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Banana Scented Pancakes (Serves 4)

You really can’t go wrong with this one. It is one of my family’s Sunday morning rituals. It’s easy enough for my little ones to get in the kitchen and start the process. Of course, the shapes you make are up to you. My son, Jules, prefers a star shape while my daughter, Madison, loves to create the peace symbol with her batter. The experience of joining together as a family is very important to me. What are your weekend rituals? Make them fun, and keep them healthy for your family. Experiment with mixing in different nuts, seeds, and fruits for extra layers of flavor.

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, aluminum free
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• pure maple syrup, for serving
• Walnuts, for sprinkling

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, mash the banana and add in 1 cup of milk and oil; mix together. If you find your batter to need a bit more milk - slowly add in a little at time. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the wet mixture into the well.

Lightly blend ingredients together until lumps are gone. Heat skillet over high heat; make sure that your skillet has been heavily oiled (I use coconut oil for this).

Drop about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot skillet and allow to cook until the edges of cakes begin to lift and bubbles begin to appear on the top of the uncooked side. Flip and cook other side. Serve up with pure maple syrup and your favorite toppings. We like to sauté walnuts and bananas in the leftover coconut oil to top ours off.