Money Saving Waffle Recipe

So in my first post I mentioned that I make a homemade waffle recipe that allows
me to make waffles for roughly $.04 per waffle. I figured I'd share the basic recipe
with you and then give you some additional options to make it something new.
Enjoy!


Homemade Waffles

1 3/4 cups flour(I use plain all purpose flour)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup oil ( I prefer veggie but it does work with canola)
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk( I use fat free or skim)
2 Teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingrediants by hand in a bowl, the mixture should not be completely smooth. Let mixture
rest for 5 minutes before putting in your waffle maker. Follow your waffle makers instructions for
how to make them. Don't be afraid to add a tablespoon of flour of milk to the mixture if you feel
like the batter is too thick or too loose. Each waffle maker works best with different thickness of
batter and you will learn quick what you prefer.

Makes roughly 15 waffles

Add ins

Cinnamon Waffles: 1 tsp of cinnamon powder

Pumpkin spice: 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

chocolate chip: prepare as normal sprinkling in a couple of chocolate chips as you put the waffle
 in the maker.

blueberry: I chop half a cup of blueberries finely and mix in the batter, then I cook and place
additional berries on top as a fresh fruit option

banana walnut: chop 1 banana  very finely and place in your mixture, add 2 tablespoons of finely
chopped walnuts, cook and then top with additional slices of banana and walnuts

strawberry: chop 2 strawberries finely and mix them in the batter, cook and then garnish with
additional strawberries


Toppings:

butter and syrup- it's old school but still very good, I use 2 tablespoons of syrup and a little
bit of butter or margarine on each of the waffles

peanut butter and jelly-  Make the waffle by first spreading a layer of peanut butter then a
 layer of jelly. The kids love this one and its a little extra in terms of protein for a busy day

fruit- my kids love to add fruit to the top of the waffle, cut up apples, bananas, peaches,
strawberries, blueberries, pretty much any fruit will taste good on top. I do add 1 to 2 tablespoons
of whipped cream for a little more flavor. Plus you could do the mini smily face and make your
kids day.


Storage:
With 5 children in my house we don't usually have a lot of waffles left over from the batch.
However I've gotten in the habit of making double batches and freezing some. They hold pretty
well and I'd say could be stored for up to 3 weeks in your freezer in a ziploc type bag(don't buy
the name brand). They can be taken out of the freezer and put in the toaster like you would
any toaster waffle.


This is a simple way to make a delicious and warm breakfast for you and your family without
the artificial additives, sweetners, or preservatives. Send your family off to their day with a
great and delicious option that they won't know only took you a couple of minutes to make.

Why Extreme Couponing doesn't work for me? Part 1

For those of you who aren't familar with "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, let me give
you a short synopsis. Basically the show follows "Extreme Couponers" in their quests to
get cart loads of groceries for next to nothing...Some people have bought $1,000
in groceries and paid $50.

At first glance I am in love with the thought, can I get $1,000 in groceries for $50.
With our average grocery bill running between $150-$200 every two weeks for a
family of 7 I'd like to feed them for a third of the cost. So I sat down and started
watching the show. I knew it wouldn't work for me for the following reasons.

1. I don't buy processed foods.
I noticed that most coupons are for processed food. Take Spaghettios for instances.
One serving of Spaghettios has 2 teaspoons of salt and 3 teaspoons of sugar. A box
of Kraft Mac and Cheese has pretty much the same amount of salt in it. That doesn't
even mention all the additives, dyes, and preservatives it takes to make those things.
I prefer to make these items to control the salt, sugar and dyes that are in them.


2. I don't believe in hoarding.
I noticed that most couponers buy large(ok obnoxious) quantities of items. Who
really needs 45 free bags of croutons? I believe in buying managable quantities of
items. I like to switch up the variety and if I have boxes of items in my house
that need to be used then I won't be able to add new items in there. Besides when you
move a lot like we do, you don't want to be lugging around cases of food to the next
place.

3. Never buy what you can make homemade.
Once again the coupons seem to be for prepared items. I use to buy toaster waffles.
At $1.29 per 8pk box that works out to be about $.16 per waffle. Not bad right. Well
I got a waffle maker a couple of years ago at target(its a cheap $10 one). I started making
my own waffles. I figured it out that a basic waffle recipe makes 15 waffles. When figuring
out the cost of ingrediants you can make waffles for $.04 per waffle. That means for that
$1.29 you spend you can make 60 waffles. The best part is you can freeze them
and pull them out, pop them in the toaster and have a healthy breakfast in a matter of
minutes.

4. Don't buy brand names.
Coupons are hardly ever available for store brand items. I buy very few items of brand
name. Having been a food buyer at a major national retailer this is a lesson that I learned
very quickly. Private labels(store brands) are held to strict standards and are often given
blind tastings or comparison tastings by the buyers to the brand name products. Another
little known fact is that some of the peole who manufacture brand name products will
also produce store brand items in the same plant, put them in a non name brand bag
and you save on average 60%. There are a few items I prefer to buy brand name on. For
instance Cherrios are made in Buffalo, NY(my local region) so I buy them in an effort to
help boost my local economy. For the most part though store brands are the name of the game.


Well that should get you started thinking. I've got lots more practical tips to share for busy
moms. I've enjoyed sharing and looking forward to giving some more tips to everyone.