Sunday, November 1, 2009

healthifying our waffles

:: half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all-purpose (instead of all white)
::pure maple syrup, or agave, or blueberry sauce instead of fake syrup (Faith still misses the Aunt Jemima, though)

::freezing the leftovers for midweek breakfasts instead of buying frozen. I always feel good about "made from scratch."

I'd love to hear about healthy breakfast upgrades you've made recently.

20 comments:

christina said...

Those look yummy, I need to try and be better at remembering to double my waffle recipe so that I can freeze leftovers for the coming week.

Pancakes are one that I work on making healthier, I'm always adding something to them, Flax seeds wheat germ, oats, nuts, seeds. Sometimes all at once (I have a power packed pancake recipe) or most often just one or two things.

Anonymous said...

flax seed has become my best friend and i use it in my waffles and pancakes often.

if i do buy frozen waffles, i buy heartier, whole wheat ones. the kids love them just the same.

im with faith though, i just cant give up my junky syrup.

feather said...

i always *always* use applesauce instead of oil in my waffle and pancake recipes. you can't tell the difference and it's much healthier!

pilgrimama said...

Waffles. Must look for a waffle machine...
We make homemade strawberry syrup for our pancakes and my husband tries to convince the littles that molasses will work too!

Karen said...

what kind of waffle maker do you have? i've been wanting a good cast-iron one for a long time, but they are hard to find.

Jennifer said...

We've been debating getting a waffle iron, everybody loves waffles, but it's one more piece of equipment... Sometimes we do applesauce, or homemade yogurt with fruit swirled in instead of syrup.

Mary Beth said...

Karen--ours is a Cuisinart wafflemaker that makes round waffles. It works really great--I love it!

Jennifer--I say go for it. I really enjoy the wafflemaker, even whilst considering ditching other small appliances that I don't use (ricemaker, crock pot, etc).

liz said...

Wow, your waffles are prettier than mine! I love all these ideas, and I bet no one would notice the difference. I do love me some Eggo buttery syrup... We do use our summer freezer jam sometimes, too. I like honey on waffles and french toast, too.

Ashley said...

We use our own adaptation of Mollie Katzen's recipe from Sunlight Kitchen, with 100% whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's "white" w.w.), soy flour, and canola oil instead of butter. And peanut butter, molasses, honey, or real maple syrup on the results!

Lisa Renata said...

Oh, please do share our recipe. I am yet to find a good (peanut free) waffle recipe!

Because of my son's peanut allergy I make most of my stuff from scratch including my pancakes that I also make half whole wheat and half unbleached flour and add different things here and there...some days chocolate chips, other days blueberries (that we picked ourselves) and so on. Yum! I love breakfast time! and the syrup around here always has to be maple syrup. Once I had it a few years back I could never turn back. Expensive, but worth every penny!

Natasha said...

I agree with a PP,flax seed is my best friend too.The babes never notice.Also you can used the white whole wheat flour.I add pureed pumkin or sweet potato to soups to thicken them and give them a dose of beta carotene

Maiz said...

I substitute up to 1/2 the flour in my pancakes with Almond Meal (from Trader Joe's). I don't know if it works in waffles, but I'd definitely try it because it is healthy and so delicious!

Is is too opportunistic of me to give my husband a waffle maker for Christmas?

bylittlehands said...

I mix in a couple of jars of baby food fruit or carrots or sweet potatoes into my batter. The kids never know it is in there and I feel better about them wolfing fown waffles.

Shannan Martin said...

I have never frozen the left-overs, but I need to start!

I just made the best cookies ever using half whole wheat flour. They also have walnuts in them, so that's healthy, right? (And chocolate chunks, but nevermind that...) :)

Teddi Taylor said...

healthified oatmeal: rolled oats oatmeal + natural peanut butter + banana. natural, easy, healthy, delicious, filling.

krista said...

i've decided it's 'no sugar november' for me. this means, no refined sugar, basically. i'm totally addicted and my weight and mood and health is starting to show it.
breakfast for me now consists of a green smoothie: celery, spinach, apple, cucumber, parsley, fresh ginger, lemon juice and a little water. me, of the doughnuts and pumpkin spice latte...i'm actually enjoying it.
although waffles sound delicious right about now. :-)

~Heather said...

I've been subbing a little bit of different grained flours for a nuttier flavor and always add frozen berries or banana chunks to the batter.

We never have the opportunity to freeze the leftovers though. Later that day we take them along as a snack for our Sunday family hike. Or the next morning, we pop them in the toaster and they're just as popular.

(Really good to dunk in coffee too!)

Chris said...

i love these comments - such interesting ideas! we don't have a waffle maker, i wish we did. i tend to use all whole wheat (usually white whole wheat) for pancakes, however, and throw in some ground flax seeds, maybe a shredded zucchini or pureed pumpkin. we also serve them with plain yogurt, berries (heated frozen berries), and real maple syrup.

Holly said...

Those need apple butter on them. Definately. And a sprinkle of wheat germ.

Gil Buckman said...

We have a new favorite morning shortcut, albeit one we feel pretty good about. Batter blaster organic pancake mix in a can. Just spray it on the pan or griddle. Kids really like them, I like them ok (I think they fall short of mine from scratch).
We like to top w/ fresh fruit or at least have it at the table. And nice to have something warm + something they will all eat!