As I've said before (here and here), mornings can be hectic around here. o in an attempt to make things easier, the kids are starting to make requests for breakfast in advance in an effort to save time in the morning. It's working nicely, I'm happy to report. I've started prepping whatever I can for breakfast at night, after I'm done packing lunch for the next day. Obviously things like toast or eggs can't be done in advance. But even just knowing what needs to be done is a huge help in the morning. And things like fruit can be completely prepped in advance.
Last night my children were mulling over what they wanted for breakfast today. Usually what happens is that my daughter (soon to be 7) declares what she wants first. Then my son (almost 3) pretends like he's giving it serious thought but ends up saying the same thing as his big sister. I chuckle. I'm a younger sibling too. I get it.

I made a batch of my favorite whole wheat pancake batter earlier this week and that's been breakfast a couple of times already. But last night there was a dilemma: they both wanted pancakes and they both wanted Cheerios but alas, my daughter said sadly, "there's not enough time to eat both, Mama!"

How about Cheerios pancakes?!

nd so it happened. This morning, I spooned the pancake batter into the pan and drizzled Cheerios on top. Voila! My kids went bonkers for this. Making breakfast was all of 5 minutes and totally stress-free. I sliced the fruit last night so all that had to be done was cook the pancakes and serve them (less than 5 minutes).

Cheerios Pancakes (**this is my go-to pancake recipe with Cheerios added to it)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or plain kefir
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cheerios (approximately 1/4 cup)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add buttermilk and oil and mix to combine, making sure not to leave any big flour lumps. dd egg and gently fold into the batter. Finally add flax meal and cinnamon and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Pour desired pancake size into a hot, buttered pan. Sprinkle Cheerios on to the raw battered top of the pancakes. Flip pancakes when tiny bubbles appear on the top. This recipe makes enough pancakes for my kids for three breakfasts. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.