Banana Egg Protein Pancakes

From: Undressed Skeleton

Ingredients:
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein
1 Extra Ripe Large Banana
2 Egg Whites
1 Egg
1 Tsp Dark Chocolate Chunks

Mash banana. Stir in protein powder and chocolate chunks. Mix together. Add eggs and mix. Cook!

Verdict:
I loved these. They tasted like regular pancakes, but they are packed with protein. I'm not a big fan of bananas but for some reason I love banana pancakes. I'll definitely be making these again in the future!

Brown Sugar Pancakes

From: Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 pinch salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  

In a large bowl, whisk the milk and eggs. Whisk in the vanilla and the melted butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three additions, whisking until smooth. (The batter will be thin.) Stir in 2 tbsp. brown sugar.

Melt some butter in the skillet. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the skillet, forming circles. Cook until the surface bubbles and the edges are browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until browned on the bottom, about 30 seconds longer. Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1 tbsp. brown sugar. Repeat with the remaining batter and brown sugar.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'm not a big fan of pancakes, but my kids and my husband love having them for weekend breakfasts or weeknight dinners if I forget to plan something (*ahem*...). I made these brown sugar pancakes for dinner tonight, though, and I have to say I really liked them. I think the kids did too, because they each ate 4 or 5. They are a little sweeter than my other recipe (which is basically the same as this except without the brown sugar) so maybe that's why I liked them a bit more. They definitely weren't sickeningly sweet. I will definitely make these again in the future. And yes - feel free to add in chocolate (my daughter and husband are chocolate fanatics) or any fruit that you usually would!    

Applesauce Pancakes

From: The Sisters Cafe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 c flour
1 c milk
1 c applesauce
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until fluffy.  Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.  Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat or to 375 degrees.  (To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water.  If bubbles jump around, heat is just right.)  Grease griddle.  For each pancake, use slightly less than 1/4 cup batter.  Cook pancakes until bubbly on top and dry around the edges.  Turn to cook other sides until golden brown.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Okay, seriously such a good recipe. My kids usually want pancakes or waffles 4-6 times a week. I have a great homemade waffle recipe that I don't stray from, but I only have a couple of "okay" pancake recipes. This one is definitely a keeper. The applesauce makes these moist, and they are super thick and fluffy. And yes, you can add whatever you normally add - chocolate chips, bananas, blueberries, etc. Check out the link where I originally got the recipe from - the cinnamon syrup she adds looks amazing although I haven't tried it. And just in case you're wondering, these freeze beautifully. I make one huge batch every couple of weeks and freeze the leftovers.

Zucchini Fritters

From: An old email recipe newsletter

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. Bisquick
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. zucchini, grated
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter (or more if needed)

Blend Bisquick, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add eggs. Mix zucchini into batter. Grease hot pan or griddle with butter. Pour batter into pan and fry 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I accidentally shredded my zucchini instead of grating it. I think if I had grated it, Brianna would have eaten it, but the big shreds of zucchini really didn't look appetizing. Didn't bother me though!

What I'll do differently next time:
Grate it!

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Only Hunter and I really ate these and I thought they were good (although they did have a very strong salty flavor for some reason) but I probably won't make them again if half my family doesn't like them. I do strongly recommend them for people who like zucchini and things like potato pancakes, as they are a lot like those.

Blueberry Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Sauce

From: Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 1/2 cups blueberries
5 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 250. Place cookie sheet in oven. Prepare blueberry sauce: In saucepan, combine water, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups blueberries and 2 Tbsp sugar, and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1-2 minutes or until berries burst. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Prepare pancakes: In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining sugar. Stir in buttermilk, butter and eggs just until flour mixture is moistened. Stir in remaining berries. Lightly grease griddle or nonstick skillet; heat over medium heat until very hot. Drop batter by 1/4 cups onto hot griddle, spreading batter gently to make 4-inch rounds. Cook pancakes 2-3 minutes. Turn pancakes over; cook 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer pancakes to cookie sheet in oven; keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing griddle if needed. Serve pancakes with blueberry sauce.

What I did differently from this recipe:
I halved the blueberry sauce recipe because I knew Stephen wouldn't use it. Also, if your oven will go below 250 degrees, I would put it as low as possible, around 170 or so. I think 250 would continue cooking them a bit.

What I'll do differently next time:
I probably wouldn't use the blueberry sauce the next time. There were so many blueberries in the pancakes it didn't really add anything. It was just an extra step in my opinion. Although the picture in the magazine certainly was pretty.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Stephen said these were much better than his pancakes (Bisquick). He is the "pancake-r" in our household so this is a high compliment from him. They were certainly easy and delicious!!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 1/2 cups blueberries
5 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 250. Place cookie sheet in oven. Prepare blueberry sauce: In saucepan, combine water, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups blueberries and 2 Tbsp sugar, and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1-2 minutes or until berries burst. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Prepare pancakes: In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining sugar. Stir in buttermilk, butter and eggs just until flour mixture is moistened. Stir in remaining berries. Lightly grease griddle or nonstick skillet; heat over medium heat until very hot. Drop batter by 1/4 cups onto hot griddle, spreading batter gently to make 4-inch rounds. Cook pancakes 2-3 minutes. Turn pancakes over; cook 1-2 minutes longer. Transfer pancakes to cookie sheet in oven; keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing griddle if needed. Serve pancakes with blueberry sauce.