"When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny." --Paulo Coelho


One week, heck, even one day.....things can entirely change.


I know because my world has totally been changed in one week....really in 24 hours.


There are so many things I want to share with you that have happened this week.


And while I will chat a bit, know that these musings are just the beginnings of how things are unfolding in my brain & in my heart. Things are just truly unfolding and I'm in the throws of processing and feeling out these new changes. So, consider this my beginning place.

Where to start? I guess the change which affects you the most is here, my blogging space.


I've been getting the feeling/nudge to expand my blog beyond my beloved waffles for the past couple of months.


I want to talk about my whole world...not just one part.


So, I'll be sharing some of the things which make me, well me. Things like my barre3 training process; my journey to recovering from chronic fatigue; reconnecting to my heart space; and, of course sharing my yummy waffles...

Of course, they'll be more things in addition to those and many ideas in the works (ummm can we say a book club and possible podcast????); but, this is where my curiosity is leading me. And I want to follow my curiosity. Because that's where the magic is.


I'm going to be experimenting. I'm going to be sharing. I'm going to be learning. I'm going to be growing.


I hope you'll come along with me...because I know we can learn from one another.

Happy Father's Day everyone!


I know this day can be very triggering and very emotional, so I hope you've given yourself the time you've needed to either celebrate, reminisce, remember, cry, scream, laugh, etc.


I have...and I'm wanting more time to dig deeper.


Because I've had a lot of shit rolling through my head.....a lot of emotions rolling through my heart....and I need to figure some things out.

I've become so overwhelmed in getting things right....in having the perfect job; in having the perfect relationships; in having the perfect finances; in just being perfect in general....it's getting me into so much trouble.


And by trouble, I mean I can't find me----my authentic self......my truth....my light.


That is not cool at all.

How have I lost my truth? I got caught up in doing everything.....well, actually in comparing myself to everyone else through no other than social media.

Ugh....the dreaded comparison trap. One second, I'm happily interacting with others and sending them love & light......then the next, I'm going down the rabbit hole comparing lives/milestones/pictures....it's not a pretty sight.

Oh yeah, I went there.

Don't act like you've never done that before....I mean I'm not the only one, right?

Gulp.

How do I get out of this mess?


Well, I've got to get back to basics. And by basics, I mean writing....connecting within....getting to know myself again.


I've committed before to writing...and that commitment only lasted two days.


This week, I'm giving myself a portion of each day to write. It can be 5 minutes or 50....either way, I choose to make time to feel. I choose to not be distracted.


When I get distracted...hear too many voices....get lost in other people's stories, I forget to live my own.


And my life is going in a pretty great direction.

Isn't yours?

Think about it--what we focus on, we manifest. And I want to manifest greatness.

I'm betting you do too.

So, what do you do to get back to basics & remind yourself of who you are??

Until Thursday...B

Olive Oil Waffles

So I've truly not known what to write in my blog post this week.

I'm at a loss for words....

Shocking I know ;)

But, I've got so many things floating in my head I don't even know where to start.

Where to begin?


Ginger.....she's had quite a rough couple of months. She's got the starts of dementia. Did you know that was even a thing? I sure didn't.


But, her panting....her pacing....her inability to get settled....it does make sense.


She's on some new meds which have truly helped her calm down a bit. That's helped her (and me!) get some much needed rest. She's my first geriatric doggie, so this is very tough for me to see her get older and more frail. But, she's my baby girl....and I'll do anything to help her life a good life during the time she has left.

Next.....making decisions.


So, I'm kinda not really good at deciding things....big, life altering decisions.


I postulate and postulate....ask everyone's opinions.....go back and forth....it's more than maddening.


It's so frustrating.


I've got a decision I'm wrestling with right now. I'm going back and forth. One side of the coin is safe. The other is a bit more of a risk....but a fun & exciting risk. One where I can be flexible, do my thang, and grow higher into the person I want to be.


Gee, as I'm writing this...guess it seems like the decision is obvious. To me at least.


Maybe I these waffles were created to celebrate my decisiveness.

Lastly, I'm a Barre3 instructor in training! I know I announced it on Instagram last week, but I'm so excited to achieve this milestone in my life. Two years ago, heck, even one year ago, I was so burned out, fatigued, and sick. Movement is a huge piece of my life....and to think I'd be living without it....well, it made me even sicker.


So I set a goal to get some strength back once I got really stable physically (so like just a few months ago)..... I began small....starting with 5 minutes every other day. Last week, I made it through a 45 minute barre3 class. And I'll be teaching 60 minute classes, once I'm certified. And now, I can't see my life without movement.


What a precious gift we're given to be in this body. To have this life. To be able to do what we love. To love the people in our lives. To make decisions based on where we are now....and not live in our past.


Isn't that worth celebrating?


I completely agree.


Let's have a plate of waffles shall we?

Blueberry Lavender Waffles

Now that the weather finally feels like summer--woohoo!!--you know what I feel like??


Chocolate and Waffles.


Bet you thought I was gonna say ice cream right?


Well, no...not always. :)

I mean, a gal can't always have ice cream for breakfast right?


So, I made it a cake like creation--one of my favorite cakes in fact--Black Forest Waffles.


Have you ever wondered why the cake itself is called Black Forest?


Well, from what I can surmise, it was created as an ode to brandy made from cherries in the Black Forest region of Germany. The original cake recipe itself has layers of chocolate, cherries, and whipped cream.


