Honey Oat Waffles

Ok, I love breakfast foods. Not necessarily at breakfast time, but that's not the point. The point is, that many of these luscious concoctions are not great for you. They can also take a long time to prepare. To fix the time issue, I periodically prepare a bunch of waffles or pancakes, let them cool completely and then pop them in the freezer. All you have to do on a busy morning is put them in the toaster, just like those store-bought ones. Unlike the store-bought ones, though, these are very yummy and not so terrible for you. They don't have much sugar in them and they are packed with fiber. So eat up! Within reason, of course. I'm not promoting them as weight-loss waffle or anything...

Honey Oat Waffles
Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• water, to thin if necessary

Directions

• In a large bowl, mix eggs and buttermilk. Add oats, stir well and let sit for 10 minutes (if using quick-cooking oats, it's not necessary to let it sit)
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Pour about 3/4 cup into a prepared waffle maker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions.

These are yummy with maple syrup, drizzled with more honey or topped with fruit. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Praline Muffins

I don't know about you, but I find a muffin to be the perfect breakfast food. It's yummy. It's portable (essential when trying to get people out the door in the morning). It's easy to make. Here's a delicious pumpkin muffin from Family Fun magazine. The pumpkin and whole wheat flour make them a bit healthier than some muffins and if you want to cut down the fat, throw the pecans into the batter and forget about the topping. Not exactly praline if you go that route, but still good eatin', I'm sure.

Pumpkin Praline Muffins

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients
Praline Topping

•  3 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup flour
•  3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Muffin Batter

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and use your fingers to rub them into a crumbly topping. Set it aside. Heat the oven to 400 ˚ and grease the bottoms only of 12 standard muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, molasses, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry mixture just until blended.

3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle on the praline topping. Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them.