They say Necessity is the Mother of Invention, but I would also say that Invention is the Necessity of Mothers! Preparing truly nutritious meals for kids that are appealing, quick, and easy, can be a challenge (to say the least). It makes me ever so grateful for things like, oh I don't know ... a refrigerator, a blender, and a dishwasher!
Moms (and Dads) have come up with many great tricks, tips, and schemes to take care of their families. These days we are also fortunate to have the Internet, where we can share all these ideas. I saw this recipe for Cottage Cheese Pancakes on Super Healthy Kids a couple of weeks back. It appealed for being high-protein and whole-grain and wheat-free. Added bonus, it was also super simple, and quick, which made it feasible for a school morning.
Moms (and Dads) have come up with many great tricks, tips, and schemes to take care of their families. These days we are also fortunate to have the Internet, where we can share all these ideas. I saw this recipe for Cottage Cheese Pancakes on Super Healthy Kids a couple of weeks back. It appealed for being high-protein and whole-grain and wheat-free. Added bonus, it was also super simple, and quick, which made it feasible for a school morning.
I got up this morning and realized that our breakfast choices were, Cheerios, or ... Cheerios ... I figured I'd give it a go. I blended up a batch exactly as the recipe indicated (with a touch more cinnamon). I drizzled them with a little local honey, and the girls were very happy. I thought they were tasty too, but, a bit too flat, and dense ... Hmmm ...
Then, of course, I googled "cottage cheese pancakes", because that's what you do these days right? Many were similar to the one I followed. There were some with all-purose flour -- no thanks, I want to keep this wheat-free. Some added banana to the mix, nice idea, but oh, let me see ... yep no bananas.
Then there were some that called for whipping the egg whites separately ... which would be great for lightening the texture, and a fine idea for a Sunday morning. But on a school morning? No way in "h-e-double hockey sticks" am I going to be separating eggs, pulling out the Kitchen Aid, and tenderly folding the batter on a Wednesday. I'll be lucky if both kids make it to school without a memory they'll share with their therapists decades from now.
So I thought, what else can we use to make more bubbles in the batter? Perhaps a dash of baking powder? I pulled the baking powder out of the pantry ... and this was staring right at me:
Oat flour instead of whole oats? Well sure, why not? I put everything in the blender, turned it on, and was ready to go in less than 5 minutes. Guess what? They were great! Nice little bubbles formed, the crumb was smooth and tender, and as an unexpected benefit, the oat flour really upped the oat flavor.
These are great drizzled with a little honey, or spread with a bit of jam. I could just as easily see making a savory version rolled up with a slice of ham and swiss cheese.
So here's my school morning invention. But, you know, feel free to make it this weekend too!
