Saturday mornings. Full of hope and ambition, an entire weekend ahead for errands/laundry/chores/work, etc. Totally different from Sunday mornings. If you’re anything like me, on Sunday you find yourself wondering “where did my weekend go?” And then you proceed to sulk around miserably for the rest of the day, in denial that the weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye.
I love to make pancakes when I’m feeling particularly ambitious on a Saturday morning. I came across this recipe for whole wheat pancakes a couple of years ago and it has been my go-to recipe since. Fluffy and light, you would never guess that they are healthy and 100% whole wheat. If you’re hesitant to make a batch of pancakes for one or two people, fret not: these pancakes freeze wonderfully. Stack the pancakes between squares of wax paper and freeze in a ziplock bag or airtight container. Next time you’re looking for a snack (or a quick breakfast), pop a pancake or two in the toaster, top with your favourite spread, and voila! Trust me, peanut butter is waaaaay better on a pancake than on toast.
Pile O' Pancakes... waiting to be eaten!
I decided to make pancakes a couple of weekends ago but quickly realized that I didn’t have any maple syrup kicking around. Instead, I had a lovely container of strawberries sitting in the fridge… so I decided to whip up a super simple strawberry sauce (how’s that for alliteration?). I loosely followed a recipe but made a few modifications. I wanted to use less sugar so I reduced the amount called for by half. And I didn’t have any orange juice on hand so I just used water.
The resulting strawberry sauce was sweet enough for me but E needed to add a drizzle of honey on top. Even still, much healthier than Aunt Jemima (although I’ll admit that I do love Aunt Jemima, high fructose corn syrup and all… just don’t tell anyone).
Wholesome Pancake with Super Simple Strawberry Sauce
100% Whole Wheat Pancakes (adapted from CanadianLiving.com)
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1-1/2 cup milk
(I usually add a little more before I pour the batter as I find it a bit too thick)
1-1/2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Do not overmix! Optional: add extra milk to reach desired consistency (I like my pancake batter a bit more runny).
- Heat large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake; cook until bubbles break on top but do not fill in and bottoms are golden, 1.5 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute or so, until golden on bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven until ready to serve. Pancakes can be layered between waxed paper and frozen in a Ziplock bag or airtight container.
Makes 12 pancakes. Per pancake: 98 kcal, 3 g fat, 1.4 g fibre, 180 mg sodium
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Strawberry Sauce (from Crazy Plates)
2 cups diced strawberries
1/3 cup orange juice (or water) mixed with 1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar (I used 2 tbsp)
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid has thickened and strawberries have softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving. May be refrigerated for up to one week.
More Spinach, Please 
yum! this looks so scrumptious, especially with the sauce! can’t wait to have a permanent place–then i can stock it with baking goodies, and try out some of your recipes! just noticed that we have the same theme, but in a different colour! 🙂
Hi Trace! I would imagine your current situation is not very conducive to baking… although your kitchen does look pretty sweet from the photos! Have you been cooking much/at all in your new but temporary digs?
we have been doing SOME cooking, but mostly quicker (but yummy) pastas and cold dishes. we made muffins the other day, but they were from the package! i am hesitant to buy flour (and baking soda, baking powder, etc) because i might have to haul it across town later, when we find a more permanent place to rest our heads. also, try this allrecipes.com recipe! i always add fruit INTO the batter, whole wheat flour it, fraction the butter, and add much less sugar. the fruit does it all!
heart you!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-pancakes-2/detail.aspx
I have a great recipe for you that’s much like this one, but also with oats for extra fibre and texture. Yum yum! And I agree with everything else you said, including the virtues of peanut butter on pancakes, and the depressions of Sunday morning. Booooooooo!
Ooooh… please send along, Sarah! Coincidentally, I recently considered adding oats to the pancake batter. They’re yummy just as they are but a little texture would be a nice change from the ordinary!