My kids love pancakes and one thing I try really hard to do is rotate foods because the last thing I want is for them to have the same food everyday for breakfast and one day wake up and they don’t “like” or want that food anymore. Has that ever happened to you? If you have a picky eater then I am sure you yelled out “OMG YES!” Here is a tip: rotate foods every three days and you will expose your child to new foods and ditch the days of no longer wanting that preferred food that they once loved. Here is another tip: make the same food in different ways. For example, make pancakes in different shapes such as round, square, on a sheet pan, cut out with cookie cutters, etc. Also, you can add in different toppings such as mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, blueberries, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, etc.
I decided one morning I was going to make a bunch of pancakes to have throughout the week so I made them on a cookie pan and added mini chocolate chips, walnuts, and blueberries. One of my kids doesn’t eat blueberries but I want to expose him to them as much as possible and I thought they were similar in color and size to chocolate chips so I added a few to half of the pan. This way he had half a pan of pancakes he enjoys and is familiar with and the other side with the blueberries is not so intimidating. He chose both kinds of pancakes and just picked off the blueberries but in my feeding therapist mind that was a win because it at least got him interacting with the food by touching them to take them off. Remember kids need to be exploring foods with their senses (seeing, smelling, touching, etc) before they will actually eat the food.
You can slice these bad boys with a pizza cutter, use a cup to make round pancakes, use cookie cutters, cut in small squares or larger rectangles. Get creative. Have your kids add the toppings they choose from the fridge or pantry.
We are 100% dairy and gluten free in our house as of May. We have made a very good transition (rough at times but have the hang of it now) so I am excited to share my new recipes with you all.
1 box of King Arthur Gluten Free (GF) pancake mix plus ingredients on box (egg, plant milk, and we used melted coconut oil instead of butter)
I also always add 1-2 tbsp of ground flax and/or chia for added fiber, plant protein, and omegas.
toppings of choice (use like walnuts, and enjoy life DF/GF mini chocolate chips. You can use sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, thinly sliced apples, walnunts, almonds, cinnamon, etc.
Heat oven to 425. Grease large cookie sheet pan. Mix batter and toppings and pour over greased cookie sheet. You can also mix batter and add toppings once mix is on the pan. Cook about 20 minutes or until golden bubbly. Let cool and cut out however you like. Store in container in fridge and reheat for breakfast, lunch, snacks.