Ahhh, it’s Friday morning (a cold, blustery, rainy 36 degrees on this Autumn day – I might add, but I won’t let that get me down).  Child #1 left at 6:30.  Child #2 left at 7:30.  Child #3 and Child #4 left at 7:40.  And me, I don’t have to leave as Friday is my day off from work. Now I get to sit and decide what I want to do for the next 7 hours.  Which pile should I attack first? Should I get my flu shot today?  Should I finish putting away the summer clothes?  Yes – I know you’re jealous – all such stimulating things to do! But the best is that it’s quiet, and I get to decide when to tackle each of these wonderfully fun projects.

But first, it’s a morning for a pancake treat.  My neighbor at the bus stop always raves about the South Beach pancakes made with oatmeal.  I did finally make them.  For those of you who love pancakes but don’t want all the carbs, this is a great alternative.  The vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors really dominate – so if you like those flavors, I’m sure you’ll like this recipe.  The recipe calls for egg whites (4) , so I ended up using Liquid Egg Whites.  The first time I made it – I believe I used too many egg whites.  Following the equivalency directions on the side of the carton – I followed the rule that 3T equals one whole egg.  Problem was, I didn’t take into account that I probably should have cut this in half – since I was only  supposed to be using the white part of the egg.

Anyhow, it made for very thin pancakes (similar to Swedish pancakes).  But I really thought they were delicious – and I loved the thinness of them – so thin that using a small frying pan with edges is probably best.  This morning my husband made the pancakes – more true to the original recipe – and turned out thicker, more normal looking pancakes.  Because he used less egg whites than I did, the spice flavors were more prominent as well.  Honestly, I think next time I will stick to making it the way I did – more egg whites and very thin pancakes.

Bottomline, give these a try.  With some fresh strawberries and a light maple syrup drizzle, they really are delicious:

South Beach Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (I used no fat)

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add the batter and cook over medium heat until both sides are lightly browned.

Note:  The first time I made this – which produced the VERY THIN pancakes – I used 3/4 cup plus 3 T of egg whites.  This is the equivalency of using 4 whole eggs – so more than the recipe called for – but I did like the thinness.  I think next time I would stick to doing the recipe this way.  Of course, maybe some day I’ll also try using real egg whites (when I’m overloaded with eggs from my chickens!)

Anyhow, stay warm and have a great weekend!