Yummy Pancakes

My boys LOVE pancakes. All 3 of them. Especially AJ, who is a pancake whore and would eat them for every meal, every day, if he could. And shape them into Mickey Mouse, if you please.

So....pancakes aren't exactly high on the nutrition scale, so I went hunting (and experimenting) with healthier alternatives. Previously, my only experience with "healthy" pancakes was my sister-in-law's "buckwheat" pancakes which are, in all honesty, GROSS (sorry, Manda), so I was cringing as I looked online for pancake recipes...but then this morning, I tried these, and they were YUMMY. Tyler of course, ate them up.....AJ the Pancake Whore liked them tremendously (despite the fact that they were not mixed up from a box with Aunt Jemima on the front), and Owen even begrudgingly ate a few bites (which is a miracle considering that he doesn't eat much of anything that doesn't taste, smell, or look like pizza, string cheese, oranges, or hotdogs).

Don't be scared...they're yummy. Try 'em:

Whole Wheat Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup wheat germ
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter (you could use canola oil if you don't want to use butter)
  
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk (who has buttermilk on hand?? I used 1/2 yogurt, 1/2 skim milk, but you could use applesauce too. OR, if you want to make your own (sortof) buttermilk, add a few tablespoons of lemon or vinegar to regular milk)
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (this is just to coat the pan....I used cooking spray)
• 2 tablespoons flax seed - not called for in the recipe, but I threw some in for nutritional value.
• You can also add in some other stuff....blueberries, smashed bananas, choc chips, whatever floats your boat. I kept mine plain, cuz I'm simple that way.
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor or in a large bowl (food processor is nice, but who has time for that?? I used a bowl), combine the whole wheat flour, white flour, wheat germ or oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife, and add the butter to the flour-mixture. Mix until the mixture has a sand-like consistency (like to would cut butter into a pastry or pie crust - I used a fork to smoosh the butter in...although a pastry cutter would work best - man, I wish I had one of those).
3. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, and add the buttermilk and eggs. Stir until the liquids are fully incorporated.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and grease the surface with 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. Ladle the batter onto the surface to form 4 inch pancakes. Once bubbles form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 2 minutes.

Seriously, it's good....give it a try - don't knock it 'til you try it....and if you've had my sister in law's buckwheat pancakes...these taste nothing like them. :)
Love ya Manda!