The wee ones love breakfast for dinner. I’ll be honest that I do, too, because they tend to be meals that come together quickly and don’t require a ton of effort compared to many other meals. The problem I have is that they frequently lack in the protein department, which is something I am militant about feeding the wee ones and myself. I see how we are when we don’t have enough protein, so I tend to not do breakfast for dinner as often as they like. Except now I have “meatcakes” I make that are sort of like pancakes but filled with protein.
The wee ones absolutely adore these, and they taste great. They’re healthy, too. Unlike pancakes or waffles, there’s no flour or sugar in them, but there is so much flavor. They take just ten or so minutes to make the batter – only because you’re whipping egg whites – and they cook up on a griddle just as quickly as a pancake.
We have a new winner in the house, and I feel much better every time the wee ones ask if they can have breakfast for dinner. They like it because I say yes more often, too!
Meatcakes
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
1 lb ground turkey
3 cloves garlic
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t pepper
1 t parsley, dried
2 green onions
Directions:
Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees.
Separate your eggs, making sure that none of the yolk gets into your egg whites, as you’ll be whipping them. I find it easiest to separate a single egg into a small bowl to verify no yolk gets into the white, placing the yolk into the bowl I’ll be using and then pouring each confirmed “clean” egg white into the egg while bowl before repeating the process.
Use a fork to beat your egg yolks until they’ve lightened in color just a bit.
Mince your garlic. Add the meat, garlic, salt, baking powder, lemon juice, pepper, and parsley to the bowl with the egg yolks. Use a spatula to stir all this together. It won’t be pretty, but stick with me. This recipe is well worth it.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You don’t want to overmix them where they become dry and separate, but you want a good peak, as this will help your meatcake stay light and fluffy once you’ve cooked it.
Carefully fold the egg whites into the meat mixture. You’ll want to sacrifice about a quarter of your egg whites to help loosen the meat mixture, which will make it easier to incorporate the rest of the egg whites. Once you’ve incorporated that first quarter of egg white, go ahead and add the rest, folding by scraping the bottom and carefully scooping the batter over the egg whites. Fold just until the egg whites are incorporated. It will look “interesting” at this point, but you’re doing it right.
Pour just a touch of oil onto your griddle. Using a folded up paper towel, spread the oil into a thin layer over the entire griddle, being sure not to burn yourself. Set the paper towel aside to use between batches. This is all the oil you’ll need. Scoop batter onto the griddle using a large spoon, being sure to leave plenty of room between the meatcakes for them to rise and spread. I can fit 8 onto my griddle at a time.
Let them cook 3-4 minutes until the bottom is starting to brown and you see steam coming from under them. Using a spatula, flip them over and cook on the other side for another three to four minutes, until they are completely cooked through.
While they are cooking, slice your green onion on the bias. When you plate your cooked meatcakes, sprinkle the green onion atop the meatcakes for a little added flavor, and enjoy. These are best served immediately, but they are also good the next day when stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator.

Meatcakes
Ingredients
- 6 eggs separated
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley dried
- 2 green onions
Instructions
- Preheat griddle to 350 degrees.
- Separate eggs. Use a fork to beat your egg yolks until they've lightened in color just a bit.6 eggs
- Mince garlic. Add meat, garlic, salt, baking powder, lemon juice, pepper, and parsley to bowl with the egg yolks. Stir together.1 pound ground turkey, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon parsley
- Beat egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into meat mixture. Add a quarter at first to loosen the mixture, then add the rest and carefully fold just until combined.
- Add a thin layer of oil to griddle. Scoop batter onto the griddle using a large spoon, being sure to leave plenty of room between the meatcakes for them to rise and spread.
- Let cook 3-4 minutes until the bottom starts to brown and you see steam coming from under them. Flip and cook on the other side for another three to four minutes, until completely cooked through.
- While cooking, slice green onion on the bias. Sprinkle atop cooked meatcakes.2 green onions
- These are best served immediately, but they are also good the next day when stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator.
Notes
- Make sure that none of the yolk gets into your egg whites when you separate them, as you'll be whipping them. I find it easiest to separate a single egg into a small bowl to verify no yolk gets into the white, placing the yolk into the bowl I'll be using and then pouring each confirmed "clean" egg white into the egg white bowl before repeating the process.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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