While mine could have some whipped cream on top...I used maple syrup instead. But as I'm writing this, I'm thinking maple whipped cream could have been a very nice touch. Alas, I'll have to recreate these again.


Good thing I love waffles.

My version used my Birch Benders mix, cacao powder, almond extract, vanilla extract, almond milk, and frozen chopped cherries.


If you've got some fresh cherries, they'd be even better. Next time I get my hands on some...it will just up the flavor quotient even more.


And if you wanted to, you could use a splash of brandy instead of the vanilla extract.....you know, only for the fully authentic flavor of the Black Forest.


I just decided to keep this a G rated event for the blog and well, I happened to be fresh out of brandy...


So, I present to you my own delicious, creative, chocolately, and cherrified version.


Dig in!!


Hope you enjoy. Until Thursday......B

Black Forest Waffles

Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it?


Yeah, that's the story with these waffles.


Mashed Potato Waffles.


I've been trying for months to get a yummy, crunchy, potato. And all I kept getting was sogginess. Until I added some flour and thickened up my mixture.


The game has been changed people. The game has been changed.

How do you make your mashed taters? Non dairy milk? Butter? Ghee?


I used coconut oil. Salt. Pepper. And dill.


I mashed them up and ate those for dinner in all of their creamy goodness.


Then, the next day, I added eggs; gluten free all purpose flour; mixed it up, and let the waffle maker do her magic.


And oh she did really good. Don't you think?

I do.


I topped mine with some leftover veggies I had from the night before. But, there are so many ways to top these--non dairy Cream Cheese (kite hill anyone??); avocados; or, heck even ketchup! Decorate them in anyway you'd like.....I bet they'll be delicious.


What are your favorite ways to top a potato??


Until Sunday.......B

Mashed Potato Waffles

So, I have this shampoo from The Seaweed Co. It's citrus vanilla scented and I'm seriously obsessed with the smell.

It's incredibly reminiscent of the Sundays I spent in my youth pouring over the paper (ummmm...Sports page and the ads let's be honest) and devouring these Pilsbury cinnamon rolls with this orange-y vanilla flavored icing.

Since this smell has triggered my memory, I knew I'd have to create a version I can eat.

So, let the brainstorming--and recipe testing--begin.

My local EarthFare had a special BOGO sale this weekend & I picked up a new (to me) paleo pancake mix from Birch Benders. I've seen a lot of other recipe developers talk about how amazing this mix is; so, I was happy to pick up this bargain.

A lightbulb went off---why not make my orange-y waffles with this mix & add some poppy seeds into the mix for a fun twist on the classic lemon poppyseed flavor.

I mean, why should lemons get all the fun?

My next thought was to get totally crazy and add some collagen powder to the mix for extra protein. And my orange vanilla poppyseed waffles were born.

Collagen?? Are you back to eating meat? Well, technically no. But, I've begun to supplement with bovine collagen because I'm lacking in amino acids and protein. And well, the vegan protein powders and amino acid supplements I've been taking were not working. The levels of amino acids and protein have been steadily declining and my digestion has been kaput for the past couple of months.

My naturopath suggested I give collagen a try for one month to see if I improve. So, this is an experiment in gut healing. I'll be tracking and sharing my progress through these next 30 days to see how it goes. And I'll be using Further Food's bovine collagen peptides. It's only been 4 days, but so far, so good.

Back to my waffles....yummy, protein rich waffles with a fresh citrus flavor....a much healthier take on my once Sunday favorite.

Pretty sweet....pretty easy....and very fast.

Sounds like a perfect combo for a lazy, paper reading, coffee drinking Sunday.

Have a good one y'all.

​Until Thursday......B

Orange Vanilla Poppyseed Waffles

Hallelujah! We made it to June 1st.  To me, this is the unofficial start of summer.  I definitely didn't think summer would EVER come during the long, dark days of winter.

But, here we are embracing another season.  A season of warmth (usually of extreme warmth and humidity too).  A season of slowing down and savoring time during the longer days.  A season where everything just feels more relaxed.  And for most kids, its 3 months of absolute downtime.  

Even adults get into that summer vibe.  I know I totally roll the windows down and blast my radio Summer just feels good and is reminiscent of when days consisted of carefree pool time; endless books; and, bike rides before all the "adult" stuff kicked in.

Oh wait...I'm reliving my youth.  But, do you remember those days?  Yeah, those were fun weren't they?

Seems like before we get to that downtime though, there's always a huge rush to get everything done.  There are final projects to finish; final exams to take; meetings; playoff games; year end celebrations; teacher thank you's....the list seems (and for most of us, feel) endless.  

It's almost as if there's never enough time to get it all done.  Even for the things we enjoy--like breakfast.

Notice there I said almost.  

I mixed these waffles in less than 10 minutes and they were ready in just 10 minutes more. So, in less than 20 minutes, I had a yummy breakfast ready for me to tackle my day. Is it just me or do waffles just "stick to your ribs" more than other breakfast foods? They last me for way longer than a bowl of oats or a smoothie. I mean, what's not to love....full of whole grain goodness; healthy fats; and some spicy cinnamon.

Add some nut butter; chocolate chips; flax; and, fruit (all optional toppings of course....go crazy with your selection!) for some extra brain fuel.

I'd say you are ready to rock those end of grade exams!

Let me know what you think about this quick and easy waffle. Tag #whiskingoutsidethebox to share your creation.

Happy Waffle Creatin'.......B

Easy Oat Waffles