Ok...a Confession and a Recipe

So, some of you may have noticed that I have been trying other recipes in addition to the PW recipes we all know and love. Yes, I said it--and admitted it! My love for The Pioneer Woman will never die, I promise. But I have been trying new recipes and have put in the "healthy" twist version of some of PW's.

As those of you who know me well, know...I become addicted to things quite easily. It is a sickness! But I figure if I am choosing wisely the things I become addicted to, then it is ok, right? For instance, I choose not to try cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana, gambling (ok, well I did try that once on our cruise) for fear of my addiction to addictions. SOMEBODY admit me!!

So are you ready for it? My newest addiction? Is food, health, and fitness for both me and my family. I am just having a blast coming up with new and creative ways to feed our family well. And by well I mean, getting the most nutrition you possibly can. I have found that a little bit goes a long way. When making some of PW's pasta dishes, I simply switched to whole grain pasta. Which you can find anywhere and has become much cheaper in price the last year or so. Or like last night when we had the Mini Meatball subs---just by making your own marinara sauce versus buying it in a jar will save you in cost, calories, and add tons of flavor just the way you like it. In addition, layering your meatballs on a whole wheat bun instead of white packs in nutrition in so many ways. The extra fiber you get in whole wheat not only sustains you longer, it is an overall cleansing for your system.

Not all the time are the critics as impressed with some of the changes as I am. I am working on that. But little by little, I hope to make some lifestyle changes that will stick with them for a lifetime. Not to say that there isn't room for all kinds of food. There is LOTS of room! And I really believe that anything (when it comes to food) is just fine in moderation. It's what you strive to do MOST of the time. I have yet to switch over flours in PW's cinnamon roll recipe--but believe me, I will at least try it. And if it doesn't work? Well, then those rolls you just leave alone and appreciate all of their yummy goodness in their original white floured, buttery and sugary form!

So as I cook and bake my way through PW's recipes (which I will most definitely continue to do because she and her food are so awesome!) you may notice some changes to some of her recipes. And when I come across other recipes that I just love and think you should know about, I will post those too.

Which brings me to this yummy recipe we made for breakfast this morning...

Gotta tell you that I made a few changes to the Hearty Whole Wheat Waffles too. First of all, I doubled them because you are going to get very few waffles out of a single recipe. And I am trying to feed SIX of us! Doubling this recipe worked well and left us with 2 waffles leftover. Steve got up too early on this summer morning to participate in our family breakfast, so this recipe would be just right if we were all eating together. As far as the ingredients go, I used 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup spelt flour. Spelt flour provides extra protein, fiber, and yumminess---google it! I also added two heaping Tbsp. of ground flax seed (more fiber), and used pure sugar, and of course went the butter route. I am here to tell you that these waffles were delicious! The kids coined them the best they have ever had. Maybe they were really hungry, I don't know. But what I do know is that they loved a very nutritious waffle and you NEED to try this recipe. On top were strawberries, bananas, pure maple syrup, and chocolate chips.

Go for it. They are really, really yummy. I promise.