Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

The past few mornings Ollie, our golden retriever, has been waking me up around 5:45 for his breakfast. We usually don't get up until 6:20 so his early wake up isn't my favorite thing. Ollie's morning ritual always starts with going over to one side of the bed and putting his front feet up on the bed (which he isn't allowed on.) He slides his feet over as far as he can while keeping his back feet on the floor, while his tail wags back and forth. I push him off and he comes over to my side and sticks his cold, wet nose under the covers. 

I get out of bed and we make our way to the kitchen where his food and bowl are. It takes us longer than normal to get to the kitchen because he is so excited it's breakfast time. He does this fancy backward walk, while his whole body is moving side to side and up and down. Usually he runs into the walls and sofa but insists on continuing the walk backwards. 

Finally, we make it to the kitchen and I put food in his bowl. While I'm filling the bowl Ollie goes to the dinning room and jumps around. And when I say jumps I mean jumps...he never has more than two feet on the ground and his whole body is moving in all kinds of directions. He does settle down long enough to sit and go down before getting his food. This whole experience finishes with me placing his bowl down and then he looks up at me to say thank you before enjoying his meal. His last little look makes getting up in the morning worth it. 

I am a morning person but I'm never as excited as Ollie for my breakfast but these pancakes definitely make me look forward to my first meal of the day. 

These pancakes are a spin off from my Banana Peanut Butter Pancakes. The oats add a little more substance to the pancakes and will fill up your belly for longer. 

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
1 serving

1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1/4 to 1/3 cup oats
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mash the banana and mix with the egg, oats, and baking soda. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon on the mixture. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!!