Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

At school a few days ago, my teacher mentioned that he wanted to teach us kids how to make healthy foods. He asked for suggestions of easy recipes we might want to make in class one day. One person called out, “chocolate chip pancakes!” But the teacher nixed that suggestion, saying we all know how to put bad foods into our bodies, and that what we would benefit from is learning how to put good food into our bodies. I’m always a little miffed when teachers at school assume EVERYONE in the class lives on solely fast food and candy, since I personally try to eat as healthy as possible. I like to transform guilty, “off-limits” type treats into healthy foods that are actually beneficial to one’s body to consume. So as soon as I heard my teacher claim that chocolate chip pancakes were unhealthy, I took them on as my next guilty-to-healthy conversion project. I felt like the teacher had challenged me personally to prove him wrong, to prove that chocolate chip pancakes can be enjoyed by the health-conscious. And I rose to the challenge this morning, creating yummy pancakes free of flour and high in protein. Anyone who wants to incorporate delicious food into a healthy lifestyle can enjoy these pancakes.

The pancakes tasted mainly like peanut butter and banana, with a generous portion of lovely melty chocolate chips. The texture was soft and the oats I used instead of flour added a lovely, well, oatiness. I topped mine with maple syrup and roasted, salted peanuts… divine!

This recipe makes two servings. The number of pancakes per serving depends on how big you make them; I made 8 small to medium pancakes in total.

Per serving, the pancakes contain almost 12 grams of protein, and a little under 5 grams of fiber. (This is before adding the peanut topping which adds a smidgeon more protein and fiber.) I also made them using all natural ingredients. These pancakes are a weekend breakfast you can feel good about.

My brother was a little afraid of the banana, but since he normally likes chocolate chip pancakes he decided to try one. He said, “mmm, dark chocolate. I’ve never had dark chocolate in pancakes before.” Actually, I just used the same chocolate chips my dad usually adds to his typical chocolate chip pancakes, so there wasn’t anything unusual about the chocolate. But I was glad to get any positive reception from him at all, so I zipped my lips regarding the truth about the chocolate chips.

My mom tried the pancakes as well, and said she liked them though they were very banana-y. I expected my mom to like them, since there is peanut butter involved. One of the unwritten rules of cuisine in my family is: if you want my mom to like it, just add peanut butter!

Are you ready to fuel up with this healthy weekend breakfast yourself? Then here is the recipe you have been waiting for:

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

makes 2 servings

adapted from this recipe on EatGameLive

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbl Laura Scudder’s peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• scant 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• optional toppings: pure maple syrup and roasted, salted peanuts

Directions:

Spray a nonstick pan generously with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork.

In another small bowl, combine the vanilla extract, peanut butter, and eggs. Beat eggs thoroughly into the mixture. Add oats and mashed banana and let the mixture sit for 3-5 minutes. (I just did this to try and let the oats absorb some of the liquid.) Add chocolate chips and mix.

Pour pancake batter onto greased pan and cook over medium to high heat for 45 seconds to one minute, then flip and cook the other side about 15 to 30 seconds. (The amount of time to cook each side depends on how big you make the pancakes.) Between batches, remove pan from heat and spray with more cooking spray if necessary.

Serve ’em up with maple syrup, peanuts, and a great big smile as you get ready to start your day the delicious way!

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