3 Pancake Recipes That Will Turn You Into Iron Man

Every kid who grew up watching the Popeye cartoons knows what iron is and that it can

be found in spinach.

At least that is how my dad explained it to me.

It is not far from the truth. Iron deficiency can cause weakness and fatigue, so translated

into simple words, we do need it to feel strong.

Today’s hero linked to iron is, of course, Ironman.

Which makes it much easier for me to “sell” my kids the idea of how great and important

iron is for them.

I use Hulk to deceive them as well.

Like when I make spinach pancakes, I tell them that Hulk wanted to eat them and almost

stole them.

Oh, the lengths to which a mom is prepared to go to feed her kids healthy foods.

It was very difficult, however, to persuade them that iron-infused foods were

tasty as well.

Until I came up with iron pancakes.

Pancake recipes allow experimenting with other ingredients that will make them

even healthier without spoiling their deliciousness.

Like those rich in iron.

Find out which ingredients are iron-infused and choose the best pancake recipe to

incorporate them into.

But first, you need to make some crucial changes in the pancake batter to make it

healthier and lower the calories content.

“Oh, the lengths to which a mom is

prepared to go to feed her kids healthy foods.

It was very difficult, however, to persuade

them that iron-infused foods were tasty as well.

Until I came up with iron pancakes.”

How to Make Pancakes Healthier

– Replace regular flour with whole wheat, oatmeal, coconut flour, almond flour or soy flour;

– Replace regular refined sugar with honey, pure maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup or stevia;

– Replace regular milk with non-dairy milk, like almond, soy, rice or coconut milk whenever

you can;

– Use healthier vegetable oil alternatives, like olive oil or coconut oil.

There is one ingredient very rich in iron that is standard in every pancake recipe: eggs, or to

be more precise egg yolks.

Each recipe makes use of at least one egg, so that is a good iron start.

Note: Vegans can substitute eggs with flax eggs or other vegan egg substitutes.

Prune Pancakes

Prunes are the only fruit on the top 10 list of iron-rich foods.

I found an amazing recipe that mixes:

2 pears, peeled, grated and tossed in lemon juice

with ½ cup pitted prunes, roughly chopped

and grated zest and juice of half a lemon.

I also like to add some chopped nuts to this batter (usually pecans, walnuts or almonds)

and spice with cinnamon.

Spinach Pancakes

It is very easy to find spinach pancakes, both sweet and savory.

The Green Smoothie Pancake recipe is one of my favorites because it very easy to prepare

by just mixing all the ingredients in a food processor.

And it is sweet (there is banana, honey instead of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon), which

facilitates my efforts of sneaking spinach into my kids’ meals.

“The rest of the iron-infused foods

on the list are all vegetables:

beans, spinach, artichokes

and collard greens.”

Savory Pancakes

The rest of the iron-infused foods on the list are all vegetables: beans, spinach, artichokes

and collard greens.

They can be mixed and matched in exotic pancake recipes like the Korean or Japanese one.

These recipes make use of the basic pancake batter and add vegetables (the Japanese always

has cabbage).

Some of their variations call for meat as well.

If you decide to include meat, choose beef steak because it is very rich in iron.

Complement with sauces and you’ve got yourself a serious and nutritious lunch.

What are your favorite ways to sneak more iron into your children’s meals?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.