Bubby and Bean ::: Living Creatively: Healthy Mickey Mouse Pancakes

We had big dreams to make our first every trip to Disney World this summer. And while I suppose it's still possible, I'm definitely not holding my breath. (The fact that it's currently completely shut down combined with things like, you know, money slowly dwindling down to nothing, make it seem like an unrealistic reality at this point. But we'll keep dreaming!) Regardless of what ends up happening, we're doing what we can to bring a little something special into our lives when we're able during these strange times. And that includes Mickey Mouse themed pancakes for our babes.

Now, we are not above making things from a box in this house. In fact, that is how we make pancakes 99% of the time. But since we have a little extra time these days for food preparation, we've been going for the from-scratch route with things we normally wouldn't. Our kids have also been eating a lot more crap food than normal lately, so it makes me feel a little less parent guilt when breakfast is at least semi-healthy. We've been loving these special pancakes, and we hope you will as well!

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups organic all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups organic milk (soy and almond milk work too)
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat works best)
Coconut oil or butter
Bananas, sliced
Blueberries
Pure maple syrup or honey

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine milk, vanilla extract, and eggs. Pour into dry ingredients and stir well. Once combined, add the Greek yogurt. Heat a griddle or large pan to medium heat and melt enough coconut oil to adequately cover the surface in order to prevent sticking. For each pancake, use either a mixing bowl with a spout, a pitcher, or a ladle to pour batter, first to create the face, then to create two ears that will be attached to the face (at 10 and 2, if you're looking at the face like a clock). Make sure when you pour the ears that they just barely touch at the edges between the ears and the face to allow room for the pancake to expand. Flip once the underside is golden brown. Repeat until you've used up all of your batter, and remove from griddle or pan when each cake is golden on both sides.

Then comes the fun part - decorating. We use blueberries for the eyes and sliced bananas for the nose. Any fruit you have on hand works. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey.