As much as I love my protein pancakes, sometimes it’s just nice to mix it up a little.

As a kid, I loved Belgian waffles—you know, those giant ones packed with flour and sugar and topped with gobs of whipped cream and strawberries.

The only problem with regular Belgian waffles? Not only are they not so good for you (each waffle with toppings can have 500 fairly empty calories or more), they also don’t fill you up for very long and leave you feeling like you just ate a giant pile of dough and sugar (which, in fact, you did) afterwards.

So that’s why, after craving one of these carb-filled waffles one day, I got the inspiration to make protein waffles. Because, why not? The first batch was a disaster—it stuck to my waffle maker and I was left with very little edible waffle. But the second batch? It was amazing.

Packed with protein and healthy fats to keep you full, these waffles are light and airy, with a delicious and perfectly crunchy outside. Seriously, they taste like you’re indulging in the real thing, only you don’t feel like you just ate a week’s worth of carbs after eating them!

Sold yet? Yeah, I thought so. Here’s the recipe for high protein flax waffles:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup vanilla whey protein

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup gluten-free old fashioned oats (quick oats will work too)

3/4 cup egg whites

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

Directions:

Spray or brush your waffle maker with a little non-stick oil, and start heating it up. While the waffle maker is heating, blend all the ingredients together so you have a nice, semi-liquidy mixture. Try and get all the cottage cheese chunks out if you can.

Pour the waffle mix into your waffle maker, then cook until slightly golden. If you like your waffles extra crunchy, feel free to leave them in just a little longer.

Add your toppings and eat!

Macros (per one giant waffle of the three you get from the recipe):

Calories: 142

Protein: 16g

Carbs: 12.5g

Fat: 3.5g

Fiber: 2.5g