To all of the parents who work so hard for their children's approval, I am happy to say that I have a simple pancake recipe that will both awaken the kid in you and be sure to make those crumb-crushers love you for life — I guarantee it.

This dish would normally be served for breakfast; however, it could also be a delicious dessert.

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My teenage diet largely consisted of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Captain Crunch and any other sugar-packed form of cereal that made its way into our kitchen — and I was not ashamed. It didn't matter if it was for breakfast, lunch or dinner, when my mom would say things like, “I made spaghetti,” or, “I just whipped up some French toast,” it was always easy for me to pass because I knew I had cereal.

Fortunately, we age. 

Unfortunately, aging means we have to eat vegetables, pay attention to our diets and give up glorious habits like living off of bowls of sugary cereal. Now, you still can have cereal, but it does get extremely boring, as delicious brands like Cookie Crisp and Cocoa Puffs get replaced with Cheerios and Raisin Bran. 

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Organic health mega-franchises like Whole Foods do offer some semi-healthy options that will give you a slight opportunity to relive some of your youthful munching pleasures, such as 365 Organic Peanut Butter & Cocoa Balls and Organic Cocoa Rice Crisp. I do sneak and eat these sometimes, with sugar-free almond milk (and luckily for me, my daughter loves those boring Cheerios, so I don't have to share). 

The only problem that I would run into is that my Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch Cereal would go stale, because I'm the only one at my house that eats it. I no longer have that problem, because I had the bright idea of mixing this area into my pancake batter . . . and let's just say a heavenly comfort food was born. 

If you are eating these for breakfast, just serve with maple syrup. But if you 're looking for a sweet dessert, serve with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

2 cups organic oat milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons melted organic butter

3 teaspoons cinnamon

3 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 cups Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch Cereal

1 lemon, juiced

Directions

1. Pour all of the ingredients, except the lemon and Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch Cereal, into a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.

   
   

2. Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, squeeze in the lemon, add the Cascadian Farm Organic Graham Crunch Cereal and whip slowly. Do your darndest not to break up the cereal. 

   
   

3. Heat a pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add a pat or butter or some cooking spray, lower the heat to low, and cook pancakes in batches. This batter should make about 5 to 7 pancakes. 

   
   

4. Serve with syrup for breakfast or ice cream for desert.