Blueberry muffin is one of my favorite breakfast morning starts. I remember when I was a tween who made blueberry muffins from a box and they were a hit. It’s hard to mess up a mix! Blueberries in a can came in the mix and I remember enjoying draining them as part of the experience.
Little did I know that a blueberry muffin is so simple to make with a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen pantry! This wild blueberry muffin recipe is a delicious, low-sugar and healthy-ingredient one. I think you’ll go wild over it if you give it a try! 🫐
With flour, milk, and blueberries, you can bake muffins. And below I tell you how to get the most out of what you have in your kitchen or pantry already, and use healthier ingredients than what you find in a mix/box.
Of course… organic wild blueberries are the super star anti-inflammatory healthy ingredient. Frozen blueberries work great and also go well with a blueberry smoothie with peachy cheesecake tastes.
For the muffins, to improve the muffin texture, an egg yolk and rising agent (baking powder and baking soda) with do the trick. A box of baking soda is usually in your fridge already to prevent odors.
Then add in a little lemon juice or vinegar to activate. And if you don’t have those ingredients, you can also add honey. Yes, honey! Or maple syrup that’s in this recipe for sweetness (to go with the blueberry muffin morning theme). How sweet! 💕
And if you don’t have milk available, you can make your own oat milk from oatmeal or nut milk from nuts and even a pecan latte to go with your blueberry muffin in the process. So you don’t have to keep shelf-stable milks in your home anymore. And coconut milk too is an option on the table!
How nuts… that milking (a plant) is so easy with ingredients you may already have at home! 🥛
Oh, and this easy blueberry muffin recipe starting from the time you gather home ingredients, combine, and bake in your oven… all-in, is 30 minutes!
How to pack for hiking so you’re happy on your trails is easy when you have a list. Below is everything you need to prepare for your happy (no worry) day hikes that can be full of nature surprises on new trail adventures…
…Like a trail full of rocks.
Tip #1: bring a plastic water bottle, as in one you don’t mind losing. I left one behind when I tripped over a tree root or small rock.
With nature’s course, you can’t predict what you’ll run into (literally!).
And instead of back tracking, you can keep trekking if you lose your bottle or anything else replaceable.
So around the mountain loop, I happily kept going. And as the weather changed which is par for the nature course.
Happy hiking is all about knowing that you’re self-contained and intact, so you have nothing to worry about when you start your adventure.
…Where you’re foolproof and light.
…And wearing comfortable gear.
When you’re back packed with the lightest of items, you’re free to swing your arms, and enjoy nature and your sport the most.
So a front fanny pack for your things is not what I’d recommend.
Because what happens is your weight is distributed to your front that makes you hunch over if you carry everything in there (like a water bottle). And that’s not good for long and distance hikes, over your body long-run.
A cross-over wallet bag is better to distribute weight or to carry your keys and light items.
Plus a backpack, or just a backpack (if you have pockets on you). It’s built-in reversible, as you can always wear the back on the front.
And some have side water bottle holders, so you don’t have to go inside the bag to take a sip of water.
One good tip is you don’t want to fill up your day backpack.
You want to leave room for any layers of clothing you take off and so you can move around without extra bulk and weight.
Sometimes you have to duck fallen branches and jump creeks.
Find a backpack with at least a couple zippered pockets. See below the how to pack for hiking checklist and what to pack in the backpack. A waterproof backpack is good for spills, but not a must. One that suits your personal needs is better.
And zippers are key as I tested tying a ribbon to a bungee cord on me, and it came off without my knowing. Imagine if that were something important (and not just a tying ribbon).
Even bright color, you may never see it again in nature. So count on easy fasteners and zippers.
Zippers don’t take up much space and are good on clothing items too.
You should wear at least one long sleeve top for changes in weather, but also to stay covered. Not just from mosquitoes…
Reminder: There are ticks in nature and if you wear short sleeves and shorts, you’ve been warned. It’s not uncommon. You probably know a person or two who had been bit and paid a health consequence. Don’t be that person.
Also, you could brush up against some twigs that clothing and long sleeves protect you against.
How to pack for hiking clothing:
Minimum: long sleeve top(s), pants, socks, and hiking shoes (grips on soles are especially helpful for mud). Wearing several light layers including workout-type wear allows you to take off clothing as the daily temps change.
