Recipe frist. Story Later!!!

What’s in a Chaffle?

1 egg

1 cup shredded mild cheddar

⅛ teaspoon baking powder

That’s it.

Plug in the waffle maker. When the light goes off it's ready. I put a little olive oil on the heating element.
1/4 cup of the mixture goes into the waffle maker. Close it and the light will come back on. Once the light is off again you're ready to move your waffle. It will be steaming hot!! Be careful!! I put them on a cooling rack and once they are cool and crispy I carefully slice them in half for sandwiches, burgers, chicken thighs, you name it. 

You can store them in the fridge but I recommend popping them back into the waffle maker to warm them up. Cool on the bakers rack again and slice them when they’re crispy. The resistance is helpful to get a good clean slice. Here are a pic of my very first chaffle. 

Beautiful Grain Free Cheesy Waffle!!!

Can I possibly still be learning new things about the keto lifestyle more than 2 years in? YUP!

Can I still be learning about my BODY after almost 44 YEARS? You Bet!!

Do you know people who follow this way of eating for a few weeks and think they’ve mastered it?  I’m here to tell you no way! 

I came down with a fever on July 27th. Hit me like a ton of bricks. No symptoms, just achy. I was in full-blown nutritional ketosis yet gained a pound a day for several days. Yes! I gained 6 pounds in 5 days WHILE IN KETOSIS. My body did NOT care. I was in a health crisis and my body was focused on that. 

Lesson: If you're eating on plan, drinking your water, following your macros and not losing? Your body is handling more important stuff. Stay the course and be patient. 

I ended up in a full-body rash which landed me in the ER to ultimately be admitted for testing. Testing that has so far led to no conclusion.

After being discharged from the hospital and continuing to stay keto despite the carb-laden hospital food I proceeded to lose 9 pounds in 5 days. How is that even possible? I stayed the course. I trusted my nutrition and allowed my body to heal itself and not fight against food and ingredients that I was not used to eating (even though I truly thought I earned those hostess cupcakes). 

After a few days of being home some of you know, I had a delivery that included an item I put in the Amazon cart during the middle of the night hospital stay. The MINI Waffle Maker!! 

 Last week I told you how I made my zucchini bread into mini waffles!. What I learned in the last week is my sensitivity to coconut flour. YUP! That’s what I learned. Brand new to me. I’ve eaten the coconut zucchini bread in the past and never noticed anything. Keeping my diet so clean as I continue to heal is what made the difference here.

I ate one waffle. The only new thing in my diet. Up a half a pound the next day. Didn’t think much of it as our weight fluctuates based on our water consumption, what’s literally in our stomachs at the time, how much salt we had in the days prior.

Ate another waffle. Gained another ½ pound. OK time to test it out...No waffle, next day down ½ pound. And the same the following day. If I wasn’t being so careful about what I was eating I would never have noticed!! I was like AREYOUKIDDINGME? 

Lesson: Just because it’s Keto doesn’t mean it’s Keto for ME! (Or you. We’re all mystical creatures who are different in so many lovely ways)

This brings me to the BASIC CHAFFLE! You guys! This is the item that once I tried it I texted my husband and told him “You’re gonna fall in love with me all over again!!” I was right!!! 

Bay-Gull!!! #dadjoke

This is by popular demand!

My husband has been making us keto everything bagels fro a while now. He took a recipe he found online and it has slowly but surely evolved to it’s own delicious self. No big story. No fanfare. Now go ahead and make yourselves some bagels!!
Recipe:
1 cup of water
1 packet of Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast - Follow the directions on the packet for blooming the yeast.

1 tsp of real honey (this doesn't get added to carb count, as it is eaten by the yeast)
4 Tbsp. of Swerve Confectioner-style sweetner
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 Cup Oat Fiber
2/3 Cup Ground Golden Flax Meal
1 1/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 tsp of Xanthum Gum
1 tsp of salt
2 Tbsp. of softened butter.


Instructions for Bread Mixer:

Microwave water for 10 seconds at a time. It should be between 105* and 110*
Add honey and mix to dissolve.
Add yeast and mix to dissolve

Cover with a towel and place somewhere warm for 10 minutes to bloom. I just throw mine in the microwave. (Don’t turn it on)
Add mixture to bread machine.
Mix all the ingredients in the order listed above
Turn on bread maker to bagel dough setting. This will be a 1:30 hr cycle. After it's done, let sit for another hour.

BAGELS

Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I used a scale to be extra precise, but it’s not necessary). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms (as pictured below). Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.

Press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.

After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce heat. Use a slotted spoon or ‘spider’ to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top. Let them boil for two minutes then flip them and let them boil for one minute another. Total boil time 3 minutes.

I like them topped with Trader Joe’s Everything but the bagel seasoning. If you want to top your bagels with stuff, you will need to use an egg wash to get the toppings to stick before putting the bagels into the oven.

Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (NOT wax paper)

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before storing.  We sometimes set an alarm for 5 minutes to keep from tearing into them right away.

If you choose to freeze these I would suggest cutting them, freeze them, and then wrap them very carefully, with a few layers of cling wrap.

There aren’t any preservatives in these so they only last a few days before they start to mold over. You can also keep them in the fridge. They’re amazing toasted with butter!!

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A rainy day calls for some comfort food! My 14 year old loves corn dogs, and I love to recreate recipes he loves in a way that is keto friendly. This recipe make 12 Servings, and would make a fantastic appetizer! Lunch box friendly, and nut free too!!

Ingredients

1/3 cup Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons golden flaxmeal
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
5 large eggs
2 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream
¼ teaspoon spicy brown mustard
3 hot dogs, cut into 4 equal pieces

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350*

Line cupcake tin with cupcake paper wrappers.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl
Mix thoroughly with a hand mixer. 
Transfer batter 1 tablespoon at a time to a paper lined mini muffin pan
Place one piece of hot dog into each muffin cup
Bake at 350°F for 20-24 minutes
Cool 15 minutes
Serve with spicy brown mustard!

Nutritional Information (Per Muffin)

Calories: 123
Fat: 9g
Net Carbs: 2
Protein: 5g

XOXO ~ Cat