Self care comes in many forms, including chocolate waffles

Hi there, hope you’re all having a great week so far! I wanted to take this post to talk a little bit about self care (and one of my favorite parts of it). I used to believe that self care was lathering on a face mask, or a glass of wine with a bubble bath - and it is still that. However, as I’ve grown up I’ve come to the realization that self care is also a lot more than just beauty regimes. It’s digging deep to work on self love and creating the space for yourself to grow as a person. Bottom line, self care isn’t always pretty.

Unless she comes in the form of these chocolate caramel protein pancakes... then, she is very gorgeous. While I have come to understand the tougher side to self care, I’ve also discovered my favorite form of self care is found in the kitchen. If you read my last blog post, you’ll know I am a huge foodie. Specifically, a foodie with a long list of food allergies and sensitivities. This just means that going out to eat can sometimes be tricky, I can’t always order whatever I want on the menu and it tends to get a bit frustrating.

When I discovered the challenges to eating out, I decided I had to make eating in just as special of an experience. There, the tradition was born of Sunday self care brunch. It may seem simple, to take your time and make a nice breakfast on the weekends, but this small act of self care has really helped me in both physical and mental aspects of my wellness journey. Taking the time to prepare some pretty food for yourself provides a unique sense of comfort. I love innovating to create alternative recipes that I can enjoy just as much as the OG dishes I used to.

So, these waffles are vegan and gluten-free for all my fellow food sensitive friends (but I promise I have plenty of non vegan friends that love them too). They’re one of the recipes I’ve created during my self care brunch time and just require you to add all the ingredients to a blender, it’s that simple.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! Here is the recipe and method for my self care waffles:

Chocolate Caramel Protein Waffles

(serves 1)

• ¾ cup of oats

• 1 scoop of vegan vanilla protein (I love the brand Nuzest)

• 1 tbsp of cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

• 1 tsp maca powder (you can get this from Whole Foods or Amazon!)

• ½ tbsp date syrup (or maple syrup)

• 1 tbsp applesauce

• ¼ tsp flaxseed

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• ⅓ cup almond milk (or any other milk you have)

Method:

• Add your oats to the blender first & blend to create oat flour. Then add all your other ingredients and blend till you form a slightly thick batter consistency (you might need a little more milk than listed)

• I greased a mini waffle maker with coconut oil and made about 2 & ½ waffles, but I believe it would make ½ regular sized waffle!

• I topped mine with strawberries, almond butter cacao nibs and maple syrup - but do whatever you’re feeling that day!

Hope you all enjoy it! If you recreate, I’d love for you to share & tag @tanya_tastes or message me a photo. :)