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BREAKFAST, HEALTHY CHILDREN AND PORRIDGE PANCAKES

September 5, 2014 21 Comments

porridge-pancake-on-purple

Breakfast: best meal of the day, right? It sets us up for whatever lies ahead. I always think that a day that starts with a good breakfast just goes better, somehow. All the experts agree that starting the day with a mix of whole-grain, slow-burning carbohydrate, protein and healthy fats is the best way to power up for the hours to come. America’s most high-profile cancer specialist, David B Agus (he treated Steve Jobs) cites eating breakfast as one of the key ways to live a long and healthy life. Which is what we’re all about at Kale and Cocoa, of course. A Harvard study last year found that men who skipped breakfast have a 27% higher risk of heart disease. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/skipping-breakfast-may-increase-coronary-heart-disease-risk/ And what’s true for adults is true for children too. With the school year starting this week (with the usual mixture of relief, sadness and a huge bill new shoes in our house, at least), it’s worth remembering that children who eat breakfast perform better in class http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/The-Case-for-Eating-Breakfast.aspx And this week – well timed for the back to school hysteria – researched revealed that kids who skip breakfast are 25% more likely to be insulin resistant. High insulin resistance increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/09September/Pages/Missing-breakfast-linked-to-type-2-diabetes.aspx

But when everyone is in a rush, and they’ve lost those overpriced new school shoes/pencil cases/phones it’s easy to shove a box of cereal at the children and hope for the best. A beautifully prepared feast that ticks all the nutritional boxes is a distant aspiration some mornings, but on others we try to make eggs or porridge or our new favourite thing – porridge pancakes. I LOVE this recipe – it’s packed with all the good things listed above – low GI oats, eggs and natural yoghurt for protein and healthy fats. PLUS the pancake batter can be prepared in a couple of minutes the night before so you can swan down in the morning feeling like a smug parent, knowing that you are about to fuel up your child, and yourself, for a perfect day ahead…

PORRIDGE PANCAKES

Serves 6

200g porridge oats (not jumbo)

2tbs ground flax seeds

400ml natural yoghurt

200ml water

1tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

2tsp baking powder

Coconut oil (or butter) for frying

Berries and/or banana slices

The evening before….Mix the yoghurt and water in a large bowl. Stir in the oats, flax seeds and cinnamon. Leave in the fridge overnight. And before you go to bed, put 3 eggs (unbroken) in a small bowl by the hob, along with a fork, baking powder and a measuring teaspoon. It sounds anal, but trust me, you’ll thank yourself in the morning (or you will if your mornings are anything like mine). Next morning, Grab the oat mixture from the fridge and slap a (preferably non-stick) frying pan on the hob. While it’s heating, beat the eggs. Mix into the oats with the baking powder. You should have a stiff-ish mixture. Melt a little oil or butter into the pan, then dollop in heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan – if it’s really stiff you might need to squash it down a bit. Don’t have the heat too high – the secret is to let the mixture start to cook through before the outside gets too browned. When bubbles start to appear on the top, carefully turn each pancake – they are more fragile than regular pancakes. Serve with fruit and more yoghurt and cinnamon if you’d like.

 

PS if I want to make a smaller amount, I halve all the ingredients and use just one egg. It makes 7 pancakes – perfect for one adult and two children.

 

Susan

  • Meal Types: Breakfast
  • Conditions: Cancer, Diabetes, Heart disease
  • Ingredients: Oats, Yoghurt
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Comments

  1. Jeanmarie says

    September 6, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    Every morning I have a bowl of porridge with dried fruit and seeds, but these looks far more inviting. Looking forward to trying some of your recipes. Jeanmarie x

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      September 7, 2014 at 7:26 am

      Thanks so much Jeanmarie – do give them a try, and enjoy your healthy mornings!

      Reply
  2. Tania says

    September 7, 2014 at 10:50 am

    A hit!! Got my son to wolf them down this morning before heading off for a full day of both rugby then cricket! They are delicious and I hate porridge normally!

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      September 10, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      So glad they are a hit – these pancakes are the perfect fuel for sporting heroes!

      Reply
  3. Bryony Streets says

    October 1, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    We have these most mornings now before school and they are amazing! We eat them with apple and raspberry compote, yoghurt and a drizzle of agave syrup. I would recommend these to everyone as they are so delicious!

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      October 4, 2014 at 2:49 pm

      Thanks so much Bryony!

