The last few weeks for Mom have been extremely busy.  I’ve watched her leave the house early and come home late.  Our usual walks have a lot less daylight, there are fewer dogs walking; and every car that drives past has on really bright lights.  I’ve even witnessed Mom make out mini “to-do” lists and being too busy to complete anything on it.

I paid all of this no mind.  Sometimes, that’s simply how life works.  However, my ears did perk up when I overheard her tell someone on the phone that she “forgot to go to the store for ingredients.”

I thought for a second after she made that statement.  “She’s right,” I thought.  “It’s been weeks since I’ve seen Mom come in this house with a bag of groceries.”

Usually, she shops enough for a couple of weeks, so I don’t pay that any mind.  However, hearing her say that made me nervous.  I’ve been eating a new pupcake recipe every week for the past 2 years.  There’s no way I want to break that tradition.

I should’ve known better.  I forgot that somehow Mom thrives on this type of situation.  She always manages to come through with an amazing pupcake flavor.  So, what happens when Mom forgets to go to the store?

She finds her zone and makes pupcake magic with the ingredients she has in the house.

Have you ever “been in the zone?”  It’s a wonderful place to be.  It’s the place where problems transform into solutions.  It’s the moment where everything around becomes silent as you focus on the project, activity, or moment happening right in front of you.

However, “the zone” is not about feeling creative and coming up with solutions to a problem.  It’s seeing a way out with the limited resources you have.  The zone is when you…

In a general sense, “the zone” is a reward for getting unstuck.  Many of us have felt that way, I’m sure.  Limited resources, such as money or pupcake ingredients, can make us feel like we’re limited to what we can achieve.  However, many of our greatest accomplishments come when we had limited resources to achieve them.

That’s when “the zone” comes through for us.  It serves as a source of inspiration to keep us hopeful, focused, and determined.  It helps us block out the negativity as we work towards coming up with a solution.  Honestly, some of Mom’s best pupcakes were baked when there were limited ingredients in the house.  It’s where her creativity really shines through.

These Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Muffin Pupcakes were not only created from a banana Mom had left over from a meeting at work, but are dedicated to finding your zone.

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.

Have you ever had to come up with a solution with very limited resources?  How did you get unstuck?  How did it turn out?

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

Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Muffin Pupcakes

• ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ Cup Quaker Oats
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Mashed Banana
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter (unsalted with no added sugars)
• 1 Egg

Peanut Butter Honey Glazed Frosting (Optional)

• ¼ Plain Yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon Creamy Peanut Butter (unsalted with no added sugars)
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Honey

Instructions

Yields: 12 – 14 Mini Pupcakes

For Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Muffin Pupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 – 14 1.75-inch mini-muffin pan with paper bake cups and set aside.
2. In small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and dried Quaker oats. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl add olive oil, mashed banana, peanut butter, honey 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. Fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of pupcake mix. 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.
6. Spread or pipe peanut butter honey glazed frosting onto the pupcakes. (Optional)

For Peanut Butter Honey Glazed Frosting (Optional)

1. In large mixing bowl beat yogurt, honey and peanut butter together on medium speed. Mix until smooth.
2. Spread or pipe peanut butter frosting onto the pupcakes.

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.