Today is my birthday. I’m now closer to fifty than forty, which is something I’m still in disbelief about. Happy Birthday to me. Sigh.

There are usually two times a year that I think of healthy eating. One is on New Year’s Day, and the other is my birthday, roughly three months later. And it’s not that I don’t think of healthy eating on other days, but those two days are often associated with implementing changes that hopefully stick with me and help me stick around longer. I have high cholesterol, so I do have to watch my animal fat intake. I’ve been eating more salads for lunch and so I’ve already eaten more vegetables than ever before this year.

Today my brother and nieces came over and we ate brunch. One of my nieces doesn’t eat eggs, and the other one is sensitive to dairy products and gluten-containing foods.

So I thought it was time to give another vegan and gluten-free recipe a try! I used this recipe. I used the baking soda/apple sauce option to make it vegan, in addition to being gluten-free! And I’m surprised how easy it was to make, and how I wasn’t disappointed with the results. I’m not about to go vegan or gluten-free, but I’m happy to try recipes here and there that don’t disappoint. I’ll definitely be making these again.

(Important: Please ignore the fact that the mis en place picture below features a cup of mixed berries, not blueberries. I was going to make that substitution, but right before mixing decided that some of the berries would be too big for mini muffins! Carry on…)

Blueberry Muffins (24 mini muffins, vegan and gluten-free)

ingredients:

• 2 Cups Almond Flour
• 1 tsp baking soda + 1/4 cup of apple sauce
• 1/4 Cup Agave (Maple Syrup or Stevia)
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dash of Salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or Other Healthy Oil)
• 1 Cup Blueberries

 

method:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
• Place all ingredients excluding blueberries into your food processor and blend until smooth.
• Once completely mixed fold in blueberries.
• Spray muffin tin or mini muffin tin with a healthy, non-stick cooking spray.
• Evenly scoop batter into muffin tin.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
• Enjoy!

One of my coworkers has a birthday tree by his desk, where he makes and hangs ornaments representing each person in the office having a birthday for the month on the tree. Yesterday, he gave me the ornament he made for my birthday. Isn’t it just precious!!? I love how the cake is already frosted and decorated, too! Ha!