Part of This Complete Breakfast

Day 126.

I believe that commercials aimed at our children should be banned, particularly food commercials. I mean, Tony the Tiger: is he really going to come play soccer with my daughter if she eats his Grrrrrrrreat Frosted Flakes junk? No. Is Chuck E. Cheese really as awesome as its commercials make it out to be? Where a kid can be a kid? No. Where a kid can be a kid is in the backyard of his home, frolicking freely and using his imagination. Respect the pouch? What on Earth does Capri Sun mean by that high-quality bit of advertising? Respect it! How about that one where the Kool Aid man beats out the Soda man in the ballpark? As if Kool Aid is the healthier of the two? A full cup of sugar goes into those 8 servings of "fun!" Every glass is 1/8th of a cup of sugar! Who are they kidding? And then there's the McDonald's commercials that depict a mom gazing lovingly at her adorable, healthy weight child, who's not clamoring to be done with the fake food and go play on the playground that smells like sweaty feet.   

In a country where childhood obesity is all too common, what are we doing allowing these products to influence our children? And make no mistake: they do influence our children.

Back to the breakfast table: What is this "complete breakfast" that sugary cereals claim to be a part of? Generally, there's a brief picture showing us that the complete breakfast includes fruit, milk, juice, toast (usually buttered), and their sugary cereal. So the cereal is what? The dessert? I don't know about you, but I don't make a habit of serving dessert at breakfast. You?

I suppose cereals have their place in our lives. Just yesterday, I was eating a bowl of Honey Nut Clusters...for a snack. I did find myself curiously eying the flakes and wondering what they were at one time. I think we should always be able to recognize what we're eating. I'm not sure what I ate last night. I do buy cereals every now and again. Sometimes, even the sugary ones. But a complete breakfast they are not.

Strawberry pancakes with butter and honey drizzled on top, served with extra strawberries and a glass of milk on the side. Now there's a complete breakfast. You have carbs and fats and protein. And the pancakes will keep you fuller longer than the sugary cereal. Plus, they're very tasty.

Strawberry Pancakes

Makes about 12 pancakes

What You Need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 12 fresh strawberries, cut into thin rounds

How it's Done:

1. Heat your griddle or pan to medium-high heat.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with butter and milk.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring just until combined.
4. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto the hot skillet. Place sliced berries on top of each pancake. When the top side bubbles up, flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or two. Transfer to serving plate.

We ate ours with a bit of butter and honey.