Hearty waffles are healthy for breakfast, right?

I am pretty sure my favorite meal of the day is breakfast.... I love muffins, pancakes and waffles. I love lazy weekend mornings when you sleep in late and then lounge around and eat some waffles. I actually don't make waffles all too often and I don't have a good excuse. They are really perfect!

I use my might George Forman as my waffle iron (love that it has exchangeable plates)... it's a little tricky to tell when the waffles are done but it gets the job done. I know I should dig out the manual/ recipe book that came with it because it actually gives some hints about cook times.

Anyway, waffles! I enjoyed this recipe-- I think I'll play around more with it next time for fun. I wanted to make a fruit-maple syrup compote to go on it but Danimal nixed that one.... wouldn't that have been perfect?! Oh well, I guess I'll try that on guests instead :)

Hearty Whole Wheat Waffles
based on King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour, white whole wheat or traditional
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2+ tbsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just till combined.

Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron.

Yield: about eight 8" waffles.

"Healthy" Muffins

I know, another muffin post! I go a little crazy at times. I like muffins, what can I say. I make these when I want to feel "healthy". They are pretty easy to mix up and easy for breakfast on the go.

Oatmeal Yogurt Applesauce Berry Muffins
adapted from Joy the Baker
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened natural applesauce (I use Musselmans)
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (I use Stonyfield)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup mixed berries (or blueberries)- frozen; fresh, if available!
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray (I don't suggest baking without liners, it is hard to remove from the muffin tin).

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, yogurt, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture.

Stir until just moist. If using frozen berries, toss them in about 1tbsp flour to coat. Fold in berries and chips.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes (sometimes mine take a little longer than). 
 

Yes, I like Muffins.

The other day I was shopping and starving... never a smart combination. I grabbed a muffin at the market and snacked on it on the drive home. I didn't really look at what I grabbed until I started eating it... and I loved it! Cranberries and walnuts... a great combination! The next time I went to the market, I picked up a bag of cranberries so I could be sure to make my own!

Cranberry Walnut Muffins
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp canola oil
1/2- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper baking cups.

2. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon & salt. In a medium bowl, combine egg, milk, sugar & oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Fold in cranberries & toasted walnuts. Spoon into prepared muffin tin.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

I hate the smell of bananas...

but I love banana bread! I peel the bananas really quickly so that I can get through the nastiness that is the banana smell. I've modified the recipe that my mom always made from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I'm really particular about the condition of bananas when I eat them so I tend to have a bunch in the freezer- once they are ripe (more than the perfect yellow, non-bruised banana), I won't eat them, so I tend to make a lot of bread!

Banana Bread
adapted from The Silver Palate

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (I use 3-4 whole bananas)
2 cups flour (1 cup all purpose; 1 cup white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use less)
1/2 cup sour cream (or buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla
1/8+ tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp flaxseed, optional (I didn't grind it up, just threw it in whole)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray (you could make 1 large one instead)
3. Cream butter & sugar together.
4. Add eggs and beat well.
5. Add mashed bananas, mixing thoroughly.
6. Sift dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Stir until just combined.
7. Add sour cream (buttermilk), vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon & flaxseed and mix until just combined.
8. Pour into prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. This time, I baked the loafs for at least 35 minutes-- it still looked pretty gooey when I the buzzer sounded at 25 minutes.

These also make great muffins, both of which freeze well. With the muffins, I freeze them and pop one into the toaster in the morning. It's a great breakfast on the go!

Yummm.... Pancakes!

Danimal woke up this morning to a smell of something baking... he ran to the oven to see what muffins I whipped up. He came sulking out of the kitchen with the knowledge that I did not bake for him but that I made another batch of pumpkin pie biscuits for the pup. Therefore I was feeling guilty and made him some pancakes using some leftover buttermilk.

Oatmeal Pancakes
adapted from recipe received in middle school home-ec class

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp sugar
2 TB vegetable oil
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 egg

Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl with a hand beater until smooth (for thinner pancakes, stir in 2-4 TB of additional milk)

Using a non-stick skillet, lightly spray with cooking oil (or small dab of butter) and heat over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot pan.

Cook until pancakes are puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other sides until golden brown. Serve with applesauce if desired.

Makes 10-12 pancakes.