Beautiful Sunday Waffles {gluten-free, high protein, low-carb}

Beautiful Sunday Waffles {gluten-free, high protein, low-carb}

When we first started making these waffles, we named them “beautiful Sunday waffles” because the whole family loved them… and they were so delicioulsy filling that no one complained of being hungry all through Sunday Mass.  We were even able to come home after Mass and not feel rushed to get lunch on the table.  Hooray!

Only 3 simple ingredients are needed for these protein-packed waffles:

  • natural salted peanut butter
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract

 

Of course these waffles can be made any day of the week!  We find they are great on school days too.  I like to make a large batch on the weekends, and reheat them in the microwave for quick and nourishing weekday breakfasts.  Waffles can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days on a plate, covered in plastic wrap.  Waffles can also be placed in a Ziplock bag and kept in the freezer for a number of weeks.  We use 15 eggs in this recipe simply because that is the largest quantity our blender can hold.  However, the recipe could be scaled down to use 10 eggs and 1 cup of peanut butter, or 5 eggs and 1/2 cup of peanut butter.

We use peanut butter in our waffles, but salted almond butter can also work.  Be sure that the nut butter you use is natural and very drippy.  Our favorite drippy natural peanut butter is Welsley Farms Organic Peanut Butter from BJ’s.  We have not tried sunbutter, but we would love to hear in the comments below if that is something that works for those with nut allergies.

Because these waffles are naturally full of protein and low-carb, they can be topped to your delight with toppings you love!  Yogurt and berries?  Maple syrup or honey?  Whipped cream, chocolate and bananas?  What toppings do you love?  Our children love to have waffle decorating contests… stay tuned… we might just have a Sparkles and Sprinkles waffle decorating contest in the coming months!

We typically use a Belgian waffle maker or our Cuisinart griddle fitted with waffle irons.  However, we recently tried out a little waffle maker by Dash.  Our daughters think it is just too cute!  It also comes in a fun variety of colors.  If you like thinner, smaller waffles, the little Dash waffle maker is great.  A little warning if children are helping in the kitchen, though:  the handle is very small and can get hot, so use a hot pad when lifting the handle.  We also found it was helpful to use silicone tongs to remove the waffles from the maker.  If you are making waffles for a crowd, you may want to have a few of these small waffle makers to make more than one waffle at a time.

While most of our recipes on Sparkles and Sprinkles are great for children to help in the kitchen, this waffle recipe is probably best for adults and older children (due to the many eggs to crack and the hot waffle iron).  If your little ones need a fun activity for while you are making this delicious breakfast, we recommend the Learning Rescources Waffle Time play kitchen set.  Our children continue to play with this delightful set year after year.

One final note before we get started.  Though it may not be necessary, we usually butter our waffle iron before pouring the batter.  However, if the waffles do happen to stick, we find that the handle of silicone spoon can help to remove any stuck bits of waffle.  

Let’s make waffles!

Gather your ingredients:

15 eggs

1 1/2 cups natural salted creamy peanut butter (if your nut butter is unsalted, add a dash or salt to your batter)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter (optional – to grease the waffle iron if needed)

 

Gather your kitchen supplies:

Waffle maker

Blender

Silicone spatula

1 cup measuring cup

1/2 cup measuring cup

1 teaspoon

large (4 cup) glass liquid measuring cup

plates (for finished waffles and for serving)

forks (for removing waffles from the maker, and for serving)

silicone baby spoon (optional – helpful for removing any bits of waffle that might stick to the waffle maker)

silicone tongs (optional – for removing waffles from the maker without the risk of scratching the maker)

Measure, blend, cook, and enjoy!

Step 1

Crack 15 eggs into a large glass liquid measuring cup.

Step 2

Carefully pour the eggs into the blender.  (Hold the blender jar at an angle over the sink while pouring in the eggs from the measuring cup to reduce the risk of spilling the eggs.  Then place the blender jar on the blender.)

Step 3

Measure 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Step 4

Pour vanilla extract into the blender jar.

Step 5

Measure 1 1/2 cups peanut butter.

Step 6

Add the peanut butter to the blender jar.

Step 7

Place cover on the blender.

Step 8

Plug in the blender.  (Wait until the cover is on to plug in the blender, to avoid any accidents.)

Step 9

Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Step 10

Butter the pre-heated waffle iron. (Be sure to use a long stick of butter so that your hands do not get too close to the heat.)

Step 11

Pour the batter into pre-heated waffle iron.  Be careful not to overfill the waffle space.

Step 12

Use a silicone spatula to spread the batter evenly.  Add more batter if needed.

Step 13

Close the waffle iron.  Let the waffles cook, according to your waffle iron instructions.  We find about 4 minutes works for our Belgian waffles.

Step 14

Open the waffle iron.  Waffles are cooked when lightly golden brown.

Step 15

Remove the waffles from waffle iron.  Use a fork (without touching the waffle iron) or silicone tongs.

Step 16

Place waffles on a plate.  Repeat waffle cooking steps until all batter is used.

 

BON APPETIT!

