Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Hi-Hat Cupcakes (Low-Sugar)

Hi-hat cupcakes are one of my favorites. My eyes light up in delight. A 3-step cupcake has everything to be a quintessential dessert staple… chocolate, frosting, and a cup-cake layer.

Who doesn’t like being greeted with this type of hat? Hi-hat back atcha!

And while the white pillowy cloud of goodness is usually made with meringues or marshmallows… this one is not. Because that usually equals a generous amount of white granulated or powdered sugar… and that adds up to high sugar in the body.

…And when sugar is high, then you want more to eat. Both you and your body crave more.

And those “empty calorie” sugars do you no favors if you’re trying to be healthier, low-sugar, are pre-diabetic, or trying to lose weight.

But this hi-hat cupcake recipe version is not that high (sugar) way.

It’s also full of healthy ingredient goodness mixed in to a delicious low-sugar chocolate treat..

If you use the ingredients and technique below, then you’ll bypass the high-way negative effects.

…See what I did there? 😊

Low-Sugar Points:

And knowing all this, as an intentional anti-inflammatory food and low-sugar baker, I used a smidge of monk fruit sugar for the cupcakes that won’t spike blood sugar like regular white sugar does.

Monk fruit sweetener is also super sweet tasting on the tongue, so you don’t need much. For all those good reasons, it’s added to the cupcake and also helps the cake texture.

For the frosting, I decided to use the natural sugar already in Greek yogurt as the sweet ingredient.

Yogurt naturally has lactose that’s a natural form of sugar.

So there’s no added sugar… and when food shopping, you can look for those written Greek yogurt label confirming positives to see for your very own eyes.

A thicker yogurt (5% or whole milk) works consistently for a thick frosting, but 2% or reduced milk could work too from the many yogurt options out there.

The test is when you open your yogurt, if the yogurt slides off a spoon like most regular yogurts. If it’s thicker like many Greek yogurts, it won’t easily slide without your needing to prod it along.

And if it fails the spoon test, you likely will get an elegant mound cupcake hat (like a melting snowman or pill hat), but not a cone shape or an elf’s hat that you often see with hi-hats.

But either hat style will melt in your mouth or get gobbled up by someone. 😋

…And actually the less perfect it looks, the more likely that’ll happen quick… if you get my drift.

And I’m all about easy over perfection.

Then for the last part of melted chocolate, you have many options. Some chocolate morsels has monk fruit sugar as an ingredient if you want more healthy options. You can also choose dark cacao or regular dark chocolate morsels.

But now we’re getting ahead of ourselves…

Because.. first you have to make the cupcakes! And then you can assemble or put it all together.

And for planning, you can make the entire hi-hat cupcakes in under 2 hours, or in stages.

The cupcake itself from start to finish will take less than 30 minutes.

Ready?

To make the foolproof easy hi-hat cupcakes, these are the chocolate cake ingredients and steps:

-2 egg yolks

-1/2 cup milk + more (I usually add an extra few Tablespoons because that will yield a thinner batter… and that means more cupcake)

-1 Tbsp neutral oil or liquid form of coconut oil (if you want to use less healthy fat, then you can use 1/2 Tbsp and it will also work as cake is naturally a more dry texture to begin with)

-1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar for acidity

3/4 cup almond flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cacao (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/8-1/4 tsp monk fruit sugar

1/2 tsp coffee (optional)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt

Step 1: Measure your flour and dry ingredients and add to combining large bowl.

I have found gluten-free almond flour with a little all-purpose flour works best, and adds healthier vibes. So it’s the best choice all-around. But if you don’t have almond flour on hand, then you can also use full-on all-purpose flour.

I leave out the coffee for chocolate cakes but that’s a decision you make as some people love the pairing. For me, salt adds more of an impact in taste to a chocolate cake than coffee does. Another option is to add a little more cacao powder than the recipes call for to bring in more “chocolatey” vibes.

I like the dark, bitter unsweetened 100% cacao to be the star ingredient in the bake. But to each her own… you do you!

