Like many of you, I’m often solo-parenting at breakfast time. Just me, the person that takes 45-60 minutes (give or take) to admit that I am, indeed, awake, and I do in fact have multiple responsibilities the second I open my eyes in the morning. Chasing a toddler around to get her enough nutrition to continue growing normally sounds like a little too much before I have coffee.
About a year ago, a friend introduced me to this method for simple, healthy toddler breakfast pancakes that she makes for her kids. Little did she know when she sent our daughter with this little snack for the car-ride home that we would be making these pancakes on an almost daily basis over a year later. They’re packed with protein and fiber, they taste great (I actually make them for myself some mornings, too), and they’re easy for little ones to eat.
There are different ways to make these pancakes, and I’ll show you some variation later in the post. But to start, here’s how I currently make them. This recipe is for one pancake, but I always make at least 2 at a time. They do great in the fridge, and I just pop one in the toaster in the morning to warm it back up.
Ingredients (for one pancake)
1 egg
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon (or a little less) brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon butter
Directions
Whisk one egg in a small bowl. Add the oats and stir until combined and none of the oats are dry. Stir in the brown sugar and salt.
Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour oatmeal mixture into pan and flatten into 1/4 inch thick pancake. Cook approximately 2 minutes or until starting to turn a golden brown color, then flip pancake and cook another 2 minutes or until cooked through.
At this point, you can have fun with it. Top with peanut butter, butter and syrup, add some berries.. our daughter likes a thin layer of cream cheese on top. Then I use a pizza cutter (which happens to be one of my favorite Unique, Must-Have Baby & Toddler Products!) to cut it into bite sized squares. This is one of the few meals that she will happily sit and eat until it’s gone.
When I first started making these, I would use a pack of flavored instant oatmeal (like the brown-sugar and cinnamon individual packs), but quickly felt like that was too much sugar everyday. Making them with quick oats is cheaper, just as easy, and gives you control over sugar content.
Oh, and while you’re prepping ahead for your kiddos breakfast, think about making something awesome for you to stash away in the freezer, too! Check out my favorite way to make freezer friendly breakfast burritos!
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