11/11/08

No More Eggo Waffles! ($3 Belgian Waffle Recipe)

About 6 months ago I stopped buying frozen foods!*

Now, is my Costco annual rebate going to go down because of this? Probably – because I was spending a lot of money on these items:

Frozen burritos
Pizza Bagel Bites
Frozen potpies
Frozen individual pizzas
And Eggo Waffles!

Since cutting these pre-made, frozen foods from my grocery list, not only are my kids eating healthier, but I’ve saved a lot of money! It’s also causing my kids to get more creative in the kitchen!!

I’m once again getting back into making my own waffles, as I used to do this when the kids were little and money was tight! And last Friday, after stopping by a garage sale, I bought a brand new Belgian Waffle maker - for $3!

Using this recipe, we ate waffles all weekend, for very little money. I added my special touch of apple butter to the recipe, doubled the batch, and kept in the fridge.


Belgian Waffles
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
2 TBL sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ¾ cups milk
¼ cup water OR ½ cup apple butter
¼ cup butter
3 eggs

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (but not too hot!). Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Using an electric mixer blend at low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate several hours or overnight. (Be prepared – batter will double in size!)


Delicious – serve with pear or apple butter!

Using my old waffle iron (ready to bite the dust!), I wouldn’t waste any batter.


I’d cool the waffles.


Put in Ziploc bags and freeze.


Pull out of freezer and pop in the toaster!

Just like Eggo Waffles!

Making my own waffles works for me – and saves me money!

How about you – are you still buying frozen goods at the grocery store? What about freezing your own waffles?

(*One exception to buying frozen foods is that I still buy large frozen pizzas, but my RULE OF THUMB is they have to be on sale for $4.50 or less. It’s a quick meal for the kids, or to have with a salad.)


Last weekend I spent all day Saturday winterizing our back yard. Mowing, blowing, mulching, putting cushions, pillows and umbrellas in the shed; putting pool toys away and pruning and getting ready for winter! Just in time, because within 20 minutes of finishing, the rains came, and they haven’t stopped since!

I have mixed feelings about this time of year. I love the holidays coming up, but I hate putting summer to “bed.”

ONE YEAR AGO on Reluctant Entertainer: Do I Have to Reciprocate?

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our rains started on Thurs (actually w/snow) and they haven't stopped. I LOVE waffles! I'll have to try your recipe. One of my favorite holiday meals is a waffle buffet brunch. I have available anything that is good on or with waffles incl. a ham and fresh fruit salad. - I think I got the idea years ago from Emilie Barnes (do you know her?)

Ms. Tee said...

What a great deal on your waffle iron! We love waffles, too. I'll have to try this recipe - I know it'll be cheaper then Eggo brand! :)

Melanie said...

I enjoy making waffles with my Belgian waffle maker, too. Whenever I make waffles, pancakes or cornbread, I ALWAYS use buttermilk. Just wondering...have you ever tried buttermilk in those recipes? If not, try it - you'll like it. Also, with my waffles I separate the yolk and whites to fold in the egg whites at the end.

I read your '07 post on RECIPROCATING. We are more often on the hosting end...not so much on the reciprocating and I do think it often has to do with number of and ages of children. Also some of my friends admit that don't like to cook.

Betts said...

I make and freeze waffles often, but I'm envious of your Belgian waffle maker now. We have two regular waffle irons. That's one of the ways I knew my husband was "the one", we had matching waffle makers and cookware.

I guess I don't buy frozen food, except for ice cream, OJ and peas. Sometime I even make my own ice cream.

Amy said...

My kids go through TONS of frozen pancakes....do you have a homemade recipe for those as well? If so, I would love if you would share it! :)

Nadine said...

I'm going to have to score me a $3 waffle maker. What a great idea to do that. I use to that when I made pancakes. I would make extras and freeze them.

Christine said...

wow wished I'd found mine at that price! Way to go! We love waffles and I sometimes will even make these for dinner with strawberries and whip cream! Now I am hungry for a waffle! Have a great day!

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

Good for you! I love to do waffles for the freezer, too. Our favorite is to add chopped bacon to the batter.

Thanks so much for the crockpot breakfast recipe yesterday. It never occurred to me it would work in a crock pot. Can't wait to serve it at the holidays. Thank you!

Stacey said...

I have frozen waffles lots of times. Works great.

Sometimes we have hot waffles and bacon for supper in the winter time. Yummo!! Probably not great for the figure though.

Holly Campbell said...

I have been making and freezing my own waffles for quite some time now. I also freeze pancakes. I usually make a double batch (of whichever) so I have extra to put away for another day! I will have to try your recipe though. . .Thanks!

Shell in your Pocket said...

I am guilty...frozen waffles, frozen pancakes, frozen sausage...but that recipe looks great!! Yum!

I love that celebration plate in your other post...love it!
-sandy toes

linda t said...

How FUN! I found my waffle maker for 50 cents at a yard sale after our old died!
And who doesn't prefer homemade waffles over Eggos!
I need to remember to make a bunch and freeze. Thanks for the recipe and the reminder.