      Reply
  4. Laura Collins says

    March 13, 2015 at 8:04 am

    This got a big thumbs up from my husband. I’ll definitely be serving these pancakes to my family next time they come over for brunch. I didn’t have any flax seed to hand but used milled chia seeds instead and that worked fine – held together nicely.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      March 13, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks so much Laura – great idea to use milled chia seeds for a nutritional and textural boost!

      Reply
  5. Laura Collins says

    May 9, 2015 at 8:01 am

    I tried making this recipe up as waffles instead of pancakes. They were very nice, served them with a topping of berries and crème fraîche. There’s only my husband and me, so scaling down recipes can be a fiddle. I just made up the full batch and froze the leftover waffles. I tried popping one straight from the freezer into the toaster. This worked well as a quick snack, nice with jam.

    Reply
    • sylvia says

      September 8, 2015 at 2:02 pm

      Great idea to freeze them – most recipes seem to be for between four to six people and I am only one!!

      Reply
  6. Angela says

    October 11, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    Do these pancakes freeze like normal pancakes?

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      October 12, 2015 at 7:28 am

      Hello Angela
      I have never actually tried to freeze them – they always get scoffed in our house! But I can’t see why not – would be a really good idea for busy mornings.

      Reply
      • Caroline Ford says

        January 8, 2016 at 10:24 am

        Recently discovered this website. Having been recommended a book called Grain Brain when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s I’m very interested in how to improve my family’s diet, but with a 10 year old daughter it’s a challenge. When she saw the porridge mix her initial comment was ‘Oh no Mummy you’ve gone crazy again!’ but when she smelt them cooking she decided she’d give it a try–and now the pancakes are in demand whenver possible! Delcious with homemade compote/banana and blueberry/yoghurt and agave syrup. Thye’ve been a real hit so thank you!

        Reply
        • Susan Saunders says

          January 9, 2016 at 6:42 pm

          Hi Caroline, so pleased you like the site and the pancakes! They are always a big hit in our homes too. What did you think of Grain Brain? We tend to favour a whole food diet with lots of whole grains but the strict paleo approach of Grain Brain is interesting.

          Reply
          • Caroline Ford says

            January 11, 2016 at 12:40 pm

            Thanks for your reply Susan. I think the whole gluten thing is interesting and I think a lot more people have an intolerance than diagnosed but I think sugar is probably the main ‘enemy’–although apparently wholemeal bread does have a very high GI (I think!) Like all these things you have to have a diet that’s sustainable so I’m trying to tweak where I can. Certainly seem to be links between Alzheimers and diabetes which suggests a sugar/carbs link. What are anyone who’s read the book’s thoughts?

  7. Honor says

    June 10, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    Love these before school or a sports match so filling and supplies lots of energy

    Reply
  8. Angela Culver says

    November 27, 2022 at 11:56 am

    Susan, thank you so very much – tried the above (too much for us will be cutting recipe in half) I tried these out on my 82 year old husband (!) didn’t tell him what the were made of and he loved them – and said can we have them again – so today finished off the batch with apricot conserve on them (!) – and some strongish coffee to drink. Have filed this away for future reference. Yes, you can teach an old dog to change tack!! Thanks once again. Regards Angela – Kent

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      November 27, 2022 at 12:20 pm

      So glad they were a hit – thanks for letting me know! And yes a batch – or half a batch – can last a couple of days

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Recipe for black bean and leek soup that provides prebiotics says:
    October 10, 2014 at 7:19 am

    […] we’ll continue to breakfast on Susan’s delicious porridge pancakes with sliced banana, raw honey and a dollop of probiotic-rich yogurt (choose one with a minimum of […]

    Reply
  2. ANXIETY, MOOD FOOD AND CHINESE 'SPAG BOG' - Kale & cocoa says:
    November 15, 2014 at 1:11 pm

    […] granola from last week’s post with yoghurt and berries for a calming start to the day. And our porridge pancakes include oats, eggs and yoghurt so they are packed with tryptophan too. Also check out our leek and […]

    Reply
  3. Recipe for kale and black sesame rice, seaweed, avocado, pomegranate says:
    January 2, 2015 at 11:36 am

    […] for breakfast.  Yes, I know that sounds weird. And it won’t happen every day (we still love our porridge pancakes and granola). People all over the world eat vegetables for breakfast – the famous British fry up […]

    Reply

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