Sprouted Grain Waffles! And Flax English Muffins!

Years ago, when I was going on some health kick (probably after reading Skinny Bitch), I switched to only buying Ezekiel 4:9 bread for home. I'd eat white bread when dining out, but at home, I was strictly on the sprouted grain. I remember it was an acquired taste at first. I wasn't used to the hearty, seedy, grainy bread, but I knew it was good for me, so I just kept eating it. And it grew on me. And now I LOVE EZEKIEL BREAD!

I do occasionally purchase other whole grain breads these days (Dave's Killer, Rudi's Organic), and I still eat lots of white bread when dining out (and sometimes at home). But Ezekiel 4:9 remains my staple. Not only does it have a great rustic flavor, it's also quite filling — likely because it's filled with sprouted seeds and grains. It's also loaded with protein! In addition to sliced sprouted bread, Food for Life (Ezekiel's brand name) also makes sprouted hamburger buns, hot dog buns, wraps, and English muffins.

But wait — that's not all! Food for Life is now making sprouted grain waffles!!!! I've been on a bit of a waffle kick for the past few months, so I was delighted when Food for Life sent me boxes of their new frozen waffles to review.

These are frozen Eggo-style waffles, but unlike those white flour/preservative-laden waffles, Ezekiel 4:9 waffles are made with sprouted wheat, barley, chia, flax, lentils, soybeans, sesame seeds, spelt, and other healthy things! The Original Waffles have 9 grams of protein per two waffles and a ton of vitamins and minerals. But how do they taste?

I put the Original Waffles to the test with fresh raspberries, maple-agave pancake syrup, and cacao nibs. The waffles are sturdy straight out of the toaster, and they get quite crisp. But that's softened by syrup (and vegan butter if you want to add that too). They certainly have that healthy Ezekiel flavor, but if you're already a fan of sprouted grain bread, you'll love these. They taste like the Ezekiel bread slices in waffle form. But they are just very lightly sweetened because, duh, they're waffles!

I served the Golden Flax Waffles with fresh strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and maple-agave syrup (plus some Field Roast vegan apple-maple sausages on the side). I honestly couldn't tell a big difference in flavor between the flax and the original. These do have more flax and just a tad more protein though.

The Blueberry Waffles were my favorite of the three! The waffle itself tastes very similar to the others, but there are little blueberries flecked throughout. No fruit goes better with waffles than blueberries, so of course, I had to add some fresh ones and maple syrup. Also more vegan sausage on the side.

Food for Life also has Ezekiel 4:9 Flax Sprouted English Muffins now! They included some of these in my waffle review package.

I've been using their original sprouted muffins for my breakfast sandwiches forever, so I was excited to try these. They're a great source of omega-3 and omega-6, and each muffin has 10 grams of protein. As for the taste, they're similar to the original, but you can definitely see more seeds in these. And there's a slight flax flavor that's not overpowering. I tried one for a quick Breakfast Sandwich with seitan bacon (from Baconish), Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg, Follow Your Heart Pepper Jack, and Just Mayo Chipotle. Mmmmm. I wish I was eating this again right now. Maybe I'll have one in the morning!

The moral to this story — if you already love Ezekiel 4:9 products, you'll love these. If you're not a sprouted grain bread fan, give it a few more tries. It took me awhile to get to where I preferred it over white bread. But now that I do, I can eat bread and feel really good about it because I'm getting lots of nutrients with every bite!