Then start adding liquid ingredients. Separate your eggs when they’re cold from the fridge (and you can save your egg whites for other recipes like baked cannoli shells).

Hand whip/loosen up egg yolks in a separate bowl (and reserve adding the egg until the end if you want to taste your batter before baking). But otherwise, you can add the egg yolks to one easy bowl along with all the other liquid ingredients. Use 1/2 cup of milk of choice

Oh, and if you don’t have milk on hand, you can make your own fresh homemade oat milk, pecan or any nut milks, or coconut milk.

Any taste-friendly liquid would work. Even a little water would work, but it would be a zero taste add (and less fat and protein for the cake texture), so I wouldn’t recommend.

Oh and btw, it doesn’t matter if you add dry to wet or wet to dry ingredients. And in happy nostalgia, that’s what my favorite baking teacher Martha Stewart has said before. Her teachings have encouraged my hi-hat and cupcake baking to name a few practical areas.

And in my small kitchen box, the reason I add wet to dry (or add dry ingredients first to the bowl) is because then I now know how much actual liquid I would need based on the batter texture consistency (e.g. all milks and flours are not exactly equal). I find it easier to pour a splash more liquid than to go back and have to measure out dry ingredients..

But either way, combine by hand the dry and wet ingredients. I recommend with a spoon instead of a classic baking whisk because batter-flour pieces tend to stick to a whisk and you can lose half a cupcake that way… and we want all the cupcakes! 🧁

Plus, you’re not as likely to over mix or over combine your batter with a spoon. There is such a thing as having to0 much fun mixing… but it doesn’t belong in a cake. 😀

Then after a few magic strokes, fill your cupcake holders to almost full. I use reusable silicone cupcake holders but you can use paper or foil ones too. You can also spray your baking cupcake tin, but be sure it’s the kind that isn’t potentially dusting off metal glitter over time that can end up in your cupcakes.

Bake the soon-to-be hi-hat cupcakes at 350°F/180°C for 20 minutes. Don’t over bake. The cakes should be on the paler side with a little golden glow.

Pull out of the oven when time is up. If you’re not sure, you can test with a toothpick if it comes out clean.

And while still warm, pull the cupcakes out from the cupcake tin that’s still warm. You want to stop the baking heat that’s still coming from the cupcake tin.

And you can easily do this with a metal spoon.

…maybe the one you rinsed off that you used for combining the ingredients in the batter? As you bake more, you naturally get more efficient. 😊

Place the cupcakes on a plate. Let the cupcakes cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes. If you don’t plan on finishing your hit-hat cupcakes in one sitting, then cover the cupcakes in the fridge (I recommend) or you can leave out covered overnight at room temperature.

Make the frosting for the hi-hat cupcakes frosting:

Again, you can find no added sugar because it’s Greek yogurt that has lactose natural sugar (and win body points 💯).

It’s about 5-6 tablespoons of thick yogurt per cupcake. You can add less if you want to.

Use a piping bag to pipe on frosting with a large round circle piping tip. You can also use a thick pastry-type bag, snip a bottom corner, and use that as the round opening.

Tip: If you discover you have the wrong yogurt type that won’t work for frosting after you’ve opened the yogurt container (…that has happened to me as someone who likes food experimenting!), then you can keep your cupcakes in the fridge covered (to prevent drying out) for up to a week, and still make the frosted hi-hats and melted chocolate. They’ll still be delicious… and from the get-go, you let-go and let melt away all of your hi-hat cupcake worries!

Then when you’re happy with your frosted cupcakes, refrigerate them to let the Greek yogurt frosting set.

Next, make the melted chocolate. You can use a coconut oil melted chocolate recipe. And for this hi-hat cupcakes recipe application, you can use about half of a third of the coconut oil. And then let the melted chocolate get back to about room temperature (so you don’t melt the frosting and it slides off like Frosty ☃️).

It’s a little like tempering dark chocolate without having to be so precise in degrees, to get a shine.

