News Taffy

I may be nerdy but few things are as satisfying to me as finding a new food product or recipe using an ingredient I’m not familiar with. Lately I have seen a few new things crop up in the grocery store that I’ve never seen or tried before so of course, I feel challenged to give them a shot. After all food and eating is such an important part of our lives and since we have to eat, we might as well enjoy it to the fullest while getting the most nutrition.

I was mightily tempted but I passed up the dandelion greens I saw at Kroger recently but the candy cane beets were a delicious find as was the Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Protein Packed Flapjack and Waffle Mix. I spied the new flapjack mix while shopping with my daughter and was drawn by the unusual plain brown package with a bear on the front. Because the package claimed to be protein packed, I picked it up to check out the nutritional information.

Right away I was hooked. The ingredients include whole grain wheat and oat flour, protein powder and just a bit of brown sugar. There are a whopping 14 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber with only 3 grams of sugar in a serving! In addition to mixing up a batch of pancakes or waffles, you can also use the mix to make banana muffins. I had to try it.

I made a batch of muffins first, adding mini dark chocolate chips as suggested on the box. Not only were they good fresh out of the oven, they were equally delectable the next morning for breakfast. With so much fiber and protein, two muffins kept us full all morning long. Over the weekend, I made pancakes which we all agreed were equally satisfying in a way that regular white flour pancakes are not. My family and a friend’s family have given these pancakes a high rating for taste, nutrition and ease of preparation. FYI, I got the crunchy peanut butter flavor which has yummy chunks of peanuts in the mix.

With either the muffins or pancakes, you can make a batch and refrigerate the rest to be eaten the rest of the week, ensuring a good breakfast on busy mornings. We just pop our pancakes in the toaster and the muffins in the microwave for a brief warmup. We all know a good breakfast is important to having a productive day and not overeating the wrong foods later because we are starving.

According to their website, Baker Mills is a family run business and their pancake mix originated from an old family recipe. They are committed to using the finest, most wholesome ingredients available and remaining true to their Grandpa’s recipe. There are several other products available such as granola, oatmeal and muffin mix but I have not yet seen them locally but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t carrying them. Kroger was down to one box of pancake mix which I grabbed the next time I shopped but I hear that Target carries Kodiak products too. Give them a try; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.