Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

When a mother has a new baby, friends and relatives often bring meals so that the mother does not have to worry about cooking. In our family, this normal act of kindness becomes a bit more complicated. Between Hayden's allergies, Donny's self-determined vegetarianism, and the entire family's pickiness, it is difficult even for me to make a dinner we can all eat. And what sensible person would volunteer to concoct a meal that contains no milk, eggs, nuts, soy, meat, MSG, trans fats, unusual vegetables, or mysterious textures?

So recently, when a well-meaning aquaintance from church asked if we needed meals, my first instinct was to say no and spare myself the trouble of explaining our dietary restrictions. My mom suggested that maybe someone could bring us a fruit basket instead, since we love fruit, and no one is allergic to it. It turned out to be a great idea! Yesterday a generous church friend arrived with a bag filled with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, and bananas - what a blessing! The fruit provides an easy snack and is full of nutrients to benefit my postpartum body and growing boys. If any of my readers are thinking of bringing something to a new mother, instead of the stereotypical casserole, perhaps she would be blessed by a basket of fresh fruit instead!

I am especially enjoying the abundance of berries that I would not normally buy for myself. Donny and Hayden love blueberries, but Don and I do not care for them, and most berries are so expensive that I usually hurry past them while filling my shopping cart with apples and bananas. With the abundance of berries in our house this week, though, I decided to search for a nutritious blueberry recipe to make use of some of the antioxidant-laden fruits.

I found some tempting muffin and pancake recipes, and settled on pancakes due to popular demand. The boys have been asking me to make pancakes for weeks, but it always seems like such a big project that I usually answer, "Not today." But this morning I surprised them by adapting a recipe for Hayden's allergies and our preferences, and while Lydia was napping, the boys and I mixed up these yummy blueberry pancakes!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar or other sweetener
- 1 mashed yellow banana (or 2 eggs)
- 2 1/4 cups (rice) milk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries

- Sift dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Fold in blueberries.
Pour 1/4 cup batter onto pan or griddle, and cook like pancakes. :)
Yields approximately 20 pancakes. The boys and I each ate four, so the recipe makes about 5 servings in our house.

Even though I am not normally a blueberry fan, I enjoyed these pancakes, and hope you do too!