Protein Pancakes with Cottage Cheese
I was in a meeting recently, talking about food, of course, when a colleague said to me, “Every morning, I pray I’ve given my eldest daughter enough food for the day.” A competitive dancer, her daughter goes right from school into a full schedule of classes and practices. “I won’t see her until we both get home at around 8pm tonight and I worry I’ve packed her enough.” As soon as she said it to me, I instantly slumped over in my seat with sympathy worry for her. With a young daughter who is still shuttled to all her activities by either me or a friend, I’d never thought of the fact that she’ll one day be old enough to trudge out for the entire day on her own, let alone needing enough provisions for it as well. I’m not gonna lie, the thought made me panic a little.
It’s why Ceri and I decided we needed to put on our big girl pants and bring you some recipes that are high in protein, pack-up easily and are sturdy enough for the rough and tumble world that is the bottom of a backpack. Between back-to-back hockey practices/games or a full roster of after-school commitments, big kids need nourishment that will not only give them fuel for their activities but will satiate them for the very long day ahead.
Now you may be looking at this lovely stack of pancakes and be thinking, “What the hell is she suggesting? That I make pancakes? Does she think it is the weekend? Vacation?” but give me a chance to explain. These not-so-ordinary pancakes are full of protein thank you very much to the addition of cottage cheese. Considered a high protein snack, the average 1/2 cup of 2% cottage cheese can give you about 16 grams of protein. And, according to kidsheath.com, a good pre-game snack includes a mix of carbohydrates and protein but isn’t laden with fiber and fat that slows digestion thus tying up valuable energy. In other words, if you make a double batch of these on the weekend and then put the extra in the refrigerator for the week, you have yourself a great snack. Have you every sliced a pancake in half and made a sandwich with it? It is heaven. You could also try our Pancake Tacos (See below) as another way to deliver a healthy breakfast, lunch or snack.
I’m not saying these pancakes are the answer to everything. (We all know chocolate is the answer to everything. Duh.) However, they’re a great start. And, hopefully, they’ll help you and our dear friend from the meeting feel a bit more at ease. It’s all we can hope for as mothers; a little peace of mind. Oh and a glass of chardonnay. I’ve read Chardonnay gives peace of mind too. Yea, that was it, I read it.
Ingredients
- Makes: 6 pancakes
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 20 minutes
- 1cup (250 ml) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250 ml) low-fat cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) low-fat milk
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil for pan
Method
n a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, cottage cheese, milk and oil.
Add the egg mixture to the flour and whisk until just combined.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat and then toss in a pat of butter.
Working in batches, form each pancake by pouring about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan.
Cook pancakes are golden brown and bubbles break on the surface; then flip.
Allow to cook through, about another minute.
Store in an airtight container or bag and use throughout the week.
Check out our ideas for Pancake Tacos and sandwiches for easy, portable snacks.
Visit our link above to the Pancake Taco for great breakfast, lunch or snack ideas.
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Hey, thanks for stopping by!
We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
5 Comments
Clementine Buttercup
January 28, 02:08Sounds delicious. Have been experimenting with gluten-free flour, so will attempt a gluten-free version this weekend. Hoping my attempt looks as good as yours.
clementinebuttercup.blogspot.co.uk
Bonnie
February 23, 21:47Looks delicious and love the added protein!
Christine Klassen
February 28, 10:00I have to tell you – I have been searching for a healthy pancake recipe that my kids will eat…for the first time ever, ALL my kids (3) loved these pancakes and gobbled them up! Of course, I didn’t mention the cottage cheese to them – that would have been a deal breaker – sometimes mommy needs some secrets! 🙂
Ede
February 16, 13:06These are very good! I make them bigger and get twice as many.
Andrea
February 02, 15:09Hi! I just tried these and wondering if I did something wrong… is the cottage cheese meant to disappear in the batter or is it normal for it to remain visible after cooking? I love the idea of extra protein but I don’t think my kids will be able to get past the visible cottage cheese 🙁