Lately I’ve noticed a recurring message in my life. I’m hearing it flow from my own mouth in conversations with students, intermingled with yogic notions and encouragement from my favorite yoga teacher, and woven through the witty dialogue in an episode of GIRLS. The message is simple but hefty: seek opportunities outside of your comfort zone and find comfort within your discomfort. It comes from the idea that when you’re comfortable, you become stagnant and when you’re uncomfortable, you’re growing and changing. As my yoga teacher so thoughtfully proposed Saturday morning: you currently have and possess all that you need to be your greatest self; it’s the discomfort you seek that ignites positive change and clears away the personal grime that stands in your way from becoming the truest expression of yourself. Be it bad habits, fear, or uncertainty, letting these excuses keep you where you’re most comfortable will prohibit you from becoming the person you are capable of being.
When I look at the things I’m most proud of in my life, it’s impossible to deny that each of them was attained only after reigning in the fears of my doubts and discomforts. If I didn’t take risks, be it big or small, I wouldn’t have the things that make me the happiest. My job. My sweet husband. My love for yoga. My blog. Each of these started as something completely outside of my comfort zone and, by taking a risk and making myself uncomfortable, each of them has become a formative element of my life.
You don’t need to make monumental shifts in your life to reap the benefits of change. One small step outside of you comfort zone everyday will yield miles of personal growth over time. It might sound silly, but going to a new coffee shop by myself is still outside of my comfort zone. During my work-free summer months, I often find myself becoming stagnant with a routine of working out, blogging, tv-watching, and socializing. While all of these things are great, I’ve realized that when I push myself to shake up my schedule in the tiniest of ways (e.g., new coffee shop), I’m happier because I’m growing and changing. The perfect time to infuse change into your life is when you find yourself falling prey to the habits of your routines.
Speaking of routines, habits, and comfort zones…
Biscuits? Way outside of my comfort zone. Baking? Almost always outside of my comfort zone. Baking + biscuits = feeling doomed upon entry into the kitchen. However, taking such a risk and creating such a recipe turned out to be incredibly rewarding. These rosemary-cheddar biscuits are something to write home about. Warm, buttery, and comforting enough to shed light on your discomfort- and change-seeking days.
Biscuits: Tastebuds as Change: Life. Somehow the former always improves upon the latter. An analogy about life all wrapped up in biscuit form.
- 6 small tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 cup plain almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons earth balance or other vegan butter, cold + cubed
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 ounces vegan cheddar cheese, grated
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place tomatoes on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest.
- Increase oven temperature to 450°.
- In a small bowl, combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar to form a curdled "buttermilk."
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Work the cold, cubed butter into the dry ingredients with fingers. You'll know it's evenly dispersed when a coarse meal forms.
- Gently mix in the cheddar cheese and rosemary.
- Add in the buttermilk and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop dough in 12 equal mounds onto baking sheet.
- Top each mound of dough with a roasted tomato slice.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
- Enjoy and store leftovers in fridge or freezer.
Those are so pretty!
I am dying to reach into the screen and grab one now! I would like you to make those for an upcoming event. Love, Mom
These look fantastic! I loooooove biscuits so much, I’m definitely going to try this recipe. Especially since you can’t go wrong with a cheddar rosemary combo.
Thanks so much! Your comments are always so enthusiastic and humbling :)