It goes from colder weather before noon to the warmest part of the day.
Finding cool-warm alternatives like high wool socks, light cotton pants and thin breathable cotton shirts. Cotton and breathable materials can be harder to find vs. polyester blend of sorts, but you can find if you research and look around.
Another Tip: always look at materials in a fabric before buying. I do this, just like I look at all the ingredients in food. 😊 Don’t be captivated by the marketing big bold words, as it’s sometimes very different than the fine print.
Some have minuscule label tags that need-a-magnifying-glass to read. And if that’s not easy, ask someone or teach your kids to do that and to tell you what they see when shopping (or take a photo and blow it up).
When it’s colder out, pack or wear a down jacket, hoodie, or outdoor vest. The puffery can be compacted into a small bag (or you can tie around your waist). Also wear on you, gloves and scarf that are easy to zipper up or tie somewhere.
It’s windier in the mountains than outside your home. So it’s wise to have a weather expected-appropriate head covering besides a ball cap. That could include a winter cap (under 50°F/10°C) and/or a bandana for warmer (85°F/ 30°C weather).
And wear UV-protected sunglasses, and bring along a pair of UV-regular non-tinted glasses if you need them (for when the sun isn’t out). Hiking trails are often more shaded.
And always wear some sunscreen even if it’s cloudy or winter sun.
And for equipment, along with your tracking miles apps, bring your phone. If you ever need help, you can turn on your phone in airplane mode and use the SOS feature. And if you run out of phone charge or the phone doesn’t work in the mountains, think about what would be smart to pack on you. Think like a 5th grader: remember what you learned in school and science class about freezing is below 32°F/0°C.
…Or you learned about how a mirror reflects light. With a mirror and the sun you can create smoke and light. And if nobody told you before, the sun sets in the west and rises in the east, so you can figure out what direction you’re heading in on a sunny day without your working devices. Your brain is your sharpest tool.😊
Along those lines of emergencies, carry some form of printed ID on you even if it’s out of date. Keep those with your necessary keys, if applicable in a zippered pocket on your clothing body. You never know if you can get separated from your back pack. I was a catering planner and we always learned to plan for the unexpected.
And then after you’re packed, you’re all set!
In your backpack, here’s how to pack for hiking (for your foolproof day hikes):
-face and body sunscreen/lip sunscreen (30 or higher)
-water bottle or two
-ball cap for warm weather or winter head covering
-plastic bag (you never know when it will come in handy!)
-paper towel
-small cloth towel
-moisturizer/hand lotion/aloe in a ziplock bag
-hand and body wipes
-snack (nuts, whole fruit, dried fruit, and bars make good energy snacks). Whole fruit is good for hydration and for not having to take a sip of water.
-anything you need in case of an emergency (medicine, extra socks, etc.). Emergency is anything that you personally sensitive to! If you’re someone who gets low blood sugar easily, bring a sweet snack like chocolate or no-bake Rocky Road energy bar if it’s cool outside.
And with this how to pack for hiking printable list, you’re all set…
This is how to pack for day hiking, whether it's warm or cold out because the temperature will probably be both in the same day.
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
1face and body sunscreen/lip sunscreen (30 or higher)
1-2disposable water bottles
1ball cap for warm weather and scarf, or winter head covering (check weather the day before)
1-2plastic bags (you never know when it will come in handy!)
1-2paper towels
1small fabric hand towel
1moisturizer/hand lotion/aloe in a ziplock bag (in heat items expand)
1face and body wipes (for hands too!)
protein and healthy-easy snacks (nuts, whole fruit, dried fruit, and bars make good energy snacks). Whole fruit is good for hydration and not having to take a sip of water.
anything you need for an emergency (medicine, phone, etc.)
Instructions
Before your hiking day, check the expiration of your sunscreen and replace anything old.
Pack the day before so you can grab your backpack and go.That way you can ensure no key zippers or anything unexpected needs repair or replacement. This applies to your clothing too.
Check the weather the day before. If it's predicted to be below 50 degrees at any point of the hiking day, pack and dress in layers like it will be cooler.
