For the Love of Breakfast... Protein Pancakes!

Dear Diary,

I LOVE Breakfast!  Just the word makes my mouth water and makes me warm and fuzzy inside!  Breakfast is had between people who love each other and people who are close.  Mostly breakfast is eaten in the comforts of our own home.  If not, it might be after a sleepover, in pajamas and before you brush you teeth.  Even if we meet someone at a restaurant for breakfast, we are still fresh from our dreams with a whole day ahead of us.  If its an acquaintance you are meeting, do brunch.

I have lots of fond memories of breakfast from my childhood with my family. Dad would yell from downstairs, "French toast is hot... come and get it!"  That meant, "Get out of your bed immediately or you will not get anything to eat".  Coming from a family of 6 kids, breakfast consisted of at least a loaf of bread, dozen eggs and gallon of milk.  For this reason, I only knew how to cook for an army of people until I went away to college.  I remember the first time I made a "big breakfast" for my college roommates.  They asked "who else is coming over?...why is there so much food?!" oops. I had to learn to cook for 2 instead of 8.  Nowadays, I could technically cook for 4 but we sort of do a "short order chef" breakfast situation. That's okay with me since (did I mention?) I love breakfast!

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I must agree that it can really set the tone for the adventures ahead.  As a mom, I have discovered that I can make a healthy breakfast very quickly ... and it is worth the extra minutes beyond what it takes to pour a bowl of cereal.

"Break the fast! and make it count!"

I have learned a lot from one of my favorite websites: NourishMD.com. They talk about taking steps to eat "REAL" food.  And why not start with breakfast?  Think about getting whole grains and proteins as opposed to white flour and refined sugars.

So, each morning I walk into my kitchen and ask the big question, "What do we want for breakfast guys?!... pancakes, french toast, eggs?"... I set the pan on the stove, flip on the burner... and start to get out the pivotal ingredients for any good breakfast spread...  milk, eggs, oats, butter, vanilla.  No matter what the short orders are, by the time the pan is hot, we are ready to cook!

Personally, I appreciate almost everything that people consider breakfast... eggs every which way, omelets, french toast, pancakes, crepes, puff pastries, yogurt and granola, fruits, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage and coffee :)  One of my favorite things to make is pancakes.... and I like to do them from scratch.  I mended a few recipes together and made it my own.

Sarah's Protein Pancakes



1 cup oat flour (I grind whole oats up in my magic bullet)

1/2 cup lowfat (small curd) cottage cheese (whipped cream cheese also works)

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs (or whites)

1/2 tbsp vanilla

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup vegetable oil (slightly more for Belgium waffles)

Turn skillet on to medium heat.  In the magic bullet, grind whole oats to make oat flour.  (I grind up a bunch of oats and keep the flour in my cupboard.)  Pour oat flour into bowl.  In the magic bullets, blend cottage cheese and milk until smooth.  Mix all the ingredients into the bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth.  Butter pan.  Pour pancakes. Flip when the top is full of bubbles. ENJOY!






Do the kids eat them?  Yes they do.  Face it, anything cooked in butter and drizzled with a little real maple syrup is delicious.  That's how my kids got started eating protein pancakes.  Now, my kids only want syrup half the time (I swear...its seems weird to me too)  They don't taste just like Hungry Jack or Aunt Jemima's but they also don't include any ingredients that I can't pronounce.  You can also mix it half and half. Now that I have protein pancakes down to a science, it's real tough for me to make pancakes from a box.

If you try this recipe or have another one, please SHARE!