I'm excited to be partnering with the National Peanut Board today to highlight Peanut Butter for Breakfast! Now, I grew up with the old adage "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", a belief that I've passed on to my own children. Many people may think that's just something parents say to get their kids to eat breakfast, but it's based on good fact—especially if your breakfast includes a high amount of protein. Studies show that people who enjoyed a breakfast that included at least 35 grams of protein felt fuller, had fewer cravings, and even ate fewer high-calorie snacks later in the day. Starting the day by eating breakfast is also associated with weight loss and maintenance.
Adding peanut butter to your breakfast is a fantastic (and easy) way to get that protein into your morning meal. Even if you're in a hurry (and I know this from experience), it's simple to toast a slice of bread, and then spread it with peanut butter. Another quick and easy idea is to swirl it into some yogurt, with a palmful of chopped peanuts and some banana slices (even a few mini chocolate chips).
Need more convincing?
- It is high in fiber and good fats - plus it contains more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients.
- It's a natural plant-based source of protein (around 8 grams per serving).
- It's versatile: spread it on whole grain toast, waffle, or a bagel, blend it into a smoothie, swirl it into your oatmeal or yogurt. I even like spreading it on a banana, then dipping it in granola.
- It's budget friendly—on average, 16 cents per ounce. Which is probably one of the major reasons that most Americans (as in 90%) have at least one jar of peanut butter hanging out in their pantry.
- It's delicious.
Fun Facts about Peanut Butter:
- It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
- The world’s largest peanut butter factory churns out 250,000 jars every day.
- Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter.
- The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before they graduates high school.
- Peanut butter was the secret behind “Mr. Ed,” (you know, the talking horse). Spreading peanut butter inside the horse’s mouth created a natural talking movement every time the animal moved his sticky jaws.
- Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy.
- There are over 700 known phobias. Archibutyrophobia (pronounced A’-ra-kid-bu-ti-ro-pho-bi-a) is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
All facts courtesy of the National Peanut Board—find these plus more fun facts and peanut butter trivia by visiting the National Peanut Board website!
I almost added bananas too, because...well, peanut butter and bananas are a natural combination. But then I thought about one of my kids' favorite snacks—ants on a raft. Ants on a raft are made my taking apple slices and spreading them with peanut butter, then sticking raisins into the peanut butter (like ants on a log, using apples instead of celery). I don't know if that's what they're "actually" called, but it's what we've always called them. Turns out, my family's got a new favorite meal in the form of these waffles to add to our rotating breakfast menu.
Morning win.
Peanut Butter Apple Raisin Waffles w/ Chia Seeds
Packed with protein, fiber, and fruit, these waffles are inspired by one of my family's favorite snacks - crisp apples slices with a shmear of peanut butter and a smattering of plump raisins (ants on a raft). They are not too sweet, which makes them the perfect vehicle for a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
by
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes each
Keywords: breakfast soy-free vegetarian apples chia seeds peanut butter raisins American fall
Ingredients (6 large or 12 small waffles)
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup small diced apples (~1 medium apple)
- 1/4 cup raisins (any variety you like)
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk + more as needed
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, beaten
- peanut butter
- ground cinnamon
- diced apples (cut these at the last minute to prevent browning)
- raisins
- pure maple syrup
Instructions
Preheat your waffle iron.
Combine dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a large bowl. Add the apples and raisins in and toss until they are well coated with the mixture.
Combine wet ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and whisk until fairly smooth (you may still see thick strings of peanut butter - that's okay).
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until everything is combined. It should be thick, but still able to "run" if poured (thinner than a quick bread dough and thicker than a cake batter).
Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. When it is hot, spray its surface lightly with cooking spray, if needed.
Ladle the batter into the waffle iron (amount varies by machine), close and cook until the waffle is golden brown and cooked through, 10-12 minutes. The batter will get thicker as it stands; simply stir in a little more buttermilk to return it to the right consistency as needed.
Serve hot with any combination of the toppings that you like. I like just a thin shmear (~1 tablespoon) of peanut butter dusted with a pinch of cinnamon; tumble a few raisins and apples on top , then finish with a light drizzle of maple syrup.
These waffles take slightly longer to cook than some waffles, as the fruit inside starts to steam, which makes them fairly moist. Let them cook until most of the outer surface is golden and crispy to ensure that the inside is cooked through.
Giveaway - THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
Looking for more ways to incorporate peanut butter into your breakfast routine? Connect with the National Peanut Board on Facebook or Twitter for updates and recipe ideas. The National Peanut Board also wants to help you do that by giving away a prize pack that includes a $25 Walmart Gift Card, a coupon for a jar of peanut butter, and a bag of peanuts!This giveaway is open to residents of the US only, ages 18 or older. Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Monday, September 22, 2014. One winner will be chosen via random draw and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest, and given 24 hours in which to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, a new winner will be chosen. All entries will be verified (if the mandatory comment is not received, yet the box is checked, all entries by that person will be voided).
