Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

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Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

Spring is here. It feels so wonderful to finally utter those words. After a winter that surpassed even Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, I felt certain it would never arrive. Now that is has, it feels fantastic. The sun is rising higher in the sky, flooding me with warmth when it touches my skin. The trees may not yet have leaves, but the grass is starting to turn green and I feel like I can finally release a sigh of relief. Even though the nights have a sharp chill, the days are warm and for now that is all I need.

After a Midwest winter lasting six months, this weather feels like a gift.

Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

When spring arrives, I am drawn to fresh fruits and berries. Even though the season for most of these fruits has not arrived, I cannot help but fill my red basket at the supermarket with them. After a long winter of apples and clementines, a burst of fresh flavor from a berry, however tart, is welcome to take up space on my counter top. After my last trip to the market, I found myself with a few cartons of blackberries. After playing around with a few desserts (and reminiscing over an old favorite), I settled on making a syrup.

Though I did not yet know what it would smother, the scent of blackberries bubbling and boiling on the stove was too much to resist.

Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

I eventually settled on a plate of waffles. Waffles, just as pancakes, have the unique quality to fill a person up until dinner time rolls around. The heartiness of a good waffle, accompanied with a warm spring afternoon, make for a perfect combination. With these waffles, I added a few crushed almonds. While I found that they added a pleasant flavor and texture, you could certainly eliminate them if allergies are a concern.

Drenched in blackberry vanilla syrup, these waffles were taken to new heights and made for a lovely Sunday brunch shared with the ones I love.

Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup

These Whole Wheat Almond Waffles with Blackberry Vanilla Syrup are sweet and grounded. Crushed almonds are folded into a whole wheat waffle batter. The resulting waffles are fluffy and chewy. Drenched with a blackberry vanilla syrup, the waffles become fruity and bright. These are lovely for a weekend morning when you find a little time for yourself. Bonus: while cooking, the house fills with the scent of toasted almonds.

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Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

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Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

Every so often, I forget to take time for myself. It is never intentional, but between work, school, and responsibilities, somehow "me time" gets pushed to the wayside. It can be weeks before I have realized what I have done. In some ways, this does not surprise me. Our culture glorifies being busy. You need to be doing it all right now. Our culture dictates that being busy is the only way to show your family and your coworkers how significant you are, how productive you are, or how important you are to the running of a business or a household. If you have extra time, then you are not "reaching your potential" or, as we have often been led to believe, you are simply being lazy.

All of this, of course, is not true.

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

While our culture may celebrate being busy, the reality is that we need time to ourselves, away from responsibilities, so that we can recharge and take a moment to enjoy life. When some level of perseverance is unavoidable, taking a moment to scribble "me time" onto the calendar can relieve the stress and exhaustion that comes from hard work.

I tend to go through periods of extreme busyness a few times a year (some avoidable, some not). If history is any indication for me, I am prone to overworking myself, taking on too much at once and realizing the consequences after it is too late. When I find myself frequently working on Friday and Saturday evenings just to keep up, the alarms in my head go off, giving me a signal that I need to make a change.

The alarms have been going off for a couple weeks already, warning me to slow down and take a break. This weekend I finally listened.

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

On Friday evening, instead of sitting down in front of the computer to get some work done, I went out and treated myself to my favorite drink, Vanilla Almond Coconut Boba Tea. After a week of getting less than six hours of sleep a night, I crawled into bed and went to sleep early. On Saturday I bought myself a couple new books—Paper Towns by John Green and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Instead of writing lesson plans, I played board games with new and old friends late into the evening.

This morning, after rising with the sun, I took the time to make a batch of these Banana Cinnamon Pancakes before settling into an afternoon of catching up to do. I feel recharged and ready to face the next busy week ahead of me. It is weekends like this that remind me not to underestimate the power of "me time." Schedule a little time for yourself in the next week—you will feel grateful to have done so.

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes make for a hearty breakfast filled with familiar flavors. The pancakes are made with mashed bananas, whole wheat flour, and a good spoonful of cinnamon. The pancakes cook up fluffy and thick. A drizzle of maple syrup is all these pancakes need to turn them into an instant classic. I tried a few with miniature chocolate chips and would recommend it as well. Though simple, pancakes have a relaxing quality that wipes away the cold bowls of cereal from the previous week and replaces them with a warm, sweet memory.

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Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

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Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

Weekend mornings are meant for a little luxury. Sleeping in until the morning sun gently wakes me, slowly bringing up the radiant light through the bedroom windows, instead of the sharp, loud beep of an alarm clock is bliss. Lazily scrolling through internet pages and listening to the morning news in pajama bottoms and a wild case of bedhead is indulgence. The smell of coffee and a small stack of pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup is joy.

If weekends were not meant for luxury, then when?

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

When I was younger, my mother often made pancakes for Sunday morning brunch. Eggs were scrambled, bacon was sizzling on the stove, and the maple syrup was warmed in preparation of the feast. Yet, for some unspeakable reason, I had decided I did not like pancakes, lifting my nose up at them until my mother grew exasperated. Looking back, I cannot quite understand what exactly was going on in my mind, but I do feel I owe my mother an apology. I feel a little silly now, inventing my own pancake recipes, when just years ago my mother could only get me to try a bite if she sprinkled chocolate chips over them.

I am thankful my taste buds have grown up with the rest of me.

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

One winter weekend morning, when the sun was shining and the windows were frosted with snow, the mood felt right to stay in and have a warm breakfast. I whisked together the ingredients for blueberry lemon pancakes and heated up a frying pan. Typically, I make large pancakes, simply because they are easy to cook and I have to spend less time hovering over a griddle. For these pancakes, however, the lazy feel of the morning had spread from my head down to my fuzzy sock covered toes and I decided a true short stack was in order. I cooked the pancakes one at time, patiently trying to flip them at just the right moment (and failing, most of the time. It is still a skill I have yet to master).

A secret of the food photographers trade: hide the too dark pancakes in the middle of the stack and perhaps no one will notice. Browned or not, these pancakes punctuated the morning with just the right amount of luxury.

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes

Blueberry Lemon Pancakes are destined for weekend morning breakfasts. The pancake batter has a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour to give them an extra heartiness. Speckled with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, the flavor is bold and pronounced. For true lemon lovers, you may add a tablespoon of lemon juice to give the pancakes a bit more punch. With a drizzle of maple (or blueberry) syrup, these pancakes become the weekend breakfast of champions.

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