Project Sunlight: Sweet Potato Pancake Brunching

Project Sunlight’s Share A Meal initiative is encouraging people all over the nation to throw a little something extra on the stove or in the oven and share a meal with some of the hungrier friends in our lives.

I recently posted on the unfortunate statistic that 16 million hungry children are currently living in the US, and a moving video about just how normal each and every one of these families is (it’s not what you’d expect, and that’s maybe even more shocking than the stats). Project Sunlight encouraged me to take the time to give back to my community, so I hosted a “boys brunch” for a group of the kindergarteners in my son’s class. I had the kids come over for a healthy pancake brunch, LEGO-building, and art projects one Sunday morning since I know just about every kid loves pancakes.

My favorite (and inexpensive) sweet potato pancake brunch recipe:

What you’ll need

• 1 large, baked or cooked sweet potato, mashed
• 2 cups instant pancake mix (any type)
• 3-4 bananas
• Honey

In a bowl combine the mashed sweet potato and pancake mix, adding water till it’s a gluey texture. Add 1-2 tablespoons at a time to a hot, greased pan on medium heat. When you see the packcakes bubbling throughout their surface, flip!

I gave each kid 5 small pancakes and topped with 1/2 sliced banana and just a tiny drizzle of honey. We served with lowfat milk, and the boys were in heaven (and loaded with healthy doses of vitamin A, D, calcium, fiber, and tons of other healthy things).

It’s super easy to encourage a sense of community and giving, and even easier to share a meal with a neighbor, friend, or colleague. Would love to see how you share meals — comment below with your favorite way, or tweet at me and Project Sunlight at @brycegruber and @projectsunlight.

Peace, love, and full bellies 🙂

This post was sponsored but I really do love and encourage the idea of meal sharing and keeping children’s bellies full– it’s something I practice in my own daily life and would love to see others participating in as well.