The Healthy Dinner Your Kids Will Hate…

…less than everything else.

Ah yes, it’s The Bitching Hour – that time just before the last meal of the day. The kids are whining, the partner is grousing and you are just plain hangry. But you all have no idea of what to eat. And after a week of letting your well-intentioned vegetable purchases rot in the fridge, the only thing standing between you and the finish line is ordering out, well that and your guilt. If you don’t want your family raised on a diet of chicken tenders and diet Sprite, there’s no need to worry. We’ve got something you can make to shut them all up (since they’ll all be chewing.)

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

Free view breakfast restaurant

Breakfast for dinner is my Monday evening standby because it’s quick and nutritious. All you need are some eggs, toast, few packets of oats, some leftover lunch meat and you’re golden. You can make simple cheese omelettes, shove some sausages in the air fryer, toast a few crusts of bread and you’re good to go. Add some jam to the toast or the oats. Cut up a few slices of whatever fruit didn’t rot to it’s core. And if you want to be a real over-achiever, whip out some sugar, flour, baking power and mix that with eggs and milk to turn out a couple misshapen pancakes. Or dredge your old bread in eggs and cinnamon then fry them up into french toast.

Top it with a splurt of whipped cream from the can and the kids will feel like it’s fancy. Light a candle and suddenly you’re a domestic deity. You’ve made something yummy and the night just became special.

There, you did it. You turned desperation into dinner!

BASIC PANCAKE RECIPE

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour / gluten free baking mix
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk or buttermilk (if you’re that fancy)
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for the pan)
  1. Sift dry ingredients together.
  2. Whisk wet ingredients together.
  3. Add the dry to wet and mix, but don’t over-mix. You want these to be fluffy, and when you overwork a batter it gets rubbery.
  4. Bring your pan to medium heat. Add your 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and sop up extra with a paper towel. (Keep this around because you’ll use this to re-oil the pan in between batches.)
  5. Drop your batter into a hot pan and cook your pancakes until one side bubbles and the bubbles pop (This will be about 2-3 mins for small pancakes but could take twice as long for big ones)
  6. Flip and cook for an additional minute or two, then serve!

If you have a big family this recipe it doubles and triples beautifully. And if you want to keep your stack hot put them on a plate in a 180° oven until everyone’s gathered around the table.


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