How to Avoid Bob Evans Killing You

Since the heart attack I had a little over a year ago, there are many foods that I simply have not had. One of the things that I was really starting to miss and crave was one of those heaping plates of pancakes or waffles with fruit and creme and all kinds of other good stuff all over them. Friendly's had some Apple Caramel Nut Waffles (or something like that) all summer long that kept mocking me from the pictures in the restaurant window or even worse the little tri-fold card that sits on the table inside. But I resisted! One of my all-time favorite things to get at a restaurant was some concoction Bob Evans' had that was something to do with bananas and creme and waffles. Even before the heart attack, when I saw the nutritional information on that dish I stayed away from it! But I had really been craving something like it lately.

My brain literally doesn't work this way sometimes, but it just dawned on me that ordering fruit/creme pancakes at a restaurant wasn't my only option in obtaining their deliciousness. I could make something similar at home and use better ingredients and portion control. Sometimes I forget that you can make food in your very own home!

So, I set out to create my own Banana Waffle Goodness. And let me tell you something my friends, they hit the spot!

When ever we make waffles at our house we use the Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix. It has slightly better nutritional numbers than their other brands, plus I use skim milk and egg beaters in the recipe. (My philosophy is cut the numbers down where ever you can!) Next I topped it with sliced banana, that's all good! I used Smucker's Sugar Free Caramel, which is also fat free and tried not to smother it with Fat Free Redi-Wip topping. I didn't realize that the caramel needed to be melted by running the jar under hot water for a few minutes, so it came out a little lumpy in spots. While I was in the ice cream topping section of the grocery store, I also picked up a little can of crushed nuts. There's nothing really healthy about them, so you got use just a pinch.

They were delicious and so tasty they didn't need the accompaniment of maple syrup! My wife, whose not necessarily a big fan of such dishes really enjoyed them and even my completely unadventurous kids liked them - though they prefer their waffles and pancakes with just ketchup.

I'm not sure what the exact Bob Evans dish that I used to enjoy was called, but they currently have something on their menu called Stacked & Stuffed Strawberry Banana Cream Hotcakes. According to the Men's Health website, one order will cost you just under 1200 calories, plus 42 grams of fat and 191 carbs! (If you do a carb exchange thingy, that's over 18 of your 21 daily carb servings!) Using the labels on the products I used and factoring in a little extra since I didn't use exact measurements on all the ingredients, a plate of Ed South's Banana Waffle Goodness has 335 calories, 11 grams of fat and 55 carbs. Well played, Ed South! Well played!

*I'm not claiming this is "good for you" it's just a healthier alternative to what a restaurant would serve you.

Still hungry? Check out my friend Amy's Pumpkin Pancakes. I'm trying to figure out a way to just conveniently appear on her porch one morning when she's making these!