Banana-Oatmeal Pancakes

Doesn't it just figure that it's supposed to be 90 degrees today & my 2-going-on-3 "I know what I want" son wants pancakes, so here I am heating up the kitchen first thing in the morning.  ;-P  The things we do for our kids...  ;)

I use basic pancake recipe from The Joy of Cooking (doubled) simply to get the proportions of ingredients correct.  The recipe is entirely my own creation.  :)


Ingredients:
Wisk together in large mixing bowl:
3 cups water (if you want, you can use milk or your favorite non-dairy milk, however I use water to cut the Calories - these are just as flavorful made with water, trust me!  :) )
4 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil (or vegan butter)
3 tbsp local honey, real maple syrup, or vegan sweetener
Slowly add the following, wisking as you add:
3 cups organic spelt flour
3 tsp baking powder
Fold the following into the pancake batter:
1/3 cup organic flaxseed
2/3 cup organic quick oats
2 cups ripe, mashed bananas
Yield: approx. 44 3.5-4 inch pancakes

Parenting note: The kids LOVE to help me in the kitchen, & pouring the ingredients into the bowl & wisking the batter is one of those things that they can help with, even at ages 8 & 2 (yes, even 2).  ;)  They love to be in the kitchen with me (it's one of the places I spend the most time in addition to being in front of the washing machine & at the clothes line, at the sewing machine, & in the garden) not just for the quality time, but they both seem to get a real sense of accomplishment out of just adding & wisking ingredients!  It really is the little things that kids remember, & I hope that they look back when they're older & have fond memories of being in the kitchen with their Mama.  :)

Work in batches, cooking over medium heat on a cast iron griddle, drizzled with a bit of olive oil/veggie oil/etc.




These are a big crowd-pleaser in our house.  :)  Our daughter had 3, the pup had 4, & our son has already gobbled up 5 (without sweetener like honey or maple syrup!!) with no signs of slowing down!  :)  My intention when I make these is always to have left-overs & these end up lasting 3-4 days, but one of these days it'd be nice to double this recipe so I have enough to freeze too, especially in the summer so I cut down on the number of mornings I have to heat up the kitchen.  ;)

Enjoy!  And Happy Cooking!  :)