Loving Green Pancakes... A Baby's First Treat!

I must ALWAYS have these on hand for Nya.  She is a great, healthy eater, but these nutrient dense pancakes are a favorite of hers.  They're simple, whole food ingredients that are easily digested, and they are a great first finger food for your baby as they begin their journey with solid food.  (Once you have worked through some single purees of course!)

Now before I go further, I want to say this: I don't like them.  As they are. 

Nya eats them up as they are and asks for more. She usually has two, sometimes three in one sitting. Me?  I need to top mine with something.  I like to add chopped walnuts, banana, and about two tablespoons of pure maple syrup or honey.  So if you want to eat these for yourself, give them to your toddler, or even husband, be prepared that you may need to alter the recipe slightly and you will most likely want something on top.  But don't most people like their pancakes that way?  (I will give some additional options below the recipe.)

Nya doesn't know differently because she has grown up with whole, plant based foods.  So I look at it like this: why add more of what she doesn't need (syrup, etc) when she's happy the way they are?  I have to explain this to my husband every time (who lathers his with butter and syrup).  Our natural inclination is to do what we've learned.  If you learn to eat healthy without adding sugary ingredients, that is what you will want to eat. 

So start your child on these early!  They are great for traveling because they're soft and mess free.  And they make a complete meal by packing all the right nutrients into one tiny pancake. To your little ones: enjoy!

Loving Green Pancakes

Ingredients

1.5 cups Chickpeas
2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 Cups Spinach
2 Tbsp Ground Flax
2 Tbsp Raw Shelled Hemp Seeds
2 Cups Water
1 tsp baking powder
Dash of Cinnamon

1.  Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender such as the Vitamix.  Blend until batter is smooth.  Should be fairly thick, but pourable. 

2.  Coat griddle or skillet with a thin layer of oil (I like to use sunflower oil because it handles high heat well).

3.  Pour two heaping spoonfuls of batter onto warmed griddle.  (You can choose to make pancakes any size you wish.  The nutritional information below is based on this size).  When starting to bubble, flip.  Cook about 3 minutes per side, until slightly golden.  Makes about 20 pancakes.

4.  Store spread out in freezer for 5 minutes, then bag them together.  This will prevent sticking.  Take out the night before you're ready to serve, or reheat in microwave.


Remember, eating whole foods takes time for the body to readjust to if it's been living off refined flours and sugars.  So take baby steps.  If your little one is having trouble adjusting to this food...don't give up, just slowly integrate the whole foods until they're all the way there.  And make it fun!  Create shapes out of the pancakes with cookie cutters.  You can also pour into a waffle iron to make waffles.  Whip up canned coconut milk for healthy fat and a sweet treat on top!  If you're toddler protests the sign of green because they immediately think veggies and are "just not into them right now", perhaps try serving this up around Christmas or St Patrick's Day.  Or, try some of the options below.

Additional Options:
To batter:
Add 3 - 4 dates (or 1 Tbsp of sweetener of choice)
Cacao Nibs or Dark Chocolate chips (make sure they contain no dairy)

Toppings:
Nut Butter (Almond, Peanut, Etc) with Banana
Coconut Whip
Pure Maple Syrup
Be creative! :-)

Nutrition Info Per Pancake:

Calories: 61

Fat: 1.5g

Saturated Fat: 0

Protein: 3 g

Carbs: 9 g

Fiber: 2 g

Sugar: 0.7 g

Sodium: 4 mg


To find more whole food, plant based recipes for your little one and connect with other loving parents, visit our Facebook page Loving Green at Loving Green FB