Everyone has moments when they want to do absolutely nothing.

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Having just finished final exams, I recently had to navigate that nadir. But, we all still have to eat. Problem? You bet. Eventually the jars of peanut butter run out. And until Taco Bell delivers, sooner or later something will need to be cooked.

For every problem, there is a solution. Well, these pancakes are that solution. What do they have going for them? To start with: they're dead simple to prepare. Quick and easy. No folding and no whipping involved!

More importantly, they help you start the day off right. Good nutrition is a great way to start to getting out of a funk. Now, I'm not a doctor, but I do read a lot of Wikipedia. I'm fairly sure these pancakes are the cure for something.

What's in it? You've got oats, eggs, milk, and fruit. Oh yeah, and a small pat of butter. Overall, pretty good stuff - nutrient rich and nutrient dense. So feel free to head over to Taco Bell later for some Locos Taco. You've earned it!

10-Minute Oatmeal Pancakes

There's not much to this recipe. These are the main ingredients, oats and buttermilk. 

It's important that you use old-fashioned or quick oats for this recipe. Steel-cut oats will never break down and instant oats will turn into mush. The acidity of the buttermilk will break down the old-fashioned oats perfectly.

Now, it's also time to admit that while these are called 10-minute oats, you won't be able to make them in 10 minutes. It only requires 10 minutes of active work to get it ready. But the buttermilk needs to sit with the oats overnight.

The night before you want the pancakes, take 2 cups of oats and put them in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir well and make sure the oats are soaked. 

Cover and let the oats soak overnight. As long as it's not sweltering you can let it soak out of the refrigerator. If it's exceptionally warm, put it in the fridge to be safe.

In the morning, take the wrap off the oats. You'll be able to see that the oats have soaked up a good deal of the buttermilk and have swelled in size. 

Now, take the flour, baking powder, salt, and oil. Add them to the bowl. Take 3 eggs, well beaten, and add them to the mixture. 

Stir to mix. There's not much flour in here, so don't worry as much about over-stirring as you would with regular pancakes.

Now, proceed as you would with your normal weekend pancake recipe. Heat up a griddle to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the pan with a neutral oil or butter. As I described in my Cottage Cheese and Yogurt Pancake recipe, check to see whether the temperature is right by flicking some water on the griddle. If it dances, you're good to go. 

Laddle the batter onto the pan or griddle by the heaping 1/4 cup. It should be generally 5 inches across, just like a normal pancake. 

When you start to see air bubbles form after a couple of minutes, flip them. After another minute or two, it should be nearly done. Use your spatula to look at the bottom.

If they're golden brown on the bottom, take them off. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups oats (old fashioned or quick oats; no bueno with steel-cut or instant oats)

3 cups buttermilk (shaken before pouring)

3 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

1 tbsp peanut or canola oil

Butter or extra oil for griddle

More butter for the pancakes (trust me, it tastes really good!)

Maple syrup (although with the strawberries you won't need much, if any)

SERVES 3-4 (Can be halved easily; just use 1 extra large egg instead of 3 large eggs)

Now it's time for toppings! I really like these macerated strawberries, but feel free to just slice some bananas on top too!

Slice 1lb of strawberries (a basket), stems removed. Put them into a bowl and add 2 tbsp of sugar. Mix well. And let sit for an hour, then smash them a little.

After an hour they should have given off a good deal of juice. Be sure to pour that on top with the strawberries.

Like I said above, if you use these strawberries, you probably won't need much maple syrup. These are quite sweet.

Enjoy!