Steering by Starlight creates Big Magic

Absorbing knowledge from Elizabeth Gilbert & Martha Beck is an incredible experience. Having to share was intimidating (As Liz said “And still. She Persists”).

For reasons I’ll never understand, Liz got sucked to me and Beth (my partner) “like a vortex”. And since I persisted in a room of over 600 people, I'm compelled. Pulled even, to now share this with the rest of the 7 billion people I’m a part of here on Earth. Fuck it!

This was a Celebrate Your Life conference. Liz walked us through an intense letter writing exercise. I apologize in advance. Words on a screen can’t express the true essence of the experience. (So get your booty to the next CYL gathering.) It’s the only way to feeeel the impact.

We paired up with a stranger. Complete stranger. Liz guided us through 6 letters we were going to write to ourselves. From the voices within. 1.) Courage (through fear) 2.) Enchantment 3.) Permission 4.) Persistence 5.) Trust 6.) Divinity. She led us to the voices within us. We realize later what she's pointing out. What we are feeling as individuals always comes with a different tone of voice. But what’s REALLY interesting, is collectively our voices were all the same. We had different stories. Yet our tones were collective for over 600 people. For each of the 6 letters, every single one. “What is that? I. Don’t. Knnnnow.” What I do know is that it’s LOVE in its truest form.

I almost didn’t write what I spoke. There’s a defined spot in my writing where I had this inner dialouge. “I don’t wanna write that down. I don’t wanna say it out loud.” “Rob, there’s over 600 people here. Why would you have to say it? Just write it down.” “You’re right. Ok.” Still, Liz came and sat at our feet (wow… humbled). Without further adieu, my letter to persistence (while Beth & Liz hold me):

Dear Rob,

I am your persistence.

Back the fuck up. We’ve done amazing things together. Incredible things. We have brought ourselves back from pure darkness. Without a support group. Between us and a dog, we faced death and said “Not Yet”. We’ve overcome the long arduous path they call the journey to your soul. We became a warrior together. And instead of praying for death, we looked at ourselves (yep, by the damn water) and stood UP. And said “NO! Let’s give us ONE more chance. To see life in a different light.” We are a survivor.

We’ve overcome being a workaholic. We’ve played in a time you lived in 176 squarefeet. We’ve driven across New Zealand alone in an RV for 2 weeks. We’ve finished college even though we napped through most of it. We’ve moved - 10 fucking times. We’ve lived alone & survived. We’ve hiked mountains and peaks and summits. We’ve launched our site.

Love,
P. (Persistence)

Speaking this into a mic was severely intimidating. (Beth, my partner, would agree). I didn’t completely realize the impact. I lacked the courage to look up at the room when I finished. Yet many of you had the courage to approach me, an emotional stranger. To thank me. Wow. Now THAT was overwhelmingly beautiful. What started was true friendships. Through the sharing of pain.

I may be in a healthier place than the time I thought was the last shot of my life. But now I have a soft heart for others that are lost in their own darkness. If you’re wandering, I know, persist. It IS beautiful on the other side. I promise.

If you feel like you don’t know where your joy went, I know, persist. Stop looking for it. Participate in the wacky goofy things that light you up inside. The same scared crying hysterically intimidated girl who spoke of facing death, is also the same girl who started the conga line. Simply because I told my bestie “I kinda wanna conga.” Whether or not anyone followed. Didn’t matter. Body said CONGA! We would’ve done it if it was the 2 of us. (Fist bump Brooke) Persist. We looked back and saw a conga line that wrapped around the entire conference room! CONGA!

Thank you to all the people who approached me. Thank you for all the love even if we never talked. Thank you to those who wanted to CONGA! Thank you to all that wanted one of my stickers. Wasn’t that FUN? Let’s do it again!

Love,
Waffle

My all time bestie Brooke Smith (far right), my partner in Persistence Beth Duncan (middle), & I'll let you guess which one is me (*cough cough* Waffle)

Are you out of time & trying to eat healthy?

Everyone I’ve encountered has a food story. Full of challenges, hardships & joy. Currently my challenge is I’m cooking on a hot plate. But this ‘story’ started much earlier.

I love cooking. The sound of the oils spewing through the air when I squeeze a lemon. The smell, omg, the aroooma. Of sautéing onions and garlic. Hits us right in the nose and reminds our stomachs how hungry we are.

There was a problem though. I didn't cook well and I was now curious about why I kept getting sick at such a young age. Desperate and tired of doctor appointments I went way out of my comfort zone. I saw a homeopathic doctor. My "prescription" was eat less gluten and do a detox style of yoga (like hot yoga). Since this was before gluten-free everything, I found my story one soda, one fast-food joint, one plate lunch, one processed snack at a time.

