Healthy Mother's Day Breakfast: Berry Pancake Stack

It's traditional to treat Mom to breakfast on Mother's Day. This year if you're in the mood to stay in, how about whipping up a healthy batch of pancakes to serve? I love a good stack of hearty pancakes.

This Berry Pancake Stack is a colorful, simple and delicious breakfast. It's built from homemade Whole Wheat and Walnut Pancakes, blackberries, strawberries and a drizzle of syrup. With all these wholesome ingredients, it's healthy too.* So you and Mom don't have to worry about spending a lot of calories on a Mother's Day meal--a meal that can easily break a day's calorie budget.

Even better, you can prepare leftovers to enjoy more pancakes later! Double or triple the recipe. The pancakes can be refrigerated or frozen for meals during the week or a future weekend. It's such a treat for me, a more-than-full-time working girl, to have some warm pancakes in the middle of the week. And when you have some leftovers, they're just as quick as any other weekday breakfast!

Here's the recipe. Enjoy it this Sunday with mom and all throughout the year. Pancakes are no longer a treat!

Whole Wheat and Walnut Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup walnuts, ground in food processor
• 1 tablespoon sugar, granulated
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 dash salt
• 1 egg egg, large
• 1 cup milk, fat free
• 1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries)
• 4 tablespoons light syrup (reduced calorie)

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large a bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients, then pour into large bowl to combine with the flour mixture.
3. Stir ingredients together, just until moistened. Don't over-mix.
4. Heat a griddle or electric skillet to 350 degrees (medium heat). You don't need oil. {If you don't have one, heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour a drop of oil (about 1 teaspoon) into the pan and allow to heat. Spread it around by using a paper towel. Using this technique, you can evenly coat the entire pan by using minimal oil.}
5. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the pancake batter onto the griddle. When the batter begins to bubble, flip pancakes over. Each side will only take about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and hold on a plate covered with a paper towel. Repeat process until batter is gone.
6. Serve two pancakes topped with 1 cup berries and a drizzle of syrup (1 tablespoon).

Liz's Tip: Double or triple the batch for leftovers! You can refrigerate or freeze the extras for later.

Nutrition Facts (per 2 pancakes with berries and syrup)

Calories 276 | Total Fat 6.4g | 1.4g | Cholesterol 46mg | Sodium 358mg | Carb 47g | Fiber 7g | Sugar 19g | Protein 9g.

Download the recipe here.

*The whole grains and fruit in this recipe contain fiber, which lowers cholesterol, benefits gastrointestinal health, keeps you full longer and helps stabilize blood sugars. Vitamin and antioxidant-rich berries help keep you healthy and fight disease. Walnuts are a source of unsaturated fats (omega-3s) which can help keep cholesterol controlled too. There are many reasons besides taste to enjoy this recipe!