Fun Food for Kids: Pancakes Packed with Veggies & Vitamins
by Bren Gonzalez
Who said pancakes aren’t healthy? I confess that for years I’ve tricked my boys into eating veggies in just about all their meals by adding them to my sauces and baking mixes. I love to chop veggies up or juice them to add to my recipes.
My kids are often clueless that they just had a handful of spinach or beets, and let’s be honest—raw veggies can be boring and tasteless!
Spinach and beets are two of my favorite pancake add-ins, and not just because they create fun, vibrant colors. Spinach is a superfood that is high in iron and packed with vitamins and minerals. It is also a plant-based protein.
Beets are rich in vitamin A, magnesium, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and iron. Not many kiddos like to take vitamins, so being able to create art with food while knowing they’re getting their daily dose of vitamins is helpful. I’ve also noticed that my kids love to play with these natural food colorings themselves, so try incorporating them into more fun foods this summer!
Dino Mite & Princess Pink Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking mix
1 tablespoon granulated organic sugar
1 large organic egg
1 tablespoon melted butter
¾ cup organic plant based milk
½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
¼ cup spinach or beet juice
Clarified butter (ghee)
Juice Recipe
1 handful of spinach or
½ of a beet root
Add into a juicer. You can also make juice in a blender using a strainer for juice.
Instructions
- Preheat your non-stick pan to medium.If you have an electric griddle, set it to 350°F.
- Whisk together the gluten-free baking mix and sugar.
- Whisk the egg, butter, plant-based milk and vanilla together.
- Whisk the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients until blended. Then pour in the natural juice and mix throughout.
- Add a spoon of clarified butter (ghee) onto pan.
- Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan or griddle.
- Spread the batter out with the back of a spoon. To ensure fluffy pancakes the batter should be thicker than that used for conventional pancakes.
- Cook on medium to low until the edges are firm. Note: gluten-free pancakes take slightly longer to cook than wheat-based pancakes do.
- Serve warm with butter and organic maple syrup. You may also add fresh blueberries on top.
Bren Gonzalez’s Be Healthy By Bren is a lifestyle brand with a healthy approach to living. She shares and offers a variety of services and products. You can shop mostly all the items used for this recipe at
www.behealthybybren.com.