My food journey started with poached eggs and Jimmy Dean sausages. Several boring and starving months later, I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack before I was 30. Since then, I've been searching for wholesome TASTY food in a very slow fashion. Like I said, one thing at a time.

Things didn’t change dramatically until I found myself back home on Kauai. We pondered if we should go veggie cause meat and dairy there requires payment of at least 1 arm & 1 leg... even at CostCo.  I had to change the whole way I cooked. If it didn't taste good, I would snob it away like most 1st world problems. Yummy plant based diet food? Does that exist?

Shit. How do I do this? I have one hot plate in our 176 squarefoot "home" (at my parents office). And one hot plate and a toaster oven in the office kitchen we share with the employees.

I thought THAT was hard. At least it had a sink. Wanting a better quality of life, we're now living in my boyfriends parents basement. With only one burner & a blender. Yes, I could share his parents kitchen. But what occurred to me on Kauai, was how many people live like this. With kids even.

So again, it's a legit question. How does one feed their family healthy wholesome food with one burner & one blender? Where are the delicious plant based diet recipes? It’s important to encourage ourselves and our families by eating as healthy as possible.

Every now & then, on Taste.Every.Morsel. I'll share with you my favorite recipes. Especially easy plant-based diet recipes anyone can do… with one burner and one blender and an occasional toaster oven. I'll include any tips or revisions I've made. (My boyfriend tends to eat like he's Dan Aykroyd in Coneheads.) If you haven’t signed up for Taste.Every.Morsel., you should. It’s gonna be fun.

For now, I'll leave you with one of our favorite staples: Miso Mushrooms!!!

If all you have is a hot plate, use the Waffle Version:
Although Heather Crosby’s recipe is for a wrap, we really enjoy the mushrooms in our salad. Here’s Waffle’s recipe using the same Miso Mushrooms.

4 large Portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced into 1″ wide lengths

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 t liquid smoke
2 tbsp miso

Salad Ingredients:
Marinated Mushrooms
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
¼ Red Onion, sliced
1 can Garbanzo Beans, drained & rinsed
(Use dried & soaked chickpeas if possible. But if you live like me, can it.)
Balsamic dressing of your choice
(Make yourself if possible.)
Feta (optional)

1.) Mix all the marinade ingredients together. (See Waffle Tip#1)
2.) Soak sliced Portobello mushrooms with marinade overnight.
3.) Saute Mushroom with oil of your choice. I used Coconut Oil.
4.) Mix the remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. DELICIOUS! (and DONE!)

Waffle Tip #1: Because our fridge was also a mini fridge, we soaked our mushrooms in a gallon sized plastic bag. If you feel like you don’t have room to line up your mushrooms in a single row, try this. Dump the ingredients for the marinade in the bag. Seal the bag. Massage the bag till the ingredients are mixed. Add the mushrooms. Toss the bag in the fridge and let it soak overnight.

Waffle Tip #2: We use the Mushroom Marinade on crimini’s as well.

Waffle Tips #3: Don’t stop at a salad. Get creative. Where else can you add these mushrooms? A quiche? Breakfast scramble? Sandwiches? On top your veggie burger?

Waffle Tip #4: Sometimes we soak mushrooms for a last minute meal. We’re not sure when we’ll eat them since those crazy days never come announced. But they are ready for us when we need them most.

Waffle Tip #5: Yes, I used double the mushrooms in the same amount of marinade. It still tastes great and gives me the bulk I need to keep Jake full.

If you have a full kitchen, I recommend Heather Crosbys (YumUniverse.com) version:

Ingredients:
Two large Portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced into 1″ wide lengths
Gluten-free brown rice tortillas
Roasted Garlic & Lemon Aioli
Unrefined, virgin coconut oil (optional)
Greens like kale or mixed spring greens
1 cup soaked, cooked quinoa (optional, start with 1/3 cup dry/soaked)

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 t liquid smoke
2 tbsp miso
2 tbsp olive oil

Whisk together marinade in a small bowl and transfer to glass baking dish.

Place sliced Portobellos into your marinade and place in the fridge for 8-12 hours (covered or uncovered, your choice).

Heat skillet to medium and add a dollop of coconut oil (or use veggie stock). Add marinated mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Flip and sauté other side for 5 minutes.

While sautéing, steam tortillas for 1-3 minutes until soft. Lay on a plate and spread on some aioli.

Add cooked mushrooms, greens and quinoa if using.

For more tips, options & the recipe for Roasted Garlic & Lemon Aioli, click here to visit yumuniverse.com. Heather Crosby is amazing and her food is delicious.

