Here, Taste This : Oatmeal Cinnamon Waffles with Yogurt

I am an unabashed breakfast lover.

I love rich, dark coffee swirling with cream in my mug. I love eggs with cracks of black pepper and crystals of kosher salt, scrambled, fried or "peeled," in Teyla's words. I love bacon sizzling in my oven (you do cook your bacon in your oven, right, so there's no greasy mess to clean up?) and I've been known to burn my fingers on crisp rounds of salty ham right out of the pan. I love spinach in my eggs and avocado on my toast and I will eat homemade donuts until I am sick.

So maybe it's no surprise that brinner (breakfast + dinner, but you know that, right?) is one of my favorite, simple, go-to meals.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Waffles with Yogurt, the recipe I'm sharing with you today, stands out in particular, because it's about as balanced a meal as brinner can be. It has whole grains in the waffles, and instead of being covered with sugary syrup, toppings include yogurt and sliced fruit. Serve it with Canadian bacon and, if you're worried about the lack of veggies, add on some sugar snap peas, and you've got yourself a brinner that's easy, delicious, healthy - and very kid-friendly.




Oatmeal Cinnamon Waffles

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients (flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt) in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients (eggs, milk and melted butter) in a second mixing bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter might be a little lumpy. That's OK.
4. Pour batter onto a heated waffle iron. My waffle iron takes about 1/2 cup of batter to make a perfect waffle.
5. Serve with yogurt and sliced fruit.

Tips:
1. If you don't have quick-cooking oatmeal, you can use whole oats. But the waffles will be a bit chewier. (Do NOT substitute instant oatmeal. It usually has added sugar and flavorings that will throw the recipe off.)
2. I haven't tried swapping the flour for whole-wheat flour, but I bet you could. Who wants to try it for me?
3. Plug your waffle iron in to preheat before you start making the waffle batter. That way, everything will be ready at the same time and your kids won't be climbing over the counter, asking if the waffles are ready yet because they are staaarrrvvvvingggg! Hypothetically, of course.
4. Have fun with the yogurt and fruit variations! When I was a kid, my Mom served this with strawberry yogurt and sliced bananas and strawberries. My kids prefer banana yogurt with blueberries and raspberries; it works better for making those all-important waffle faces. But what about mango yogurt with sliced mangos and coconut? Or vanilla yogurt with blackberries and granola? The possibilities, they overwhelm.