Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles | Once Upon a Recipe

Weekends are for making things a little extraordinary. Weekends are for sleeping in and lounging around. Weekends are for not getting dressed until you damn well feel like it. And if you don’t damn well feel like it until 4pm, that’s totally cool. Weekends are for slowly sipping hot coffee and enjoying that extra cup. Weekends are for reading a good book or catching up on your favorite TV shows. Weekends are for indulging a little. Weekends are for waffles.

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles | Once Upon a Recipe

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles | Once Upon a Recipe

Yesterday morning, I was craving something a little extraordinary for breakfast. Sadly, my fridge and cupboards were practically bare after a long and busy week. No milk. One egg. No fruit or vegetables aside from a few frozen raspberries. However, I did have a can of coconut milk gathering dust in the very back of my pantry. (At one time, it shared space with this dreamboat.) Whole wheat coconut waffles were born!

Simple to prepare, healthy, and most importantly, delicious – these waffles satisfied my extraordinary Saturday morning craving and fueled me up for a little Christmas shopping. I’m certain they made me more patient too. And trust me, at this time of year, we could all use a little extra patience.

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles | Once Upon a Recipe

It’s a hectic time of year, I get it. But do consider taking a morning time out during the coming couple of weeks to enjoy an extraordinary breakfast!

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles

Despite the use of both coconut milk and coconut oil, the coconut flavor in these waffles isn’t overwhelming. They tasted delicious with a dusting of powdered sugar and some fruit. Makes about 4 large waffles. 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 TBSP. raw cane sugar

1 large egg

1 can light coconut milk

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the egg, coconut milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until barely combined. The batter will be lumpy.

Fill the wells of your waffle maker and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions (about 4 minutes in my waffle maker). Serve with your favorite toppings. Happy weekending!

Whole Wheat Coconut Waffles | Once Upon a Recipe

Weekend Rules | Banana Bread Oatmeal Pancakes

1.Kick off the weekend with a kitchen dance party. Preferably while you’ve got batch of brownies baking to perfection in the oven and a couple of bottles of wine open. You know, for when the thirst from dancing strikes. While brownies make a fine dinner on their own, I recommend nourishing the other kitchen dancers with good cheese, crackers, olives, antipasto, and figs. Easy snacks to pop while dropping your slick moves. You’re sexy and you know it.

2.Make donuts. Don’t be afraid to fry things! It’s easy and painless (as long as you’re careful!), and kind of fun! And hello, you get to eat donuts at the end of it all! Why am I even explaining this rule?

3.Be active! Get outside, run, walk, bike, play. Breathe in some fresh air. Make a snowman or a sandcastle, depending on where you live. Do yoga. It’s good for you! Plus, it’ll help burn off the calories from all of those donuts and brownies.

4.Laugh with your friends. Laughter reduces stress hormones and lowers blood pressure, among other things. Hello ab workout! We are eating donuts, after all. See, it’s all about balance!

5.Relax. You’ve had a long week! Take some time to rest and get re-energized for the week ahead. Sleep in, if you can and if that’s your thing. Take a few extra minutes to enjoy your coffee in the morning. Take a nap! You’ll need the energy for the next kitchen dance party.

6.Call up an old friend to say hello. Call. No text. No email. Just a straight up voice-to-voice conversation. There is too much impersonal conversation in this world! Save the texts for the boys who ask for your number and take so long to call you that you barely remember what they look like. They don’t deserve a phone call back. You can text them. To say buh-bye.

7.Make these pancakes. Even if it’s the only rule you follow this weekend, please make these pancakes. These delicious, flavorful pancakes will rock your world. Especially when topped with a scoop of peanut butter and maple syrup. Don’t take my word for it, make these! Happy weekending friends!

Banana Bread Oatmeal Pancakes (adapted from canadianliving.com)

This recipe serves 6 (2 pancakes each). I successfully halved the recipe, but I recommend making the full recipe and eating the leftovers for breakfasts throughout the week…these hearty and mouth-watering pancakes will give you a taste of the weekend during the week!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3 TBSP. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla

Vegetable oil, for cooking

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, bananas, butter and vanilla; combine the two mixtures and stir until smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle to medium heat; brush lightly with some of the oil. Pour in about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake; cook for about 3 minutes or until the underside is golden and bubbles break on top but do not fill in. Turn and cook until the underside is golden brown, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the skillet with more oil as necessary. Enjoy immediately. Leftovers will last for a couple of days in the fridge, wrapped well. They reheat beautifully, either in the microwave or the toaster.