Back-to-school pencil waffles

We got together with our friend, Sarah, from The Tasteful Tribe who shared some healthy and delicious meal ideas for kids and adults. Get inspired by her unique recipes that will surely add some FUN to your lunches as we head back into our routines this fall.

 

What you’ll need:

• Gluten-free Pancake & Waffle Mix from Birch Benders
• Organic creamy peanut butter
• 1 strawberry
• 1 apple, cut into slices
• Chocolate chips, optional for melting and writing “abc , 123”
• Heart food cutter, optional to make apple heart shapes
 

Instructions

Prepare waffle mix according to package directions.
Preheat waffle maker until hot; a mini waffle maker works great for these. Lightly spray with avocado or olive oil and place about ¼ cup of the batter into the waffle maker using a spoon to make sure the entire surface is covered.
Close the lid and let cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
Use a fork to carefully lift the waffle onto a plate and set aside.
Prepare cut-outs: cut the stem and tip off a strawberry and then cut in half to form two U shapes. Cut an apple slice in half lengthwise and then stack on top of one another. Cut-out the middle into a triangular shape which will be the tips of the pencils. If using heart cut-outs, use the remaining apple slices to make them.
Prepare the waffles; first cut in half down the center. Next, cut-off the rounded side of each waffle half. Finally, trim off the top and bottom of each waffle; you should have two equal rectangles.
To form into pencils, place a small amount of peanut butter on the bottom edge of each waffle and stick on the apple triangles. Place a small amount of peanut butter on top of a chocolate chip and stick on the end of the apple to form the tip of the pencil. Finally, add the strawberry rounds to the top of each waffle to form the pencil’s eraser.
Place the heart cut-outs around the waffle pencils and enjoy with or without syrup, whipped cream or extra peanut butter.
*Optional* To make the “abc..123” writing, simply heat-up 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips and use a fine paintbrush or toothpick to write.