Back to School Breakfast - Blueberry Lime Waffles

Raise your hand if you have memorized watched the movie Grease 2! At the beginning of the movie, all the characters dance around and sing about going "back, back, back to school again.”  It is a catchy little tune that plays on a loop in the back of my mind every year around this time.  If I seem a little distracted this week it is only because I am half listening to you and half listening to this song roll through my brain for the 100th time.

With students of all grade levels starting or restarting school the internet is a flood of send-them-off-right tips and recipes. The ideas are all wonderful, but allow me to offer my version of a back-to-school post.

Ready? *clears throat*

Pour your darling little bookworms a bowl of multi-grain cereal, wave as they board the bus, then head back inside to make yourself a luxurious breakfast for one!

How'd I do?

Seriously though – this week I have a selection of quick carby breakfasts.  I invite you to enjoy the luxury of eating them while they are still hot. Sit at the table without immediately jumping up to refill a milk cup. If needed, you can relieve any guilt from making a fancy breakfast for yourself by serving up the leftovers as an after-school snack. Another option is quickly toasting them up the next morning for everyone else's breakfast.  Either way keep these to yourself the first time around.

Blueberries have recently become my favorite summer berry. They are extremely versatile, have a longer fridge life than other berries, freeze extremely well, and are relatively affordable when in season. A few weeks ago I got to go picking at the Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm. The Little Helping played while I filled a large bucket with organic berries for $1.50 per pound! Before we left I learned that they expect to have berries into October so we will be heading back at least one more time this season.

I have made this breakfast as both waffles and pancakes. The first batch was just for me but I did share some with The Little Helping. I wanted to enrich the smooth flavor of  fresh blueberries with citrus. Lemons are frequently paired with blueberries so just to mix it up a little I went with lime.

The very first bite put me pool side with a margarita. The fresh and bright lime did a zesty dance with the rich full flavor of the blueberries. The duo were further enhanced by lightly sweet agave and an extra pinch of salt.  Topping the waffles with an extra scoop of yogurt will leave you with a happy mouth and a full tummy. So happy that you may join me in singing out loud "Whoa, whoa. I gotta go back to school again!”

Blueberry Lime Waffles

This recipe utilizes one of my favorite breakfast short cuts and starts with store bought pancake mix.  If you are a "from scratch” cook use your favorite pancake recipe and use  agave in place of granulated sugar, add an extra pinch of salt, and finish with the lime and blueberries. Makes 9 waffle servings or 12 4-inch pancakes.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups pancake mix - recommended Fiber One or Krusteaz Complete
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon Light or Blue Agave
• 1 cup fat free plain yogurt any style
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (for waffles only)
• the zest of 1 medium lime finely grated
• juice of ½ medium lime
• ¾ cup water
• 1 ¼ cup fresh blueberries

Method

1. Heat a non-stick waffle iron or pancake griddle to its medium temperature setting.
2. Mix together the ingredients folding in blueberries last. Batter may be a little thick.
3. Measure a scant ½ cup of batter for each waffle. A full sized waffle may require additional batter and will be more than one serving in size. Cook until golden.
4. Serve hot topped with a little more yogurt and blueberries.
5. Store cooled leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Approximate Nutrition Info per waffle: 100 calories, 2.2 g. fat, 18.4 g. carbs, 2.2 g. fib, 3.6 g. protein, 3 PP