Freezer Meals: First Up, Whole Wheat and Gluten Free Waffles

I'm starting freezer meal planning.  It's a bit overwhelming, but I think it's doable and will be easy once I have a routine down.

My plan is to have 22 meals prepped and ready in the freezer at the beginning of each month.  I'm also prepping breakfast foods.  Watch for my game plan in the next couple of weeks.

I started easy, with breakfast.  My plan is to have waffles, pancakes, and muffins baked and ready to reheat.

The first step is to soak my batters.  This can be done using kefir, apple cider vinegar, whey or buttermilk. (If using apple cider vinegar or whey, simply add 1-2 Tbs per cup of regular milk prior to mixing into flours.)

The trick to making both gf and regular waffles at the same time is to have a separate waffle iron for each, separate mixing bowls & utensils, and a separate prep/cooking areas (counters across the room from each other).  I get out the gf ingredients first, mix it first and then switch to the wheat mix.  Ideally, I'd man one waffle iron while my husband or teenager would man the other.  This doesn't always happen, so I have to wash my hands well between batters if cooking simultaneously.

Here are my waffle recipes (Makes about 16 waffles in my iron).  For freezing, this may need to be doubled (or more depending on your family size and consumption).

Whole Wheat Waffles (modified from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

1 3/4 cup whole white wheat flour (King Arthur)
1 3/4 cup unbleached wheat flour (King Arthur)
1/4 cup Sucanat (or agave or honey)
2 Tbs aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
4 free range chicken eggs (or sub 3 Tbs applesauce for each egg)
1 cup liquefied coconut oil or melted pastured butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups kefir (or buttermilk)
If using applesauce, add 2 tsp cinnamon if desired

Gluten Free Waffles- change flours and add xanthan gum in above recipe

1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 1/4 cups coconut flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 Tbs xanthan gum


Night before- Combine flours and kefir in a large mixing bowl.  Allow to sit for 12 hours.

In the morning-
Preheat your waffle iron.
Oil your waffle iron.
Whisk together eggs (or applesauce), vanilla, and coconut oil/butter.
Combine baking powder (and xanthan gum for gf), cinnamon if using, Celtic Sea Salt, and Sucanat (if using liquid sweetener, add to egg mixture instead).
Sprinkle baking powder/sugar mixture over soaked dough from last night. 
Add egg/oil mixture and combine well.  A wooden spoon should work because this will be a fairly liquid mixture.  If too dry, add a bit more kefir until desired consistency is reached. 
Pour onto waffle iron using a measuring cup or ladle (amount will depend on size of your iron).
Cook according to your iron, some have indicator lights... on mine, I just watch for the steam to taper.
Re-oil iron every few waffles as needed.

To freeze, allow to cool.  Place sheets of parchment paper between waffles and store several waffles in freezer bags or containers.  Label with date prior to freezing.  Reheat using toaster oven.

*My preference is to make the standard recipe (using eggs), sub honey for Sucanat, then fold in a cup of applesauce and a couple teaspoons of cinnamon (sometimes I also add diced apples).  If this is my plan, I usually reduce the initial amount of kefir when I soak so that I don't end up with too thin of a batter.

**Since kefir grains can often be found for free (like mine where) or inexpensively and used FOREVER, they are essentially a no cost ingredient... so a quart of kefir is equal to the milk used (coconut milk runs me about $3/half gallon as does non-homogenized milk, organic milk I can get for about $3/gallon).

***Sweetener can be pricey, a pound of Sucanat runs $4-$5.  It can be left out, but I've found that a little sweetener goes a long way and adds a great flavor.  Sucanat adds many vitamins & minerals versus regular sugar.

****Since the price of ingredients is variable, it's hard to put a price tag on these.  However, they are a nourishing way to start the day.

Soaked Pasta Noodles

We've been making everything from scratch... Hubs doesn't appreciate the taste of the traditional (red) whole wheat flour, so I've switched to white whole wheat. The first bag of King Arthurs White Whole Wheat I purchased was pricey! Recently, I was able to locate a better price, $3.45 for a 5lb bag ($0.19/cup vs. $0.13/cup). It still tastes like whole wheat... but Hubs says it's better than red whole wheat. The kids are loving taking turns helping mom mix up and roll out dough.

I've modified slightly a rustic noodle recipe found over at The Nourishing Gourmet... yes, I like that site A LOT.

3 cups whole white wheat flour ($0.57)
1 cup warm water
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar ($0.10)
2 Tbs olive oil ($0.25)

(Total $0.92) Sure I can buy pasta for $0.98/lb, but it won't be whole wheat, it won't be soaked and it would likely have unnecessary ingredients. Store bought pasta also won't bring the joy of pasta making with my kids.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl... I start with a wooden spoon and switch to hands in order to incorporate all the flour. The kids LOVE getting their hands in the dough.

Knead the dough a few times, until you have a smooth ball of dough. Allow it to rest on the counter for 24 hours (if possible).

Divide into 4 sections, roll out to desired thickness and cut into strips or squares (or get crazy and use small cookie cutters for shapes). You can allow pasta to air dry or boil right away. Add a teaspoon or two of kosher salt to your water prior to boiling, I also like to add another dash of olive oil to prevent sticking.

*As always, you may need more flour or liquid... add small amounts at a time until desired consistency is achieved.