Everyday Systems

Are pancakes necessarily an S? What if there is no choice and I can't refuse as the whole family wants them. What if I place a limit on how many I consume?

It's what you put on them that makes the difference. I've had them with cut-up fruit slightly stewed with just a touch of jam. For me, if I had used syrup, they would have been a sweet, as they were a binge food for me. But two 4-inchers with fruit filled me up and didn't make me crave junk later.

We have them sometimes, by popular demand. I limit myself to one savoury and one sweet, and that works fine for me.

If you don't put sugar in the batter itself, they can be an N day food - you can choose what you put in them!

I use the sugar free syrups on mine- I prefer the Splenda one- cant remember it's brand.

I think it's a personal call. I have them anytime I want them (same with waffles and French toast), but I don't tend to have them often. Essentially, I don't worry about it.

I actually like creamed chipped beef over pancakes. So if you want to avoid sweet on your pancakes, that's an option. Keep in mind the added starch and fat, if you are watching that. But it does add protein with the chipped beef. It sounds gross, but it's really good if you're a creamed chipped beef fan. And it will leave you much more full than having it over toast.

If you mean what I think you mean by pancakes, yeah, they're probably S-worthy... though if family pressure demands it and you don't use too much sugar (and hold the maple syrup), you might be able to get away with it on an N-day now and then. I love pancakes (with syrup) and enjoy them frequently on S-days (when I'm not enjoying challah french toast). I think I'd find it difficult to eat them without their usual syrupy accoutrement -- I'd feel like I was missing something.

That being said, there are an astonishing variety of savory pancakes you can make and legitimately enjoy (a lot!) on N-days. One of my favorites are potato pancakes in all their international incarnations.

Reinhard

I sometimes have pancakes on N days... I try to limit it to 2, and have one with peanut butter (+/-raisons) and one with jam. (I don't put sugar in the whole grain batter).
As you can see, we all interpret things slightly differetly...

Personally I would never eat syrup, jam or even FAKE sweetened syrup on N days. They feel too much like 'sugar' to me.

That being said, I have used a tsp of honey to sweeten some muesli a little, and jam made purely with fruit - it's not very sweet, but it sweetened slightly by grape juice I think.

milliem wrote:Personally I would never eat syrup, jam or even FAKE sweetened syrup on N days. They feel too much like 'sugar' to me.

It's not no sugar, it's no sweets. And there I think is the answer to whether or not you'll eat pancakes on an N day. I don't consider pancakes and syrup "sweets."

wosnes wrote:

milliem wrote:Personally I would never eat syrup, jam or even FAKE sweetened syrup on N days. They feel too much like 'sugar' to me.

It's not no sugar, it's no sweets. And there I think is the answer to whether or not you'll eat pancakes on an N day. I don't consider pancakes and syrup "sweets."

I know it's not technically no sugar. But I do try and avoid anything with sugar as the primary ingredient (sugary foods are sweet foods....) I don't avoid them altogether, but for me, a bit of sugar to sweeten a meal is ok, a very sweet ingredient integral to the main meal is not.

We all have our different boundaries I think. Maybe I'm just aware that my willpower would not allow a small amount of syrup on pancakes

My pancakes are somewhat sweet, but no sugar's added. It's the way my family has made them all my life.

For one person, take 1 egg, two table spoons of flour, three table spoons of milk (of course, you can vary the quantities depending on your taste; this is just how I make them). Mix them all together to an even batter. Fry in a pan with some butter. You could also scramble it.

Now that I live in Bulgaria where I can't really get good apples, I eat a cut-up banana and an apple with that, but when I have the right apples and some free time, I make apple sauce:
Peel and cut some apples into small pieces and add some water (1/4 to 1/2 of a cup, depending on the apples and how you like it). Put in a pot over medium heat. Keep stirring or the apples will get burnt. Once they get soft, squish them while still on the heat (I use a potato masher, but I guess a fork would work as well) until you have the right consistency. Let cool (or eat hot)!
These freeze amazingly well; you could use little silicone cups for making small portions and then freeze them.

I really love pancakes with apple sauce (in case you couldn't tell). The contrast between the cold sauce and the hot dough is really nice. And you can scoop up the sauce with the pancake. Or dip pieces in it. Or spread it and roll the pancake like a crepe. The possibilities are endless.

Yeah. Sorry about this. It's just my favorite meal ever, and it's S friendly. Right, Reinhard? No sugar is added. I guess you could even put a tea spoon full in the batter or the sauce, and it would still be cool (but beware the slippery slope).

Now I gotta go find out what apples I can mash here...

Ahhhh, of course. When I posted about fake syrup I hadn't thought it through but I had pancakes with fake syrup last Sunday and definitely considered it one of my treats- even with the fake syrup (maple syrup is a trigger for me, I know myself too well).
As someone who never eats refined sugar (trigger) I love the distinction of it being no sweets and not just no sugar etc Thanks for that.

Anoulie - I am totally trying those pancakes - sound absolutely delish!!!

Me too! I love one person recipes. I eat pancakes on N days, but I never use anything sweet in them or on them. I just use a little margarine.