Yesterday was an amazing morning/afternoon at the Disney Social Media Mom’s conference in Bellevue, Washington. I am so happy I was sent an invite! Truthfully, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, should I have had any worries? Not at all! Having said that…I left my good camera at home and only brought my mobile (well and my iPad), the camera inside isn’t very great…so oh well!

In the middle, surrounded by two new friends! Becca and Krystal (check out their sites!)

Krystal actually won this cutie from the table we all sat at -

Breakfast from a hotel? This was actually quite delicious and veggie friendly. The gravy was way good! Our breakfast was served to us by a wait staff – a very nice touch.

Soon enough I was enraptured…and found myself Tweeting more than I had ever before. I had so much to ponder and think about. This was a conference to remind us we are good enough, we should have big goals, that we can be moms and have business. Not only did I attend all of the conference, my attention didn’t wander. It was that good. Please, if you ever get the chance to attend any of Disney’s Social Media Moms events, GO!

OK, maybe the cute snack had my mind wandering. Walker loved it – along with the Disney balloons I brought him and Alistaire home with me.

The key-note speaker was Mindee of Juice Box Consulting (or as you might have known her, the inventor of the Boogie Wipe). Mindee is beyond an amazing speaker. Some of her sound bites should be mottos.

“You’re not juggling family and work, you’re juggling pockets of time.” “A guilt trip is a gut check ignored”. “You cannot be super mom at everything”. Her story is an affirmation that what may look perfect on the outside, rarely is inside. Being surrounded by so many other women, similar in age, living cluttered lives with never enough time and trying to do everything – I felt as if I was home. It also was a reality check that sometimes I give too much to my blogs and not enough to me or my family. Thank you, Mindee. It is appreciated.

If there is one saying I can take away from the conference for my business and my blog writing, it is this:

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends” – Walt Disney

I just need to learn better balance of my personal and business lives…..

But oh wait, this supposed to be about waffles, right? Let’s get focused

I was feeling inspired a few weekends past and made a big batch of waffles on our Belgian-style machine. I made them all up, stashed each one as made in a warm oven, meaning we got to eat all at once and not one at a time! Also, I found the waffles crisped up nicely in the oven. As for leftovers, I let them cool, then cut into quarters and freeze. Walker’s breakfasts have been easy as well, 2 halves in the toaster on defrost/toast.

Waffles can be time-consuming, but at least you get lots of leftovers!

The only downside to the recipe is they are heavier in texture. Waffles are usually “lightened up” with eggs. No loss though with some maple syrup and sunflower butter on top

Vegan Waffles

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup water
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, or other non-dairy milk
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°, heat waffle iron according to directions.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together water, coconut milk, and olive oil.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Add to the liquid ingredients, stir until just mixed.

Spritz the waffle iron with oil (a Misto sprayer works well), drop on enough batter (this will vary on what type of waffle iron you are using), and if unsure, under fill and not over filling. Close lid and cook as directed. When done, pop out, transfer to warmed oven on a rack, continue until all are done, spritzing with oil each time.

PS:

Egg free waffles won’t get the golden hue of traditional ones. Trust your nose for the smell of being done, and no more steam coming out of the waffle iron.

~Sarah

~See everyone on Monday. Lots of news coming – two giveaways are around the corner and a lot of new recipes. Enjoy your summer weekend!