I ask myself this question every day around 4pm. Right when I am about to get ready to leave work. It’s hard coming up with meals that 2 adults, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old will all eat together. Often, I find myself making the kids something else. Which ultimately takes time away from playing with them. Luckily the littlest lady is (mostly) still down with eating anything you put in front of her. She hasn’t hit the “yucky” phase of meals yet. I try to introduce my older daughter to new things all the time, but let’s face it… if it even looks weird, she isn’t eating it.

Some nights I really dance around to get her to try new things. But as I have another little one growing bigger and bigger in my belly, my determination for that is dwindling. One thing that helps is having a (somewhat) healthy meal/dessert on standby. Having a list of recipes that are quick and always a homerun makes life SO much easier and allows me to spend more time with my kids after work. So, sometimes… that means dessert for dinner.

Now I know what you are thinking… dessert… really? Well life is short people, and if I can try and fill my kid’s bellies with something SOMEWHAT substantial I call that a win. The process is time consuming, often I fail, but eventually we have a list of meals that the kids will eat and go to bed without asking for something more. Here’s where protein pancakes come in… and they are technically a breakfast food 😊

What you’ll need:

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups fat-free milk (or any kind of milk you like)
• 1-2 eggs, beaten (your choice, pancakes will be denser with 2)
  • If using 2, add more flour or oats to the mixture so it isn’t too runny
• 1 Banana (smashed)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter… I always use butter. Real. Butter.
• 2-4 tablespoons of peanut butter (I actually use PB2 powder)
• Optional Add-ins: blueberries, apples, peanut butter, protein powder, etc.

Now what do you do:

1. Combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt; mix well.
2. In separate medium bowl, combine milk, egg, banana and butter/oil; blend well.
3. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are combined (do not over mix).
4. Add one of the stir-in options, if desired.
5. Heat skillet over medium-high heat & lightly grease with butter.
6. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet.
7. Turn when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn only once.
8. Serve with syrup & enjoy!

Now, I would love to say this recipe is always a home run. It is delicious, but nothing is ever always a home run with toddlers. In fact, my plan to take cute pictures of my kids enjoying these pancakes completely failed. Both kids didn’t nap yesterday, so they SCREAMED their way through dinner. Then, since I am 6 months pregnant, I started to overheat from cooking and had to lay down while my husband finished feeding them. The screaming ensued for my littlest through bath time, singing, attempted story time, and FINALLY bedtime. I’m exhausted just thinking about it again.

So I gave up the idea of pictures and moved on…

My favorite thing is how diverse this recipe is. You can substitute all kinds of fruit and even throw a little cream cheese icing drizzle on there! Hopefully you can enjoy this pancakes scream free, maybe even in… silence?!