until the batter has the consistency of a very thick smoothie (try not to overmix.) Fry up a couple pancakes in your non-stick, throw on your toppings (berries are my go-to topping when I'm in a rush since they don't need to be sliced) and nosh on your power-breakfast treat while you get ready for work.

When you have more time and want to enjoy a leisurely meal, scramble up a couple of eggs or egg whites with mushrooms and peppers and serve it on the side. Boom: the food pyramid is your bitch.

Dry Ingredients (makes a big batch you can store forever in an airtight container):

2 cups unbleached white flour

2 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Sift together well (ok, I don't actually have a sifter, and mine came out alright.) 

Wet Ingredients (mix the following for every 2 eaters; store leftovers in a sealed jar in fridge for up to 2 days):

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 egg

1 Tbsp canola oil

Measure buttermilk in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl. Add eggs and oil, and whisk until eggs are worked in.

To make pancakes:

Heat lightly oiled griddle or non-stick pan until a drop of water sizzles & dances. 

Reduce heat & spoon pancake batter into pan.