Hold the cupcake at the bottom and twirl in melted chocolate. You may lose a little frosting in the melted chocolate that you can easily add back on.

Then refrigerate the cupcakes for 2-3 minutes to let the chocolate set.

And then voila!… you’re done.

Enjoy… everyone will! 😋😋😋

Hi-Hat Cupcakes (Low-Sugar)

This is a moist chocolate cupcake with no-sugar added frosting and melted chocolate. If you make these for others, they will be a hi-hat-hit. This makes 4-5 regular size cupcakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, new york

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup milk of choice (plus more)
1/2 Tbsp neutral oil (light olive oil or liquid form coconut oil recommended)
1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa
1/8-1/2 tsp monk fruit sweetener (depending on how low-sugar you would like to make this)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8-1/4 tsp pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt
4-6 Tbsp Thick Greek yogurt per cupcake (no-added sugar recommended)
dark chocolate morsels (for melted chocolate)
coconut oil (for melted chocolate)

Instructions

Pull eggs out of refrigerator and separate the egg yolk and whites (save the whites). Whisk the egg yolks to combine to cupcake batter. If you will want to taste the cake batter, put egg yolks in a separate bowl, otherwise they can be added to the combining batter bowl.
Make the chocolate cupcake batter in one bowl. Gently combine dry and wet ingredients. Tip: use a spoon to combine. This will be a wet batter that you can pour and spoon into the cupcake holders/pan. Fill the cupcake to about 1/8" from the top.
Bake cupcakes at 350°F/180°C for 20 minutes. Let cool in refrigerator. This will make 4-5 full cupcakes depending on how much total liquid/milk you add.
Make the frosting with Greek yogurt. Add to a piping bag with a round or star tip. Hold straight up on cupcakes and press the piping bag a few times and then pull up. Refrigerate cupcakes while making the melted chocolate.
Make the melted chocolate (see the melted chocolate recipe). Hold the cupcake bottom and sides, and then dip each frosted cupcake into the melted chocolate. Refrigerate to let the chocolate cold set.
Enjoy! Cupcakes will last for several days covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Monk fruit sweetener is a healthy, anti-inflammatory sweetener. It is more sweet than granulated sugar, so you only need a little.

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Easy Goat’s Cheesecake (Low-Sugar) – Cacao and Protein

Goat’s cheesecake is one that’s so easy to make! And you win body points with a more gut healthy cheesecake, using goat cheese. Oh, plus the healthy probiotic piped topping. See the full notes and recipe below…

…And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share the skinny on the healthy ingredients that make a healthy cheesecake difference.

…That’ll benefit your body and also help you be happy, feeding healthy vibes to your gut (where most happy hormones are made) and mouth (stirring up glee). 😋

With this cheesecake recipe, it starts with the ingredient choice of chevre or goat cheese, that’s higher in protein, calcium, and lower calories (about 25% less than regular cream cheese). Plus, healthy prebiotic notes as fermented cheese.

Despite a French name, chèvre is not to be confused with cheval that means horse in French. 🐐 Fun fact: Horses make milk too. 🐎

And goat cheese has a texture closer to cream cheese so it works great in a cheesecake.

Its calories and fat content is more like a Neufchâtel cheese, a reduced cream cheese, which is what I used to use for cheesecakes before I knew better. It’s French named after the town it comes from in Normandy…

But today, we have other available healthier options, like goat cheese…

And the Mediterranean region was one area of the world that put healthier (the real-deal) prebiotic goat cheese on the map 🗺️ straight from the farms, while cow’s cheese is still what dominates cheeses.

And we benefit with the arrival of goat cheese makers. Montchèvre is one organic brand made in the USA. Specific to Wisconsin, that’s also home to the Cheese Heads (America’s Dairyland).

Montchevre is the organic goat cheese used in this cheesecake recipe. It looks like a packaged small cheese log.

You can find it in many grocery stores that has a premium or specialty cheese section, like Harris Teeter or Trader Joe’s. So it’s easier to source.

…And even easier to find is a thick Greek yogurt for additional healthy probiotics (gut health), protein and B12 vitamins (good for energy), to name a few healthy body benefits.

