Breakfast of Champions

During the week, the Farrars are lucky if they have time to spread cream cheese on a bagel in the mornings. And said bagel often ends up being eaten out of a box in the car on the way to school ("Don't get cream cheese on your shirt!") It doesn't seem to matter what time we wake up, it is always chaos; loud, disorganized, frantic, discombobulated.... well, chaotic chaos.

The weekends is a different matter! On Saturdays and Sundays, we relish not having to run out to the door followed by a checklist of  "Do you have your homework? Do you have your lunchbox? Do you have your phone? Where is your ballet stuff? No wrong car, the other one!" Of course, this is only replaced by a different kind of chaos which sounds something like this: "Quit fighting over the remote! No, it is not your turn with the iPad until the timer goes off! I realize you are in the middle of a very critical stage in Skylanders darling, but you clearly desperately need the bathroom, so pause it! then run, don't walk! No, I do not know why the DS isn't working. Yes, watching YouTube videos on your phone DOES count towards your screentime allowance..." It is no less loud, but at least it doesn't take place on the driveway where the neighbors can hear!

The rule in our house is that we eat breakfast late, and you can have screen time until that point, but not beyond, at least until the evening. In order to lure them away from the likes of Minecraft and the Xbox, breakfast needs to be good though. This is one of my favorite pancake recipes, which usually does the trick. Oh OK, it sometimes works, especially when in combination with the threat of lost allowance...

Cinnamon Pecan Pancakes
(Makes 18 4" pancakes)

2 large eggs
1 cup AP flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3 TBSP packed brown sugar
4 TBSP canola oil
2 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
canola oil spray

1. Beat eggs until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients (except oil spray) and beat until just smooth.
2. Heat a griddle over medium heat, and grease with oil spray.
3. Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour individual pancakes on to the griddle. Cook until browned underneath and then flip to cook other side until golden brown.

Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit (we like bananas and strawberries...quite frankly, who doesn't!)