Kaitlynn is napping and Kathrynne is quietly reading books. The house is so quiet it almost feels as if I have no children here at all… which is very, very rare!
I'm trying to take advantage of the quietness by getting a lot crossed off my list. I just finished up mixing up a quadruple batch of whole-wheat waffles and making a double batch of sweet potatoes.
Waffles are such a great thing to make when you're going to be spending a few hours in the kitchen since you can just easily stop every few minutes to take another waffle off the waffle iron and pour some more batter on.
Waffles are a great way to use up reduced milk, too. I often find milk reduced at great prices at Dillons so I snatch it up and then store it in the freezer to use for making waffles and pancakes on Baking Days. I try to set it out to thaw the night before and then in the morning, it's ready to go!
Here's our favorite whole-wheat waffle recipe, adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook–a cookbook I think every woman should own!
Our Favorite Whole-Wheat Waffles
(Makes approximately 6-8 waffles. I usually triple or quadruple this recipe for Baking Days and it will make enough to last for at least 4-6 breakfasts for us.)
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk (I usually use half milk, half water–unless I have a lot of excess milk to use up!)
1/2 cup oil or melted butter (I usually use half oil, half applesauce. You can use all applesauce, but we don't think they turn out quite as well that way. I've also substituted other pureed fruits and veggies and those work as well. So long as you do half oil/half puree, it doesn't make much difference.)
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl. Lightly beat together wet ingredients in another. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour batter onto lightly-oiled waffle iron and bake until done.
To freeze, I normally just let them cool and then stick 5-6 in each freezer bag. To thaw, just pull them straight out of the freezer and heat in the microwave, in a toaster oven, or in the oven.
After whipping up the waffles, I peeled and cut up the sweet potatoes and stuck them in a pan with water on the stove to boil.
Once they are cooked through, I mashed them, divided them into two
glass baking dishes, dotted them with butter and sprinkled them with a
little brown sugar. I just heat them through for around 20 minutes at 350 degrees before serving. We'll have one pan tonight for dinner and one
pan tomorrow night.
Our whole family enjoys sweet potatoes made this way. And it's so easy to do and quite healthful, too. I stocked up on sweet potatoes when Aldi had them for $0.99/bag and have been slowly cooking them up like this.
I just cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes for the third time today (trying not to leave myself a disaster to deal with at the end of this baking/cooking marathon!) and now I'm off to make BBQ meatballs and granola bars…
Does your recipe for waffles need salt?
A great way to make crispy waffles is to substitute about 1/8 of the flour with corn starch. Sounds weird, but it works great!
Thanks for the sweet potato idea. I usually cook them in the microwave in plastic ziploc bags, but lately I’ve been worried about heating plastic like that. This is a nice, natural way to cook them. And it doesn’t take much longer from start to finish.
Thanks for the ideas!
Okay…couple quick questions.
1. What brand of waffle maker is that and do you like it/love it…does it matter?
2. This may seem like a stupid question, but can the waffle recipe be used for both waffles AND pancakes? (I’m so sorry to have to ask.)
Thanks! LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!!! I check it several times/day!!!! (and have brought many friends/aquaintances here as well!)
*********************
Money Saving Mom here:
Our waffle maker is a Toastmaster Belgian Waffle Baker that my husband bought for me a few years back. I love it and have used it countless times!
The recipe could probably be used for pancakes, but the batter is fairly thick. I’d definitely thin it some if I were going to make pancakes with it. I have a different recipe I use for pancakes, though. I’ll try to share it in my final Baking Day post today–once I get the pancakes made!
how do you store your waffles? I’ve tried wrapping them in plastic and then toasting them but they tend to get soggy and dH says they only taste good when I make them fresh. any ideas??
Quick question: What kind of wafflemaker do you have? I mean, is it a regular one or a Belgian one? I wonder if it even matters.
Thanks,
Jenn
***********************
Money Saving Mom here:
It doesn’t matter with this recipe, but we have a Belgian waffle maker and love it. It makes the waffles so much crispier! Yum!
Has anybody tried non dairy creamer for those waffles? our dd is lactose intolerant
Is anyone able to figure out the nutrition info per waffle with half oil and applesauce, or at least guess? My DH is on a low-fat diet and I’ve been looking for a good whole wheat waffle recipe. This one looks like the best I’ve found. Thank you!
*********************
Money Saving Mom here: I wouldn’t know on that, but I would say that you could try cutting back even more on the oil–say a 1 to 4 ratio of oil to applesauce–or even completely just doing applesauce. They will still turn out just fine if you only use applesauce, but they won’t be very crispy.
Another good way to use up milk would be to make pudding, or rice pudding.
I make an easy dish with sweet potatoes–boil until soft, then mash with a splash of orange juice, and a bit of butter and brown sugar.
Quick Question-
Can the Sweet Potato mixture be frozen? I’m really not seeing where that would be a problem. I’m thinking freeze it in the pie dishes, wrap the frozen mixture with saran wrap, then put a couple of casseroles in the same ziploc bag.
