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  • Whole Wheat Pancakes (Lactose-Free)

    Who doesn’t love pancakes?

    When they’re light and fluffy, they make a great meal that’s sure to be a hit with almost any family.

    Skip to Recipe

    Get Your Kids Involved

    It’s also easy to get the kids involved in mixing the ingredients, and choosing any extras, like blueberries or chocolate chips, to add to the mix.

    My eldest son began helping me mix ingredients when he was about 2 1/2 yrs old. Cooking with a toddler can be a challenge, but it’s also a lot of fun. First you let them use a spoon or whisk with just the dry ingredients. Then you let them go at it with the wet ingredients, and once they’re ready, you can even have them measure & pour everything into the bowl. My eldest is 4 now, and I’ve let him spoon the batter right into the frying pan (with supervision of course).

    He loves cooking with Dad, and I greatly recommend getting your kids started in the kitchen early.

    The Problem With Pancakes

    The main problem with pancakes: they don’t help the waistline very much. In addition to having a lot of sugar, most recipes are made with milk, which is not particularly friendly for a significant portion of the population. Add the issues that come with using white flour, and you have a long list of reasons why pancakes may not be the greatest.

    It took some work, but I’ve finally hammered out a recipe that tastes great, and avoids a lot of the issues that usually come with pancakes.

    It’s 100% whole wheat, only has half the sugar, and uses unsweetened almond milk. Sure, we’re still going to add maple syrup afterward, but at least the base pancake is a little healthier.

    Some Important Tips & Tricks

    There are a few things that can really help you out with making pancakes, or that pancakes can help you out with overall.

    Here’s a few of them:

    • Pre-measure your dry ingredients and keep them in jars. Basically, this creates a pancake-in-a-jar. You just need to add the wet ingredients, and your pancakes are good to go. It’s a great time-saver in the long run, as are these 5 ways to find time.
    • Pancakes do refrigerate & freeze well, so you can make extras and save them for later.
    • Even without syrup, pancakes can make a tasty snack-on-the-go. So you can pop one out of the fridge and snack on it when you have to run to the store at 2:00 pm and realize you haven’t had anything to eat since you got up at 5:30.
    • Use a rubber spatula to get the last of the batter out of the bowl. This may lead to one pancake being supersized. Save yourself some sibling rivalry, and take this pancake for yourself. You made the meal, you get to have that last one fresh from the pan.
    • If you have more than 1 kid, give them the exact same amount on their plates initially, and only give them 1 extra pancake at a time, after they’ve devoured their plates. When they’re still small, they don’t really count beyond what’s in the plate at the time, and by limiting the refills to 1 at a time, you give everyone a chance to go back for a little bit more before it all disappears.
    PrepCookTotal
    10 minutes20 minutes30 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cup (200 grams) whole wheat flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon stevia
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1 2/3 cups (395 ml) unsweetened almond milk
    • 1 large egg
    • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    Want to mix things up?

    You can add 1/2 cup of fruit or 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. Pre-coat berries or chopped fruit in whole wheat flour and gently fold it into the batter before cooking.

    Recommended Sides

    These pancakes are great with Bacon and/or Breakfast Sausages. Personally, I’d stay away from beans, toast and hashbrowns, as the pancakes are already pretty heavy, especially once you add Real Canadian Maple Syrup.

    The Original Recipe

    I have to give credit where it’s due. I did not come up with this recipe 100% on my own. Like most people, I tried another recipe and began to tweak it to fit my taste, my family’s dietary restrictions, and any lifestyle choices that may get in the way.

    This pancake recipe was inspired by Adam and Joanne Gallagher’s Easy Delicious Whole Wheat Pancakes. Theirs uses milk, 1/2 white flour, more sugar, less cinnamon, and less vanilla. If you have more flexibility in your diet, be sure to try their recipe at Inspired Taste.

    Step-by-Step

    Make Batter

    1. Whisk flour, sugar, stevia, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl. Leave a depression or well in the center of the mixed dry ingredients.
    2. In a 2nd bowl, whisk almond milk, egg, oil and vanilla extract until well blended.
    3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the depression you left in the dry ingredients, and whisk until mostly smooth. Because almond milk is thin, this will not be a very thick batter, and you should not need extra almond milk beyond the stated ingredients.
    4. Allow to sit 5 minutes before use. This actually allows the batter to rise slightly, making the pancakes fluffier.

