Cooking: Mama's Sneaky Waffles

                           

Need a good weekend waffle recipe but you feel like they are just not that healthy?  Well, I just made some of my Mama's Sneaky Waffles and the kids (and my husband!) had no idea what was in them.

Carrots!  Flaxseed!  Omega-3's!  Oh My!

Hubby is our weekend waffle maker around here and he has perfected his recipe. So, I started with his basic recipe and I changed a few things around to make them a bit...well...more Mama friendly!


1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour*
1 cup shredded carrot or minced if you want to keep it hidden* 
2 cups of almond milk
2 Lg organic brown cage free eggs*
2 TBLSP sugar
6 TBLSP organic virgin coconut oil 
1 tsp whole ground flaxseed meal*
1 TBLSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

(See red index below for all items with an *) 

Start with the dry ingredients first and mix together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl add eggs, vanilla and beat together then add carrots and oil to the wet bowl.  Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (leaving the almond milk for last.) Once everything is mixed together continue stirring while you add in the almond milk.  The coconut oil solidifies once it gets cold so you want to blend everything together before you add in the cold milk.  Or you can avoid this all together if you let the milk and eggs come to room temp before.

Since I was putting my own spin on our weekend waffles I decided to make them a bit differently, so I turned them into "snowflakes." If you'd like to do this, the pictures below shows roughly how much batter you want to use so that they stay small and the edges are jagged.  Each one will turn out differently. These are perfect "toddler size" because they can hold them in their hands once they cool off. I've even packed the small ones in lunches. Great for pre-schoolers or kindergarteners! 

(*When I pack them for school, I leave off the butter and syrup or any other typical toppings, like yogurt, apple butter, peanut butter, etc. to avoid a big mess, and I just do them plain for lunches. The kids still love them that way!) 

  

Don't those look cute? Don't mind my waffle maker. We got it as a wedding gift and it has gotten used a million times since then. It's very well seasoned!! 

If you want to make them the regular size, but you don't want to make a mess on your counter, you want roughly this much batter (about 1/4 of a cup):

  

Index:
Flour*  If you are using regular flour use a bit more (2 cups.)  The whole wheat flour makes them thicker than regular flour, so you still might need to add a bit more liquid to thin out the batter a bit.
Shredded carrot* I have a juicer so I made carrot juice with about 3 large carrots. Then I used the carrot pulp  ("minced carrots") for the waffles. Feel free to shred the carrot with a food processor or cheese grater if you do not have a juicer.
Eggs*: I buy the organic brown cage free eggs with added Omega 3's. Do you use an egg substitute to make them vegan?  Please let me know in the comments section what you use! 
Ground flaxseed meal*  A Little Goes A long Way!! If your family is used to eating ground Flaxseed Meal in your food then feel free to add as much as you want. If you are not used to eating flaxseed meal, start with 1 tsp and work your way up. It tends to overpower the recipe if you use too much. I found that out the hard way. 

If you are going to use flaxseeds in your food make sure you get ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal. Our bodies can not digest a whole flaxseed, and it just passed it right though. So, unless you chew up each individual seed (unlikely), you are not getting all of the benefits of the flaxseed. I like Bob's Red Mill products because the prices always seem reasonable. I think I bought this at Target but I've also seen it at Sprouts.

You can sneak just about anything into your waffles. I like to keep them sweet or else they might taste funny with toppings. However, you can do savory waffles too and serve them with ranch dip or sour cream. 

Sweet add in's: Apples, carrots, bananas, peaches, pears, prunes, sweet potato, etc.

Savory add in's: Zucchini, bell peppers, squash, garlic mashed potatoes, herbs, etc. 

Along with the flax seeds you can add hemp seeds or chia seeds, you can even add small pieces of nuts like almonds, peanuts, pecans or walnuts. Go crazy and have fun!

To read more from My Tales From The Crib click here.

To follow me on Twitter click here. 

To follow me on Pinterest click here. 

Tweet



This post was shared on the following sites:

Back To School: 5 Healthy Ideas For Lunches And After School Snacks

For some reason the hours between lunch and dinner make my kids crazy with hunger! I call it the late day feast. I'm always looking for ways to get my kids to eat more veggies and healthier foods, so the late day feast is the perfect time to sneak these things in because frankly, they will eat anything!  Especially if you just casually set it out on the table for them to run by and grab a quick bite of something. In our house we call these "hummingbird bites," because they are too busy to sit for a meal but we need them to eat so they just fly by and grab a bite and get back to playing. The meal gets eaten eventually and they get to keep playing. If it's something messy we will usually hold it while they take a bite or they will use a fork. This only works if you are not in a rush to get out the door and you have more freedom with time.

