Healthy Apple Pie Wholegrain Waffles
Makes 6 Healthy Waffles
Whilst Back-to-School means being able to finally enjoy a hot cup of coffee in total silence (ahhh, total bliss!), it also means back to frantic early mornings that have me frazzled by 8am. I am SO not a morning person. From the moment my alarm goes off, I am out of the door in 20 minutes with both kids dressed and ready for school, having had a nutritious breakfast along the way. How do I manage that? By batch cooking these healthy and delicious waffles on the weekend! I always make a double or triple batch to freeze individually, so I just defrost them in the toaster on those busy weekday mornings and the kids will eat them in the car (yup, they’re those kids that attract embarrassing looks from fellow students as I brush their teeth outside school).
I find prepping breakfasts like this in advance an absolute god-send. Now, I understand that not everyone is quite as anti-morning as I am, and probably have a slightly more leisurely experience, but whatever your morning style, surely you can’t turn down a quick and easy, mess-free, wholesome and delicious breakfast for the whole family to enjoy? Yes, I’ll admit, making waffles on the weekend can be a bit of a messy business (I still never seem to be able to get all of the batter quantities correct so that it doesn’t ooze down the side of the waffle iron) but it is so so worth it!
My kids call these “ Apple Pie Waffles” because they think they taste as good as having pie for breakfast. They have absolutely zero added sugar and their natural sweetness comes from sautéing the diced apples and pears in a little butter before adding it to the batter. They are filling, low in sugar and high in protein and fibre thanks to using wholegrain flour for slow release energy. All in all, a great way to start the day!
One waffle provides 242 calories, 9g of protein and a massive 7g of fibre. Not to mention also 41% of my daily Vitamin A requirements as well as over 100% of my Calcium.
WHOLEGRAIN WAFFLE INGREDIENTS
· 150g Wholemeal Flour
· 20g Unsweetened Protein Powder (I used Vital Proteins Collagen Powder)
· 15g Milled Flaxseed (I used Linwoods)
· 1 Large Egg
· 1 tsp Vanilla extract
· 2 tsp Baking powder
· 2 Medium Apples
· 2 Medium Pears
· 30g Butter plus 1 tsp to sauté the apples and pears
· 250ml Milk (I used Oat Milk)
· 1 tsp Cinnamon
APPLE PIE WAFFLE METHOD
Dice the apples and pears into small 1 cm chunks. No need to peel the skin - that’s where a bunch of the goodness is kept!
Heat a tbsp butter in a large frying pan and gently sauté the apples and pears with the cinnamon until they are soft.
In a small bowl, melt the rest of the butter and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
Combine well, trying to minimize lumps, don’t worry if you can’t get it totally smooth.
Add the melted butter and all of the sautéed apples and pears.
Stir through.
Heat the waffle iron.
Using a little oil spray, coat the waffle iron so that the batter doesn’t stick.
Spoon in the batter and heat until golden brown and crispy.
Enjoy immediately with some berries, a knob of butter and maple syrup.
TIP: If not eating immediately, then cool on a wire rack and don’t stack them otherwise they will go soggy as they cool. Wrap individually in parchment paper and pop in a ziploc bag when cooled. Store in the freezer and defrost in the toaster when ready to eat (re-heat on a low setting on the toaster and you’ll probably need to do it twice).
HEALTHY WAFFLE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Calories – 242
Protein – 9g
Fat – 8g
Carbohydrates – 35g
Fibre – 7g
Vitamin A – 41%
Calcium - 101%