    Cook Pancakes

    1. Add 1 tablespoon (approx) of vegetable oil to a large frying pan and heat on medium-high.
    2. Once up to temp, decrease to medium or medium-low. Spoon 3-4 pancakes onto the pan. Be sure to leave about 1/3 – 1/2 inch of space between each pancake. Put a lid on, if you have a glass lid. This allows the top to cook slightly, so the pancakes don’t run when you flip them.
    3. When the edges begin to brown, look dry, and/or bubbles start popping on the top of the pancakes, flip it over, about 2 minutes. I press flat with my spatula, because we’re paranoid about ensuring its cooked through, but it makes a flatter pancake than you may prefer and is completely unnecessary. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.
    4. Keep warm in the oven until all pancakes are cooked. Trust me, if you serve 1 kid, the other is going to throw a fit. If you serve both of them and wait to cook another round before you eat, well, you won’t be eating…
    5. Serve warm with maple syrup (and/or butter, icing sugar, cinnamon, nutella, or whatever you & your family enjoy).

    Want to see more photos? Check out our post of this recipe to the Just Cookin’ board on Pinterest.

  • Your Child’s Lovey

    There comes a point where every child needs a lovey, or they just won’t think about going to sleep. Many kids want to keep their lovey with them all the time, and get very possessive. When the lovey is missing, damaged, or dirty, you’re in big trouble.

    I’m not talking about a mildly upset child. I’m talking about full on, face down on the floor, wailing on it with the arms. We’re talking about crying in bed and quivering in fear because <insert your kid’s name for their stuffed whatsit> isn’t there to keep them safe. Kids become very dependent on their lovey, whether we really want them to or not.

    I have two kids, a 19-month old who has a white stuffed llama, and 4-year old with a stuffed kitty. They both need their stuffies. Inevitably, they get pretty gross: an ear tears, it falls in a muddy puddle, drool, etc. If the stuffie doesn’t need repairs & cleaning, it’s misplaced. Whether it’s at the park, forgotten in the backyard sandbox, or trapped behind a dresser, it doesn’t matter. The lovey is either missing or needs to be removed temporarily.

    My wife & I learned that very quickly with our 1st son. Unfortunately, we didn’t think about how important the lovey would be until it was already too late. There was no sleeping without his kitty, even though she was at the “vet” for surgery to get her malfunctioning voicebox repaired/removed, and was due to go to the “spa” afterward for a cleaning. We ended up having to quickly re-sew the kitty and give her back, still-dirty, so he would sleep. We snuck the kitty away again the next day to run her through the wash.

    Important Tips about your Child’s Lovey:

    • Buy 2 or more identical stuffed animals. I recommend a crate of them, but you can usually get away with just 1 spare.
    • If there’s a part attached by a couple threads (like the pumpkin in the image), clip them off before giving it to your child.
    • Never let the child see them both together. They’ll need both if they do.
    • Rough up & wash the spare stuffed animals before swapping out the 1st time. This way a stuffie doesn’t suddenly look “new”
    • If you end up repairing one, “repair” the spare in the same way. The child will spot the difference and may reject or, even worse, name the replacement. Suddenly you’ll need twice as many spares, because they’ll still be demanding their lovey back.
    • If you’re heading out, be sure to have the spare in your bag in case the original gets dirty. If it does, you use a wipe and pretend to clean the original, while actually swapping it for the spare.
    • Encourage your child to tell its stuffie what’s scary. Let your kid know that the stuffie is there to help protect them from those things. This really cuts down on the number & duration of middle-of-the-night nightmare runs.
    • If you can’t find the stuffie, they’re “shopping” and are just putting away their things. This will give you a chance to get the spare from wherever you’ve hidden it.
    • Tell your kid stories involving their stuffie. Encourage them to draw the stuffie, write its name, etc. In addition to being their lovey, you can use the toy as a teaching tool, which can help with language, math, art, and other skills your child will need growing up.

    Your tips?

    There’s a tonne more that any Dad (or Mom) at Home could add to this list. If you’ve some important advice on how to take care of & use your child’s lovey, please send comment below or send us a message of Twitter or Facebook.

  • Time: 5-ways to Find It

    With two kids running around all evening & weekend, and one of them climbing everything all day long. It’s challenging for a Dad at Home to find time for the necessary prep work and chores, to say nothing of finding some time for yourself.

    Finding that time is extremely important, especially as it is going to be very difficult to have an adult conversation without suddenly having to change a diaper or retrieve a kid from atop the bookshelf.

    Although this does require the cooperation of those around you, there are a number of ways that you can carve out a little extra time.

    Here are 5 “suggestions” and how they worked for me:

    1. Create a “stoplight” schedule.

    A stoplight schedule is a 3-category schedule:

    • Red: Stop everything else, this must be done at this exact time on this exact date.
    • Yellow: Get this done today. When, isn’t important. But it needs to be finished today.
    • Green: Would be nice to do, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.

    This is definitely my go most important trick for keeping to task. I’ve modified it over the years, and I’ll get into the fully nitty gritty in a future article, but you get the basics.

