One of my favorite things to do is to lounge in the sun.
Whether it’s sitting next to the window, lying on the deck, or curled up under the light shining through the glass door, I love to soak it all in. In fact, I’m not opposed to following the sunlight wherever it goes. When it shifts from one side of the house to the other, I have no problem grabbing my toy and moving right along with it.
I make it a point to soak up as much sun as I can. Especially since the days are getting shorter. And, here lately the days have been a lot cloudier. So, I’m soaking up as much Vitamin D as I can possibly get.
The one thing I appreciate is that Mom gives me the space I need to sunbathe by myself. Whether I’m taking a nap, playing with a toy, or simply watching the world do its dance, she usually gives me my space to just be still whenever she sees me trying to catch a couple of rays.
You see, lounging in the sun is more than trying to warm up or get a tan. It’s my time to reflect, be still and sit with my feelings. It’s my time to be strategic and selfish with my own thoughts, dreams, intentions and desires. It’s my time to give myself compassion, kindness and even patience. My moments in the sun are my self-love practice.
So, what is self-love anyway?
That’s probably a loaded question. But, really. What is it? We hear that term so often that I’m wondering if anyone knows what that actually means.
Honestly, there’s probably a million different definitions depending on who you ask. While one human may turn her cell phone on do not disturb for an hour to practice self-love, another human may treat herself to a spa day. While I may bask in the glory of the sun, another pup may choose to take a stand and avoid eating the triangle shaped kibble. Whatever self-love is, there’s one thing that’s certain….
You can’t practice self-love until you can define it for yourself.
In a nutshell, self-love is all about taking care of your physical, mental and spiritual you. It’s learning to put yourself first on a regular basis. Self-love is not only about paying attention to your needs, wants and desires, but also making a conscious effort to act on them. It’s more than having boundaries, but it’s about making sure that other humans (and pups) respect them.
Self-love is also fluid. My definition of self-love as a 1-year old puppy is a lot different than my definition at 5. That’s the beauty of self-love. As long as you continue to nurture yourself, your self-love definition will grow and evolve with you. So, be open to rewriting that definition every day, week, month or whenever necessary.
While lounging in the sun is definitely my self-love practice, in this moment my definition of self-love is indulging in a pupcake. So…
These Apple Peanut Butter Pupcakes are dedicated to defining your own version of self-love and finding the time to practice it daily.
And of course, we believe that every pupcake has a story. So, while your favorite pup is PUPPY LOVIN’ on these pupcakes, we’d love to hear from you.
How do you define self-love in this very moment? Do you practice self-love daily?
Please share your pupcake story in the box below.
Checkout the recipe below
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.
Yields
- 12 - 14 Mini Pupcakes
Ingredients
Apple Peanut Butter Pupcakes
- 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Honey
- 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (unsalted with no added sugars)
- 1 Egg
Instructions
For Apple Peanut Butter Pupcakes
- 1Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 – 14 1.75-inch mini-muffin pan with paper bake cups and set aside.
- 2In small bowl mix together, flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- 3In a large mixing bowl add olive oil, honey, applesauce, peanut butter and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until combined.
- 4Add dry ingredients into the mixture and blend for approximately 2 minutes until well mixed.
- 5Fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of pupcake mix.
- 6Bake 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
Pupcake Sugar in no way provides any warranty, express or implied, relating to any recipes on this website. The recipes are based on Sugar’s personal experiences with them. Please be aware that your pup may have allergies or other conditions that may make the recipes not suitable for their lifestyle— consult with your vet as needed or roll with your judgment as the pet parent in charge. Pupcake Sugar is not liable for upset tummies or any other outcomes of experimenting with our recipes on this site.