Now leave me a comment below. I’d love to know how you like the mushrooms and what creative way you’ll be using them.

Happy Health Day,
Waffle

Top 10 Ways to Encourage Yourself

It's been a week & I'm still here.

Sounds pathetic, I know. But I'm proud. Still on schedule. Those of you with hectics lives will understand how difficult staying on schedule is these days.

These are the things that help me to stay on schedule. That might seem counter-intuitive, but it does work for me.

Now these are my personal ones, yours may be different. But I'm hoping that mine can give you a platform to start. I believe its foundational to have a better relationship with yourself. This is how I've done it... heck, DO it. I work on this stuff daily. Let's go over them really quickly shall we?

10.) Know Which Feelings Drive You.

I recommend reading ‘The Desire Map’ by Danielle LaPorte. She puts into clear perspective why you feel like you’re in a rat race in the first place. Then she flips you upside down. Smacks you upside the head. Then kisses you on the forehead and says you’re beautiful… move forward. Core Desired Feelings first.

There is nothing more encouraging than understanding why you desire very specific feelings. Screw working at places that make me feel trapped, I’m now focused on being Fluid. Ahhhhhh… see… doesn’t that sound like a load off? Read it, you won’t regret it.

9.) Brew Yourself A Cozy Cup of...

Don’t wait to feel bad to have nice hot cup of tea or coffee. I love you Sheldon, but I’m not waiting to feel crappy. Whatever it is... make it feel soothing to you.

8.) Turn on your grooviest tunes.

Doesn’t matter what. What matters is that it’s that kind of music your body starts to have a mind of it’s own. Even if it’s as simple as a tap of your foot or the sway of your head.

Listen to that beat… get IN that beat. Lose yourself in it. When it’s your jams, you can’t but help feel empowered. Be prepared. Have a specific playlist ready for you at any emergency moment when you need it most. I have ‘We are the Champions’ by Queen on mine. Fist pumps in the air always seem to have a way of making me feel like a superhero. Yeah!

7.) Put Your Super Hero Outfit On

When you feel you’re worst, look your best. One of my best friends, Janel, taught me this. I’m TERRIBLE at this. Hey, I’m being honest. There’s nothing more soothing to me than hanging out in my yoga pants, hair not done, no make-up, popcorn, & a Netflix binge. I obviously love movies & shows.

Changing my look simply changes my vibe… PUSHING me to change my trajectory. Being comfortable is not always the best thing for action.

6.) Feed Your Soul

Cook yourself a super healthy tasty meal. Sound corny? Well, try it. The key here is not, ‘Oh, I gotta go to the store. Gotta make a healthy meal. I’ve been off the wagon so you know how it goes… gotta get back on.” OMG are you snoring yet? Cause I am! That sounds like a terrible meal. No offense but no thank you. Please don’t invite me over for dinner.

Make dinner fun. Listen to your grooves. Get in a dance session. Don't cook anything that's too much work for you. Start a collection of the ones that work for you. Substitute what works for you. Don't expect your ideal meal plan to come from someone else. Create it. Great healthy fresh food tastes bomb diggity. But it might take some trail & error till you find what works for you.

(Some of you may have to trust me on this one. Don’t worry. I’ll share with you some of my favorite recipes from time to time. Deliciousness counts as art & should be spread.)

5.) Fill Your Space With Joy

You know yourself best. This is GREAT NEWS! No one can encourage you better. Fill your space. Fill your head. Fill your ears. Fill the aromas in your room. Everything in your surroundings should be encouraging. If it’s not. Get rid of it. Don’t forget to share with others in your house. They may have their own joy that equally need the space.

Post a mantra. A song line that moves you. A movie quote that makes you want to save the galaxy. Post them on your mirror. Put them at your desk. Have one in your wallet.

Hell, put them EVERYWHERE. What you focus on is what you’ll receive. We’re human. We need reminders. I know I need a good slap-in-the-face when times get tough. Snap me back in the game… find my inner Rick.

4.) Be Grateful

Have you ever read, ‘How to make every man want you?’ by Marie Forleo? If not, it’s great. Everyone should read it. Even men. She has a chapter in there where she talks about how un-irresistible it is to be a complainer.

Marie leaves you with this challenge. Become aware of how many times you complain. Whether it’s in your head or out loud. For a whole day. Since I like to make things extra challenging, I approached my boyfriend. I said, 'Hey, I’d like to do this challenge with you.' We called it ‘no complaint week’. It’s eye-opening. Holy cow. I am a *cough cough* complainer.

I still practice gratefulness. I find I'm more encouraged and I also like listening to myself more. Thanks Marie.

