Okay, so pancakes are not cheap for me...

[3Gs4Me]

I was making pancakes this morning and decided to add up the cost of them. If I make a triple batch the pancakes cost about $7 to make and then we use about 1.5 cups of maple syrup at a meal which adds another $3+ to the meal. Add a couple pieces of fruit divided among us and one breakfast ends up costing about $7 for a breakfast.

This is where I have a hard time. If I made pancakes from white flour or a mix and bought cheap corn syrup based syrup our meals would be much cheaper. I don't feel comfortable doing that though so using spelt and whole wheat graham flour and pure maple syrup really brings up the cost. My pancakes also call for a large amount of milk which adds a couple dollars to a double batch in regards to cost.

Do you think it is possible to cut some of the milk and replace it with water or does the protein in the milk help something happen? Another trick I might use is to have the kids put some peanut butter on the pancakes and then just drizzle a bit of maple syrup on them (they had this when we visited Tennessee and they loved it). I wonder if putting jam on htem would be cheaper. Dh grew up in Maple Syrup country and is a syrup snob so getting rid of the syrup is not an option.

[MooseyMama]

hmm, well we replace the milk with fruit juice sometimes, or yogurt-it varies based on what I have in the cupboard. You could also use powdered milk.

We use honey as the topping, and it is so sweet the kids use very little. I usually give them about 1 Tsp each to dip in, and the ask for more once.

I hear you on using quality ingredients, t does make it so much harder to eat cheaply!

[mamabear]

We use powdered milk in pancakes, or buttermilk powder bought in bulk.

Also are you buying maple syrup in large quantity? Here a gallon is around $30.

Oh and make fewer pancakes, and serve eggs as a side dish.

[maryalene]

What about using whole wheat flour? The other thought I had was maybe putting the syrup on the side and letting everyone dip their pancakes instead of drizzling it on top where it soaks in. That might help reduce the amount of syrup used for each meal.

[Sandi]

I made waffles this morning and was looking at my bag of whole flax seeds thinking next time I'd grind them up and add them. It would add a lot of nutrients, but not cost a fortune, kwim?

I've also been thinking about blending oats into oat powder/flour and adding that to things like muffins - I bet the same would work for muffins.

Are you getting your flour pre-packaged like from Bob's or in bulk? That will make a big difference.

[Stacebabe]

I use water a lot in my pancakes, just because we don't buy cows milk a lot, don't buy soya and I don't like the taste of rice milk in them

[Linda]

i think whole foods are vital to your families health. so I would not skimp AT ALL.

you can water down the milk with water. I used to use rice milk..which is SUPER watery and it worked FINE.

the way we control maple syrup usage is each person gets a shot glass and that is it. So that is one ounce. for your family that would be 5 ounces. each person gets control over their own shot glass....when it is gone it is gone.

also, you can try a small amount of rapadura sugar sprinkled across with a squeeze of lemon juice over and some fruit.

you can also use an egg sub for some of the eggs if you want...if that would save you money. there us a really good one with oil water and Cream of tartar...I can dig it up if you want. I haven't used it in a while:P

hth!

[Stacebabe]

What do people mean by maple syrup? We use maple syrup from a maple tree, so we don't ever use a shot glass each as it can be costly. I think it's about $8 for 500g. We could get the fake stuff, but that is just sugar water for $1,79

[Linda]

Originally Posted by Stacebabe

What do people mean by maple syrup? We use maple syrup from a maple tree, so we don't ever use a shot glass each as it can be costly. I think it's about $8 for 500g. We could get the fake stuff, but that is just sugar water for $1,79

I am pretty sure Bobbi Jo means the maple syrup from the maple tree as do I.
Yup, expensive.
Dh and the kids love it and we only eat pancakes about once a month.
maple syrup here...it costs $32 for 32 OZ about 1000 g.

[~Meeshi~]

nak, that is a lot of syrup!! the real deal syrup is so pricey i am a syrup grinch at time ~ just a drizzle per pancake for us!

[Stacebabe]

It costs $32 for 32 OZ about 1000 g.

WOW that is crazy. I'm in Canada and we buy it from local places, I think I could get 2L for $25 here. 5 minute walk from us we have an urban maple bush. If shipping wasn't crazy I would send you some from up here.
I was at the supermarket last week and so many families put the fake stuff in their carts.

[Stacebabe]

i am a syrup grinch at time ~ just a drizzle per pancake for us!

--- Same here----

[Maiden Comfort]

semi-sweet chocolate chips are an easy, cheap, way to add a bit of sweetness, and not as much "sugar" as maple syrup.

And we do the dipping also.

[LatteLover]

we use real maple syrup too and it is pricey. we don't use it EVERYtime for pancakes. just some of the time. i really like apple butter and pumpkin butter and fruit toppings or bananas/cashews/drizzle of maple syrup

[tisme]

Originally Posted by Stacebabe

It costs $32 for 32 OZ about 1000 g.

WOW that is crazy. I'm in Canada and we buy it from local places, I think I could get 2L for $25 here. 5 minute walk from us we have an urban maple bush. If shipping wasn't crazy I would send you some from up here.
I was at the supermarket last week and so many families put the fake stuff in their carts.

Ya, I think I got a 1L from the farmers market for $16 iirc. I love it sooo much.