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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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October 9, 2025

🥣 Warm Foods to Take the Chill Off Fall

As the Midwest air turns crisp and daylight fades earlier, it’s natural to crave warmth — both in what we wear and what we eat. Fall invites us to

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Food, Health
October 2, 2025

A Star Ingredient for Flavorful Meals

In last week’s blog, I wrote about a variety of spices that add warmth to fall dishes. I had a question from a reader about how to use star anise. S

admink
Food, Health
September 25, 2025

Fall Spices That Warm the Season

As the air turns crisp and leaves begin to scatter the sidewalks, many of us automatically think of pumpkin spice. It seems to be in everything from l

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Food, Health
September 18, 2025

When Healthy Habits Don’t Add Up

You exercise regularly. Your plate is full of colorful fruits and vegetables. You’ve swapped fried foods for lean protein, cut back on sugar, and ev

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Health, Hope
September 11, 2025

How to Eat Healthier at Any Restaurant

Eating out doesn’t have to derail your health goals. Whether you’re grabbing a bite at your favorite local diner or trying a new international bis

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Food, Health, Hope
September 4, 2025

Mr. Corn Visits Indiana

It’s that time of year again when my dear cousin, Roger, visits from Florida. He visits now because the sweet corn is amazing here in Indiana. For y

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Blog
August 28, 2025

7 Late Summer Wellness Tips

The nights and days are cooler. Darkness comes earlier. The sky looks like fall. I even saw some leaves in Michigan that had turned brilliant red. How

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Blog
August 21, 2025

What to Do with All That Zucchini

Yesterday, my friend Lisa presented me with a zucchini that looked as though it had taken growth hormones. It was gigantic! She told me that she grate

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Food, Fun, Health
August 14, 2025

Echoes of Summer

Can you feel the shift? The days are steamy–yet the calendar is getting a bit crowded with commitments that pair better with the cooler days of

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Food, Fun, Health
August 7, 2025

August Anxiety. Sunscreen vs. School Bells

This time of year, I feel a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, summer is in full swing. The flowers are thriving, temperatures still soar, and ther

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Family, Health, Personal Development

Gluten Free Bread

December 30, 2018
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Everything Else

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups Namaste Foods Perfect Flour Blend
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, any kind (I like unsweetened, plain almond milk)
  • 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup finely ground tapioca flour*
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water (Dissolve yeast in a water temperatures between 110°F – 115°F for best results)  

Directions

Mix yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. Warm milk, add cider vinegar, oil, and honey. Beat eggs and add to milk mixture. Add yeast mixture to milk mixture and blend. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and blend on medium speed with electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour into well oiled/buttered loaf pan. Cover loosely with sprayed waxed paper or plastic wrap and towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic wrap and towel. Cover bread loosely with foil tent to prevent over browning and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

*Tapioca flour is also known as tapioca starch. You may substitute cornstarch OR arrowroot for the tapioca flour, if you prefer. I have only made this recipe using the tapioca flour.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 30, 2018
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Treats

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened, smooth almond butter
  • 1/2 cup canned 100% pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/3 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, almond butter, pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly mix the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Combine until cookie dough forms, then stir in the chocolate chips. If dough is too sticky and difficult to work with, chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Once dough is chilled, roll into balls, or use a small cookie scoop. Place scoops on cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper, for easy cleanup. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they are set. Be careful not to overbake. Remove from oven and let set for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer. I store my cookies in the freezer, as they are always soft enough to eat immediately.

*Homemade pumpkin pie spice: 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Tips for Your New Year’s Resolve

December 27, 2018
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Health, Hope, Personal Development

As we count down to the arrival of another year, most of us have the desire to start fresh with some part of our lives–or all of them.

How about you? Anything you’d like to switch up this year?

I’ve said for a very long time now that resolutions (like diets) don’t work. The reason is because we make those resolutions out of context of real life.

Things can go really well for a few weeks, maybe even a couple months. Then, an aging parent needs additional help, the “senior” dog leaves messes on the carpet (we’ve been dealing with this one lately), or everyone in the family has the stomach flu at the same time.

