Rain-day Pancakes with Flaxseed

My husband works. A lot. If the sun is shining, they are working (and the irony here is how much I love the sunshine....I mean really. What are the odds?)


But there are the dreary days....when it rains and they can't do much so he gets to stay home and sleep in a little bit. He will get up and walk the dogs and that makes me want to do nice things. Like make breakfast.

I love breakfast. Breakfast food might be my favorite (or a close second to all edible things that swim in the ocean.) But eggs and pancakes and waffles and oatmeal and omelettes...I can't even stand it. I want to eat all of it.

But my kiddo LOVES her some pancakes. And, generally speaking, pancakes are not the best choice nutritionally when it comes to breakfast. So I decided to take it up a notch.

I started with a recipe from Bob's Red Mill (which is a company I absolutely adore) and then added some protein to the mix. What attracted me to this recipe from the get go was that they were pancakes with flaxseed meal.

Why Flax?

• High omega-3 fatty acid content - To read more about why omega 3's are an important part of our diet click here. 

• High in both soluble and insoluble fiber

• High in lignans (which are "one of the major classes of phytoestrogens. They are estrogen-like chemical compounds with antioxidant qualities, able to scavenge free radicals in the body," according to an article posted on Medical News Today. (Read the whole article here.)

Flax has been credited with helping in cardiovascular health, diabetes, asthma and a ton of other health conditions. I feel like it has been talked about everywhere for a while now. And you can add this little baby to smoothies, baked goods like muffins, breads and even pizza crusts and oatmeal, which is my favorite place to toss in a tablespoon. 

There are arguments that flaxseed meal is better so that your body stands a better chance of absorbing the nutrients if the flaxseed are ground. In theory if they are whole, and because they are so tiny, it is easy for them to pass through your body without being broken down. It is super easy to buy your own, I know many grocery stores are selling the in bulk now, using a coffee grinder. I, of course, typically buy Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal which is already ground. I keep it in the freezer to keep it as fresh as possible. 

When I saw this recipe that was not only from one of my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest, but it also contained flaxseed to punch up the nutritional value I knew I had to try it. It called for 2 Tablespoons of sugar which I subbed with coconut palm sugar. After making this and noting the consistency of the batter (it gets thick because of the flax)I think next time I will just sweeten it with maple syrup. We put it on pancakes so why not put it in pancakes?

Here is what I did:

1 1/2 cups milk (cows, almond, rice etc)


1 egg
6 Tablespoons flaxseed meal (I used Bob's Red Mill Golden Flaxseed Meal)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar (or maple syrup)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
1/2 cup protein powder (I used Bob's Red Mill Hemp Protein) 

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well. 

Combine the egg and milk. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine. 

Pour batter onto a griddle heated to medium high. And cook until bubbles are formed around the edges. Flip and  cook the other side until golden brown. 

Add your favorite toppings and serve. **

Happy eating! 

**On a side note...these would be totally awesome on a pretty tray with a cute little bud vase beside it with a pretty fresh flower. Served nice and warm to a deserving mommy while she lounges in bed. In reality, I am pretty sure any mom would be pleased to wake up to anything other than screaming kids and hungry dogs. So partially burned pancakes on a paper plate would be just as amazing.  xoxo

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Sources:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263405.php

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81