Not Just Whole Wheat Pancakes… The Best Pancake Recipe Ever!

Not Just Whole Wheat Pancakes… The Best Pancake Recipe Ever!

These pancakes were a surprising success, they are moist and yummy – pancake house deliciousness!

SHOPPING LIST:
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Piece of Cake seasoning
1 ½ cups non-fat French Vanilla yogurt
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup Splenda (we have made this recipe with sugar too, works great)

HOW TO:
Preheat and lightly oil a griddle (or skillet) to a medium heat – electric skillets about 400 degrees.

Grind the oats in a mini chopper, food processor or blender until they are a fine powder. In a large bowl, combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl combine yogurt, milk, oil, egg and Splenda (or sugar) and mix until smooth (a mixer works best).

Add dry ingredients and mix only until combined.

Ladle batter (around ¼ cup) onto the hot skillet and cook the pancakes until brown, usually about 3 or four minutes on each side.


NOTES:
You can add 2-4 tablespoons of chopped walnuts for a fun change, but these are a real crowd pleaser even without them!

Green Cuisine Brand Description

Recently, I received project after attending a business workshop. They gave us each a sheet of paper labeled “brand description”. You were to layout what makes your brand yours and unique from the competition. Aside from being super premium and our spices’ ability to add flavor and aroma to the consumer’s everyday dishes I was at a loss. So I placed the paper neatly on my desk and went on to do what I always do when I need to clear my mind – cook.

Shortly after, I returned downstairs to find my assignment in a dismal state. Crumpled and cut up I stared at it in disbelief “is it possible the dog actually ate my homework?” I thought to myself. My husband then approached me and explained he had taken his eyes off of one our twin boys momentarily and found him in my office with a smiling face – “I cut it Daddy” – was his only response.

Given this kind of opportunity I would have normally laid in with one of my “see it is not so easy” or “now you know why the house is always a disaster” lectures. Instead, a smile crept over my face. There it was, my brand description fully completed for me.

When we started this company we wanted to create quick, healthy meals that did not come out of a box that was full of artificial ingredients and fillers. We have succeeded. You may not be able to stop your little budding Picasso, but you probably don’t want to either. Instead you can cook those meals that make you “look good” with less work and with enough time left over to catch them in the act.

Doggies Drive Car?

So I had one of those days. One of those days that you absolutely could not believe unless someone told you first hand. Well here goes…

It started out pretty normal: breakfast, coffee, Mickey Mouse – followed by our weekly trip to COSTCO. This is the only place our kids have frequented since birth. For one, it is the only store that has the double seat carts that I have pleaded with our local Target to get. Secondly, the ceilings are so tall and there are so many people that hardly anyone notices my children’s antics.

Until Today.

The first three quarters of the shopping trip went by without a hitch… Paper towels, Milk, Wipes, Diapers – all the normal items filled my cart. We paid, and were on our way. That was until my son spotted the giant photo of a hot dog on the wall on our way out.

I realized we were ahead of schedule, so I conceded - lunch would be a great way to waste some time. Lunch was going so well until I decided to kill two birds with one stone, just as I attempted a call to my sister-in-law my son started screeching: “Mommmmmmmmy where my ketchup, I don’t have any ketchup?”, I quickly hung up and re-focused my attention. As we finished up I gave my boys a few napkins to “wipe their hands and faces with”. Suddenly one of them playing janitor to every piece of spilt anything on the floor - mortified at the germs he could be contracting, I quickly scooped him up.

As I rose from the floor - I glanced in both directions and didn’t see my other son. For a moment I panicked, until of course I saw him standing in the aisle way in the midst of all the carts roaming past. His hand was firmly planted on his rear, napkin and all. I asked him what he was doing and to my surprise he replied, “I go potty Mommy, wipe my butt.” My face probably appeared paralyzed. I mean, he had never said anything like that before, not even remotely close (I determined in that split second that his silence had only been to deter me from staring potty training).

I wanted out of there, FAST, so I got them both in the cart and maneuvered my way past the others out the door and I was nearing my car. I felt I was in the home stretch! I opened the trunk of our car, just then three dogs – THREE - hopped to the dashboard of the vehicle parked next to me. They were yelping like crazy. I fell, nearly to the ground it had scared me so bad.

This sent my son into hysterics, he was laughing even harder than the dogs were barking. Which of course made the dogs bark even louder, then my son starts pointing at them “Mommy doggies drive car?” The pointing was the breaking point for the dogs, the largest one jumped up on the steering wheel and the horn starts blaring.

The horn, the laughing and the barking continued as I put every last item in the car. Yet, all I can remember is the honking. Even I could not help but laugh - so, thank you Gold Honda CR-V in the Costco parking lot for that memorable moment our my life.

Stay at Home Mom...

I am currently working on my third year of being a “stay at home mom”. This is of course, opposed to the “goes to work mom”, or the “plays with the kids all day mom”, or “sits around and eat Bon Bons mom”.

