Have you tried Pumpkin Pancakes?

One of my favorite things about fall is the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. I don't personally drink them, but I love the aroma that wafts through the air and what the arrival signifies: cozy sweaters, crisp walks, changing leaves, apple pies...

So when pondering breakfast on Sunday morning (the one day of the week when I can actually attempt something more complicated than cereal, frozen waffles or speed scrambled eggs), pumpkin pancakes seemed like a no-brainer.

Did I mention how EASY they are? And that even my pumpkin-phobic husband liked them? His comment was that "they weren't too pumpkiny" and that he "liked the apple-pie-like spices." I added raisins to the Bug's pancakes so she got to go on a little fruit safari - - which also encouraged her to eat more pancake than she would have normally.

Sneaking pumpkin into the pancakes is a great way of getting vitamins into your mini-me, too. Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha and beta-carotenes, it’s a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron.

So next time you're making pancakes, give these a try. Bug tested and approved. :)

Pumpkin Pancakes
1/3 cup pumpkin
2 1/4 cups pancake mix (We used Wegmans)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups milk
Raisins

Beat all ingredients except raisins until well-blended and fluffy. Pour 1/4 cup on to hot griddle for each pancake. Decorate with raisins. Cook until golden brown (flip mid-way through).

Delicious!