All for the sake of being healthy (that’s a good cause)… and a tasty, nice textured smooth cheesecake.

Sheep’s cheese is another type of healthy protein cheese, like goat cheese, that is growing in common availability, thanks to places like Sardinia, Italy. The rural green pastures are known for the rustic and healthy cheese tradition.

And for cheesecakes, you can also make a delicious, high protein Basque-style sheep’s cheesecake. Keep in mind: sheep’s cheese 🐑 is generally more firm than goat’s cheese 🐐, so the sheep’s way makes a better rustic cheesecake shape.

But with Montchevre goat cheese in this recipe, you should get a smooth batter like mousse that makes a rounder shape. And this means you can use one piece of baking paper effectively (instead of cutting scrapbook strips like I did with sheep’s cheese in a cheesecake).

💡An idea for if you don’t have baking paper: if you use a small half-size 4″ springform pan where the cake pan sides pop off, then you can use one cupcake paper holder and it will fit perfectly at the bottom.🧁Flatten it out and that can be the baking paper you use.

And then to complete the goat’s cheesecake batter to pour into the cake pan:

Bring in the egg yolk that helps the structure in the recipe, and will add more protein/B12 healthy notes. But instead of probiotics (like in yogurt), it’s prebiotic to feed the healthy bacteria probiotics.

And for some FUN batter flavor variety, you can add easy flavors to your goat’s cheesecake like chocolate (via cacao powder).

…Or cherries and chocolate for a delightful pairing. That’s where the HAPPY dials up for me, but your flavors are up to you. You can also add in chocolate chip morsel bits for a little added crunch.

Then when you’re good with your batter in your pan, bake your cheesecake in the oven. It’s a timed event (and not one where you have to keep checking the oven).

After it’s well-baked, the goat’s cheesecake should come out of the cake pan pretty easily in one cake piece, after it’s cooled. The sides will shrink a little to help that effort, because a cheesecake usually sticks to the sides.

Tip: I have tested butter and oil directly on the bottom and sides of the pan before, and nothing seems to have worked better than baking paper and oil. Since this will be a smoother, less dense, and almost pudding-like batter you pour into the circle pan, you can use one piece of baking paper instead of little strips and pieces, and the shape of the cheese cake will remain close to a circle (without weird geometric angles for a rustic look).

And then for the final zhugh and topping (fun), I saved the best for last… where it’s thick Greek yogurt again!

Pipe away guilt-free. 💕 And add coconut oil melted chocolate on to your adult delight.

This chocolate cheesecake won’t last!

Easy Goat's Cheesecake - Protein and Low-Sugar Cacao Healthy

This will make a 4" size cheesecake about 2" high. Double the ingredient amounts for an 8" cake pan.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

springform or cake pan
baking paper

Ingredients

3/4 cup Greek yogurt, thicker portions (2% or higher/reduced fat milk)
1/4 cup chevre goat cheese
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp cacao, unsweetened or cocoa powder (for chocolate cheesecake)
1 Tbsp cherries, halves (optional)
1-2 tsp mini chocolate chips (optional)
1 Tbsp additional Greek yogurt (for piping on top)
1 Tbsp melted chocolate (optional)

Instructions

Make the cheesecake batter: combine goat cheese, yogurt, and egg yolk ingredients in a bowl. Add in any flavors like cacao powder.
Coat neutral oil to the bottom and sides of a springform pan. Add a rectangular cut piece of baking paper to the middle. Two opposing sides should reach the top. Tip: if you don't have baking paper, an easy trick is you can use paper cupcake holders. Flatten out and add to the bottom of your springform cake pan.
Pour-spoon cheesecake batter to the pan.
Bake at 350°F/180°C in the bottom oven rack for 55-60 minutes. The cheesecake sides should be a little darker and slightly pull away from the pan that will help you to pull out of the pan.
Let the cheesecake fully cool (and firm up) before removing from pan.
Pipe Greek yogurt and melted chocolate if desired. Rounded star tips work best to make a "diner whipped cream" topping look.

