Mmm who does like pancakes on a Sunday morning? The good news is that pancakes can be a very frugal meal. Here are some ways to enjoy your pancakes, frugally.
The best way to frugal pancakes is to make them yourself from scratch. It really isn’t very hard to do and only requires a couple of extra ingredients versus the store bought pancake mixes. It is just a matter of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. You can even buy dry buttermilk powder in the grocery store in the same place where powdered milk is sold (generally in the baking aisle). Cocoa powder will make chocolate pancakes. Check out the Food Blog for pancakes from scratch.
If you can’t get buy without a mix, make sure to use your coupons combined with sales to get the lowest prices. I have found that store brand pancake mixes do just as good a job as the name brand ones.
We love to add mix ins to our pancakes. Two favorites are bananas and chocolate chips. One of the ways that I save, especially when it comes to more expensive mix ins is to add them to the pancakes in the pan, rather than mixing them into the batter. I wind up using less mix ins this way, the mix ins are better distributed, and I can offer plain pancakes to any fussy eaters.
Try replacing a standard dinner with a pancake dinner. Kids especially love this idea, and you will certainly save money, since pancakes are a very frugal meal. That is why so many charities hold pancake breakfasts to raise money. Make sure to serve lots of fruit, and maybe even some form of breakfast protein, such as ham, bacon, sausage, etc. Or for lunch, try using pancakes instead of bread for a unique sandwhich.
Make a double or triple batch of pancakes and freeze the extras. You’ll save on time, of course, but also money, as will reduce your cooking and cleaning. You’ll also have a handy breakfast available and be less likely to splurge on a breakfast out.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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