Alright, full disclosure time: I made this rockin' buckwheat waffle from *cough* a mix *cough*. But the cinnamon-sugar apples? Totally my own.

I wanted to supplement the waffle with something from the fruit and veggie group, hence the apple addition. I rough-chopped and simmered the apple (an organic Gala) in a 1/4 cup of water until the pieces were soft, and then sprinkled it with a pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, granulated sugar and cloves, and them simmered for another minute or two. I drained the apples on a paper towel, lest the waffle get soggy.

Obviously, dear readers, I am in desperate need of a mix-less recipe for whole wheat or buckwheat waffles. Any suggestions?

Here is the second baked pasta dish I made over the weekend (you can find the first one here). This one is more traditional, being that it uses sauteed onions, garlic and peppers. I made this one especially for the omnivores in the crowd, although I used turkey sausage instead of pork to keep the amount of fat a little lower. Especially since it used three different kinds of cheese.

The thing to remember about recipes like these is that you should feel free to make them your own. If you don't like peppers, leave them out. If you've got a friend who is allergic to ricotta cheese, use cottage or farmer's cheese instead. Feel like using three different kinds of cheese is sort of excessive? Cut out the parmesan. It's a technique more than an exact recipe and you can bend and shape it to your tastes.

In most cases, we look at finished products as Food Porn -- a colorful salad, a steaming soup, a steak with herb butter melting over the edges. In the case of food blog 101 Cookbooks, I suppose the first picture of the finished pizza topped with potatoes, cheese, and herbs in Heidi Swanson's post about pizza made of white whole wheat pizza dough is the natural pick.

However, I was totally drawn to the photo of the white whole wheat pizza dough -- perfect pillows of softly "buff"-colored dough flecked with herbs, resting, definitely qualify as "raw" porn. Heidi goes on to say that with this pizza dough, she got close to something she was looking for: "chewy, soft, and unstructured."

More on white whole wheat:
The definition of "white whole wheat"
Sara Lee's hot dog and hamburger buns made with white whole wheat

The sales of White Whole Wheat Flour have increased dramatically this year over previous years and as consumer interest has grown, so have supplies. More grocery stores, large and small, now carry the flour. While the product is not new, having been available for more than a decade, its sale is no longer limited to specialty stores and it is far more widely available than ever before. This increased availability means that more people are exposed to it but many are still unfamiliar with the product.

White whole wheat flour is made from a naturally occurring albino variety of wheat. The wheat does not have the tannins or phenolic acid that are found in the outer bran of ordinary red wheat, so not only does it lack the color, but it does not any of the slightly bitter taste that is often associated with whole wheat flour. The flavor is mild and sweet, very similar to that out plain or all-purpose flour, though it does have a hint of the nuttiness of whole wheat.

You don't have to be a nutrition expert to know that whole grains are an important part of the diet. After all, labels promoting them are appearing on nearly every product in the supermarket, from breakfast cereals to cookies. One of the most difficult foods to get whole grains in is bread. While this may seem like an obvious choice, many people still can't resist buying a loaf of their favorite white or buttermilk loaf when they're shopping. Too many consumers have a negative perception of whole grain breads as being dry, hard and with an overwhelming wheat taste that seems too overtly "good for you."

Part of Real Simple magazine's online content this month is a taste test of whole grain breads, trying to identify the tastiest and most nutritious ones on the market. They only looked at the national brands, so while the bread from your favorite local bakery might be better, you won't go wrong by picking up a loaf of any of these choices when you a traveling or simply want to make a sandwich.

• Rubschlager 100% Whole Wheat or European Style Whole Grain
• Arnold Whole Grain Classics 100% Whole Wheat or Healthy Multigrain (available east of the Mississippi)
• Oroweat Honey Fiber Whole Grain Bread (available west of the Mississippi)
• Thomas Squares Bagelbread 100% Whole Wheat
• Pepperidge Farm 100% Whole Wheat Natural Whole Grain Bread
• Earth Grains Extra Fiber 100% Whole Wheat

One final option is to buy bread made with "white whole wheat" flour, such as some of the buns and loaves made by Sara Lee. They mimic the taste and texture of regular white bread, but offer diners an extra dose of whole grain goodness.