We are fortunate to live near large grocery stores like Mother's Market, Trader Joe's and Sprouts that offer great deals and sales on organic produce. I try to buy most of my fresh produce from the organic section, so whatever is on sale or special is usually what I'll buy.

Here are some different ideas for lunches or after school snacks. This is a list of stuff my kids will actually eat. They are 7 and 4 & 1/2. My little guy hasn't always loved eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies and for a few years was stuck in a rut of only carrots, corn, apples, blueberries and red grapes. However, I kept offering different things to him and would also set out veggie platters with a wide array of colorful options that would get eaten quickly by sissy if you didn't act fast! My daughter has always eaten like a rabbit sneaking into a farm! I mean, as a 5 year old she was munching on Brussels sprouts and asparagus! 

After many colorful veggie platter presentations with an array of different dips like ranch, creamy cilantro dressing and hummus, he finally started trying new things. So don't give up if your child doesn't like something. Keep offering it! Someday they might just surprise you and try it! 

1. The Veggie Platter. 

You're probably rolling your eyes at this one, and trust me, before I saw it with my own eyes I would too. But think back to your child at an adult party or a holiday dinner. There is bound to be a veggie platter there with different dips and your child is bound to be drawn to something on there. So start with serving that! Our veggie platters vary from meal to meal with whatever I have on hand, but I suggest stocking it with stuff your kids like for the first few times you set it out then slowly add in a few new items for them to explore on their own. If they ask what it is, just casually tell them the name of it, reach over and eat one (make yummy noises) and walk away. If you make a big deal out of it, they won't eat it! Things to add to the veggie (and fruit) platter: carrots, cherry tomatoes (these ones are from our garden!), cucumber, celery (I slice it very small into "shoelaces" as seen in the picture, because it can be pretty strong), mini corn cobs, olives, sweet bell pepper slices, small romaine lettuce chutes with ranch dip, jicama slices, even some veggies that are lightly blanched like: broccoli, green beans and asparagus spears. If your kids are really having a hard time eating only veggies you can add in a bit of fruit like apples and grapes, but I recommend not adding in too much fruit because it's so much sweeter than the veggies and they might just eat the fruit and leave the veggies to die on the plate! To mix things up a bit in the veggie department, I'll even make a fresh pressed juice (adding more veggies than fruit to avoid too much sugar) and that seems to keep the troops pretty full til the next meal too.

2. Fresh Organic Fruit. I like to have some things on hand that are already ready to eat like pineapple spears, cut melon like watermelon, honeydew, etc., cuties (the little clementine oranges), fruit cups (in water if possible, to avoid too much extra sugar), apple slices or apple sauce, berries, bananas, etc.

  

3. Healthy carbs. Everyone needs carbohydrates to help with proper brain function but empty carbs aren't going to help anyone, so opt for healthier ones with whole grains like rice cakes and whole grain crackers. We also like unsalted pretzels, snap pea crisps, whole grain chips and salsa, etc. My kids love rice cakes and they now come in a variety of different flavors. We usually stick to brown rice, light salted with sea salt. We love this brand by Lundberg and can find them at Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Mother's Market, Von's/Pavilions, etc. They have so many products I'd love to try them all!  These organic, non-GMO rice cakes are by far my favorite!


4. Healthy Protein. Pair your healthy carbs, fruits & veggies with healthy proteins like hard boiled eggs, lean lunch meats, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad (easy chicken salad recipe found here), cottage cheese, low sugar yogurt, sliced cheese or cheese sticks, sea weed snacks, organic nut butters like, peanut (we love apples and peanut butter together!), almond butter or our new favorite, Honey Sunflower Butter from Wild Friends!  It's super yummy and the kids love it! They have other products too that I'll have to try. We found this at Costco. I'm eating it right now, in fact, on top of a rice cake!  Yum!

 

5. Kid Sized Sandwiches And Snacks. I have learned as a mom that my kids will try almost anything if it's cut cute and small. So in addition to these snacks I also like to do mini egg salad sandwiches, cucumber with cream cheese, peanut butter & jelly, tiny ham & cheese or turkey & cheese (both with pickles, of course!) or chicken salad sandwiches on whole grain bread (kinda like what you'd find at a fancy afternoon tea). We also keep on hand plenty of healthy trail mix made with unsalted nuts and unsalted pretzels, sesame sticks, dried fruit like cranberries or cherries, banana chips or plantain chips, popcorn, with yogurt chips for a little something sweet added in and I'll serve it in a small dixie cup to eat on the go! We also make mini banana or apple muffins with flax seed, chia or sliced almonds. Anything healthy to keep them full til the next meal!

