Wonderful White Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Caelyn loves pancakes.  I love pancakes, really how can anyone not love pancakes.   In our quest to eat healthier I have tried soooo many different pancake recipes to find something low in calories that actually tastes good.  I think I finally found it!

My giant container of Chobani Greek yogurt had a recipe for pancakes on the back, I adapted it slightly and we had wonderful Wonderful White Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pancakes.

Wonderful White Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Makes about 12

1 1/2 cups Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1 egg

Heat griddle to 325.

Mix together the yogurt, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (dry ingredients).

In a separate bowl mix together the milk and egg (wet ingredients).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated, but still a little lumpy.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and the center is bubbly.  Flip the pancake and cook till golden brown.

I hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Pumpkin Smoothie

If your family is like mine, sometimes getting the required fruit and veggies are a chore or sometimes even a battle.  I have one little boy who refuses to eat his veggies and will only eat fruit if it is freeze dried or pureed.  So we have opted for a pureed method we can all enjoy, SMOOTHIES!

I got this one from Family Fun Magazine and it was a hit with everyone.

Pumpkin Smoothie
Makes 4 small smoothies

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. brown sugar
10 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the smoothies into small glasses  and garnish each with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or whipped topping.

image from familyfun.go.com

Buttered Noodles

Last Christmas my wonderful Sister-In-Law got me the most wonderful cookbook, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield.  The author adds various vegetable purees to the recipes to mask the flavor of the vegetable, but still get kids the nutrients they need.  Making veggie purees isn't hard, just cut it up, steam it, and blend it till it looks like baby food. I make a few batches at a time and freeze  what I am not going to use.

I just now cracked it open and have loved all the recipes we have tried.  Our absolute favorite is Buttered Noodles.  However, we make a few changes to fit our family and incorporate quite a few leftovers, such as Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower.  We also chop up left over roaster chicken or grilled chicken to add some protein.  I use Tri-Colored Bow Tie Pasta because it looks fun, I know that is very unscientific, but it works for my kids.

"Buttered" Noodles

8 oz Tri-colored Bow Tie Pasta

1/2 Yellow Squash Puree

1/4 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons margarine

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to package directions

Drain and return the pasta to the warm pot and add squash puree, milk, margarine, Parmesan, and salt.

If you are planning on adding vegetables and chicken, increase the milk to 1/3 cup, 3 Tablespoons of margarine, and 3 tablespoons of parmesan.  

Our New Favorite Veggie

We love broccoli.  However, you can only eat so much steamed broccoli.  In my quest to find something new I came across Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower from Martha Stewart.  You can find that recipe here:Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower.

However, I made a few adjustments to reduce the calories and the lemon flavor for the little people in our family.  Here is how we do it:



1 head broccoli, broken into 1-inch florets
1/2 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper


Preheat oven to 475 degrees
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (trust me, it makes clean up a cinch)
Spray with a light coat of olive oil baking spray
Place broccoli and cauliflower on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper
Toss to coat all the veggies with oil, salt, and pepper
Place lemon slices evenly spaced across the top
Bake for 25 - 30 min tossing once half way through

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we do.  We use any leftovers in Buttered Noodles & Chicken.