If you guys are anything like me, you may sometimes think about some of your favorite [fatty] foods and wonder “How can I make this more healthy, but still taste good?” You may not think it from some of my decadent posts on here, but I usually try to find ways to cut back on calories in the foods I prepare. Today, on our home edition of Extreme Breakfast Makeover, we are going to take on one of the most indulgent breakfasts ever: The pancake.

Pancakes are one of the easiest and cheapest baked items to prepare, so it really amazes me that stores sell so many brands of boxed mixes… Common pancake recipes take just minutes to mix together, and most homes will already have ALL of the ingredients on hand. Well, we can save the boxed vs. homemade discussion for another day… For now, let’s see how we can make make a healthy pancake that still tastes good. That is the key though… a lot of “healthy” alternatives just don’t really pass the taste test. After following this recipe a few times, I can say that I give it two thumbs up!

You *could* use a griddle to cook up these pancakes, but I prefer to go with the easier-to-clean approach. I put a little non-stick spray in a skillet and they still came out perfect. I probably spent about 5 minutes mixing the batter, and then maybe 3 minutes cooking each batch of pancakes (I had about 3 per batch). All together, I had a stack of pancakes in under 10 minutes… not bad for a quick, nutritious way to start the day.

The most obvious way to “health-ify” any baked good is to substitute whole wheat flour for the regular all-purpose stuff, but what about tossing in some Omega-3 rich flax seeds as well? Aside from the nutritional benefits, this recipe is also very low in fat and calories. By omitting the oil and butter that are commonly used, you can feel much better about indulging in these delicious pancakes. Finally, I used skim milk in the mix, and sugar free syrup for drizzling over the finished product. The result? A very healthy, simple breakfast.

Whole Wheat and Flax Seed Pancakes

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. flax seed meal
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups milk

METHOD

1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients. Combine the egg and milk, mix slightly, and add to the dry mixture, whisking until well incorporated.

2. Pour batter onto a hot, greased skillet and cook until the sides begin to solidify, flip, and cook on the alternate side until golden.

Makes about 12 servings

Recipe from Bob’s Red Mill site