Strawberry-Banana Pancake Recipe

Strawberry-Banana Pancakes...

I've tried to write out this recipe before, and I feel like it's always an epic fail because I realize that I am my mother after all: I do not measure!!

The point of these pancakes is to eliminate some of the processed, instant pancake mix that I typically use for a pancake breakfast. I have tried homemade mixes before, following the recipes veryyyy carefully, but somehow it's always a disaster. So, instant mix it is and will be! 

But at least I have created a way to make instant mix somewhat healthy!

What you'll need:

2 heaping tablespoons of instant pancake/waffle mix (extra fluffy)!

1/8

1 whole medium banana

4 strawberries (cut into small pieces)

Just a splash of milk (see, I don't measure!) And I use 1%. Don't even get me started on the whole "YOU SHOULD USE ALMOND/SOY MILK" bullshit. No. 

Combine water and pancake mix into a bowl. Determine whether or not you need more water. If it's too runny, don't add more mix. The banana will usually fix this!! With a spoon (and I usually do this in a teacup), mash up the banana as if you were going to feed it to a baby. Spoon it into the pancake mix. Next, add the chopped up strawberries (you can also puree these, but it takes a little more time, and I was pressed for time this AM!) Mix this all up, then if you so desire, add your splash of milk. Even when I feel like I don't really "need" it, I just like the moisture it adds to the pancakes! 

Proceed in making pancakes in a skillet as usual! Yes, it's that easy!! And soooo good! 

I realize that not everyone will love this recipe: case in point, my dad and brother REFUSED to try these when I tried to make them at home once. But still... I'm not a parent, so I don't know about stubborn children, but if you have picky eaters who love pancakes, this is a great way to get them to eat some fruit!! Strawberry-Banana Pancakes make me look forward to Sunday morning cooking!! I ate mine this morning with 3 eggs (one whole egg, 2 egg whites) and 2 slices of low sodium bacon. 

Yummy!!!

Not-So-Fried-Fries (Baked Fries) Recipe

You shall need: 5 small russet potatoes (this makes a bunch of them). 

About 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Regular Salt

And I used some of our lemon pepper seasoning, only because we are almost out of it. Plus, it's my favorite seasoning! I put it on almost everything. 

Step One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and allow them to soak for about 10-15 minutes. Pretty sure I used this time to vacuum our bedrooms!

Step Two: Cut the potatoes long-way like French fries (see first picture). I then placed them all on a paper towel and tossed a pinch of salt and lemon pepper seasoning over them. Since they were still wet from soaking, this allowed the flower to seep in. 

Step Three: In a bowl, combine EVOO, dash of pepper, pinch of salt, a couple dashes of garlic powder, and a dash of lemon pepper. 

Step Four: Place your cut-up potatoes in the bowl, cover with a lid (or improvise with aluminum foil if you're like me and can't keep up with lids), and "shake and bake" for about 30 seconds. 

Step Five: spray a flat baking pan (I had to use two) with cooking spray (I used vegetable oil) and spread your potatoes evenly over the pan. Place in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. 

Step Six: After 15 minutes, pull them out and flip them the best you can. Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes. When you pulled them out, they should have been sizzling a bit (or maybe a lot). Use this to judge how much longer you need to bake them. 

Once they're done, take them out and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. After allowing myself to snag like a dozen of them, I put them in a container for the husband and I to munch on this week. Whatever you plan on doing with these, PLEASE do it quickly because these things smell sooooo dang good, they'll be irresistable; if you're planning on saving them for later, it ain't gonna happen unless you get them out of your sight ASAP. The smell is heavenly as well! When my husband came home from work an hour after I pulled them out of the oven, he said he could still smell the seasoning--and that is a compliment!!

ENJOY!