Ideas or suggestions?
Thanks,
Rochelle
*********************
Money Saving Mom here:
Probably, yes. But we don’t really like how frozen and re-heated potatoes turn out, so I usually make them fresh. But if your family doesn’t mind, then go for it!
Crystal~
You seek to amaze me to all you do. It keeps my goals going seeing what you accomplish in one day. I am a big list maker so that could be the visual reminder I need.
I also have to comment about the drugstore deals again. The CVS deals you post are very easy for me to read and understand. Not saying that the other coupon sites are bad in any way just that I get confused and there is alot of chit chat which even more confuses me.
Thanks as it makes my drugstore deal shopping much much easier.
Hugs~ Renee
Also, frozen sweet potato cubes can be used in French Toast! Who knew? My family loves it. Also I threw a cube in my last banana bread and could not tell it was there!
My only question is this….
When you use whole wheat for waffles, pancakes, etc, do you let the batter rest for a bit? I heard once that you’re supposed to with certain types of whole wheat batters, as the flour is more dense and needs more liquid, but I’m not sure if that rule applies here – I had heard it for breadmaking and muffin making.
Seriously…you have more energy than I do, and I only have Liam right now. 😉
***********************
Money Saving Mom here:
You can let them rest or even soak in the fridge overnight–which I sometimes do to make a quick breakfast in the mornings. However, you don’t have to, at least not with this recipe. If it seems too dense or I’m wanting to thin it, I’ll just add a little more milk.
I’m very impressed and inspired by your *baking days* posts! I love having things ready in the freezer, but my freezer is soooo small. Someday I hope to have a deep freezer and then I will be doing some serious cooking/baking!
You’re on a roll, girl! I will have to try that sweet potato recipe. I think we would like those too! And, seeing your waffles reminds me that I really need to buy a waffle maker and do batches like this so Mr. Eggo gets less of my $$!
If you want to use up sweet potatoes check out The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine or Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield. I peel, cook, and puree sweet potatoes. Then I freeze them in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen I put them in a freezer safe bag. Then you can throw a cube or two in mac n cheese or in spaghetti sauce.
If you do not want to purchase these books, check the library!
I loved having baking days, and you have given me the push I needed to do another one tomorrow! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your baking day with us! It’s an inspiration. Thank you especially for the waffle recipe, we received a belgian waffle maker as a wedding gift but were not impressed with the recipe it came with. I will be trying your recipe soon!
Thanks for the waffle recipe. My sister and I share waffle irons, so when we make waffles we can use 2 waffle makers. We don’t drink cow’s milk, so I’m going to substitute rice milk in your recipe. I like the idea of applesauce or other puree in place of half the oil. I think I’ll be making waffles tomorrow. My kids just love waffles! And I just reheat them in the toaster. Quick, easy, tasty, and energy efficient. I appreciate the comments by other moms, too. I want to try someone’s idea for baked sweet potato wedges. Yum! Love your blog!
I’m so excited to try your recipes! I am so apprehensive about trying new dishes without first hearing how they turned out from a reputable source….thanks for sharing!
By the way, do you have any other step by step recipes?
I love your baking days! I am on a short vacation thanks to some snow so I think I might try to do some baking tomorrow. Wonder if I still have my waffle maker here. I might also try to make some pancakes tomorrow for my kids.
I just wanted to tell you how much I like the way you are adding your comments directly under the comments from your readers. It makes the conversation so much easier to follow. Congratulations on another successful baking day!
Hi Money Saving Mom! I love your cite. I am taking on the journey to financial freedom and letting readers in on my tips along the way! My first quest to extract money from my current income is to spend only $35 per week on groceries. I will be tracking this for a year! My first week is going GREAT!!! In only spent $35 and I think it will feed us close to 2 weeks!!!
I recently was told to try eating the skin of a sweet potato! What a pleasant surprise. Of course you have to scrub it good, and better yet would be to have organic, but it makes it easier yet to cook… just scrub them, bake them instead of peel and boil, and then, eat them like that. They are beyond wonderful! I was told to serve them with butter and a little cinnamon and sugar. Mmmmmmmm!
I recently was told to try eating the skin of a sweet potato! What a pleasant surprise. Of course you have to scrub it good, and better yet would be to have organic, but it makes it easier yet to cook… just scrub them, bake them instead of peel and boil, and then, eat them like that. They are beyond wonderful! I was told to serve them with butter and a little cinnamon and sugar. Mmmmmmmm!
We reheat our pre-made waffles in the toaster; its quicker than the toaster oven or oven, and they are more crispy than the microwave.
I definitely need to do more baking days. Being 15 weeks pregnant I just don’t have the stamina right at the moment, but hopefully soon.
One thing my kiddos love with Sweet Potatoes are to cut them in small wedges, toss with olive oil and salt, and then bake at 375, turning often, until cooked through and golden. Much healthier than traditional “french fries” especially since sweet potatoes are healthier than french fries. You can undercook a bit, freeze, and then bake 15 minutes or so to thaw and crisp. My kiddos love them with ketchup.
