Are waffles a healthy choice?

Quite naturally, I planned to fill this holiday season with all the people and things I love, so I thought of my
all time lovable favorite...Belgian Waffles. Don't get me wrong, family and friends rock like no other and though I absolutely love them too...I couldn't unwrap my mind from around having the deliciousness ( I hope that's a word) of waffles to start my morning during the holiday. I absolutely didn't giva' damn ... if waffles were not the "healthy choice" I was gonna eat' em any way. Damnit it's the holiday! However; to justify my oh'so justifiable tangent about waffles and why it's ok to cheat with them... I Google'd "waffles" in hopes of finding some evidence that somehow sugar, flour, and some other stuff was a "healthy choice" thus continuing my journey on this xtreme road to victory (which in my case is a healthy lifestyle) after the sport of boxing.

Copyright 2012 Rah'sh Photography

The Google search suggests that there is a God/Buddha/Sumbuddie somewhere, because these thick delicious bread filled waffle guys can be healthy after all :) Turns out that you can transform these gut busters into healthy pleasantries by replacing bleached flour with wheat/whole grain flour, syrups and powered sugar with fruit toppings ( I chose bananas but strawberries and blueberries are great with as well), and I decided to top it off with Cool Whip (in my opinion it's a better choice... 2g of sugar vs 30g found in syrup).

My body doesn't favor milk and neither does company after it sits in my belly for over 30 minutes so I often choose Almond Milk (rich in Vitamin E, and more vitamins and minerals than soy and rice milk) #pow.

Along with the waffles, I decided to have raw oatmeal. While preparing the oatmeal my baby sister asked, "Raw Oatmeal? I thought oatmeal was raw?" We both looked at each other with a perplexed look ... a totally different blog post ... but for the sake of this one ... lets just say that raw pomegranate oatmeal topped with bananas was a simplistic addition to an already delightful and healthy choice of breakfast/brunch opportunity. It's truly a treat to try (no tongue twister intended) healthier ways to enjoy my favorites during the holiday and any day for that matter. Here's hoping that you find time to enjoy the simple things that make life more interesting. Remember, Extreme Goals call for Extreme Measures...here's to...Xtreme Fitness :)

Recipe: 

Tip: ...try substituting 2 tablespoons orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the milk in this recipe. The OJ tames whole wheat's potentially tannic taste, without adding any citrus flavor of its own (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe)

(Note: For the recipe I didn't use these measurements. I used guesstamation. To anyone who tries this recipe I would love to know how your waffles turned out.)

1 1/2 cups 100% Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour or  Premium Whole Wheat Flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or less)
• 1 large egg (or not if you're vegan :)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm almond  milk vs. cows milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• (hey here's a side note try brown sugar vs. white sugar :)

1) Preheat your iron while you make the waffle batter.

2) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil.

4) Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. The batter will be a bit lumpy; that's OK.

5) Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron.

Yield: 3 1/2 round Belgian-style (deep-pocket) 7" waffles.