Waffle maker cinnamon buns!

James was up at 6 this morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, all ready for the day. I, on the other hand, was not. So when Kim finally woke up and they both decided they wanted cinnamon buns for breakfast I was actually pretty thrilled! Now if you're trying to imagine why an exhausted mother would be happy to be making cinnamon buns at 7 in the morning, let me explain. 

It's recently come to my attention that some people don't know about the amazing life hack of putting cinnamon buns in the waffle maker *gasp*! You literally just pop them out of their little tube (and in doing so give yourself a little heart attack to start your day!) and plop them one by one into a preheated waffle maker! 

Now, my waffle maker is getting up there in age so I spray mine with a little Pam before adding the cinnamon bun just to be on the safe side. I have my waffle maker set to its highest heat setting as well. 

For cinnamon buns we like to use Annies! The kids love them and I can't really complain too much since they aren't filled with all the crazy chemicals and preservatives haha. It's a win win!
I must say though, It's pretty awesome how many great alternatives there are out there to the more "toxic" brands. We buy organic, local, GF (gluten free) and vegan alternatives to most things and have found ways to even save a few bucks while doing so! For example, if you shop locally, you may have noticed that veggies, produce and honey can be pretty pricey. However, some local farmers enjoy a good trade every now and again. Not to say you should expect every farmer to be willing to accept trades since their stand is their way of making a living, but I have found that an offer for fresh bread tends to woo hearts haha. Or, my husband will try his hand at offering his services as a mechanic for an oil change or something like that! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't which is totally fine! But most of the time, a kind smile, genuine conversation and sincere attitude can work wonders.

Now if you aren't in the mood for trading here are some of our favorite brands carried in most grocery stores:
Annies
Teddies (peanut butter)
Publix Greenwise
Whole Foods generic brand
Dave's Killer Bread (and bagels) *Daves also has a pretty awesome back story if you're curious*
Organic valley (cheese, milk, creamer, etc.)
Horizon
Kerry's Gold Butter (I find this one in particular a little too pricey)
Natures Bakery (my kids LOVE their fig bars!)
Bobs (oatmeals!)
Kitchen Basics
Ancient Harvest (we really like their GF veggie pasta)
Mr. McDougall's (this brand makes a pretty yummy instant ramen noodles cup)
Nest Fresh or Happy Egg co. (we buy local as well!)
Newmans (popcorn is incredible, also raisins!)
Hodgson Mill (waffle mix)

So there's a little list to get you going if you've ever been curious as to what brands to try! I do have food from all these brands in my kitchen right now, but don't be fooled, I'm no where near "perfect" and still have my "regular" brands in here as well. To me, it's all about moderation. But we do choose the healthy alternatives to most things when we can. Also, I don't personally have a Costco card (YET!) but I hear they have a lot of really good organic options there as well! If you're curious as to what meats we buy the majority is actually local as far as chicken is concerned. We aren't a big red meat family (I was actually Vegan for awhile so buying meat can be difficult for me) so when I do buy it, I buy a specific brand which I can't recall the name of right now but I can post about that later on if anybody's interested! If it were up to me, we'd be a self sustaining family, with our own livestock or my husband would hunt. But until then, I'll do my best to stay away from factory farms and shop local, or as best I can. If anybody's interested in a grocery haul post discussing prices and how much we spend weekly as a family of four I'd be more than willing to post about that as well!

By the way, if you're ever out and about with the kids and need to feed them a quick meal, Starbucks has these incredible Bistro Boxes! I want to say they're about $5 - $6 a box but it comes with half of an organic PB&J on whole wheat, apple slices, carrots and cucumbers with ranch, a cheese stick, and some chocolate covered raisins. There's also a protein box that comes with a hard boiled egg and some other sides, as well as a cheese and fruit box!

*Not my picture.*

Well anyway, I hope this post was a little helpful and that you no longer waste time and energy firing up the big oven on those mornings when your family wants something special for breakfast. I don't think I'll ever go back to oven baked cinnamon buns haha. I've also heard through the grapevine that some people even cook hash browns in the waffle maker... Hmmm... I'll have to try that soon!

- Have a great weekend & God bless!