I have read that when making waffles or pancakes is also a good time to substitute reconstituted powdered milk for regular milk — if you can actually get that cheaper anymore!
I wish my waffles were that pretty! We have a different type of waffle iron and it doesn’t turn out nearly as lovely. Great job on all that baking!
Your comment a while back about cream of wheat reminded me of this recipe on the side of the malt o meal box. They are called magic muffins
1 1/4 c flour
3/4 c malt o meal cream of wheat, dry
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c milk
1/4 c oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Combine all ingredients until moistened. Pour into muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes @ 400.
Makes 12. These are great and a great way to get some extra iron in. I also have a problem when I am pregnant.
ok Im not trying to being rude or anyting I was curious about you using the reduced milk so I clicked the picture and it says the expiration date was 12-8-08….. is that an old pic or is that bad milk!?!?
**********************
Money Saving Mom here: Yes, that’s the expiration date. As I said in the post, I buy it when it is reduced (and expiring soon) and then stick it in the freezer. So long as you freeze the milk before its expiration date and then use it within 24 hours of thawing, you’ll have no trouble with using it and it won’t have gone bad. Oh and I don’t store it in the freezer longer than 2 months or so after freezing it.
Hope that helps!
Did you know that you can boil sweet potatoes whole, let them cool and then the skins will slip off easily. So much easier than peeling. When we lived in farm country I used to buy them by the bushel and cook them this way. Then I would slice and put in freezer bags for pies, casseroles, etc. I also want to comment on how much I love you blog. It’s my favorite of any that I read. I appreciate your sweet attitude and your obvious love for the Lord. And also appreicate all the good information you give out.
I forgot to ask – what kind of waffle maker do you have? Do the plates come out for easy washing? I’ve been scoping them out recently and am trying to decide which is the best deal for my money.
My family, especially my son, LOVES mashed sweet potatoes. I used to boil the sweet potatoes too, but I’ve found that they come out a bit soupy for my family. Microwaving them or baking them in an oven seems to work better for me.
Thanks for sharing your waffle recipe. I’ve enjoyed every recipes I’ve tried of yours! Thanks for all your hard work. I really enjoy your blog and check in daily.
I did baked sweet potatoes the other night, just pricked them and baked them like a regular potato, then each person did their own butter and sugar. Just an idea, since peeling seems to take a lot of time.
Great recipes!! Thanks so much for sharing… and posting the pictures ~ that really helps to visualize it all. I can’t wait to set some time aside for a baking day of my own! 🙂
I LOVE reading about baking day. Before I started reading this blog and others like this, I laughed about the thought of myself trying to cook–somehow, though, I gave it a try and found I am sort of good at it! AND even better, I thoroughly enjoy it… Thank you! =)
Nice job! I am still early in my pregnancy and I can’t stand the smell of the waffle maker, griddle, toaster oven or any heated pans in the kitchen. My poor family is suffering!
Wow! I never knew that a recipe for sweet potatoes could be so easy!
I can not wait to try this one.
~Rebecca
http://swappinspoons.blogspot.com
Wow- great job! 🙂 Have fun making meatballs! I have a recipe for freezer meatballs on my blog today.
Blessings,
Michele 🙂
Do you use 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon of baking powder in your waffles? 1 tablespoon just seems like a lot!
*********************
Money Saving Mom here: It’s one Tablespoon. At least that’s what the recipe says and that’s how I’ve always made them!
You are amazing!! Not only are you cooking all of these yummy delights, with two children and one in the tummy (who I know sucks the energy right out of you) but, you are blogging with pictures every step of the way! I was content with getting a shower today! Well, thank you. I’m inspired by your every word and deed!
*********************
Money Saving Mom here: Don’t worry, a lot of other things are being set aside today in order for me to do this. I’m no SuperWoman and I certainly can’t “do it all”! I just try to do a few things well and be content with that.
It also helps that I’m at the best time in my pregnancy and while tired, I’m nesting a lot! 🙂
I’ve found that having regular Baking Days make my life so much easier and simpler that it’s worth it–at this season of my life–to take half a day and just focus on spending time in the kitchen. It makes such a difference that it’s worth the extra effort.
You’re supposed to be saving me money, and now I want to get a rice cooker and a waffle maker!
******************
Money Saving Mom here: Sorry, Kate!! Promise I’m not trying to make anyone covet! 🙂
Maybe ask for them for your birthday or Valentine’s Day?!
Thanks for the sweet potato recipe! We live in sweet potato-growing country and I can’t resist the farmers who sell the potatoes out of the back of their farm trucks along the road. So, I have two 25-lb bags of sweet potatoes (just $5 each!), and have NO idea how to use them all up!
How do you keep the kids occupied when you spend time doing bulk cooking?
********************
Money Saving Mom here: I answered this somewhat on one of the Baking Day post Q&A’s here:
https://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/10/baking-day—part-4.html
Hope the helps!