Jan092012

Whole Grain Blender Waffles

WaffleRaise your hand if you ate too many sweets in the month of December.

Come on – ‘fess up now. :)

I know I did! And every year when January comes around my body starts craving some real food.

Something simple after all those rich holiday meals.

And maybe something with whole grains to counteract all those truffles. :)

These waffles are the perfect choice! They are a whole grain waffle that I can make with things I almost always have in my pantry. And best of all – I mix the entire thing in my blender in minutes!

They are even gluten free.

Whole Grain Blender Waffles
Adapted from Sue Gregg’s Eating Better Cookbooks

1 egg
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 Tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2  cup of brown rice
1/2 cup popcorn (unpopped)
1/2 cup of oatmeal (rolled or quick)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat waffle iron at highest temperature.

Place the egg, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, rice, popcorn and oatmeal in the blender in the order listed and blend on high speed for 3 minutes.

Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and blend briefly. It should start to bubble immediately.

Grease your waffle iron well (I douse it really good with cooking spray).  Pour the batter -which should be thin – on the waffle iron. DO NOT PEAK! I’m serious here. Do NOT open that waffle iron until the little light goes off. Trust me on this one – just step away from the iron.

This should yield about six 7-inch waffles. (Although the first waffle you attempt will not work – it never does. I think it’s part of Murphy’s Law or something!)

Make sure you give the batter a quick stir before you pour each new waffle – it has a tendency to settle.

These are wonderful with the super-lean “Amish Chwistmas Sausage” and hot apple sauce on top for an easy “breakfast for supper”.

If you prefer – just substitute 2 cups of flour for the rice, popcorn, and oatmeal and blend briefly.

Or if you want to get fancy – you can substitute kamut, millet, barley, kasha, or wheat berries for the grains listed. That is – if you know what they are and actually have them in your pantry. :)

These are best when hot and crisp from the waffle iron – but you can freeze them and pop them in the toaster for a quick meal.

Wow! Don’t we feel healthier already?! :)

I’ve linked these posts up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Jan062012

Eating Out

bonfireWe ate out last night.

I mean really out.

Like – outside out.

Like – out in the pasture out.

Yes, I know it’s January.  Yes, I live in Iowa.

But it was a balmy 60 degrees yesterday and the kids had spent all afternoon cleaning out some fence lines. When Jan came home they hauled the wood and started a fire – a big fire.

Since they were already out there – and they already had a fire – we decided to pack up some  hot dogs and make it an adventure!

So – by the light of an almost full moon – we pulled up some stumps, roasted our hotdogs and made a memory.

After eating way more s’mores than we should have, the kids packed things up and went home.

But Jan and I sat on our stumps holding hands while we watched the fire turn to embers.

It was so peaceful sitting there in the light of the flames,  talking and listening to the coyotes howl – a real “country-style” date.

It was one of those sweet moments that can’t be planned, they must just be enjoyed!

Jan042012

Making History

I interrupt your regularly scheduled activities for this special political announcement:
Your Vote Counts
We attended the Iowa Caucuses last night – and helped make history!

That’s right – we gave up a couple hours on a Tuesday night in January to weigh in on who should be our next president.

We made our voice heard.

We were a part of the process.

One thing we learned as we braved the standing room only crowd and later as we watched the returns on TV – every vote counts.

Every vote.

I’m thinking that some of those undecideds were wishing they had decided – and some of those who stayed home were wishing they had participated.

Now I’m not going to go into some in-depth political commentary about last night’s results – I’ll leave that to somebody who knows what they are talking about. :)

But this much I know – every vote counts.

Your vote counts.

Are you registered? You should be.

Okay – my rant is over. I will now step down from my soapbox and return to my usual ramblings about the important issues in life – like what’s for supper and how to survive life with four teens in the house.

But remember this – your vote counts.

Now use it.

I’m Melinda Shervheim and I approved this message.

Photo courtesy of Mike LoCascio.

Jan022012

24 Hours of Fun

We decided at the last minute to take advantage of the beautiful weather and drive the 3 hours to my sister’s house Friday night for a little pre-New Year’s fun.

She let the rest of the family know that we were coming and before the  night was over my parents and all of my siblings had arrived for an impromptu party!

Not only was impromptu – it was short. We had just 24 hours together.

Do you have any idea how much fun a bunch of cousins can cram into 24 hours? Especially when they don’t sleep?

making moviesThey put Angel Girl behind the camera and  filmed an epic movie – complete with costumes and a rap.

They played hilarious games, did some wild singing, and laughed at all their inside jokes.

line dancingThere was a lot of dancing – both with Dance Central and then some line dancing in the basement, followed by some swing dancing and a little “Hunting the Fox”.

Then there was the great deer head adventure. One of the uncles had hit a deer with his van and it was still laying in the ditch. The kids decided to go and rescue the antlers for him. The only problem was – they couldn’t get the antlers off.

deer head adventureSo they brought him the whole head.

I know he appreciated it!

They had a midnight toast with homemade ice cream, ate cold pizza at 2 AM and consumed lots of Christmas goodies between times.

Dagmar and the wolfBut most of all – they just loved being together! (And yes – there is a cousin hidden in the wolf costume!)

Now that was 24 hours of fun and excitement!

Dec312011

Looking Back

In just a few hours 2011 will be history.

It will be time to take down the calendar that has graced my refrigerator for the last 365 days – with its curled corners, loose pages and food stains.

For the past year it has recorded important birthdays, visits, and trips. It has reminded us of appointments, kept us organized, and recorded our days.

Days that were full of activity.

Laughter.

Tears.

Excitement.

Uncertainty.

Joy.

Pain.

In it’s place I’ll hang our brand new – spotless – calendar. It’s pages empty and waiting.

What will those pages record?

What will the next 366 days bring?

Whatever comes our way in 2012, I can rest assured that God is still in control.

Just as He was in the last 365 days.

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

Wishing you all a blessed and Happy New Year!