Happy Friday to you dear readers. True early spring in northern Michigan has made her appearance; the rooftops are white. Good thing I didn’t take the snow tires off yet. I’d like to send a big shout out to my inherent procrastination! Woot woot! What’s it like in your neck of the woods? If it’s 75 and sunny, just keep it to yourself.

When I wake up early (and STAY up), I’m usually motivated to make a nice “from scratch” breakfast instead of the usual stand-bys, which consist of some kind of egg & toast, peanut butter on toast or Grape Nuts with fruit. I was inspired by the “Healthy Start” yogurt waffles in this month’s Everyday Food magazine. (Don’t you love that publication? I always get something out of it.)

I don’t put the words waffles and healthy in the same category so maybe that’s why I was drawn to this recipe? Plus, we have some fresh maple syrup from Grandpa Jon’s 2010 tap so what better reason to wake up to freshly-baked waffles, right?

Yogurt Waffles

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
(Note: I used a mix of spelt flours and threw in a generous amount of flax seed meal instead of the flours listed)
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
3/4 t coarse salt
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 T melted unsalted butter, plus a bit more for the waffle iron
3 large eggs (farm fresh, if you’ve got ’em!)
1.5 cups plain, low-fat yogurt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together brown sugar, butter, eggs, and yogurt until smooth.

2. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture and mix well to combine. Let batter sit 15 minutes.

3. Heat waffle iron according to its directions; brush with melted butter. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto iron and close; cook until waffle is golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Repeat. Makes about 6 waffles. We like to make a big batch of waffles and freeze for another day.

They looked pretty, but did these “healthy waffles” taste any good? Let’s go and ask the expert, shall we?

On a scale of 1-10, Wren would give them about a 4. I gave them about a 6. When I slathered on a generous serving of peanut butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, they bumped up to maybe an 8. Go figure… They were pretty good, but I prefer a much crispier waffle. I believe it takes a lot of butter (like at least another stick+) to make a crispier waffle and “healthy waffle” would really be a silly notion. Sigh. “A” for effort!

Happy weekend to you! Any fun brunch or spring cleaning plans? Whatever you do, wherever you are, enjoy yourself.

Confessions. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

• I’ve been thinking A LOT about spring cleaning, but the first word that comes to mind is drudgery. I’m working first on changing my attitude toward cleaning in general and hoping this attitude change will propel me into–at the very least– a more content cleaner. More about this in a future post…
• Orange is still my favorite color. A friend told me that she heard on NPR that orange is the new black. Uh oh! Is it time for me to find a new favorite color?
• My running and yoga have been going pretty well lately. Turns out carrying less weight on a midget frame does indeed help one to move and twist more happily and easily. Revelation!
• Sunday night we’re going out for the first time sans Wren. All week I’ve been stressed out about it. Will she starve to death without the boob? No. Will she be unhappy? Possibly. Will she survive without me for an evening? Yes. But I still worry. Will I enjoy myself? Probably not a lot. Sigh. Will this get easier? Yes. So I know I have to do it, but I’m not feeling very good about it. Geesh.

Best!