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Dreamy Chocolate Ice Cream {vegan, low-carb, delicious!}

Dreamy Chocolate Ice Cream {vegan, low-carb, delicious!}

The ingredients might surprise you in this super creamy chocolate ice cream!  This ice cream looks and tastes like your favorite decadent chocolate ice cream, but it is actually vegan, low-carb, and packed full of protein.  If you think “vegan” and “ice cream” can’t be one in the same, don’t run away.  Give this recipe a try.  We think you will be glad you did!  With only 4 ingredients, it’s so easy to make.  Enjoy!

New to making ice cream at home?  We love our Cuisinart ice cream maker, but you can use any ice cream maker of your choice.  The Cuisinart ice cream maker comes in a fun variety of colors to suit your kitchen decor, and has optional additional freezer bowls so that you can make multiple batches of ice cream the same day.  Another great ice cream maker option, if you don’t want to add additional appliances to your kitchen is the ice cream maker attachement for your KitchenAid mixer.  Though we have not tried this one, we think it sounds like a great idea!

cuisinart ice cream maker

We use a blender to mix our ingredients.   If you are looking for a great, dishwasher safe blender, we recommend the Oster dishwasher safe blender.  We went for many years without a blender, just because I never liked cleaning the blade and jar by hand.  I’m so glad Oster has a blender that is dishwasher safe.  It makes clean up so easy!

Oster blender dishwasher safe

Note:  It is possible to whisk the ingredients together in a bowl if you do not have a blender (we used to to this), but a blender does the job so much faster.  If you do whisk your ingredients in a bowl, be sure to use a very drippy creamy peanut butter.  Also, mix all of the ingredients with only a small amount of milk at first, then add more milk as the peanut butter begins to incorporate into the milk.

Be sure to use a protein powder you like, as this will impact the taste of the ice cream.  The sweetness in this ice cream comes from the protein powder, so if your protein powder is not sweetened, you will need to sweeten it to your liking.  Keep in mind you can taste the “ice cream” before you put it in the ice cream maker and make any flavor adjustments before you start to freeze the ice cream.  The Orgain Protein Powder we use is sweetened with stevia.  It works well to use chocolate or vanilla flavor protein powder for this recipe.

orgain protein powder

This ice cream is easiest to serve right when it is done being churned.  If you would like it to be a little more firm, you can place it in the freezer for a short time before serving.  If you make the ice cream to serve for another time, or if you have leftovers, keep in mind this ice cream will have to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes to soften.  We like to store our ice cream in a protein shaker or a Pyrex glass container.  This 28 oz. Contigo protein shaker fits the whole batch of ice cream.  We like the protein shaker because the plastic is thick and will not crack in the freezer (we do not recommend disposable plastic containers, as they tend to crack when frozen).  Storing ice cream in a Pyrex dish with a cover can also be a great idea – this way, you can microwave the bowl for a few seconds if you don’t want the wait time to let your ice cream soften.

Ready to make ice cream?

Gather your kitchen supplies:

  • Ice cream maker
  • Blender (optional, but very helpful)
  • 1 cup measuring cup
  • 1/4 cup measuring cup
  • liquid measuring cup (if not using the blender to measure the milk)
  • Large plate
  • Container for finished ice cream (if not serving right away)
  • Spoons 
  • bowls for serving
  • Spatula for scraping bowl if needed

 

 

ice cream making supplies

Gather your ingredients:

  • about 2.5 cups unsweetened almond milk, vanilla or plain (you can use  as little as 2 cups or as much as 3 cups, depending on the consistency you like for your ice cream)
  • 2 scoops (46 g) Orgain Chocolate or Vanilla protein powder (or your favorite sweetened protein powder)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter (our favorite is Organic Cream Peanut Butter from BJ’s Wellsley Farms, but any very creamy, drippy, natural peanut butter will work)
vegan ice cream peanut butter, almond milk, protein powder, cocoa

Let’s Make Ice Cream!

Step 1

Pour 2.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk into your blender.

Step 2

Add 2 scoops (46 g) protein powder into the blender.

Step 3

Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder into the blender.

Step 4

Measure 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter, and add into the blender.

vegan chocolate ice cream blend

Step 5

Blend until smooth.

Step 6

Turn on your ice cream maker and pour in the mixture.  Let the mixture churn for about 20 minutes.

low-carb high protein ice cream vegan peanut butter

Step 7

Ice cream is ready when it looks creamy and firm.  You may need to stir the ice cream once in a while as it churns to keep it moving. 

Step 8

Remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and place it on a large plate. 

chocolate peanut butter ice cream low-carb

Step 9

Scoop the ice cream into bowls to serve immediately, or scoop the ice cream into a storage container to serve later.

chocolate peanut butter low-carb ice cream recipe

And of course... you can always add sprinkles!

This ice cream has no refined sugar and is packed full of protein, so when the question is, “Mom, may we have more ice cream?” the answer can be “Yes!”

P.S.  Looking for low sugar sprinkles?  Find our suggestion from our cut-out cookie recipe.

 

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Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.