No really, it does.
But I still buy it (because it tastes so good!), and ration it out by the teaspoons.
On the days when my kids and I aren't so lucky to get some liquid gold on their breakfast items, I make a lower cost alternative to maple syrup--fruit syrup, like blueberry, strawberry, or apple. More fiber, less expensive, and sweet, but not over the top.
Since our family LOVES breakfast foods, we use syrup with a great deal of regularity. My kids would never complain if we ate waffles for breakfast, pancakes for lunch, and crepes for dinner.
If you're like me and love maple syrup, but don't have the budget to have it all the time, here's a more economical syrup that I'm sure you and your family will love.
Strawberry Agave Syrup
You'll need 2 cups frozen strawberries (fresh works too). Place in blender.
Add 1/2 cup agave nectar.
Blend on high for 2 minutes, until the consitency of syrup. (In my Blendtec I ran it through one cycle of syrups/soups).
You don't want any chunks (if you have a Blendtec and run it on the syrup cycle, you shouldn't have to worry about this, love the Blendtec for this reason!). Pour into syrup jar. Good in the fridge for 2-3 days.Serve over pancakes, waffles, crepes, non-dairy yogurt, oatmeal, over some kid's fruit sushi, or your favorite non-dairy ice cream.
Nutrition info: (Makes 2.5 cups, or 16 servings) Per serving (2 TBS.): 52 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, .6 g fiber
Question of the post: Do you buy 100% real maple syrup? Why or why not? Do you think it's worth the price tag?
looks great! I'm gonna file this recipe away for when I have kids of syrup-eating age!
ReplyDeletelfwfv
Yum! And I love your syrup bottle!
ReplyDeleteTina
Yes, I buy it, but I definitely ration it. And it is NOT for pancakes! We use flavored agave for that :) making your own is such a good idea though! Where do you buy your agave nectar from?
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to try this!
ReplyDeleteI started buying 100% maple syrup to try some recipes from my vegan cookbooks...but some of them take like 1/2 cup or 2/3 cup for a batch of cookies...ouch. That gets expensive fast. I tried it on pancakes for the first time a month or so ago...WOW. WAY better than all the other fake "maple syrups." It is used in small quantities for things like pancakes. And I think I'm the only one that uses it for that - my kids still use the fake stuff for now. :-p And my hubby prefers pb and jam on his pancakes anyway! haha.
Sounds yummy! Does the blendtec pulverize seeds in frizen fruits like strawberries and raspberries? I have a new blender but i still have to strain the smoothies to get the seeds out! Would love them gone...
ReplyDeleteYum. We do buy maple syrup, but I ration it and we don't eat pancakes nearly as often as my kids would like (partly because of the syrup expense). Love the agave idea. Where do you buy your agave in bulk? Can you use other fruits in the syrup instead?
ReplyDeleteSteph: I buy Xgave (agave) in bulk from Sam's club. Costco also carries some, but I think it's blue Agave. Sorry if you don't live next to either one...but plenty of stores carry it.
ReplyDeleteSteph: Blueberries or any other berry (blackberries are great) work too.
ReplyDeletei will surely have to try this. i love real maple syrup. but it is super expensive. my husband once told me he couldn't tell the difference between the real stuff and the fake stuff. seriously?! so when i buy it i tell him to just keep using the fake stuff since he can't appreciate the difference anyway. :) i'm pretty awful, i guess.
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ReplyDeleteI do purchase it and use it sparingly. I make syrup with sucanat and mapleine or maple extract. (2 cups boiling water, 2 c sucanat, 1 tsp maple) and mix it with 1-2 cups pure maple syrup and it lasts a while that way! And Costco has the best price from what I've seen.
ReplyDeleteGonna try this strawberry syrup for sure!