Pancake Day Ideas

Posted on: 3rd March 2014

Posted in: Children's Nutrition, Delicious Desserts, Desserts, Healthy Eating, Main Meals, Snacks, Weaning

Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day is here! This is one of our favourite food celebrations as a family. Pancakes are great – a perfect savoury snack, a healthy dessert (depending on your choice of filling or course!) or an alternative lunch. They are also great for weaning babies and children because if you make them yourself and omit salt and added sugar, they are a low salt, low sugar and low fat food.

Here is my recipe:

• 4oz (110g) plain flour

• 2 large eggs

• 200ml semi-skimmed milk

• 75ml water

• Olive oil for cooking

Sift the flour into a large bowl and whisk in the eggs. In a separate jug, mix the milk and water together. Gradually add the milk/water mixture to the flour/egg mixture, whisking as you go. Mix until smooth (it may be easier with an electric mixer). Add ½ teaspoon of olive oil into a large frying pan and wait until its very hot before adding the pancake mix into the pan (1-2 tablespoons per pancake), moving the mixture across the pan to make them large and thin. Cook for about 30 seconds on each side. Continue until all 12 have been made. Makes around 12 large pancakes.

Each pancake being approx 62 kcal, 2.6 g fat and 2.5 g protein

Adapted from Delia’s Complete Cookery Course

Some healthy sweet filling ideas

• Apple & cinnamon: Stew some apple in a small saucepan with a little water. Cook gently until soft, then add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence

• Berry compote: Add your choice of berries (e.g. raspberries / blueberries) to a small saucepan and heat gently until soft

• Tropical: Add you choice of tropical fruit, e.g. pineapple, mango or passion fruit, with a spoonful of low fat Greek yoghurt

• Rhubarb: Add some rhubarb to a small saucepan and stew with some Stevia (a natural sweetener). Add a spoonful of reduced fat crème fraiche

• Strawberries & cream: 5 chopped strawberries with a 50g scoop of vanilla ice cream

Some healthy savoury filling ideas

• Cheese & ham: 30g mature cheddar or 40g reduced fat cheddar is a portion. Add a couple of slices of ham for a quick, easy pancake filling. For a tastier twist, add ½ teaspoon mustard to the pancake mix before cooking

• Garlic mushrooms: Sliced mushrooms fried in 1 teaspoons of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic (or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder)

• Sausage & tomato: Sliced sausage (or vegetarian sausage) with sliced tomatoes

• Spinach & ricotta: 2 tablespoons cooked warm spinach with 2 teaspoons of ricotta

• Bolognaise: a leftover beef & vegetable bolognaise sauce makes a great addition to pancakes

• Chilli: A leftover beef or bean chilli makes a great addition to pancakes