Notes
Wear layers of clothing that include a long sleeve, workout wear that's light, pants, long wool or compression socks, and hiking appropriate close-toed shoes (with sole grooves helps grip muddy treks).
Sourdough bagel made with matcha is hard to match-ah when it comes to the healthy matcha marble effect you can swirl in. Someone already took an irresistible bite out of this one, backside up.
In this bagel recipe, you’ll not need to cut around a bagel. This bagel comes already halved out of the oven. The benefit is you don’t have to do extra slicing work. 🥯
..AND you can make the topping side toasty brown and crunchy if that’s what you like. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! 😋 But for a softer side, bake about 5 minutes less than the recipe time calls for.
To make this sourdough bagel, you probably have all the ingredients you already need in your kitchen pantry.
If you have flour, you can make this!
Since it’s made from sourdough, you won’t even need dry yeast. Time and air will do the heavy (sour bread dough) lifting.
…That results in light and airy pockets inside the bagel bread. And sourdough is more digestible than regular bread or store-bought that can have sugar, so you’ll possibly feel better (and lighter).
And with this recipe, you may never go back to store-bought processed bagels 🥯
While warm and fresh, after baked, the sourdough bagel is best eaten same day, 2-3 days after, or you can freeze them.
But straight from the oven when it’s piping hot, and ready is delightful!
To make the sourdough bagel:
Knead the dough as you would (instruction in recipe below).
Then let the sourdough proof (and turn sour) in room temperature for 2-3 days.
(In case you’re wondering about the step order.)
And after sourdough proofed (see the sourdough bubbles), as you shape your dough for your baking, you can add in (lightly knead in) your matcha powder just before it goes in the oven.
Matcha Sourdough Bagel Heathy Points
Matcha is a green tea and you can find it in powder form along with other tea types, these days. It has healthy ECGC, an antioxidant. And an amino acid that’s known for calming anxiety and stress. That also naturally supports sharpening your cognitive abilities like mind focus. Who couldn’t use more of that, some days (or daily)?
Also your sourdough comes with a lower GI (as in glycemic index that most breads are higher in). Basically, sourdough is more of an anti-inflammatory bread food vs. processed white bread.
Then after baked, when you pile on lean protein and healthy fat ingredients like wild salmon lox (with Omega 3s for more anti-inflammatory goodness), you’re actually getting a healthy meal and not just mostly high carb calories… that’s not ideally what your body wants to start with in the morning.
And maybe also add fermented cabbage or an avocado (source of macronutrient) that are other types of greens that pair well with matcha and savory meals. And maybe an avocado smoothie to break a fast?
Use one cup of flour per regular size bagel (with two halfs).
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Equipment
Baking pan
Silpat silicone baking sheet
container with a top or cover
Ingredients
1cupbread flour
1/2cupwater
1tspcoarse salt
1Tbspmatcha powder
1/4tspolive oil (optional)
poppy seed (optional)
Instructions
Make the bagel dough: Add flour to bowl with water and salt. Start with 1/4 cup of water and add enough water for the dough to all come together and is slightly sticky (but not soaking with water). Knead the dough for about 7-9 minutes by mixer machine (or by hand) and form a small dough disc (shape won't matter as your dough will expand and spread in your container).
Proof (and sourdough) the dough: Add dough to a container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap. You can drizzle olive oil at the bottom of the container if you like for flavor (optional). Leave out for 2-3 days in a shaded/cool room temperature kitchen spot. If you want to speed up sourdough, bring out to a warmer room temperature spot. You will know it's ready when you see dough bubbles and the dough has a fragrant aroma (not too sour). If it gets too sour for your liking, put in the refrigerator for a few hours and it will calm down. When you add bench flour also, it will do the same.
Shape the bagels: "Pour" and scrape out the sticky-ish dough all-in-one from the container onto the baking pan. Roll in a little bench flour (like bread or semolina flour). Split into two long bread dough strands. Add dashes of random matcha powder to create a marble effect. Optional (for rolls): you can pour (onto baking pan) in one layer into a rectangle shape for a bread loaf you can cut up. Tip: For a traditional bagel round ring shape with a hollow middle: pour the sourdough around a small circular object -- (like a smooth small oven-safe cup or metal piping tip) and onto a Silpat lined baking sheet pan that will leave a hole (in the ring center) -- until the dough ends meet. Make 2 bagel half shapes. Add poppy seeds on tops, or any flavor adds you want to make.