Who made up this term anyway? I mean, if I stay at home, who takes my kids to the park and play dates and swimming? That must be “stunt double mom” she must be related “my husband’s personal assistant mom”, whom everyone always overlooks.

I have the best job in the world. I know this because hearing my sons recognize letters, or say their alphabet gives me a feeling that my previous bosses half-hearted “great job” never did.

Next time you are sitting around with nothing to do, (which never happens to us “stay at home moms”), Google “Stay at Home Mom” you will find that approximately 3,160,000 documents match that search. Next Google “Attempting to make my child, a knowledgeable, fun, responsible, better part of society mom”, you will find that there are 0 documents matching that search.

I had a BAD day....

Have Twins or Having Twins?

If you have multiples, be assured that everyone will have an opinion, it is as if having more than one child at a time makes you an exhibit and the rest of the world are Smithsonian visitors. During your pregnancy you feel like handing out copies of that hilarious rant that brought tears to my eyes– However believe me it DOES NOT end there.

The mere mention of twins seems to bring on a swell of “my second cousins’ sisters friend” had twins conversations– Please spare me. Also your double stroller will seem to be a magnet for crazies…. Unless I know you, please do not touch my children unless you would like to a “touch” of pepper spray in the face. In addition, please don’t tell me “you always wanted twins” – You don’t know that, because you don’t have a clue what it is like, also it makes me slightly uncomfortable for your three children whose hands your are currently holding – none of which are twins. Lastly, I would like to address the following phrases when used in reference to my children:

“Double Trouble” – My children are not trouble, in fact they are miracles, which is more than I can say for you and your socially ignorant self.

“Two for the Price of One” – Actually our boys are not identical, so we paid the price of two – two eggs two sperm, nothing one about it.

“You’re Outnumbered” – I am, however I am still twice their size.

“Double the Fun” – Please never refer to my children using a chewing gum slogan.

I might also add that I LOVE talking to other parents of multiples and their experiences – how they have tackled certain stages and how they would do it differently. Now with all of that said after my trip to the grocery store this afternoon, I created a t-shirt for all of us POMs out there….

Library Fun…..

Thursday is “toddler day” at our local library. As the weather has turned, so have our options for daily child-friendly entertainment. So I had a brilliant idea – What’s is more fun than listening to a person with seemingly no off-days read with such animation? Follow it up with a craft or art project and we have the perfect morning time-waster, right? Maybe if you have earplugs and are highly medicated.

We make it, honestly, to page two and my two year-olds are fighting over who gets to sit on which knee, who gets which puppet and making me, (please note - the only mother there with two children) stick out like a sore thumb! So I grab our things quickly to avoid the glares I can feel penetrating my skull. As we are making our way to the back I realize I have left a beloved sippy cup, I make a mad dash back with my boys running behind me “mommmmmmmmmmmy….” We appear to be circus at this point, I mean the real thing.

Finally, we are all calm, we pick out books and head for the stairs, just then one of my boys decides he wants to stay and “read book, read, book, READ BOOOOK” - Now, what mother refuses their child a book? Me. So I say “okay bye bye Parker” which was quickly followed by an echo of a “BYYE, BYE Par-per” coming from my other son – he is of course screaming this – As I try to persuade him to “shhhhh, and whisper” he looks right at me “shhhhhhh, whisper Mommy” then of course “BYYE, BYE Par-per” comes screeching out. I wish the floor would swallow me up. I will spare you the rest of the details, of how I managed to maneuver my way out of the library doors and pile all three of us into the car safely.

As I drive past McDonalds, I think “I should just stop and pick up Happy Meals all around” - but I don’t because I know I have the BEST leftovers waiting at home. “Hole Mole” Taco Chilli, no one can resist it not even the hooligans in the back seat.

NO! NO! NO! NO!

As you can see the title of this entry is not the commonly spoken phrase of “No, No” – Instead there are four.

I had just curled into bed, conveniently waking my husband up just enough to get the nightly “ugh” and shoulder roll when I heard it. Those four words from our twins’ room. Was he having a nightmare, was he dreaming of someone trying to take him? I had watched an episode of 20/20 an hour before, so I immediately assumed it was the latter. I jumped out of bed, a million thoughts running through my mind. How was I going to comfort him, how would he know I was there, should I wake him? All of these thoughts in the 10 foot walk to their door. When I opened the door expecting to see this terrified little face, there he was, lying there, eyes closed - grimacing in a familiar way. Of course! He was probably recalling the 35 times his brother had torn his favorite dump truck from his clenched hands that afternoon.

As parents nothing is more terrifying than the thought of our child being hurt or scared. I went back to bed, thinking of my little guy’s first nightmare, or at least the first I knew about, it will not be the last I know – but still, as I walked back to our bedroom, I was already planning the “comfort” breakfast I would make him in the morning. “Piece of Cake” French Toast Sticks, with maple syrup for dipping of course.