Kirstin said...

It's rained non-stop here too! Yuck!!
I love belgian waffles too. I'll have to buy a maker when we move. Right now I use one the gal here bought...at a garage sale. I too make them from scratch or from Trader Joes mix and then freeze them. First I cool them on a cooling rack (this keeps tehm from being soft on the bottom.) I'll have to try your recipe.

~nanashouse~ said...

Oh, right up my alley! I have been praying to find a waffle iron at Hospice or some of my other haunts but one hasn't shown up. Yeah, I realize I'm not praying for world peace or something important like that ~~ I am praying for healing for our budget. Thanks for your constantly uplifting posts. :-)

Rhonda said...

I'm going to try your waffle recipe. I've never made them from scratch, but I've wanted to.

My kids often put leftover pancakes in baggies, in the freezer, for toasting. Very cost efficient.

Emily said...

Hi Sandy,
Great post! I don't buy frozen foods either ... I prefer to buy whole foods or at minimum, foods with an ingredient last that is short and with words that I can pronounce! One exception: the big bag of frozen berries (either mixed or blueberries) at Costco - yummy in smoothies and muffins! =)

Emily said...

Oops! Ingredient LIST (not last) =)

Anonymous said...

I've read your blog once before (about composting) but didn't have time to read further or leave a comment (I have three girls ages 5 and under). But now I have time and I just have to say you are just AWESOME! My hubby LOVES waffles and I can't wait to try this recipe (not to mention your apple & pear butter ones as well).

I bake pretty much everything from scratch...bread, pancakes, muffins...if it can be made from scratch, I will at least attempt it. With prices of pretty much everything going up, this is a good way for us to save some $$. And I ALWAYS double batch things and stick them in the freezer...even casseroles & pasta dishes. You never know when you might need them!

Now I just need to learn how to can....

Dawn Marie said...

i have never made homemade waffles but I do want to buy one this year. in fact a christmas gift would be nice- i will lay hints to my kids. I will try out this recipe!

and yes I agree, I like the holidays also, but am feeling very sad putting summer away.

Jane said...

I cut out my Costco membership altogether and don't miss it. I would probably join again if we had kids.

I would make frozen waffles and freeze them. I have frozen pancakes too.

Monkey Giggles said...

Ho Sandy, Just wanted to let you know I made your Crockpot Breakfast Casserole for family and company this morning. It was wonderful. I even posted about it today and did some pictures. Thank you for sharing

RefreshMom said...

Thanks for the reminder. I've done this before, but not lately. I skip breakfast far more than I should, but I do like a good waffle with berries on top. I'll have to make up a batch and freeze them.

Jen said...

I hate putting up the yard....we did it this past weekend as well...i love the holidays.

Rebekah said...

Those look so good! I bet they are delicious.

Theresa said...

I love Belgian waffles. But I don't make them because I don't have an iron. What a great deal. Can have yours?!!!

Kim said...

I can't wait to try these - I'm thinking it will be a great treat on Saturday morning! Also, it is another recipe that I can use my apple butter with! Yum!

Laurie said...

Thanks for the recipe my 16 year old son loves waffles! You've inspired me to try your recipe and freeze my own!

Chris @ Come to the Table said...

I love waffles. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have a belgian waffle maker, but I hardly use it.

a woman who is said...

You have been busy as usual. Love the frozen waffle idea. I do the same thing with my left over batter.

The garden is looking great. New grasses
… I am so jealous of the compost bin. Bless your dear husband!

I had a weak year for squash too, I think it was a bit too cool here???

Your son, what a handsome guy…love, love that you are teaching him to cook! His future wife will kiss you!

Robin said...

The waffles look so yummy!! I love your earlier post about celebrating with your family and making it special no matter what the ocassion. I always try to do this. We just celebrated my son's 12th birthday with a great night of food and fun with the family. Stop by my blog to see what we've been up to.

Blessings,
Robin

Anonymous said...

I used to make my own waffles and freeze them in Glad Press N Seal. Unfortunately I stopped when 4 extra adults moved into my home and I spent 2 hours making and wrapping waffles, only to have the whole double batch gobbled up that morning! It didn't seem worth the effort. At some point later I got rid of the waffle iron - and now I want it back! How we loved those waffles!

Lucy..♥ said...

Your waffles look sooo good! And...what a great find for 3 bucks!! I love tag sales too!

An Ordinary Mom said...

Don't you just love it when you find ways to save money AND eat healthier! Congrats ... and thanks for sharing your tip. We tend to stay away from frozen food just because of the cost! (And, fresh always tastes better anyway :) !!)

Precision Quality Laser said...

Could you please elaborate on a what a Costco rebate is and how you get it?

Thanks!

Kristin said...

I've added your blog to my blogroll. We've just moved into a house we want to share with others and it's fun to read about your heart for the same thing. This post as inspired me to ask for a waffle maker for Christmas...we always have waffles in the freezer but I've often thought I should just make and freeze my own! Thanks!