Maiah's Protein Waffle

I love this recipe because it's easy, fast, full of protein, and maybe best of all: it's a single serving recipe.  There's no temptation here to eat a second or third waffle, which is why I sometimes avoid eating waffles.  I absolutely love waffles.  Like, a million times more than pancakes.  Actually, more than almost any other food.  It is for me to eat just one, especially when it is shaped like Mickey Mouse, which is what all my waffles are.  They are just so fun to eat.

When I was a little kid, I had no concept of portion control, and I'm pretty sure I'd eat about four waffles at a time.  At least.  Growing up with a twin sister and little brothers (also twins), it was pretty much a feeding frenzy every meal time.  I distinctly remember a friend of my father visiting and remarking "Wow you kids eat a lot!"  We of course were all insanely skinny and active, but alas, as I got older I realized I can't actually eat huge portions all day long if I want to look and feel how I like to, even if the food itself is healthy.

Anyways.  Back to the waffle.  This waffle is one waffle.  One filling, high protein waffle.  It's good alone or with a drizzle of plain unsweetened applesauce.  I can promise you too that it is delicious after a long run.  I also got around to calculating the nutrition, which is listed at the bottom.  Enjoy!

Maiah's Protein Waffle

Ingredients:

1/3 cup gluten-free oats (or less--heaping 1/4 cup works fine too)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 tablespoons protein powder (I used Garden of Life Vanilla Spiced Chai)
1/4 cup egg whites or vegan egg substitute
1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter (I used Wild Friends)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1.  Food-process oats and chia seeds, then place in a bowl.

2.  Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing well.

3.  Heat waffle iron and spritz with nonstick coconut spray.  Cook until indicator light changes or it stops steaming.  Serve warm!

Notes:

I used Garden of Life Vanilla Spiced Chai protein powder.  Any vanilla protein powder will do; add in a dash of cinnamon for more flavor.  Due to my crazy sensitive stomach, I can't consume Garden of Life protein powder alone (or more than this amount at a time) but it works fine baked in with other ingredients.  Play around with your favorite!

I also used Wild Friends Honey Sunflower Seed Butter because a) it's delicious and b) it was invented by fellow University of Oregon graduates.  Go Ducks!

Lastly, add a little water if the batter is too thick, or you can get away with slightly less than 1/3 cup of the gluten-free oats.

Nutrition:
Calories: 302
Carbs: 21g
Fat: 13.2g
Protein: 22g
Sugar: 1.9g