Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

I hate mornings. I’m just not a morning person. I guess that’s one of the perks of being unemployed– I can wake up whenever I want.

So, of course, once upon a time when I had the pleasure of sitting in a cubicle all day and then receiving a well deserved paycheck twice a month for all my hard work, I would wake up in the morning, grab something like a yogurt or a glass of green superfood and call it breakfast.

But, anyone who is close to me knows that I have a pretty big appetite. A yogurt does nothing for me in the morning. It only opens my already big appetite and makes me think about hearty breakfast dishes until I eat lunch.

In order to skip the yogurt or green superfood shake for breakfast, sometimes I would make things like pancakes and french toast for dinner and save the leftovers for the next morning.  Which is a great idea for working moms, non-morning people like me and busy folks in general.

Inspired by the good old days of actually having to wake up early, I decided to make blueberry oatmeal pancakes with some blueberries that weren’t going to last much longer in the fridge. Instead of eating the pancakes right away, I decided to freeze them for my enjoyment later. Thus, killing two birds with one stone: preventing waste of groceries in my house and securing breakfast (or dinner) for a busy lazy day.

I used Quaker Oatmeal Complete Pancake Mix as the base, which can be a lot healthier than the traditional pancake mix if it weren’t for the fact that I cooked them in butter. Well, I guess that’s the Paula Deen in me. (And, I like those crunchy edges on my pancakes that you can only get when cooking them in butter. My mom’s secret to her always awesome pancakes.)

Therefore, if you’re looking to reduce your cholesterol by adding a daily serving of oats to your diet, hold the butter.

Note to moms: These pancakes are a delicious alternative to the other stuff. Your picky eaters won’t know they’re having healthy food for breakfast.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
Makes about 4-5 pancakes

1 1/4 cups of Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix
3/4 cups of skim milk
1/2 cup of fresh organic blueberries
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix ingredients together. In a hot skillet, with butter or non-stick spray, pour about 1/4 of the pancake mix. When pancake starts to bubble and edges start to brown, flip pancake. Cook until golden brown on both sides and blueberries start to burst.

Serve with your favorite syrup or pancake topping.

If you want to freeze your pancakes for later use, let them cool on a wire rack, stick in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm and them store in a freezer bag. To reheat, defrost desired amount of pancakes in the fridge overnight (or for about 15 minutes at room temperature right before reheating) and  warm in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 325°F for about 8-9 minutes.