Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

Just yesterday my mom and I were discussing the unfortunate realization (from experience) of empty calories.  When you're watching your calories you begin to gamble with yourself. "Okay, I can eat 56 goldfish crackers, but that will cost me 140 calories and I'll still be hungry. Or I can have two eggs...and be full."  Pancakes are a perfect example of a food that costs you a fair amount of calories, but doesn't fill you up, thus causing you to eat more calories later on.

A couple weeks ago my cousin sent me this recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes. What I love about recipes is how they circulate and change. The recipe on the aforementioned site was adapted from Williams Sonoma and I'm about to offer you my adapted version!  My goal here was to make a pancake that the husband and toddler would eat, but would be a bit more filling and nutritious than the average. It might cost me a few extra calories than I normally eat for breakfast, but hey, it's a Sunday and if it keeps me full for longer, than it's worth it.  I also made up a blueberry syrup to save the massive amount of calories from syrup. My cousin melted natural peanut butter over her pancakes. I imagine that would be divine as well! My version is nearly exact to the recipe posted above, but I added 2 tablespoons of flaxseed and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

 

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp.
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the honey, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Whisk together thoroughly, but do not overmix. Batter will be lumpy.
3. Gently fold the mashed bananas into the batter with a spatula.
4. Heat a griddle or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Use PAM cooking spray between each pancake. Add pancake batter using a 1/4 cup measuring cup.
5. When the pancakes have begun brown on the bottom, flip them over to cook the other side.

Extra pancakes? Freeze them! Then you can reheat them in the microwave or toaster!

I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make 14 pancakes. Serving size is 2 pancakes:

Per serving:282 calories / 41 carbs / 8 g fat / 10 g protein

Blueberry Syrup

• 1.5 cups frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp flour (white or wheat would work)
• 1/4 cup water

1. Place frozen blueberries in a bowl and sprinkle with flour. Toss to coat then discard excess flour.

2. Combine flour-coated blueberries, strawberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. 

3. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

4. Reduce to a simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the fruit. 

6. Serve over pancakes!

One serving is 1/4 cup. 

Per serving: 41 calories / 11 carbs / 0 g fat / 1 g protein

The review?

I thought these were delicious.  They don't have a strong banana flavor. The banana really adds a sweetness more than anything.  They didn't feel as dense as some whole wheat pancakes can be (be sure not to over work the batter).  I dusted the top of my pancakes with a little powdered sugar too! My husband and son (who are not counting calories) ate these with butter and regular syrup and my husband, who does not love healthy versions of classics, said he would eat them again! The toddler said, "these yummy momma!"

I figure, you're saving about 300 calories by omitting butter and classic syrup alone. You might be adding a few more calories to the pancake than the classic white flour variety, but it's worth it (in my opinion) because you're adding fiber, which will keep you full longer.