What are your favorite healthy snacks?  Please let us know in the comments below!

My kids were making "sandwiches" with rice cakes, sea weed snacks and veggies. 

Click here to read more Back To School posts! 

To read more from My Tales From The Crib click here.

To follow me on Twitter click here. 

To follow me on Pinterest click here. 

*The products I'm featuring in this post are just some of my family's favorites. I was not asked to advertise for them. 

This post was shared on the following blogs:

Simple Snacktime Solutions for Kids

Kid food.

This can rule your life if you let it. Sometimes we think it's "easier" to buy a bunch of prepackaged "kid meals" like lunchables, toddler meals in the baby food isle, etc., to have quick meals ready to go and those do have their place for once-in-a-while meals, but for everyday eating it's best to make stuff at home. Small children are still growing and the last thing they need is to be pumped full of sugar, sodium, chemical pesticides, GMO, non-organic foods (meaning foods that are full of chemical pesticides.) Almost everything you will buy in a package that is designed to sit on a shelf for any period of time will contain most if not all of these yucky things listed above.

A tiny, growing body doesn't need any of that. In fact, it's hurting them in the long run to be honest.

I will be adding to this list of snack ideas so please check back!  A lot of it is homemade, most of it is organic and some of it will be store bought items like crackers, animal cookies, cereal, bread items, etc. But the majority of the snack ideas listed will be fresh, organic, homemade goodies.

Your child will thank you someday.  ;-)

1. Toddler TV Dinner! 
This is a simple snack version. I used some cold, organic chicken bites we BBQ'd earlier in the week, sliced organic apples, sliced organic colby jack cheese and a side of homemade ranch for dipping. Place everything into cupcake cups and turn an ordinary snack into a picnic! My mom found these Cars movie cupcake cups and we've been using them for snacks ever since. I LOVE using cupcake cups for snacks. It's fun, festive and it helps to keeps things separate for your little one. Toddlers love groups and stacks and rows. They will like this! (EDITORS NOTE: My lil guy just turned 3 so he can eat large slices of apples, etc. as well as use a "big boy fork" like the one pictured. It's a dessert fork so it's the perfect size for little hands. Make sure you use what is best for your child.)


**Blog post in progress... Please check back!** 

In the meantime check out my board on Pinterest all about kid food called:  Play With Your Food!

What's For Dinner?: Hawaiian Basil Buttered Shrimp with Black Beans and Wild Rice

I've never been one to follow a recipe despite the fact that I have a million cookbooks.  I've developed a collection of cookbooks over the years and although I don't really follow anything to a T, I do use them often to get inspiration, ideas and to create a new dish out of several recipes of the one thing I'm trying to make.


Some of my very favorite cookbooks are the beautifully illustrated ones by Susan Branch.  I also love Ina Garten "Barefoot Contessa" because although she has a rep for being "too fancy" like her French stuff, she actually tries to recreate fancy dishes in a simple way. So I love that!  Her from-scratch cakes still take me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to make though.  Like 4 hours from start to cooled and in the process of getting frosted and decorated. 


But oh-so-worth-it!


So for dinner I usually just throw things together that I have in the cupboard, freezer and fridge and it's usually never the same thing twice.  Which can be kinda bad since I don't ever remember how or even what I made a week or so before.  A bummer if it was a big hit.


So this is my attempt at keeping a "recipe card box" of stuff I've made that is a hit with the whole family.


Forgive me for not using traditional "exact" measurements.  I typically only measure things out when I'm baking since baking needs to be exact.  Or so I've been told by my very close friend Ina.  ;-)  Which reminds me...I need to book our flights to the Hamptons and RSVP to her garden party...


Hawaiian Basil Buttered Shrimp


Ingredients:
-About 20 raw shrimp (previously frozen 31-40 weight shrimp)
-About 1/2 stick of salted butter (Don't use the fake crap. Real is better and better for you too!)
-About 1-2 TBSP of grapeseed oil (I ran out of coconut oil)
-Kauai "Red Dirt" Hawaiian Sea Salt (to taste)...Ok fine, it doesn't have to be from Kauai.
-2 tiny frozen cubes of chopped basil from Trader Joe's. (Those little ice cube tray thingies of crushed basil. They have garlic and cilantro too. Get all three and just leave them in your freezer. They come in handy for all sorts of things when you don't have fresh on hand!)




