As March Break draws to a close and our usual school morning routine shows itself on the horizon, I begin my "stress-free morning" preparations. This usually involves packing lunches, doing laundry, washing the children and of course, prepping breakfast.
If it were up to my picky little beans, we would be eating chocolate chips and white buns for breakfast - an absolutely horrifying way to start the day (poor teachers!). Regular old pancakes and boxed cereals do the exact same thing to a child's blood sugar; spike it and drop it, creating an exhausted and cranky child before the day has even begun!
These pancakes are my solution to our very busy, long mornings that require a lot of good nutrition and kid-fuel. They're high in fibre, good fats and somewhat high in protein. They taste good and are quick to whip up. I usually whip up a big batch of the batter and keep it in the fridge for about 3 days. That's three quick and filling breakfasts!
Start by grinding 1/2 cup of whole chia seeds in a coffee grinder. I like to grind them rather than buy them ground because they retain more of their nutrients when stored whole. I'm using white chia seeds because visually, they are undetectable in these pancakes.
Perfect! It takes no time at all to grind these guys into a flour. I ground the seeds in two batches so I didn't clog the grinder.
Transfer your chia flour to a mixing bowl and add 1.5 cups of brown rice flour.
Add 1 tsp of salt..
And 2 tsp of baking powder.
Give it a little stir with a fork...
And set aside.
Get yourself four eggs. Now, remember, eggs are a wonderful superfood. They contain many important B vitamins including B12 and Choline. B vitamins are SO important for our little learners and the pickier they are, the harder it is to get sufficient B's into them. Eggs are a great food option for this dilemma.
Whisk away.
And add 1.5 cups of your milk of choice. I'm using almond milk here as the only dairy we consume is either fermented or in the form of a good quality cheese (containing microbial enzymes). Whichever type of milk your family enjoys will work perfectly here.
Stir in 2 cups of full fat, plain yogurt. It's absolutely delicious in this recipe, creating a fluffy pancake and improving the fat/protein profile.
Whisk away.
Add 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup.
And 1/2 cup of oil. I'm using avocado oil here but I often go with melted coconut oil or olive oil. Your choice.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet.
And whisk yet again.
Lovely.
Now, the chia flour will expand just a bit, and that's a good thing. Upon first combining the dry and the wet, it may seem a bit thin. Let the batter rest for about five minutes to let things thicken up a bit.
When you're ready, go ahead and cook up some pancakes. I've used a pinch of lard in my frying pan. I recommend making small-ish cakes, as this batter is a bit different than what you might be used to. The chia flour will change things a bit..
Chia, like flax and other fibres, tends to hang on to moisture and so these pancakes will be less fluffy and a bit more moist. DON"T WORRY. They taste great and kids barely notice.
Looking flipable!
Beautiful! The pancakes are nice and crisp around the edges.
Remember, cook on a lower heat and make small pancakes for best results.
We're missing one thing here...
There we go!
A little more....
Perfect!
These pancakes are very satiating. The white chia flour allows us sneaky parents to hide all kinds of fibre, minerals and omega 3's in these babies. Your kids will have no idea! I promise!
School-Fuel Pancakes
- 1/2 cup whole chia seeds, ground
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk of your choice
- 2 cups full fat plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup avocado, olive or melted coconut oil
- Grind chia seeds in coffee grinder
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine ground chia with remaining dry ingredients
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs
- Add remaining wet ingredients and whisk until combined
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet
- Stir to combine
- Let the batter rest for 5 minutes
- Cook pancakes on med heat in a lightly oiled frying pan until golden, flipping half way through
Enjoy!
