From the Kitchen: Hearty Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes (Baby-Friendly)

C LOVES pancakes and has since he was about 8 months old (when he started eating finger foods and not just purees).  I make them as healthy as possible (no sugar in the pancakes - when I'm making them for baby, that is - and no syrup with them), so they are very plain, but he doesn't know what he's missing and loves them anyway :)  These turn out super thick and fluffy, and have protein (from the Greek yogurt) and whole grain (whole wheat flour and oatmeal)!

I like to make them in huge batches and then freeze them; since Blair gets C ready in the mornings on the days I work (since I leave for work before C wakes up), he defrosts a couple of pancakes in the microwave for an easy breakfast for baby, along with some fresh fruit.  I like that this makes for a quick and easy breakfast without having to resort to store-bought frozen pancakes or waffles, which often have sugar and other stuff in them that I don't want C to be eating.  This way, I know exactly what is going into them!

This recipe makes 36 pancakes as written.  I normally double this recipe when freezing them.  If you're just making them for breakfast (or dinner!) and don't want this many, you should be able to divide all the ingredients by 3 to end up with a more reasonable 12 pancakes.

Hearty Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Yield: 36 pancakes

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs

3 cups milk

6 tablespoons packed brown sugar (if desired....I omit this when making them for baby)

1 6- or 7-ounce container (or approx. 3/4 cup) plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

Directions:

Add all ingredients except blueberries (if using) to a large mixing bowl and stir with a metal whisk until just combined and no lumps remain.  If using, gently fold blueberries into the batter.  

Heat a griddle to 350 degrees (for standalone griddles) or medium heat (stovetop) and spray with cooking spray.  Drop approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle (my griddle can fit 8 at a time).  When the edges begin to appear dry, flip and cook on the other side until the pancake is cooked through.

If freezing, cool the pancakes on a wire baking rack.  Place small squares of wax paper between the pancakes and freeze in 2 stacks in a gallon-size Ziploc bag (see above).  To defrost frozen pancakes, microwave for about 15 seconds on each side (do not overwarm or they will become hard and tough!)