Whole Wheat Zucchini Pancakes
These hearty pancakes pack a nutritious punch. I swapped organic whole wheat einkhorn flour for refined white flour, probiotic-rich full-fat yogurt for milk, and added zucchini and orange for some extra nutrients, texture, and flavor. These pancakes freeze well and make for a nutritious and toddler-approved breakfast option.
The Star Ingredients:
Jovial Organic Whole Wheat Einkhorn Flour - It has a nice, nutty flavor and adds more protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals than conventional white flour, plus it’s much easier on digestion because of the low gluten content.
Zucchini - Like with my Whole Wheat Zucchini and Cranberry mini muffins, I just use my mini food processor to coarsely chop, if you don’t have a processor, you can also use a box grater. Make sure to squeeze the excess moisture out with a towel before mixing in the other wet ingredients.
Full Fat Plain Yogurt - I like Nancy’s Organic Probiotic Whole Milk Yogurt which acts like buttermilk in pancakes by providing a gentle tang and extra fluffiness. It’s low in sugar, high in protein and beneficial bacteria, and the higher fat content means it contributes to satiety.
For a little extra flavor, I like to add in some orange juice and zest (lemon zest works great too!), as well as some complementary spices, namely vanilla, cinnamon, and clove but feel free to experiment with your own favorite spices.
Purecane Brown Sweetener - I only used 2 tablespoons but I’ve just started experimenting with this low glycemic and zero-calorie sugar alternative. It tastes and behaves like sugar in recipes and doesn’t have the weird aftertaste that I notice with other sugar substitutes. Of course, you can also use regular brown sugar or a natural sweetener like maple syrup for these pancakes that are lightly sweet.
I know that healthier, from-scratch pancakes seem a little labor-intensive and maybe something you feel like you need to save for a weekend but I promise they could be a quick and easy mid-week treat with a little forethought and some helpful kitchen tools:
Mini Food Processor: I honestly used to hesitate with any recipe that included grated zucchini because I didn’t have the time or elbow grease to grate cup after cup of zucchini and I didn’t want to deal with getting my bulky food processor out of the cabinet above the fridge because it was a pain and also annoying to clean. Then I got this mini processor and I use it for everything, especially for all the veggies I’m trying to hide in my toddler’s food. It’s convenient and compact and a breeze to clean.
Cookie Dropper: I love my 1 and 1 ½ tablespoon cookie droppers! Literally the kitchen tool I’ve utilized the most since making all my baby and toddler food. I mostly use them for muffins, for vegetable chicken nuggets or broccoli cheese bites, and especially for scooping pancake batter to create mini pancakes that fit perfectly into tiny hands.
Microplane Zester: I love using citrus zest in my recipes. I know it may seem like a pointless added step, especially for normally plain-jane toddler food, but the zest of lemons, oranges, limes, and even grapefruit add a really fresh pop of flavor as well as immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin C and bioflavonoids. I love the zester because it also works great for fresh ginger, whole nutmeg, and cheese in a pinch.
Emoji Pancake Pan: Okay, not essential but I love having these uniformly shaped cakes and think the faces are pretty cute. I use this as well as a regular pan to do several cakes at once because ain’t nobody got time to stand in front of the stove flipping pancakes all morning!