Directions:
I actually got the pan too hot because I got side tracked and forgot it was on. Cooking with 2 kids underfoot can do that to a person. Even if your kung fu is strong. So it ended up being "browned" buttered shrimp, which actually turned out quite good. And "browned butter" is totally a thing, so I had that going for me. There is a difference between browned butter and burnt butter though. It's a fine line and once it's crossed...it's nasty.


So...hot pan, medium heat, add oil, then butter then Hawaiian salt and cubes of basil and melt/mix together.


Add in a single layer of shrimp in a circle (have flipping tongs and bowl ready!) Raw shrimp cook super fast and that fine line of over-cooking, well it really applies to shrimp* big time!  Following a circle in your pan place the shrimp in the butter sauce noting the first one in. There is usually room left for 3 or so in the middle and I always have to do this process at least twice depending on how much I'm making. By the time you put the last one in the first one should be pinkish already and is ready to flip.  Don't hesitate, just get after it. Flip all over in the order they were placed. After the last one is flipped I usually do that tricky sauce pan flip thing about 3x's-ish because I think I'm a Top Chef. Beware of too much sauce when you try the flip thing though. It can all go horribly wrong if there is any insecurity regarding your skillz or just too much sauce in general.


...Let's see...where was I? This is why I'll never be a good cookbook writer. Too much gibby gab.


Oh yea, if you're too 'fraid to flip then you can use a big spoon to toss them around one last time but then get_them_out!  This method insures that each shrimp is pretty much cooked for the same time and is the same doneness.




Shrimp Tip:
*Overcooked shrimp is tough and rubbery and a waste of good money. You might as well have gotten the fish sticks. In my opinion, if you are going to keep frozen shrimp in your freezer get the raw ones because if it's precooked and you re-cook it, your dish will be rubbery. It's best to start with fresh raw or frozen uncooked.


Side Dish:
The beans and rice is basically a lazy man's version because all the work has been done for me. I use Trader Joe's frozen cooked wild rice mix and a can of their organic black beans. As far as the black bean juice goes I drain some and keep some. Combine in a bowl and microwave. Which I just read in a blog that depressed me that this is horrible and we're all going to die from using our microwaves and we should stop the poisoning at once. My first thought was not about dying a slow toxic death but, "how the heck am I supposed to heat my latte now?" I'm usually a three-time latte heater on any given lazy Sunday. So, please I ask you...beg you really..."how do I heat my latte sans microwave?"  Blink-blink-blink.


Restaurant Stuff:
I like to serve this in a pasta dish - or any type of shallow bowl to keep the sauce on the food and not all over your table and also keeping you from feeling like you are eating a bowl of cereal. Which brings me to the question: WHY do restaurants serve a dry side salad on a tiny plate and it's piled super high and then I'm supposed to add dressing?  I'm a mixer and this is not a good situation to find myself in..... Shrimp dish >> I ladle the basil butter sauce over the beans and rice, top with shrimp and sprinkle some fresh, dry, salty parmesan if I have any.


Kid Stuff:
I cut the shrimp in small chunks after it's cooked and everything is cooled of course and mix with the beans and rice and I might even add in some green peas in theirs too. I know, cruel. I also do not ladle any extra sauce because it's pretty rich and there is already sauce on the shrimp.  My Big Girl who is 4 said at dinner tonight, "I love pork, shrimp, green juice,* and...(yelling) candy!"   Love the "candy" part thrown in there along with an electric, firey-eyed, devilish grin.  The last candy she had was at Easter and it's now June. But even at 4 I still hold fast to my candy and kids rule.  >> There will be a day where I can't totally control what goes into her mouth and as a stay-at-home-mom I have been able to do that almost 99% of her life. So for the baby/toddler/preschooler years I do not feel the need to have regular candy and junk in the house for everyday consumption because someday I know she will not be able to live without it. I remember being 8. It will come all too soon. And I also never had candy and junk as a wee one. I survived. Baby Boy is 20 months today in fact and he loves him some shrimp! "Mo! Mo! Mo! Peeeeeeeeeeeas!"  As he's frantically pointing to the bowl of extra shrimp that is scooting way-to-close-for-comfort next to Daddy. (Peas is 'please' in baby speak in case you are not fluent.)


*'Green Juice' is not the same as 'Green Drink'.  One has high fructose corn syrup and the other one has spirulina.  ;-)




"How easy is that?"


Sorry no picture.  Well cooked shrimp needs to be devoured right away!  Maybe next time I'll have the camera ready along with my flipping tongs.


Let me know if you make it and if it was a hit!

To continue reading more from My Tales From The Crib, click here