3.) Focus on Your Strengths

There is nothing more empowering than knowing what you’re good at. Why? Cause so many of us are great at things and we’re not even aware of it. Everyone needs to push their boundaries of understanding how they tick. Don’t lie. You’re curious anyways.

Get yourself ‘Now, Discover your Strengths’ by Donald O. Clifton and Sally Byrne Woodbridge. Take the evaluation. This evaluation was eye-opening for me. It brought out how different my apple is from my tree. There’s nothing wrong with my apple. There’s nothing wrong with my tree. But our thought processes are stark different. This empowered me to trust myself more. My strengths allowed me to encourage myself to be more of me.

2.) Create Better Labels

Look up Tony Robbin’s RPM (Rapid Planning Method). No I have never been able to go to a Tony Robbins seminar. Gotta love YouTube.

It took me some time to understand this. But when I got it… OMG… slap-in-the-face.

Tony says when we have ‘chores’ we’ve kinda already put ourselves in this mindset of uuuuuggggghhhhh. Let’s face it. Some things in life feel uuuuuuuughhhhh. We need to flip the switch.

Now I put meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking under one category: Emotional & Physical Warrior Princess… TRALALALALALALALALALALALALA. Yes, this is one of my calendars. It’s nuts. It’s full of color & the craziest categories ever.

Suddenly I found healthy cooking a positive challenge. I found a way to make my meals healthy & yummy so I could BE an Emotional & Physical Warrior Princess… TRALALALALALALALALALALALALA.

All I was doing was reframing how I saw doing those errands. I simplified them by putting all 3 tasks under the same category. Then I changed my verbiage to something that inspired me & made me want to… well… TRALALALALALALALALALALALALA! I’m still floored how well this worked. You gotta try it.

1.) Be Compassionate to Yourself.

Stop the inner chatter. Let’s face it. We are mean to ourselves. Have you ever stopped to listen to yourself? You are insane. We all are. Luckily, it’s chatter. It doesn’t actually mean anything. That is if you don’t let it. Find something that helps you stop this chatter. For some people it might be surfing. For others it’s meditation. You need to find that thing that brings you to your own center. Your own definition of personal peace.

Oprah & Deepok Chopra have these great free online 21-day meditations. They come out every now and again. I love them. They always seems to hit the spot. It calms me. It releases the tension I carry in my heart when I become I control freak. It reminds me to BREATH. Do you have any idea how easy it is to hold your breath when you’re stressed? So much so you don’t even know you’re doing it. Till someone comes along and says take a DEEP breath in, all the way, until your lungs are full. Hold it for a couple of seconds. Now breath out, ALLLLLLL the way, until you’re out of air. Now do it again. And again. And again.

I find no better encouragement than a clear mind. When I feel clear, I feel fluid. My Core Desired Feelings are accomplished. I trust myself and my decisions more. For me, there’s no better way to find encouragement quicker. 15-20 minutes a day and I make better sound decisions for the entire day? Sounds like an infomercial. But it’s not. Give it a try. And it’s free. No shipping required.

These are my top 10 ways to encourage myself. They may not work for you, but I’m hoping that someone finds value even in one of these tips. Sometimes encouragement is all we need. Why wait for others to give it to you. Give it to yourself. Start now. You have so much to give. Show up for yourself. You’ll love the results.

Join my newsletter & receive a printable Poster and/or Postcards. I've designed these Top 10 Ways to Encourage Yourself so you can keep them with you. Don't worry, I thought about your printer ink too. Don't worry, they are also super cute. I recommend printing them on cardstock to make them more Oooo-La-La.

Love
Waffle

It's International Waffle Day on the 25th & I'm NOT launching?

Vat? It's Vaffeldagen. Vhy don't you launch?

Well. I'm practicing. I want to produce good content... no, GREAT. Still, you would think when you call your company Waffle Art, Waffle Day would be the perfect launch day. I mean COME ON... Eating many waffles to celebrate the beginning of spring? Perfect day. Yeah... said me since 2013.

2018 is the year I mean it. So I REFUSE and OBJECT to launch my newsletter Taste.Every.Morsel. on the perfect day. In B-School, Marie Forleo taught us #progressnotperfection. Way cool. Waffle may not have launched yet. But Waffle has not left the field of progress. Working on Waffle never stopped. Elizabeth Gilbert taught me to be a 'Forever Student'. THAT, I can have the confidence to say I am.

So nope, this isn't my launch. This IS my practice. Today is Thursday. Taste.Every.Morsel. will be published on Thursdays. This IS my practice. This is me, encouraging myself. This IS my practice.

And I'm ok with that.

March 25th, 2018 - Happy Vaffeldagen Everyone!

Love
Waffle