National Nutrition Month is all about making small changes in our eating habits that can add up over time. One of the key messages from this year’s theme, “Put Your Best Fork Forward,” is to practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
In addition to creating new homemade foods, you also can consider making a homemade version of the products you often buy premade. For the time you spend making these items from scratch, you’ll get the bonus of being able to completely customize your recipe.
Frozen waffles are a popular breakfast item and can be included in a healthy diet. However, making your own gives you better control over the ingredients you put into your body. Start with a fiber- and vitamin-rich whole-wheat waffle, and build on that by adding different flavors to the batter and using protein-rich toppings like nuts or legumes to keep you full until lunch time. .png "Three Delicious Variations on Homemade Waffles -"){kind=logo}
Add subtle sweetness from ingredients like fruit, dates and dark chocolate rather than syrups. I’ve provided three different variations here to get you started.
If you try these recipes, freeze your extras once they’ve cooled down by stacking them between parchment paper in freezer bags for a quick breakfast or snack!
Whole-Wheat Waffles
Makes 4 Belgian waffles, serves 4 to 8
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ cups milk of choice
- ¼ cup oil of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ cups whole-wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Oil for oiling waffle iron
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, combine baking soda, baking powder, flour and salt. You can add additional ingredients depending on which variation (see below) you are making.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, whisking to remove any lumps.
- Heat waffle iron and lightly oil.
- Make waffles per your waffle iron’s manufacturer instructions.
- Top with ingredients based on variations below.
Variation 1: Banana-Stuffed Cinnamon Waffles with Almond Butter
- Additional ingredients needed: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 ripe bananas, almond butter, ground flax seeds.
- Add cinnamon to the batter. When making the waffles, pour in half the batter, add banana slices and cover with more batter before closing the waffle iron. Drizzle each half-waffle with 1 tablespoon almond butter and ½ teaspoon ground flax seeds!
Variation 2: Turmeric Waffles with Date Paste and Chickpea Puree
- Additional ingredients needed: 2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 cup pitted dates, 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, ⅓ cup tahini paste, hemp seeds
- To make the date paste: The night before, tightly pack pitted dates into a mason jar or other container with a lid, then add about ¼ cup water. Cover and let sit overnight to allow dates to soften. Puree softened dates into a smooth, creamy paste in a food processor.
- To make the chickpea puree: In a food processor, puree drained and rinsed chickpeas and tahini until smooth.
- Add turmeric to waffle batter. Top each half-waffle with preferred amount of chickpea puree and date paste and 1 teaspoon hemp seeds.
Variation 3: Dark Chocolate Waffles with Peanut Butter
- Additional ingredients needed: 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, peanut butter, dark chocolate chunks
- Add cocoa powder to the batter. Top each half-waffle with 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips.