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Sunrise Alarm Clock For Your Circadian Rhythm Health

Sunrise alarm clock is a natural body alarm that can help reset your circadian rhythm. Your best bet is to find a bedroom that has an eastern facing window with natural sunlight coming in. It’s that simple. 🌅

But not always easy, as your room may not be located in that ideal spot. And to change that could mean having to move rooms or move houses entirely.

I’m not suggesting that you do, and I have a few recommendations below if you can’t get the bedroom sunrise view today.

Especially when colder weather rolls around and you don’t feel like getting up early. And a little morning glow could help… both outside and inside you!

Then with warmer weather when the clocks spring forward, it gets a little easier with a March pep in your step from more natural Vitamin D sunshine. That helps us become more daily active in our outdoor activities, gardening, or exercising

And getting outside more is a good start to get a healthy dose of absorbable Vitamin-D (the happy sunshine pill). 💊

Because happiness affects your energy (mood and having more energy) and vice versa.

This can help with getting more quality sleep.

…Where your sleep shouldn’t be completely season and weather dependent. It can be reset with your 24-hour internal clock (circadian rhythm).

And if circadian rhythm is affecting your happiness, then this is one of the first few changes you should aim to make.

Start with your local surroundings. Where do you spend most your time in the day? At night?

Earlier on in my years, I liked to sleep in and stay up late like a night owl. I used to be such a sleepy head. It took me a long time to wake up.🦉

These days, I think I’ve gotten in a better sleeping-waking up cycle because of natural circadian rhythm (another cycle) resets.

That (re)set comes from natural sunrise sunlight.

And is dependent on my bedroom situations (more than months or seasons).

…Where non-east facing bedroom windows encourage sleeping-in later.

I know this from my own experiences waking up in 5 different sunlight exposure environments within a recent 7-year time span. That was a good, eye-opening test.

…Where, in each bedroom, the windows had horizontal window blinds, but different window sizes. And some had more than one window.

But the biggest factor was the different sunlight exposures based on compass directions: north, south, east, or west.

I still find that tool fascinating. It used to be a separate device you could carry around like a compact mirror, and now it’s on some of our devices 🧭

It works whether there’s a window or not.

And the first place I was in had a windowless bedroom in the middle of the apartment. The bedroom had a pocket sliding door and outside that door is where some light naturally flowed in. I slept like a baby, but the dark light never promoted early mornings.

I always had a blaring alarm to wake me up then, and I never felt well-slept. I would have never considered counting on myself to get up or my natural body alarm clock to wake me up.

Waking up at sunrise would’ve been nearly impossible, and many hours away from the time I actually got up. That’s when I started drinking cups of coffee regularly for the first time in my adult life.

In the second place I moved to, the bedroom had northwestern exposure and more than one window. So it was neutral morning bright and I woke up at my then-regular 8 am or so time, in-time to arrive for a 9-5 job that was within a 5-minute commute.

Then in the third bedroom place, it was northeastern exposure and there was a very big square window like the kind you find in hotels. It was so bright in the morning with mirroring windows across the way, that I quickly added dark blue drapes. Because sleeping past sunrise would have been difficult without an eye mask or sunglasses. 🕶️

Those were tough remote working years in that city view, and I had no reason to get up at sunrise as my window was concrete view blocked.

Then in the fourth bedroom situation, the regular-sized window was full-on western exposure with the most beautiful purple and orange sunsets. It was a daily show. But no sunrise view anywhere I could see in any room.

…So there I found myself slipping into a pattern of sleeping-in later and later, as I went to sleep later and later.

And that brings me to today, where my bedroom is directly facing the east. The complete opposite to the previous situation where I always felt tired, even though I loved the sunsets and staying up late.

The flip was intentional. My last moves were not so intentional as I was not as choosy and didn’t realize the affects of sunlight and the circadian rhythm-sleep connection until I lived out my real life scenarios.

Today I naturally wake up to my body’s alarm clock thanks to my circadian rhythm reset.

