Here We Come A Waffle-ing!

A friend of mine came by today to help me with some computer issues, with some programs that stopped working....last year. Since I have a few projects on my wings I needed to finally take those programs to task and get some help. Adam to the rescue! Just like Ina Garten, I rose beautifully to the occasion, making vegan (except for the honey) gluten free waffles. Adam is neither vegan nor gluten free. We do have a history of waffles, though, dating back to 2009 or so, when I told him a story about my grandmother's waffle iron that was stolen from me, and he got a bunch of our friends to pitch in for a replacement. Making him waffles brings to memory every previous waffle breakfast we've shared, and the friendship that's covers us like sweet syrup (awwh!). Also, my neighbor is a bee keeper and someone else gave us some honey they didn't want, so we are in major abundance here at the Hornet's Nest (what E. and I call our home). If you are apolitical about honey or local honey, I implore you (yeah I went there) to find a local bee keeper in your area to support. Raw local honey is great for fighting seasonal/outdoor allergies because they contain a small amount of the pollens that make us sneezy and glassy-eyed, working like a natural vaccine.  It also helps with digestive issues, is good as a topical salve, and is full of vitamins and nutrients. Like, jam packed. Plus, bees are in a pretty rough state, which you probably figured out from Dr. Who, due to all the pesticides and genetically engineered foods.

ANYWAY, I found this recipe online at Minimalist Baker, because I can never keep my recipes straight, and I think they came out wonderfully for being so basic. Just 7 (or so) ingredients, with a great texture. I will say that some of the edges cooked better than others, and the coconut oil started to firm again immediately upon pouring into the milk mixture, so add it last and stir right away, then combine wet and dry ingredients immediately. I would also cut the oil a bit next time, because these were a bit greasy. Of course, coconut oil has a number of health benefits and tastes great, so I'm not complaining, but it's an easy edit on the recipe. I'll do 3 tablespoons next time, as opposed to 1/4 cup. Below is my edited recipe. Also, I thawed some frozen berries and included them as well. 

• 1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to make buttermilk) (white vinegar works as well, but Braggs apple cider vinegar has more health benefits)
• 3 Tbs coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup honey (if you are vegan, any liquid sweetener will do)
• heaping 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1 3/4 cups almond flour blend
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup berries (if frozen, thaw first)

Mix milk and vinegar together in small bowl and let sit. Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Melt coconut oil. Add honey or other liquid sweetener to milk, then coconut oil, whisking while adding. Quickly mix into dry ingredients until it's all wet. Gently stir in berries. Let sit for a moment while waffle iron heats up, then cook per iron's instructions.

I was planning on running the stairs tonight, but my knee suddenly gave out on me. Not really sure what's going on with it, but it's unlike any sensation I've had before. It felt like the cartilage or a tendon, though who can really tell that sort of thing I suppose. I did a yoga ab workout DVD, and topped it with some ab exercises I found in a Huffington Post article. Of course, these are pretty rudimentary if you've done HIIT workouts or have gone through a training regimen in the past few years, but seeing them all at once was a refreshing break away from the go-to exercises that sometimes upset my back. I'll probably put in another set of reps before I go to bed. Or I might just eat another spoonful of peanut butter and honey and call it a night.

Here's a SUPER SIMPLE juice recipe, for good measure. Just in case you're not satisfied with waffles and peanut-butter-and-honey spoonfuls. Also, did you know you can now purchase bags of "juicing greens" with spinach and baby kale? The bag has a picture of a blender on it, so you may be confused at the store. But they do juice well.

• Greens (baby kale and spinach is what I used)
• 2 apples
• 3 carrots
• (I wanted to add ginger but didn't have any, but theoretically it would have been awesome)

Juice carrots, then greens, then apples. Serves 2, so invite a friend over (I didn't give any to Adam, he already went home).

**As an aside, I'm not ashamed to say I'm watching the second Christmas movie of the day. First was Scrooged, and now Ernest Saves Christmas. If you haven't seen Ernest Saves Christmas since you were eight, I highly, highly suggest doing yourself the great favor of spending a rainy day relaxing with this lighthearted romp.