‘There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle’.
Albert Einstein
Food for thought
I love reading quotes from Einstein. He used to write letters to children who posed questions to him and so we have a liturgy of thinking from the angle of a spiritual scientist. This quote is particularly impactful for me. As humans we have an innate survival instinct. We look out for danger and so it is natural that we absorb more negativity than positivity, whether it be from the news cycle, people around us or just a short trip down the road. Does that constant fight or flight mode still serve us? Or would we be better served by seeking out the daily miracles around and within us.
Our own body is something we can think of as a miracle. The fact that the brain can form new connections. That bones, skin, lung cells and even the liver have self-repair capabilities. That laid end to end an adult’s blood vessels could circle the earths equator four times. We are a walking miracle. Every breath we take is a miracle. We can look to nature for the tree that has been there for centuries, withstanding the winds of time. The bird that can navigate the flight to the south for the winter.
We don’t have to go far to see the miracles in life, but it takes practice to go against our human nature and therefore we must actively decide to see the positive. With every moment, every breath, we reset and have the choice to begin again.
Affirmation: With every breath I take, I get to reset my perspective.
The recipe.
This is an easy chocolate muffin recipe, with lots of antioxidants from the cocoa and maple. It is a good way to use up leftover banana’s and add natural sweetness to the muffin. Remember to use ripe bananas for that reason. It is nut free, dairy free and gluten free, so inclusive to all. I made this with my son, letting him mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine. It takes a little longer in the oven than other muffins as the bananas make it a wetter mixture than the average muffin and the oats need some time to absorb that moisture.
Yield: 12-16 muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup oat milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 bananas, mashed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Line a baking tray with muffin paper liners
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the oat flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until evenly combined
- In a blender add the banana, oat milk, olive oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend till smooth (i.e. no banana lumps)
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until the mixture is consistent and there are no lumps or pockets of flour
- Fill each muffin cup with batter
- Bake in the center of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until a pick comes out clean
- Let the muffins cool before serving