With big window paned doors on the sunrise side and some shielding trees, I can fully look out at the morning sun. He-llo00 sunshine!

In this natural sunrise alarm clock lifestyle, I have the blinds slightly cracked open and they wake me up naturally. I don’t need an artificial alarm clock to wake me up.

I naturally wake up at sunrise but don’t get up until the 7 o’clock hour every day.

…That’s not sunrise alarm clock time, but much earlier than when I used to get up. And if I wanted to catch an eventful sunrise glow, I could and am well-rested. 🌄

Today is much more healthy, getting 7-8 quality hours of sleep per night. It’s no longer a guilt sentence to get adequate sleep. It’s a healthy move vs. being lazy.

It’s the opposite than when I started adult life.

We’re wiser now as sleep = longevity.

And if you’re not getting enough sleep, like less than 7 hours a night, you’re hurting your health that can show up in many ways.

…It’s not just about moods and cranky irritability. Less sleep can also add to weight gain and aging faster.

For young people, their brains are still developing, so they especially need more sleep. And adults can get more quality sleep with a few habits…

First thing, get sun in your eyes in the AM. This habit over days and weeks will help reset your natural circadian rhythm in your body.

Look at early morning light through a window when you take sips of your warm beverage. And wake up the same time every day no matter what time you go to sleep.

And if you’re like me that likes to look at devices or watch shows late at night, wear good blue blocking glasses. There are different quality glasses, so it pays to do some research as you only get one set of eyes.

…It’s a good habit to wear blocking glasses even for your smaller phones. It will make a big difference to your eyes and sleep health.

And lastly, if you don’t have eastern facing light in your bedroom, you can purchase and set blue lights or a sunrise alarm clock to turn on in the morning.

When I was younger, we had timers that would turn the regular artificial lights on when we were away.

The early bird still catches the warm. And you can get more done, exercise (that could be a new concept!) or read a little more of your book if you wake up a few minutes (or hours) earlier.

You may even surprise yourself as you inch your way closer to waking up at sunrise as your new alarm clock.

Natural Sunrise Alarm Clock Habits

How to reset your circadian rhythm and wake up earlier or catch sunrise naturally.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Instructions

Face your bed beside eastern exposure windows.
Wake up same time daily.
Look out at the sun in the early AM with bare eyes.
Wear blue blocking glasses at night looking at devices.
Get outside more during the day for healthy sunshine-making Vitamin D (that helps regulate melatonin production).

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Blueberry Muffin – (Low-Sugar) One-Bowl Easy in 30 Minutes

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!

Ready for your blueberry morning? You may also like to add a blueberry cobbler (made with applesauce), buckwheat blueberry scone, and/or a blueberry muffin with chocolate chips and Greek yogurt.

Blueberry muffin made easy and delicious.

Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffin - 30-Minutes and One-Bowl Easy

This is a healthy low-sugar breakfast staple that can be made from wholesome ingredients. This recipe makes 2 muffins.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Total Time 30

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

muffin or cupcake tin

Ingredients

1/4 cup blueberries (organic and wild suggested)
3/4 cup almond flour (or gluten free flour of choice)
6 Tbsp whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp neutral oil (light olive oil or coconut oil)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp maple syrup (or raw honey)
pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare your muffin tin. You can use cupcake holders or use baking spray so they don't stick.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients in one bowl. The batter will be wet and thick and pour-spoon-able.
Spoon batter into cupcake tin or holders.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool and enjoy!

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How to Pack For Hiking So You’re Happy

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…

Happy trails! 🥾

How to Pack A Back Pack For Day Hiking

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

1 face and body sunscreen/lip sunscreen (30 or higher)
1-2 disposable water bottles
1 ball cap for warm weather and scarf, or winter head covering (check weather the day before)
1-2 plastic bags (you never know when it will come in handy!)
1-2 paper towels
1 small fabric hand towel
1 moisturizer/hand lotion/aloe in a ziplock bag (in heat items expand)
1 face 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).

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