    If it’s a doctor’s appointment, school drop off, kid’s soccer practice, that’s clearly a Red category item. Also a Red category item? The once weekly or bi-weekly time that’s just for you and your spouse, and the hour or two that are all for you (maybe to hang out with your friends).

    Yellow tends to be most chores, like dishes, sweep & mop, etc. Groceries are a Red category in my house, because of another time-saving option I’ll get to a little later. Yellow may also include stuff like look over homework, review school communication book, and that sort of thing. As I said, things that need to be done “sometime” today.

    Green, as I said, is stuff that would be nice. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. Generally, this is for “fun stuff,” like watching sports & TV, going to a museum or science centre, or calling up a friend for a leisurely chat. Over time, you may find that most of what ends up in this category doesn’t happen, and you’ll begin to adjust what you put in your calendar.

    You don’t need to account for every minute of the day. Blank space is a good thing, especially with kids, because you’ll quickly find everything takes longer than expected.

    2. Save Time by Creating a Menu Board

    Whether it’s a 7-day, 3-meals a day calendar, a list of options, or some mix of the two, a menu board can be a huge time (and money) saver.

    We plan out suppers for a month in advance. This is the best route for our house, with 3 or 4 “quick” options to sub in when plans or palate’s go awry.

    As mentioned, this saves in two ways:

    1. Since you know what you’re making, you avoid the “what’s for dinner” debate that never seems to end. You look up at the menu, take out what needs to be thawed in the morning, prep & cook it in time for people to eat.
    2. Whether you do your groceries weekly, bi-weekly, or COVID-monthly, you know exactly what you need for the meals you have on the menu board. Buy only what you need for the upcoming meals, and any of your emergency options, and you’ll be able to get your grocery spending under control.

    On the Dad at Home Pinterest account, I’ve put together a bunch of pins with examples of menu boards. Ultimately, it’s up to you how you want to make yours. I’ll get into Menu Boards and Creating a Menu in more detail in future article(s).

    3. “Free” Time? Don’t Nap

    This is a hard one.

    While your kid(s) still nap, it can be very, very tempting just to rest your eyes for a few minutes.

    Don’t do it.

    Yes, it’s tempting. You are, no doubt, tired. And yes, that pillow on the couch does look super comfortable. Honestly, throwing on some home reno or cooking show may be tempting (just for a minute). But you must resist.

    Even if you plan on “just 5 minutes,” that’ll quickly turn into your kid(s) whole nap.

    Guess what you could have finished during that time?

    • Dishes
    • Sweeping & Mopping (a daily activity)
    • Meal Prep
    • Laundry
    • Taking out Garbage, Compost, and Recycling
    • Updating menu board
    • Preparations for activities
    • A blissful cup of coffee (or tea) in silence

    Don’t expect to get all of that done. Aim for 2 or 3 for a nap, and change which ones you do from one day to the next. Keep the last one though.

    Everyday, during the nap, take 10 minutes for a cup of coffee (or tea) in silence. Trust me, you’ve earned it, and if your kids are anything like mine, you desperately need it.

    4. Order Groceries in Advance to Save Time & Money

    This may not be available everywhere, but if my small city in Northern Ontario has a few options, chances are, yours does too.

    Remember that menu board we made up? We can use that to figure out what groceries are needed, and what week we need them. This is great because now we can actually plan (and budget) ahead.

    There are a fair number of places that you can go to order your groceries in advance. Unless you’re in a big city, or have a membership-requiring warehouse (you all know who I’m talking about) in your small city, you’re generally going to have to go and pick them up. But even that can save you time & money.

    First, shop to your list. You can pick out what items you need from your grocery store’s website. Get your grand total and book a pick-up time. Use your credit card, and that’s it. Everything is ordered, collected & ready for you at the designated time & day.

    Not all grocery stores do personal shopping, and those that do aren’t really created equal. There are some pretty significant issues with some places that other places have somehow avoided. I’ll compare online grocery shopping options with which I’ve experimented in a future article.

    5. Leverage Evenings

    Yes, you’re tired.

    Your spouse is tired.

    Absolutely, laying back and watching something brainless all evening is very, very tempting.

    But evenings are your best time to handle some of the bigger projects.

    Looking to re-tile the bathroom? That’s 1 evening.

    New flooring in the entryway? That’s another.

    Need to mow the front & back yard? Get out there as soon as the kids are down, because the sun sets quick.

    Although you could do “one big thing” every evening, it’s not sustainable. Especially if you also have to prep the kids’ lunches, clean up or prepare for “art projects,” or one/several of the many chores you didn’t get around to doing during the kid’s nap.

    Aim for 3-4 nights a week. After you clear the “smaller” day-to-day tasks, relax the other 3-4 evenings. It’s important to get things done, but it’s also important to find time to relax.

    Maybe even read a book, although I’ve a few tips about reading books that I’ll share a little later on.

