Pancakes! Pancakes for Breakfast!

Before I get into pancakes, I need to clarify a few things from my "fish sticks" post. Who knew fish sticks were such a hot topic?! Firstly, an apology to my mother. Everyone should know that she never fed me fish sticks for an entire year. My mother always made homemade meals, no fast food or TV dinners for me. In fact I truly do credit my mom with my healthy eating habits and general love for out of the ordinary food and for cooking. It was my grandparents who fed me the fish sticks when I visited them. And they did it out of love. Because I really do love fish sticks.
Secondly, the point of the post was not to suddenly get a craving for fish sticks and go out and buy them. The point was to eat whole, fresh fish. The point was also that we need to give our kid's palates more credit than we do. They will eat more than just mac and cheese and hot dogs, we just have to offer it to them.

Okay. Enough about fish sticks already! On to pancakes...

Pancakes are a particular love of mine. I remember once for Hanukkah when I was a kid, getting a brand new spatula especially for pancakes. And I know my mother will back me up on that-she gave it to me. It's just not a weekend without them.

I used to be a Bisquick girl. However, in an attempt to be healthier and offer more variety I have started making buckwheat pancakes from scratch. They honestly take no more time than making a mix, and offer so much more nutritionally.

First off, refined white flour is something our body doesn't really need. It is really high on the glycemic index, meaning eating it raises our blood sugar really fast. Most of us are aware that refined white flour is not a whole grain, and even when enriched, just does not offer the same nutritional benefit as a whole grain. It's taken me a long time to make the switch over to eating more whole grains, but I do believe it is worth it for our health.

Buckwheat on the other hand has lots to offer us. Buckwheat is low on the glycemic index as well as being a gluten free grain. Buckwheat offers a lot of protein, fiber and complex carbs. It's a good source for B vitamins, which are so crucial to our health. It's also high in Zinc, a nutrient most of us are deficient in. 1 serving of buckwheat offers 100% of your daily requirement for magnesium. Super grain!

But I don't like to eat it whole. So for me, using buckwheat flour is a good solution, and now you can find it in almost any grocery store.

Here's the pancake recipe. I like to serve it with strawberries on top. In the winter I use frozen organic berries. Strawberries are another food you always want to get organic. Heat them up on the stove and they produce their own little syrup. No need to add additional sugar. Organic butter and pure maple syrup are other healthy, delicious toppings.

Buckwheat Pancakes

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk (can substitute soy or rice milk)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Combine all ingredients until just blended. Drop in 1/4 cup scoops into pan that is over medium heat. When edges start to dry, flip. Cook until done. Makes about 8-10 standard size pancakes.

Note: these don't really "bubble" up like other pancakes when they are ready to be turned, so flip right after edges start to dry.