Bake at 350°F/180°C about 35-45 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown and depending on the "toast" type/soft vs hard bagel you like. Let cool and remove the circular object. Tip: Between the grip of the thumb and forefinger on one hand, shake the object back and forth until it loosens and then push through to loosen.
Buttermilk biscuit can be a healthy recipe way to start a day, breakfast, or weekend brunch.
You can make a texture-full classic savory buttermilk biscuit or low-sugar biscuit with wholesome wheat germ and healthy ingredients in this recipe.
This gobble-friendly biscuit you can make in 30 minutes: one-bowl easy prep time, refrigerate, and then bake! And whether you make one or a dozen healthy and scrumptious biscuits, is up to you. It will take just as long.
And you can use all pantry ingredients to make this healthy buttermilk biscuit. You can even make your own homemade coconut milk from pantry ingredients to use in the biscuits. Because there’s no actual buttermilk, that’s a dairy ingredient.
No dairy needed — no butter, no milk. And even no egg needed. So it’s even more simple than the easiest of cakes. Or easy low-sugar cupcakes in my world.
The buttermilk is non-dairy milk and vinegar, like almond milk and apple cider vinegar. But you can use coconut milk, other nut milks, oat milk, and/or white vinegar.
Use which ingredient inspires you, and you already have on hand.
Whether you make traditional savory or sweet buttermilk biscuit, you can use healthy and wholesome ingredients.
There’s no added sugar needed.
You can make it sweet and low-sugar with cinnamon.
This base healthy buttermilk biscuit recipe uses healthier whole wheat flour (vs all-purpose flour), wheat germ, apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar), cinnamon, almond milk (or any non-dairy milk), and coconut oil.
I used golden wheat that’s the main flour: a whole wheat with a milder taste than regular whole wheat flour… less wheat germ “whole” tasting. And then added back some wheat germ (crunch) that does have gluten, but is anti-inflammatory with Vitamin E, and healthy with minerals, fiber, and protein.
That was a mouthful. And adding a little wheat germ will not negatively change the texture of the buttermilk biscuit, but will add healthy notes.
The wheat germ (embryo) is the healthiest part of a wheat kernel.
Using wheat, the dough will turn out to be a looser dough that’s dry and slightly wet for a description.
Wheat germ add to dough.
Loose buttermilk biscuit dough.
And if you use solid coconut oil, refrigerate for about 10 minutes to let it stay solid. This helps the fat stay separate to create steam and a lighter biscuit. And another healthy fat foods option is small avocado pieces (use half of a medium avocado), that won’t give you the airy rise, but it’s a healthy food exchange. 🥑
You should be able to easily use a biscuit or cookie cutter to cut the dough shape, and the happy biscuit will hold its shape on its own without needing pan walls for structure. It should stay height intact.
And what I LOVE about whole wheat flours is not only that it’s more healthy (protein and fiber) than all-purpose and some other gluten flours, but that it doesn’t stick to your hands or the biscuit cutter!
The only real decision you need to make here is: do you want this to be a slighter sweeter biscuit, or a classic savory one that often is paired with chicken?
And if your choice is savory, as most biscuits are with Southern meals, then after you brush the tops with oil (olive or coconut oil) before going in the oven for baking, you can add a medium salt to the tops like sea salt.
The adds a little fun-faceted bling action, and additional crunch.
And if you know me, I decided to go a little sweeter… so, I added dried raspberries to mine plus the cinnamon spice…
This recipe makes a 3″ large healthy biscuit. Multiply the recipe amounts by the number of biscuits you want to make.
The result: a soft buttermilk biscuit interior and crunch outside that you taste in each bite. Comparable to fresh warm biscuits from some of your favorite brunch and fast food places. But you know what’s in this one. 😊 Because you’ve made it!
