Since I have designated the first month of this new decade to discovering healthy sources of energy, it is only natural I start with the first and most important (atleast it should be) meal of the day – breakfast. Very often in this hectic world, we reduce breakfast to a rushed, on-the-go chore that we try to finish as efficiently / quickly / cheaply as possible. We don’t realize that this is the first chance we get to refuel our bodies after what in essence is a 6-8 hr fast (you ARE getting atleast that much sleep most nights, aren’t you?).  Following some simple make-ahead steps can help you ensure you get a healthy, quick breakfast during the weekdays without resorting to packaged foods or drive-through junk – more about those in a future post.

For now, lets think about the weekend breakfast. The one time you get some time to put together a tasty, wholesome breakfast and actually enjoy eating it. It is the meal to put back some much needed nutrition in your body after a tough week – but you also want it to be tasty enough to look forward to. Make it hearty and healthy enough, and you will be rewarded with enough energy to whatever your weekend has in store for you – a great workout, grocery shopping, household chores, shopping trips – or just channel surfing from your couch.

I found a great recipe to make waffles, my favorite weekend breakfast item, much healthier and tastier than those frozen Eggo’s. Using wheatgerm, a top 10 health food, really ups the nutritional factor – and you can still use butter in the recipe to ensure they stay delicious. Though light and fluffy, they are hearty enough by themselves, but can form a perfect foundation for a lazy weekend brunch – because lets admit it, most weekend breakfast’s really turn into brunches, dont they?

All you need is a few basic ingredients, along with the wheatgerm itself. Homemade waffles are deceptively easy to make – and waffle batter is one of the most forgiving, you just mix for a bit and let it rest – no need to beat it to death or get all the lumps out, it’ll work itself out in the waffle maker. I promise you that you will feel much healthier once you bite into these delicious waffles – go ahead and use some whipped cream or maple syrup and indulge yourself, because you just started out your day with a smart nutritional decision. The waffles are not cloyingly sweet, so you can sweeten up after as desired with syrup or leave as a nice savory bite – the wifey is very particular about her waffles not being too sweet, so this works our well for us.

Simple ingredients for a healthy waffle

I use a combination of wheat and allpurpose flours to make the waffles healthier; I also enjoy the more earthy taste. You can stick to using all-purpose flour ofcourse, just ensure the batter doesn’t become too thin. I use a round Cuisinart Waffle maker, so a 1/2 cup of the batter on the 4 setting ensures full, round, golden brown waffles – the wheatgerm and whole wheat flour really lend themselves to a higher heat setting.

THE RECIPE: HEARTY HEALTHY WHEATGERM WAFFLES

YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Nonstick cooking spray or butter

THE METHOD:

• Whisk eggs, buttermilk and melted butter in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, stir dry ingredients (including brown sugar) together, then add to egg mixture and whisk just until smooth. Let rest for 5 mins – do NOT whisk too much, it is ok to leave small lumps.
• Heat waffle iron to desired setting.
• Spray with nonstick spray to ensure waffles don’t stick – do this even for the non-stick ones.
• Ladle desired amount of batter per your machine instructions(I use 1/2 cup for a round Cuisinart machine) onto the iron and cook till done.
• Serve with some warmed maple syrup, honey and/or whipped cream

The all forgiving waffle batter!

• Tags: Breakfast, waffles
• Posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
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