Real life is the norm. The “perfect” life is a fantasy and we all know it. We pretend it’s REAL, and  then wonder why we lose our resolve.

Some of you may be wondering if your intentions for 2019 stand even the slightest chance of surviving through the winter.

They do if you take into consideration real life.

Here are some tips for maintaining your real-life healthy resolutions:

*Set reasonable goals that set you up for success. Planning to work out an hour a day, seven days week, is not realistic when you are getting started. Schedule two or three “appointments” to exercise in your week. Once it becomes routine, increase the time and/or frequency. Finding activities you enjoy are critical to longevity.

*Include some protein for breakfast. Getting your day off to a good start nutritionally sets you up for good energy and smart choices throughout the entire day.  

*Have about five “go-to” dinner menus that you can get on the table in 30 minutes or less. Keep the necessary ingredients on hand so you can switch into autopilot cooking mode. Save those new recipes you’d like to experiment with for weekends when you may have more time. Meal prepping is extremely helpful to do on weekends as well.

*Focus on one or two habits at a time. A confused mind says “no” and gives up when overwhelm sets in. Trying to do too much all at once is the cause of many resolution failures. Think baby steps.

*Give yourself grace to be imperfect. It’s okay to do what you can do, even if it’s not what you had hoped. Take care of yourself the best you can so you are able to help with the needs of others. You may get the protein in for breakfast, but because of real life stuff, getting to the gym isn’t happening. Let it go and start fresh tomorrow.

Last January I made the intention to meditate on a regular basis. Although I wasn’t perfect, I experienced more focus-on-breathing-in-the-moment times in one year than ever before. Taking time for stillness results in higher productivity, so I’m sticking with it.

If you could use some help finding clarity and figuring out what makes sense for you to work on in 2019, let me know. I’m here to hold you accountable and remind you that what you do on a daily basis matters. This is your life.

Cheers to your best year ever,
Coach Carol

Resolve: firm determination to do something.

The Magic of Passion and Purpose

December 20, 2018
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Christmas, Health, Personal Development

Health is a priceless commodity. While food and exercise are at the top of the list of contributing to good health, passion and purpose are right up there alongside them.

So, while I’m all about eating lots of vegetables and going to the gym, today I’m focusing on passion and purpose.

Imagine that you have a job that really lights you up—the kind of job that when your feet hit the floor every morning, you are over-the-moon excited to see where the day will lead.

It’s a job that requires making tough decisions, however, it’s one that you feel called to do. You meet and connect with people on a daily basis. In spite of the ups and downs, since no job is free of the roller coaster ride, you absolutely love it.

Then in a single day, it’s over. You’re done.

Some of you have been in this place, and may be there right now. The business of your dreams didn’t make it, or you’ve been let go due to downsizing…or you’re an elected official that didn’t get the votes.

As the spouse of a recently UNelected official who absolutely loved his job and didn’t get the votes, it’s painful. It’s also very public.

It’s tough to be told you cannot do what you love any longer. AND, it’s tough to know that you’re not doing the thing that lights you up.

Today, are you living a life that fulfills your passion and purpose?  

Yes, even in the midst of this busy Christmas season.

I left my job in the pharmacy in 2011 to pursue a calling that led me here. Some days, I’m not sure exactly where “here” even is. It’s that roller coaster ride—and I love it.

Life is short. If you’re not doing the thing that lights you up, why not?

On a recent call with my coach, I had to decide what I was committed to in the coming year.

I’m committed to showing up powerfully for you. As your coach, I’ll help you get back on that roller coaster, even if you aren’t sure whether it’s heading up or down—and especially when you’re too scared to get on at all.

I’ve been there. I get it. And I’m stronger because of it.  

I’d love to help you discover possibility. It’s part of the magic of the season. If you don’t believe me, watch “The Santa Clause” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or your favorite Christmas classic.

Believe in the magic of passion and purpose.

Christmas blessings and love,
Carol

 “There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”– Nelson Mandela

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