Best Gluten Free Waffles

...Gluten Free is a scary phrase...

 

Even if a recipe looks and sounds delicious, if it is gluten free, you never quite know what you are in for.

 

I've experimented with MANY gluten free recipes and have rarely found any of them worthy of sharing.

 

...But these waffles...

photo and recipe via janssushibar

 

were FANTASTIC!

I love that the recipe didn't call for 20 different types of gluten free flours and starches.

 

Best Gluten Free Waffles

servings: 4-5 waffles

Ingredients

 



1 cup almond flour (I buy slivered almonds at TJ's & blend them up in my blender, no need to buy EXPENSIVE pre-made almond flour)

1/2 cup tapioca flour (can be bought in ANY gluten free section at the store, I used Bob's Red Mill brand)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

3 large eggs, separated

3 tablespoons coconut milk (If you are not worried about making this dairy free, you can substitute buttermilk for the coconut milk, water, and vinegar)

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee, melted (can use any oil or butter)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

1. Heat the waffle iron per manufacturer instructions.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the coconut milk, water and vinegar. Set aside.
3. Combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks with the coconut oil or ghee, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut milk mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in three separate additions, stirring well and scraping the bowl between each addition. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
4. Using a ladle or large spoon, spread the batter into the waffle iron, taking care not to overfill. Close and bake the waffle until there is no longer steam escaping and the waffle is crisp and golden brown. Remove the waffle and keep warm. Repeat until all of the batter has been used.
5. Serve with fruit or butter and maple syrup, if desired.



Chewy Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

 * PUMPKIN *

is truly one of my most favorite things.

Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin ANYTHING! I love it all.

So this week I combined my love of pumpkin with my love for homemade granola bars.

I take an apple and a granola bar to work almost everyday for my mid morning snack.  And healthy granola bars aren't cheap. These are the ones I love, if you haven't tried them, please do! You can get them at Sprouts or sometimes at Fry's.

Even though these granola bars are my tried and true favorites, sometimes I go the cheaper route and make  my own.

Chewy Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

Picture via my Instagram 

Adapted from cleaneatingchelsey

Yield: 8 bars

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats, divided

1 tsp. cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

6 Tablespoons of Sweetener (I use 2 T. raw honey  2 T. pure maple syrup 2 T. coconut sugar)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used 1/4 c. almonds 1/4 c. pecans)
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Optional:
1/4 c. dried fruit


Directions:

Start by placing 1/2 cup of your oats into a mini food processor or blender. Process until oats have reached a flour-like consistency. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1-1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup oat flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss the ingredients until all are well incorporated. In another mixing bowl, combine 1 cup pumpkin puree, 6 Tbsp. sweetener, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Whisk until smooth and add to dry ingredients. Stir until dry ingredients are mixed into the wet ingredients. Then, carefully fold in dark chocolate nibs and chopped nuts. Grease a 9×9 pan and transfer the granola bar mixture into the pan. Using your hands, press the granola mixture into the pan so it is even. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into 8 bars. Wrap individually and store in the fridge. 


Kim's Notes:
Please use whatever sweeteners you prefer but know that the 3 sweeteners I chose to use are LOW GLYCEMIC which doesn't cause such a high spike in blood sugar. You need to use honey or maple syrup because it helps bind the bars together.  Here is what my sweeteners look like so you can find them at the store:

Sprouts or Trader Joes:

Raw Honey Glycemic Index: 30

Normal Honey Glycemic Index: 75 (same as white refined sugar)

 100 % Pure Maple Syrup Glycemic Index: 54

Coconut Sugar Glycemic Index: 35

You can buy this at Fresh & Easy or Online

Berry Green Smoothie

We all know that GREEN SMOOTHIES have excellent health benefits,

but some GREEN recipes look a little intimidating...

and some look downright DISGUSTING :)

{Kale, Spinach, Parsley, Ginger, Avocado, Lemon, Celery}

All these ingredients are HEALTHY but not really what I want to sip on in the morning.

I've tried many combinations in my smoothies and wanted to post a WINNER that I have been making all week long for breakfast.

BERRY GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen berry mix

1/2 frozen banana

1/4 cup pineapple bits

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/3 - 1/2 cup coconut milk

A handful of spinach

Ice!

