Breakfast...The Best Part of My Day

If you haven't noticed, I happen to like hosting parties/get-togethers. And I at these said parties, I really enjoy feeding my friends.  In college, I would have a group of friends over almost every Saturday morning for pancakes. We would have different sides with it each week, but the pancakes were the same. I was sort of known for my pancakes...it was my thang. 

Breakfast is my jam. I haven't met many a breakfast I didn't like. Biscuits, sausage, gravy, eggs, pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, cereal (oh my goodness, I could live on cereal), oatmeal, grits...wait, no grits. My mom used to feed us grits with a piece of kraft cheese melted in. How was that a good idea??? Yet, somehow I used to love it. Gross...But seriously, I really look forward to breakfast every day. That's why Isaac and I eat breakfast for dinner sometimes too. 

I tend to get focused on one breakfast item for a while. A few months ago it was oatmeal variations most days. Then I was hooked on scrambled eggs. Lately I've been on a sweets/carb kick. It's times like these that pancakes perfectly fit the sweet/carb craving. 

I discovered these pancakes in high school and have tweaked them over time. They are a great breakfast choice as they have fiber and carbohydrates from the whole wheat flour and oatmeal, healthy fat (think omega-3s) in the flax, protein in the greek yogurt and egg, and other additional goodies (various vitamins in the apple and pumpkin, aaaaand...antioxidants in the dark chocolate :-) ). 

I added the pumpkin maybe 2 years ago and have never looked back. It doesn't really change the taste much, but it makes the pancakes incredibly thick and keeps them from being dry. I add in some thinly chopped apple and dark chocolate chips, but feel free to add whatever you want--bananas, blueberries, pecan, etc. Sometimes my family will make a big batch of batter and divide it into smaller bowls. Everyone then puts their own mix-ins and cooks them on the griddle. The possibilities are endless!

Can I just point out the little pieces of apple in there??  

Yield: Serves 3-4

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Whole Wheat Pancakes

Thick, fluffy pancakes that are packed with nutrition that leaves you feeling full, satisfied, and energized.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C old fashioned oats
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C milk of choice
• 1/4 C Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1/3 C thinly chopped apple
• Optional: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, dark chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients and stir to mix. Add in wet ingredients and mix until combined and wet batter forms. Add in the apple and any other mix-ins. The batter will be thick (you want it to be), but if it is too thick, add 1 Tbsp water at a time. Pour ¼ C batter onto preheated skillet at medium heat. When the top bubbles and the bottom side is cooked, flip and cook additionally until it is cooked through. Top with your toppings of choice and enjoy!

Top with peanut butter....is there really any other way to eat pancakes??