Ensure Recipe #1 - Pancakes

One of the most food items that I completely dread is Ensure – after being on nasal gastro for many months in my youth I do not want to go back to meals in a bottle ever again. However, there are times when my disease is acting up and one of the smartest things to do would be to drink some Ensure. Not only because I’m losing a lot of weight, but also because when I’m not feeling good and I know that I cannot eat many different types of food – I starve myself. All of this just because I do not was to bring myself so low as to drink that horrid meal replacement. Though, I have to admit, Ensure has come a long way since I was diagnosed. There are lots of different flavours and even the most basic flavours are tasteful.

The idea to write about this column first came from the movie ‘Julie and Julia’ where a modern day woman cooks every recipe in Julia Child’s recipe book in one year. From cakes, to chicken, to her famous beef bourguignon Julie and Julia cooked them all. Even when all hell broke loose and Julie’s marriage was falling apart she still had her cooking to help her through. Now you may wonder why I’m writing all about Julie and Julia – the reason is because Ensure has this recipe book (of course using all of their Ensure products) full of recipes that are new methods to introduce the meal replacement into normal meals and drinks. In the hopes that your breakfast, lunch and supper will meets all of your dietary needs.

There are 15 recipes in the recipe book that they gave me (and even more online) – some drinks, breakfast, supper and dessert meals all with Ensure listed as a main ingredient. And I thought that it would be a good idea for me to make and try them some for you – to let you know which ones I would definitely make again and which I would throw in the trash.
So follow my cooking adventures with Ensure in the kitchen! The first recipe on trial – Pancakes - a typical Saturday morning breakfast.

Can I say that I was wrong - nothing so easy to make could ever be so good! A plus was that I didn’t even taste the Ensure!!! The recipe says it makes 12 pancakes – but they are very thick so I thinned out the batter with more water. These pancakes made my weekend and surprised even the toughest of critics.

Here is the recipe:
1 bottle of Vanilla Enusre
1 cup of pancake mix (or make it from scratch)
1 egg
1 tbsp of melted butter
1 tbsp of water

Note: If you are making the pancake mix from scratch don’t add any salt or sugar as the Ensure product has enough already.
Try it for yourself! You won’t be disappointed.

Danielle
YAC Edmonton Rep