Throw in the blender and BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH!

Adjust the portions however you like, but know that the slightest change can result in a big taste difference!
A few notes:
The berry blend we use it from COSTCO.   The brand is Townsend Farms and its an ORGANIC ANTIOXIDANT blend with Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, & Pomegranates!
Pineapple bits can be bought at trader joes
I have never seen frozen bananas pre packaged anywhere so we buy a dozen and let them get ripe then cut them in thirds and throw in a freezer bag!


This smoothie recipe makes a great SINGLE breakfast portion and comes out to 212 calories!


What's your favorite SMOOTHIE recipe?!

Winner, Waffles, and a Menu

And the winner is…

Afton LeSueur  {e-mail kimberleigh12@gmail.com for your gift card!}

Thanks to those of you who shared your goals with us!  I am still working on getting my resolutions all written down and planned out, so I will try and share those next week.  In the meantime…

Waffles.

Seriously, waffles.  I am dreaming about them as I type this.  My waffle-maker has been broken for years, and my nice mother-in-law bought me a new one for Christmas this year.  I whipped it out Saturday morning and couldn’t even find a waffle recipe in my book since it’s been so long.  After a quick glance at these from Smitten Kitchen, I crafted a modified version in my head and started baking.

Shortly after, my husband’s comment from the couch was, “Are these going to taste like gross healthy waffles?”  As soon as I heard that, I decided to keep one cup of the fluffy white flour in there to make him happy.  They were SO deliciously satisfying.  Please make them soon.  I will be.

Healthi{er} Waffles
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
2 cups flour (1 cup unbleached all purpose, 1 cup fresh ground whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar (I used xylitol…yummy.)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk*
2 tablespoons applesauce                                                                                                            
2 tablespoons butter or oil (coconut oil is my favorite)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter or cooking spray for brushing on waffle pan

Combine the dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk and the egg yolks, then stir in the applesauce, oil, and vanilla.

Brush the waffle iron lightly with butter or spray and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites with the electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.
Ladle some batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done.  Serve with peanut butter (all natural, of course) and a splash of real syrup for maximum enjoyment.  These also freeze well and are much better than Eggo waffles when toasted!

* The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to sit for 10 minutes.



Once again, a beautiful borrowed picture from someone else’s waffles.  Mine actually did look just like these golden, crispy, quarter circles.  And Kim, you will be happy to know that these just happen to be GLUTEN-FREE waffles from Honest to Nod and they look amazing.  Please try them asap.  {Kim is awesome and finally started her gluten-free diet last week to see if it helps with some of her issues she has been having.  More to come on that later!  You can do it sis!}

And now for that menu thing I have been not very good at lately.  Here is what I am thinking for dinners this week…

Turkey Lurkey Pot Pie – going to make this with my frozen smoked turkey leftovers that my chef brother-in-law made for us on New Years Eve.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya – have some green peppers from my dad’s garden I want to use and I am feeling like a rice dish.  I will probably make a few adaptations and will report back on how it goes.

Lentil Tostadas – Seriously how cute is this chalkboard ingredient list.  I can’t get enough of it and am looking forward to reading this new organic blog I just found, The Lovely Cupboard.


Happy Monday!  Have a wonderful, healthy week!

CleanER Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

Recipe from Trainer Momma

 

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup bran cereal (Trader Joes, All Bran, Fiber One, etc.)

1 tablespoon baking powder (Always use Aluminum Free, I use Rumford's brand)

2 tablespoons sugar or honey

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

1/3 cup skim milk

2 large or 3 medium bananas

Optional: 1/4 c. chopped walnuts and a 1/4 c. ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients until combined. Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray. Fill muffins 2/3 cup full. Cook 12-14 minutes for regular sized muffins or 9 minutes for mini-muffins.

Yield: 12-16 regular muffins or 24-30 mini muffins.

 

Nutritional Info Including walnuts and chocolate chips when yield is 12 muffins:

Calories per muffin= 146

Total Fat= 5.8 g,  Saturated Fat= 1.4g,  Cholesterol= 17.9 mg ,  Sodium= 144.8 mg ,  Potassium= 167 mg, Carbs= 23.3g,  Dietary Fiber= 3.2g,  Sugar= 11.2 g,  Protein= 3.3g