whole wheat chocolate chip waffles

i actually wasn’t planning on posting this recipe anytime soon.  as you know, i have a lot of other recipes that i need to catch up on.  but these whole wheat chocolate chip waffles were just so good that i couldn’t wait.

chris and i have been on a waffle kick.  i guess this goes in fazes because last time i posted a bunch of waffle recipes, we are on a waffle kick too.  i made these cinnamon chip waffles last weekend and this weekend i made whole wheat chocolate chip waffles.

the recipe is based off the basic waffle recipe i made previously.  but i wanted to make it just a little bit healthier.  so i made a couple easy swaps.  i used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. of course everyone knows that whole wheat is better than regular white flour, but did you know about all of the health benefits of coconut oil?  it can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, it may help with thyroid health, and it can help boost metabolism.  awesome right!  read this article for more information on the wonderfulness that is coconut oil.

oh back to the white whole wheat flour.  this is awesome stuff.  it makes it so much easier to substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose.  white whole white flour is made from white wheat while regular whole wheat flour is made from red wheat.  white whole wheat flour has all of the same health benefits and nutrients found in regular whole wheat flour, but the flavor is a bit milder than regular whole wheat flour and the texture is a bit lighter.  for more information on white whole wheat flour, check out this article.

now for the waffles!

combine the white whole wheat flour,

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asparagus flatbread, two ways

so today’s post is a twofer!  do you know what a twofer is?  well until recently i had no idea.  and then i watched fashion star and good ol’ jessica simpson mentioned the word twofer (one of the designer’s skirts could be worn in two different ways).  at first i was confused but once she explained the meaning of the word, i was sold.  what a great little way to say “two for one.”  i’m sure jessica simpson didn’t come up with the word, but i’m glad she introduced me to it.  also, i’m pretty confident of the fact that you are judging me right now because i totally admitted that i watch fashion star, but hey don’t hate.  i love me some quality reality television. 😉

so anyway, back to the twofer recipe – i made asparagus flatbread, two different ways.  one is a roasted garlic and asparagus flatbread and the other is a ham, asparagus, and gruyere flatbread.  both varieties of flatbread are chock full of beautiful sliced asparagus lightly dressed in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  i just love how the asparagus gets nicely roasted and toasted as the flatbread bakes.

they are also both made on my go to whole wheat pizza dough.  but that’s about where the similarities between these two flatbreads end.  they taste drastically different but both are full of flavor and absolutely delightful.

the roasted garlic and asparagus flatbread starts with a scrumptious roasted garlic and basil cream cheese spread (you make it yourself!) and then mozzarella cheese and asparagus are piled on top.

the other one, ham, asparagus, and gruyere flatbread has of course ham and asapargus plus lovely dose of salty, nutty, melty gruyere cheese.

chris and i both couldn’t decide which we liked best because they were each so different than the other.  but we both agreed that you can’t go wrong with either.  so make one or the other or maybe even both!  hope you enjoyed this twofer!

to start, make a batch of pizza dough – i made mine whole wheat, but you definitely don’t need to.   both dough recipes make enough for 2 flatbreads so it’s the perfect recipe if you are planning on trying out both recipes.  also get the asparagus ready for both flatbreads.  just slice about 1/2 lb of asparagus per a flatbread.  then dress it with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

  

first up the roasted garlic and asparagus flatbread.  to start, make the roasted garlic and basil cream cheese.  all you need is 4 oz. of cream cheese, about 7-8 cloves of roasted garlic, and some fresh basil.  first mash together the cream cheese, roasted garlic, and a little salt and pepper. then gently mix in the fresh basil.

  

once it’s all mixed together, set aside.  a quick tip, be sure to make this at the beginning of the flatbread making process because it gives the flavors of the roasted garlic and basil to better blend together with the cream cheese.

now on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, press or roll out the dough (1/2 the dough if you’re using my dough recipe) into a large rectangle.  spread the roasted garlic and basil cream cheese over the dough, making sure to leave about an inch border along the edges.

  

next sprinkle on about a cup of mozzarella cheese and a 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

now comes the asparagus and just a little more cheese and it’s ready to bake!

  

bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees F.

the ham, asparagus, and gruyere flatbread starts of the same.  roll out the dough into a large rectangle, but then put a cup of the mozzarella cheese right on to the dough.  then add about a 1/2 cup of gruyere cheese.  next, sprinkle on some diced ham.  we made this soon after easter and it was a great way to use up some of the leftover ham we had.

  

pile on the asparagus and spread it out in an even layer over the ham and cheese.

finally, one last sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and in the oven it goes.  bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

all done!

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spiced apple cider muffins

i love muffins.

really, i think they are one of the best breakfast foods… well actually a bacon egg and cheese on a everything bagel is my favorite breakfast.  but muffins do come in a close second.  i just like the way they are portable and it’s really just like eating a cupcake for breakfast.

but that’s the problem.

most muffins are full of calories, fat and sugar.  though very tasty, that’s probably not the best way to start your day.  so i tried to find a healthier muffin recipe that used apples (since we still have a lot of apples from our adventure to bulter’s orchard this past weekend).  i quickly found one for spiced apple cider muffins.  they are actually inspired by apple cider donuts which i love.

these muffins have lots of apples in a bunch of different forms: fresh apples, apple butter, and apple cider.  yum!  plus they are whole wheat and have relatively little oil in them.  even better!  look at all of those lovely apples…

these muffins are delicious!  i would definitely suggest making them as a healthy, flavorful breakfast treat!

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homemade wheat thins

i found this recipe a while ago and put it on my wish list and then just kind of forgot about it.  until tonight, when i thought we had some wheat thins in our pantry and then realized we didn’t.  sad panda… but then i realized that i could just make my own.  i had everything the recipe called for, except paprika.  i substituted it with onion powder, though i’m not really sure why, paprika and onion powder are totally not the same thing.  but anyway, i would not suggest using this substitution and i will be buying some paprika soon so i can try out this recipe again.  still, onion powder fail and all, these homemade wheat thins turned out pretty good!  they are just like wheat thins but better!  they are crunchy and flaky and salty and yummy!

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homemade graham crackers

the next addition to the box of goodies are homemade graham crackers.  i saw this recipe on smitten kitchen and put it on my list of recipes to try out.  they turned out okay but definitely not like graham crackers you would buy at the grocery store.  they reminded me more of cookies rather than crackers, maybe like ginger snaps?  i’m not sure.  either way they were tasty, but if i’m in the mood for graham crackers i’ll probably just pick some up at the store.  but hopefully my parents and my boyfriend’s parents and family still like them…

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