from Tracey G

Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix

With the new school year approaching, I’m on the look-out for easy breakfasts for Harry, that are fairly good-for-him and that will keep him going until lunchtime or snack time. I’m not exactly the most with-it person at 6 am (or earlier), so anything I can have ready the night before and just reheat the next morning – I’m all for it! And pancakes (or waffles!) are excellent for that sort of thing. Make a bunch, freeze them then pop them in the toaster or toaster oven to reheat. Boom. Breakfast is served!

As soon as I saw the Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix on the King Arthur Flour website, I knew I had to give it try, it was offering everything I was looking for! And this mix boasts 14g of protein per 3-pancake serving. That’s pretty darn good in my book!

One little thing though, I don’t have the best relationship with pancakes. Not the making of the batter, but actually cooking them! I have one of those griddle things that span two burners on your stove, and while it’s convenient to cook at least 6 at a time, the heating tends to be uneven and it’s a constant battle for me to get them fairly even looking in the browning department. Usually, when we have pancakes for breakfast/brunch or dinner, I make the batter and Jeremy cooks the pancakes! So, I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could actually get them cooked and look halfway decent for appearances-sake! I really need to replace my electric skillet that died years ago, I miss greatly…

But anyway, onward to the matter (or batter!) at hand. This mix was EASY to mix to prepare – just add eggs, oil and milk. Or if you prefer a vegan alternative they give the directions for that too – it’s for a small batch (6), and it just involves 1 cup of mix, water and oil.  You can also make this mix up for a waffle-version, and for that you just increase the oil! They also provide some alternative ways to use the mix on the Essential Goodness Protein Pancake Mix Product Page!

When it comes to cooking the pancakes, they recommend 1/4 cupfuls per pancake – it’s stated you should get 20-24 (or 5 waffles). I got exactly 24, so that was right on the mark.

After they were done – I had them on cooling racks so the bottoms wouldn’t get soggy since I knew I would be stacking these between wax paper later to freeze them, Harry popped in and snitched an “ugly one” as he called it, and ate it out of hand like a cookie! They were right then given a two-thumbs-up review and he asked when he might be able to have more. Of course he got the standard “after they’ve had their portraits taken” answer! But after his taste-testing, I felt compelled to give one a taste too – and I agree, they are very yummy! Not too sweet, just right if you ask me.

After they had their photos taken, we all had a nice little brunch of pancakes and I’m happy to report that they reheated nicely in the microwave, a 3-pancake serving, wrapped in a paper towel for about 25 seconds. I too had the recommended serving size (3) and I can say that they are filling! Normally I eat way more than 3 (unfortunately for my hips, lol), but with these – I’m happy and content with that serving size!

I can state with confidence I will buy this mix again – this is something I can mix up in a hurry and get prepared to be pulled out for school morning breakfasts! It’s time and cost-effective (at the time of this writing they are selling for 4.95 a box) if he eats a serving of 3 on school mornings, that’s about a month’s worth of breakfasts right there! Totally worth it for me!

Oh! And as a side note, a little tip I discovered in my make-my-mornings-painless-as-possible quest, are the little plastic souffle cups with lids – I can pre-portion out some syrup (or anything else small really) the night before for the week or just the amount needed the next day, snap on the lid and I don’t have to worry about the disaster-potential of me trying to pour sticky stuff in early morning! I found them at Amazon, they were really inexpensive and I’ve actually found tons of uses for them!!

from Kris B.

Belgian waffle Mix

These are not your mother’s waffles!

Well, they are not my mother’s waffles.

When I was a kid, pancakes and waffles were a favorite dinner for my mom and me during times when my dad was deployed.  Pancakes and waffles were quick, easy, and we both loved them.  This was a quick and easy meal because my mom whipped out the Bisquick, added a few basic ingredients, and they were done.

I still love waffles and pancakes at any mealtime, but I now make mine from scratch.  It really isn’t that much more trouble than using a mix.  When I decided to try King Arthur Flour’s Belgian Waffle Mix, my head went back to the simplicity of those quick meals of my childhood.  I planned that Weber and I have would have the waffles for dinner.

About 4pm, I started slicing the fruit to top the waffles.  (The big change from my childhood waffles is that now we top them with yogurt and fruit rather than butter and syrup.)  I then reached for the box to whip up the waffle mix.  It was not until this point that I read the instructions.  How difficult could waffles from a box be, right?  Well, to my surprise, there was a little more to the making of these waffles than there is to the Bisquick waffles.

The King Arthur Flour Belgian waffles contain yeast.  And you guessed it…that means that the yeast needs to proof…OVERNIGHT!  Yep, the batter is mixed, rests at room temperature for an hour, and then in the refrigerator overnight.  Aside from this minor little detail, the making of the batter is simple.  You add warm water, milk, and eggs.  As I usually do in baked goods, I used almond milk.

There went our dinner plans. 🙂  In case you are wondering, Weber had hot dogs and I had an English muffin with peanut butter that night for dinner.  On the upside, we enjoyed a really nice breakfast the next day!

The waffles themselves are delicious!  The box says that it makes 10 7 inch round waffles.  I have a Breville waffle maker that makes four 4″ waffles at a time.  A box of the Belgian waffle mix made fourteen 4 inch waffles.  They cooked nicely on the Belgian waffle setting at medium darkness.

The waffles themselves are not sweet, so topping them with syrup or sweet fruit does not make them too sweet.  I think they would be really good topped with ice cream, bananas, and a little hot fudge sauce.  You get banana split and waffle cone all at once!  I froze my extra waffles.  After I give them a try as a vehicle for ice cream, I’ll report back to you!

Making Belgian waffles from this mix instead of completely from scratch saves a little mixing time.  The fact that the batter rests overnight gives them a fantastic made-from-scratch taste.  If you learn from my mistake and plan appropriately, this mix is well worth trying!

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert…the King Arthur Belgian Waffle Mix fits the bill!