First, a totally unoriginal observation (hey, I think that means I qualify for my own cable news show!). It is impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling for work. It's been years since I've moved as little and eaten as much as I did during this 4 day conference. No stretching. No tennis. No racing in the backyard. No going up and down the stairs 50 times each day. Ugh. I am happy to be home and running after little boys again.
Now, back to topic. We are big breakfast eaters around here. Mostly because I wake up hungry. In fact, most mornings I wake up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off because my stomach is growling. Our 4 year old is the same way - the second he opens his eyes he wants to know what I've made for breakfast. So a bowl of cereal on the run is totally inadequate for our morning appetites.
One of our very favorite breakfasts is waffles - but tough for weekday mornings, right? Wrong! These cinnamon raisin waffles are my boys' all time favorite breakfast, and so easy. Make a big batch on the weekend and freeze them. Then just pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer in the mornings while coffee is brewing and OJ is being poured. Better than any Eggo you'll ever meet. Note: this recipe makes approx 25 waffles, so make it on a Sunday morning, have them for brunch, and then freeze the rest. If you want a little more protein in the morning, top them with cream cheese or peanut butter instead of syrup. Yum.
Cinnamon Raisin Waffles
1.5 cups of raisins, chopped finely (as I write that, it occurs to me that perhaps currants would be just as good and effective, since they're so tiny. But I haven't tried them, I just chop up my raisins. If you try currants, let us know how it turns out. Another thought - dried blueberries might be good as well. Mmmmmm.)
1 stick butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/3 whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
3.5 cups of buttermilk (shake it well before you measure it out!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Melt butter, set aside. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk liquid ingredients together. Fold liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Add butter and raisins, stir until just combined. Follow directions on your waffle maker. Happy eating!