  • Becoming Dad at Home

    I wasn’t always a stay-at-home Dad.

    Like many men my age, I had a full-time job that took me out of the house on a daily basis. I got up early, grabbed coffee, settled the kids with the sitter or loaded them into the car for day-care. Next, I dropped off the wife & kids, before my 9-5 work.

    I analyzed utilization trends for a company that had just been acquired by a larger umbrella corporation. I was on a good career path. My work was paying for some certification courses, and I was passing them with relative ease. There were, of course, some of the usual, cross-generational, differences about the office, but generally they were worked around and workflow was improving.

    So what happened?

    It was a double-whammy of trouble that rolled out.

    First, I had a tumour in my leg, and I needed surgery to have it removed. The diagnosis came in February, and I informed my employer like a good little worker. I received the usual platitudes, inquiries for surgery date (which I had yet to receive), and so on.

    COVID-19 hit by the end of the week, and we were all sent to work from home. Grandma handled childcare, as the daycare was now closed (even to those with parents in Healthcare), and we were expected to continue to work.

    Personally, that was awesome for me. It meant homemade espresso instead of Keurig. A daily commute became a thing of the past. And I would rarely be distracted by the telephone, office politics, overheard conversations, etc. My productivity ballooned.

    I quickly caught up on a backlog of work, prepared company newsletters both in advance and on the fly, and made some significant steps in other work projects that would make things smoother on whomever took over my position when I moved up.

    A month later my workplace eliminated my position due to “lack of work.”

    So I searched for new employment. Because of COVID, there wasn’t any.

    Becoming Dad at Home

    I no longer needed Grandma to take care of my kids, so I took over childcare full-time.

    My wife works in healthcare, and actually had her shifts increase from part-time to full-time plus OT. So her hours at home went from reasonable, to limited. Due to maternity leaves, retirement, and an unexpected death at her work, her hours have yet to return to a more normal level. We don’t anticipate it will happen anytime in the next two years.

    It’s spring, and my eldest wouldn’t go to school until fall. So, I focused on spending as much time with my kids as I could. After all, a surgery to remove my tumour could happen anytime.

    I took on most of the household duties. Not just cooking & dishes. I also handled most of the early learning, activity-running, event preparation, shopping, laundry, sweeping, mopping, and a myriad of other things that I didn’t realize was going to come with being at home. Add COVID-level safety precautions on top of it all, and it can become a mighty list.

    Economy & Schools Re-opening

    Months went by, and COVID restrictions began to lighten. I re-activated my teaching license, in the hopes of stepping back into a teaching role. I mean, they would surely decrease class sizes in order to keep COVID from becoming pandemic in the school population right?

    Wrong.

    Not only did classes sizes not decrease, but those that chose to no longer attend school in person, now get to watch their teacher’s blackboard from a webcam and hope they can keep up. They actually cut teaching positions, forcing some teachers to handle 2-3 online classes in addition to their class at school.

    Still, once things got underway, I figured something would come up.

    I didn’t really think it was going to be my surgery. Nor a three-week close-to-zero-movement recovery. Nor did I think it would be a continued search, without any realistic leads, for a position.

    Accepting the Future

    I had been a Dad at Home for a spring and summer. The school sent my kid home “sick” on the 2nd day of class. They also introduced the 14-day or 24 hrs after no symptoms & a negative COVID-test policy, so it quickly became apparent that both parents could not work the same way that we did pre-COVID.

    My wife makes good money. If we didn’t have debt, I’d say great money, but that’s how it falls. Since there’s no daycare bill, it’s actually cheaper for our family if I stay home. Soon-to-be-constant sick calls from cold & flu season in kindergarten already looms on the horizon.

    With all that in mind, it means I’m staying home for the foreseeable future. I’ll be taking care of the house daily. Tending my youngest all day. Watching my oldest when he’s home from school. And most importantly, making sure everything runs smoothly so my wife doesn’t have to worry about things while she works to keep the city healthy.

    I started to piece this together once I accepted I was going to be home on a more permanent basis. After all, there’s a lot more to being a dad at home than most people (myself included) realize.

    What to expect

    I’m going to piece this site together as I go. You can expect a lot of tips & tricks, links to sites with resources, some homemade materials of my own, and a heck of a lot more. I’m going to review some of the products we’ve experimented with as the kids have grown up, and I’ll compare them.

    This site is aimed at helping you make decisions about how to help your family, and how certain things affected my own.

    As with anything related to parenting, your mileage may vary. Not all kids & families react the same way, but if my experiences are useful to someone, that’s the goal.

    I’ll be releasing articles twice weekly. Other website updates may come in between, as I have something to add.

    Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates and any sort of offers I may be able to pass along. You can also follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest so you’ll know when I’ve some new material for your reading pleasure.

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