1/2tspvanilla extract (optional for sweet biscuit)
3/4Tbspbaking powder
1/4Tbsp baking soda
1/4tspsalt
1/2Tbspoptional: cinnamon spice (can sub with 1/4 Tbsp maple syrup and 1/4 Tbsp cinnamon if you want more sweet)
Instructions
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in a bowl. Fully incorporate all the ingredients by hand.
Chill dough in fridge for 10 minutes. No need to wrap/cover (unless you will be baking the biscuits later).
Hand fold dough several times. The dough should be loose and a little moist.
Cut out biscuit with biscuit cutters (or an empty 15 oz. metal can). This makes 1- large 3" biscuit, or 2- 1.5" biscuits.
Brush oil on top(s).
Bake at 425°F/218°C for 16-18 minutes until warm golden brown all around. Optional: For additional crunch, turn oven down to 350°F/180°C and bake for another 10-12 minutes.
Cardamom cookie is great with melted chocolate vibes. And since these are healthy-ish with cardamom and olive oil, you can make these cake soft cookies anytime.
The chocolate and a hint of vanilla with cardamom make a great combo for a warm festive cooke. They just need a mug and warm beverage to dunk in.
This reminds me of a vanilla wafer soft cookie or the Italian dipped cookies. You can make these S-shaped cookies that look like a G clef symbol or Gruppetto on a music sheet.
It’s classic on a cookie, just like classical music sheets.
…I don’t read music, but I appreciate everything about music when I hear tunes 🎼
Or if you’re into beauty, you can make cookies like unique railing curves in historical homes. They don’t have to be cookie cutter.
And whatever shape you make these, you’ll hopefully get a nice hump rise. And this has become my new favorite cookie (I say that about most yummy cookies in front of me!).
You’ll want to pipe the cookies as the batter will be a little sticky (or elastic). So cookie cutters are not needed. And you can decide if you want make them each unique shape or a specific cookie cutter shape.
And how these are different than most cookies is the cake flour. You want to be sure to not mix too much as you’re not trying to build gluten (like for bread). And that gives the softer bite.
And actually if you pipe the batter through a pastry bag with a larger tip, you’ll get a better result. It’s not always about the flour.
The reason they need to be piped and not smeared on a baking tray or through a cookie cutter, is so the air isn’t knocked out of them.
When it’s piped, you get a pouffy cookie.
You can pipe onto a sprayed cookie sheet (or Silpat on baking tray so they don’t stick).
After baked, you’ll see all the piping marks so each cardamom cookie can be unique. And swirly good. 🍥
Happy like a pouffy bubble skirt, and not an A-line one that’s flat to the surface (that can be good for other applications). 👗
That reminds me of my mom who was a dressmaker. She made me a pink bubble skirt that also made me happy. So puffy or pouffy is a good word in my book. And cookies.
And when the baked cookies have cooled down, they don’t deflate.
Then you can dip them in melted chocolate that’s best with a coconut oil method that’s foolproof every time! If you use refined oil, you won’t taste the coconut-y tastes if that’s what you’re after.
I think that’s a myth that people believe that it’ll turn into an easy low-sugar coconut cookie (that’s good for other tasty occasions!).
And the cardamom cookie belong on a holiday table of snacks.
And you can make cardamom tree cookies for a Jenga stack on a plate while you listen to Christmas music.
This is a festive low-sugar cake cookie that's easy to make and requires no butter. These will be puffy light and crunchy but soft inside like vanilla wafer cookies, and can be dipped in melted chocolate.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
3/4cupcake flour
1tspmonk fruit sweetener
1egg
1tsplight olive oil
1/4cupmilk
3/4tspbaking powder
white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1/2tspvanilla extract
pinch of salt
1tspcardamom spice
Instructions
Mix ingredients. The ingredients should be wipeable and slightly elastic (almost like a choux recipe except *no need* to add the heated stove as another step... yay!). Tip: if your batter is too wet, add back a little flour.
Add your batter to a piping bag. Recommend using a large star tip (or sharp jagged tip if you're looking at the tip from the side).
Bake at 350°F/165°C for about 20 minutes or until bottom and sides are golden brown (but most the outside of the cookie will stay a light pale color). Don't overbake.
After the cookies cool, dip in melted chocolate and add sprinkles before the chocolate sets, if desired. Let set In refrigerator or room temperature. Plate and enjoy!
