Green Pancakes

It was Halloween morning and my second attempt at my Green Pancakes. The first attempt did not go well, but I thought I would try again (with a touch more almond flour) because green goblin pancakes sure would be fun for Halloween breakfast! As if the excitement of dressing up like a unicorn (cute Halloween pics below) and wearing sparkly makeup wasn’t enough to send shrieks through the house, let’s add some syrup!

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In my recently posted waffle recipe, I admitted to my morning hanger problem… oops. So like those waffles, this batter is made in a blender just to simplify everything and get some food in my, uh… I mean my kids… belly faster.

Speaking of kids, these pancakes are perfect for all the kiddos in your family, even your baby! These are perfect if you are doing baby led feeding. My seven-month-old absolutely loved them, and because breastfed babies iron stores are depleted around six months, I was glad to give her something so high in iron. Thanks, spinach!

Now I know you might be thinking ‘spinach pancakes sound like my kid’s personal torture’, but don’t worry: they won’t even be able to tell there is spinach in them. Now, I don’t recommend lying to your kids by trying to hide the fact that there is spinach, but this is just spinach dressed up, so to speak. The spinach has such a mild flavor, gives the pancakes their fun green color, but they taste just like a bananas!

So what do we do for toppings? Arguably the most important part of a pancake breakfast, don’t skimp on the toppings. Because these taste so strongly of banana, peanut butter and/or chocolate chips are delicious options, chopped walnuts would be great, and you can’t go wrong with a hefty glug of maple syrup.

Whether you really deck these out with toppings, keep it classic, serve them up for a holiday breakfast (perfect for Christmas, St Patrick’s Day, or Halloween) or just a fun Saturday morning surprise, these Green Pancakes are sure to please!

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• Servings: 16-20 mini pancakes
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Ingredients

• 4 small, ripe bananas – the more freckled, the better
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 cup of loosely packed spinach
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• Desired oil for coating skillet (I used coconut)

Directions

1. Heat large pan (I used my cast iron) over medium-low heat and coat generously with oil
2. Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth
3. Pour small rounds on pre-heated skillet
4. Once bubbles around the edges have formed and popped, flip pancakes over (these are quite delicate so be gentle)
5. After about two minutes on the other side, take off pan
6. Serve pancakes warm with desired toppings

For more breakfast recipes with leafy greens, check out my Berries and Greens Smoothie, Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bake, or Whole30 Breakfast Hash. For a heartier, less green (actually not green at all hehe) pancake, check out my Flax and Oat Pancakes. Have a little fun with breakfast, don’t skip the most important meal of the day…and enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!

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Constipation Cure Baby Food

Feeding babies. Who knew something as basic as feeding your kiddos could spark such controversy? But the controversy, shaming, and self-imposed mom guilt literally starts from birth. Breastfeeding versus formula feeding seems to be the hot topic of a lot of new moms and there are a lot of feelings wrapped up in it. While I do love breastfeeding and desire to see it normalized, and want more education for expecting and new moms, it is cruel to shame moms who choose to feed their babies with formula.

If a mom’s mental health is suffering and she feels better switching to formula, then that is great! She is a good mom to care about being there and being mentally healthy for her kids. If a mom is struggling to produce enough and switches to formula out of exhaustion, then that is great! She is a good mom for wanting to have more time and energy for her kids. There are a ton of different reasons a mom may want to switch to formula, and they are all okay! On the opposite side, if a mom wants to nurse and tries desperately to make it work, then that is great! She is a good mom for sticking to her guns. If a mom nurses past a year, then that is great! She is a good mom for wanting to comfort her toddler. If a mom is trying hard to feed her baby, whether through the hard work of breastfeeding or the expense of buying formula, then she. is. a. good. mom! So let’s stop the breast versus formula debate, shall we?

Now, moving onto the shame revolving around solids for Baby. There is a whole new hot topic of purees versus baby led weaning/feeding. If you start too young, that is bad, but if you start too late, that also is bad. If you use purees, that is bad, but if you give your baby table food, that is also bad. Literally. There are so many schools of thought out in the world wide web revolving around babies/children in regards to ev.er.y.thing. which drove me to the edge with my firstborn (you can read about my postpartum experience here), and this time around I really wanted to tap into my own mama instincts, and let the Lord guide me in how I raise my children.

So for right now, in regards to our preschooler, we try and discipline gently *always needing God’s help for this*, let her explore/make messes, and never have a kid’s menu – she eats what we eat. In regards to our baby, we breastfeed (well, I do) and give a little formula to help with weight gain, we gently sleep trained, and we do a mixture of purees and baby led feeding.

Yep, even at seven months old, she eats what we eat, but with modifications. However, once we introduced her to both formula and solids, we had a little blockage issue; I’m talking 48 hours without a dirty diaper. So I made this constipation cure for her dinner one night, and the next morning when I walked into her room I smelled… victory. I make one big batch per week and we give it to her every night at dinner along with some of our table food. So far, both of my girls have been big eaters and love to eat all the foods! The second Selah sits down in her highchair (our cute, wooden high chair is currently out of stock on Amazon, but this one looks so cute, too!) she starts dancing and grabbing everything on her tray! When she sees her baby food come out in her little bowl she starts whining and we can’t feed her her “dessert” fast enough!

So, however you feed your baby, there is no shame here, but if you need some help getting them *ahem* moving, this recipe is for you!

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• Servings: 2 cups
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Ingredients

• 1 medium pear (I’ve used both red and green), sliced with skin on
• 8 prunes
• 6 baby carrots
• 1/3 cup fresh baby spinach
• Optional: a pinch of ground ginger and/or ground cinnamon
• Optional mix-ins: coconut oil, baby cereal, breastmilk, or formula

Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil
2. Put baby carrots in the boiling water first
3. Once carrots are softening (not quite fork tender), add in pear slices and prunes and seasoning if using
4. Once everything is fork tender, turn off water and add baby spinach
5. Once spinach is wilted slightly, blend using an immersion blender or carefully transfer to your blender.
6. Add extra water to reach desired consistency
7. Serve to your baby either cold or lukewarm with desired mix-ins
8. Store in air tight container in the refrigerator

Sorry I got on my soap box at the start of this blog, but now you know how I feel about mom shaming and mom guilt. It’s the worst. Let me know how you feed your baby, and what their favorite food is! However you feed that little love, take care of them, snuggle your babies…and enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!