Healthy Living: Mind, Body, & Spirit

Healthy Multi-Grain Pancakes Mix

By Karen Best Wright, B.S. Community Health Education
Pathway to Healthy Living

On cold mornings, nice hot pancakes are a perfect way to start the day, especially if they are quick to make and full of nutrients. Purchased pancake mix just doesn't compare when it comes to real homemade pancakes.

When I make my dry pancake mix, I make about 2 1/2 gallons of it at a time and freeze it to keep the ingredients fresh. I grind my own grains in my Vita Mix machine and use several different types of grains which might include (depending on what I have on hand), wheat, buckwheat, brown rice, rolled oats or oatmeal, millet, and enriched unbleached white flour. It is important if you mix freshly ground grains that you store the mix in your freezer to preserve the nutrients.

The basic proportions in my dry pancake mix are as follows:

1. For each cup of flour add
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon sugar
5. 1/3 cup instant non-fat dry milk

The amount of ingredients you combine depends of course on how much mix you can store in your freezer. You just need to know how to add and multiply or use a calculator.

Now for the real pancakes:

1. For each cup of dry mix add 1 egg or 2 egg whites, 1 Tablespoon light olive oil (or other oil), and enough water to get the consistency you desire. The amount of water will be approximately the same as the dry mix but not exact.
2. Now don't ruin wonderfully healthy pancakes with tons of butter and syrup. Use a small amount of the healthiest butter spread you can buy and a small amount of topping, whether syrup, cinnamon sugar, jam or preserves, or apple or pumpkin butter.

It's amazing how easy it is to whip up healthy pancakes or waffles for breakfast when the ready-to-use mix is right in your freezer; and the left-overs are great for snacks later in the day.

Karen Wright, B.S. Community Health Education
www.GrandparentingBlog.com
www.RaisingYourGrandchildren.com
www.PathwaytoHealthyLiving.com
www.SeniorPro.com

Karen's Delicious High Anti-Oxidant Blueberry Smoothie

By Karen Best Wright,B.S. Community Health Education
Pathway to Healthy Living

I have already written about the importance of eating whole foods high in anti-oxidants. Here is the recipe for the Blueberry Smoothie that I make for myself daily. I don't exactly measure the ingredients, so these are approximate amounts.

6 - 8 oz. 100% blueberry juice (not a blueberry drink). Sometimes I combine blueberry juice with 100% pomegranate juice.
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (I prefer the Dannon Vanilla Light & Fit)
1 Tlb. Flaxseed
1 Tlb. Wheat Germ
1 Tlb. Wheat Bran
2 Tlb. Slivered Almonds
1 tsp. Spirulina (powdered blue-green algae purchased from a health store).

I blend this mixture in my Vita Mix machine, which is very powerful. If you have an ordinary kitchen blender, you will want to have the flax seed and the almonds already ground, or you will be eating it with a spoon.

I shared some of my smoothie with a friend at the local fitness center. He looked at it with some hesitancy and said, "What is it? It looks like paint." I laughed and told him, "Trust me. It tastes a lot better than it looks." It does have a rather disgusting look to it, but it really is quite tasty, not to mention that it is very good for you.

Karen Wright, B.S. Community Health Education
www.GrandparentingBlog.com
www.RaisingYourGrandchildren.com
www.PathwaytoHealthyLiving.com
www.SeniorPro.com