Hungry, hungry hippos

It's not time for breakfast. Nor breakfast for dinner. Nope, sometimes breakfast also applies to successful kid's after school snack time. They require a recharge and the bridge to dinner needs to be built. I try to keep stocked up on several options that are healthy and easily accessible for little fingers. Snack size veggie sticks and a creamy dip are available at all times. The same applies to a variety of bite size fruit, although I rarely serve dip with this already sweet treat. I also keep a fridge drawer with a variety of cheeses, and am hoping to add homemade crackers (dough perfectly flattened with the pasta machine and sprinkled with good-for-you seeds) to these. I often bake zucchini or carrot bread, and a good old banana bread is made about twice a month. Today, however, when my browned bananas cried out to me, USE ME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, I cringed at the thought of more banana bread. And since I know my kids' love for waffles, I combined the two and made banana waffles, instead. I usually whip up a big batch, since they store wonderfully in the freezer and heat easily with a quick dip in the toaster. I don't mind topping these with maple syrup, much to the delight of the juniors, since it's a good source of calcium, iron and thiamine.

Banana Waffles

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:
1 cup cake and pastry flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed or wheat bran
4 tbsp white sugar
3 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine wet ingredients and then gently stir into dry:
3 cups milk
1/4 butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Fold in:
3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas

Rest on kitchen counter for half hour, to relax glutens and allow the whole grains to be fully moisturized.
Preheat waffle iron, and if necessary, brush with a little vegetable oil. Spoon a ladleful of batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading batter to the edges.
Cook until waffle iron indicates doneness, repeat with remaining batter.