Self-love came pretty early in my life. I guess you can say I hit the puppy lottery with that one. I can honestly say that I’ve never had to struggle with loving ME. I noticed this lovely trait about me…

The moment I learned to say NO.

Now, I don’t mean “no” to all those positive things that we absolutely love. Walks in the park. Stealing socks from the hamper. Pupcakes. I could never say “no” to any of these wonderful things.

I’m talking about saying “no” to all those things that rob you of your joy and happiness. Those things that make me question my beauty, morals, or values. Even, the semi-confusing distractions that can knock me out of alignment.

When I was about 10 weeks old, Mom got the brilliant idea that since I was a small dog I should wear clothes. So, one day she left and came back with the “cutest” set of clothes she could find. When she got home, the first thing she pulled out the bag was a pair of purple pup panties with some sort of writing on the bottom.

I sat in her lap patiently as she put those panties on me. However, the whole time I’m thinking to myself…”this is stupid.” After she was done, she put me on the floor. I watched her eyes gushing over me as she stated “how cute!” Ten seconds went by and I had had enough.

I rolled on my back and squirmed like anything to get those stupid pup panties off me. I mean, really? How am I supposed to even pee with these things on? I rolled on my back, my side, and when that didn’t work I tried to tear those panties off with my teeth. Velcro is a lot tougher than it looks.

Mom watched in amazement for about a minute and then decided to take those panties off for me. I guess she finally figured out that clothes weren’t my thing.

Finally, I felt free. No constraints. No binding. And, no pup panties that I have to wear because someone else thinks that I look “so cute.” Honestly, my own personal philosophy is simple.

No need to add extra clothing or costume to love yourself for who you are. I’m comfortable with all of me without the extra dressing. In fact, the moment I learned to say “no” to those things that take me away from my own philosophy, is the moment I learned to love myself unconditionally.

More importantly, Mom stopped forcing me to fit into her expectations, and respected me for being…ME. It just proves that when you’re firm in your morals, beliefs, and values, others will respect you for it.

So, love yourself without invoking anyone else’s expectations on you. Stand for you. Live for you. Love for you. The right ones will love you back.

These Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin Pupcakes are dedicated to loving yourself naked.

And of course, we believe that every pupcake has a love story. So, while your favorite pup is PUPPY LOVIN’ on these pupcakes, we’d love to hear from you.

Why do you feel it’s important to love yourself naked? Or, discuss a time when you were challenged and had the courage to love yourself naked.

Please share your pupcake story in the box below.

And, after you’ve tried this recipe please share it with us @pupcakesugar on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or all three. We’d love to see how they turned out for you.

Ingredients

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin Pupcakes

• ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ Cup Quaker Oats
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ⅓ Cup Plain Yogurt
• 1 Egg
• ¼ Cup Blueberries

Instructions

Yields: 12 – 16 Mini Pupcakes 

For Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin Pupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 – 16 1.75-inch mini-muffin pan with paper bake cups and set aside.
2. In small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, dried Quaker oats. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl add olive oil, yogurt, and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients into the mixture and blend for approximately 2 minutes until well mixed.
5. Stir blueberries into mixture.
6. Fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of pupcake mix.
7. Bake pupcakes for 12 minutes. Pupcakes are done when you can stick a toothpick into the cake and it comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Notes

• This recipe is for a fun treat ONLY. It should not replace your dog’s regular meals. Please consult with your vet on the best plan for your dog’s diet.