Paleo Cranberry Orange Muffins

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Sharing Love With Self and Your Neighbors

This morning as I was taking my quiet time, and praying, I was thinking about the blog post I wrote yesterday. (If you have not read it yet, take a few minutes now to do so.) In a nutshell it was about not judging yourself, and loving you for who you are. As I pondered more on this topic Matthew 22:39 came to my mind.   It says the 2nd greatest commandment is this “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Ok, well who is your neighbor? It could be the family you live next door to, your church family, your children, spouse, parents, your best friend, or a stranger you smile at as you pass in the grocery store.  If any of those individuals listed needed a helping hand, a door held open, a hug, a prayer, or a meal made during a difficult time, would you hesitate to do it? Most likely, the answer is “Of course not, I would do that for them, they were in need!”

So, why is it that when we find ourselves “in need” of a dose of self love, personal time, quiet time, call it whatever you want, do we feel like “we can’t or we don’t deserve it?” If we truly are going to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we have to allow ourselves the opportunities, time, and joy of knowing how to love “yourself” before you can love “them”!  

The next time you agree to make some muffins for a elderly friend who is not feeling well, make a double batch. Give half to her, and keep the other half for yourself.

As they come out of the oven, Stop, make a cup of hot tea or coffee or hot chocolate, sit on the couch, and relax as you enjoy a fresh muffin, made with love for yourself and your neighbor, and smile at the gift you are receiving.   When you are done and your tummy is happily full, stick these little gems into the freezer. In a couple of days when you reach your hand into your freezer and pull out another; the gift of love to yourself will be put into action once again. It will make you smile, it will make you thankful.

This is not selfish.  

It is fulfilling the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  

To help motivate you to put this love into action...Here’s a Delicious Paleo Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe I found from https://cookeatpaleo.com.  It is perfect for this time of year as we think about our Thanksgiving plans and Christmas festivities right around the corner. Who's going to be your neighbor who shares this dose of love with you?


Paleo Cranberry Orange Muffins                             

Ingredients

  • 2 cups  almond flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • zest of 1 orange

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, melted

  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries or organic dried cranberries

For full instructions click here: https://cookeatpaleo.com.

Tips from Kim at Nurturing Your Wellness:

 *To make the muffins more light and fluffy, beat eggs well before adding the rest of the wet ingredients.

 *I also went heavy on the cranberries, I used about 1 c. of fresh berries.

 *I used coconut oil to keep muffins dairy free