Baking: not cancelled. Birthdays: not cancelled. Time with loved ones: not cancelled. It’s times like this we need to celebrate what we have…and see the bright side of social distancing – more time to spend with our families, forced rest and relaxation and an opportunity to get creative with some good old-fashioned homemade fun. Can baking rid the crazies? Deliciously likely. Can a backyard “camping trip” replace spring break plans? You’d be surprised. And can working from home mean spa day every day? Sign me up. These are weird times, but we can make muffins out of mayhem. And that’s exactly what I did with these 5-ingredient Apple Muffins that are as good for humans as they are for pups (including my bulldog, who celebrated his 7th birthday yesterday)! Read on for the recipe and for tips on how to thrive in the new social dystopia.

Feeling stir crazy? Wondering how you turned into a hoarder overnight? And finding yourself hiding out like the paparazzi will put you on front page news if you step into your favorite restaurant? What a world we live in these days! With covid-19 rampantly spreading across the globe and the declaration of a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization, it’s hard not to go a bit crazy – especially with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to practice “social distancing“. The term, used by epidemiologists, refers to conscious efforts to reduce close contact between people. And major corporations are making changes – like SoulCycle reducing class counts in half to create distance between riders and removing the arms section to eliminate the spread of germs from hand weights. And yesterday, Starbucks shifted to a “to go” only model.

It’s hard to adjust to this new norm and not pity party like it’s 1999. But, what if we took this opportunity to embrace all the good of social distancing? What if, we actually lived our new year’s resolution to “be present” and spent time with our family? What if, we took the opportunity to get the sleep we constantly put off to prep for the next meeting or to get the kids to 8am soccer practice? What if, we embraced new hobbies and dare I say, actually cook homemade meals that double down as bonding timing AND healthier eating habits. Wow, what this sounds like…is actually a pretty spectacular opportunity to live our best lives with our favorite people.

Here’s exactly how I’m taking advantage of social distancing to spread new wings:

1.) Becoming Betty Crocker: After trips to 3 grocery stores for enough food to last 2 weeks (let’s be real, a lifetime) I quickly realized that something needed to be done with all this fresh produce. And something, became the magnificent Apple Muffins you’ll find below. Take this time to shine in the kitchen and turn a new leaf of clean eating!

2.) Exploring New Hobbies: I’m lucky that in Texas, the weather is warm enough in March to start a garden. And my black thumb is slowly but surely turning green as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and brussels sprouts begin to bud in my backyard. It’s never been a better time to try your hand at something new and prove yourself wrong! I mean, we could all use a little pick-me-up right about now.

3.) Embracing the Outdoors: Road tripping is the new cross-continental flight! How often do we take advantage of exploring our home state, national parks…or even our own back yard? If it’s remote, it’s a prime place to embrace social distancing. Don’t want to visit the gym? A neighborhood run or backyard sun salutation never sounded better. Spring break cancelled? A backyard camping trip suddenly sounds exotic…and convenient.

4.) Face Timing Friends & Family: It’s important to stay connected during these times of uncertainty and technology is here for it. Stay in touch with friends and family with a Face Time chat or dinner together via a Google Hangout. Technology can be a distraction, or a powerful tool for connectivity – it’s your choice.

5.) Living My Best Spa Life: Usually work and spa time are like church and state or oil and water – not so happy together. But working from home means daytime masks can legit be a real time fantasy. My favorite? Slather on about a tablespoon of manuka honey for the silkiest, smoothest skin.

This social distancing thing is starting to look a lot better, amiright? So let’s calm the crazies, bake some muffins, embrace some daily grounding and all emerge with a better mindset once we figure out this covid-19 situation. Smart people have a handle on it, so all we can do is our best…for our community, for our families and for ourselves. Thrive on, friends!

P.S. You thought I forgot about the muffins, didn’t you? Get ready to eat your hearts out – these 5-ingredient Paleo Apple Muffins will excite humans and furbabies alike!

Paleo Apple Muffins
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:
-3 pasture-raised eggs (I always use Vital Farms)
-1/2 C + 1 T nut butter of choice
-1 1/2 – 2 apples, cored and grated
-1-2 T coconut flour (optional)
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. To make the muffin batter, mix all of the muffin ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until smooth. Grease a muffin tin or use silicone muffin cups. Pour the batter into the muffin tin or cups. Muffins will be more firm if using coconut flour, but just as delicious if you don’t have it on hand!
Step 2: Bake the muffins by placing in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the baking tin or cups. Enjoy with apple butter, your favorite jam or nut butter!

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All I want for Christmas is a Paleo French Toast Bake that practically bakes itself. Too much to ask? Well I must have been good this year, because this recipe passed the test with flying colors. The last thing anyone needs over the holidays is more work. But there’s always the pressure to prove to guests you’re a super host. This will be your genie in a bottle because it’s a few simple ingredients thrown together and ready to bake in the morning – plus I provide some healthier Paleo swaps that will take just as good as the OG. Read on for the dEATs that will save you Christmas morning.

This year, we’re traveling half across the country from Texas to Wisconsin to spend a couple of weeks with family. Pros: not having to a cook a thing! Cons: navigating the airport with the other half of the country. Before we head north, I had some ingredients to use up so that we didn’t come home to a fridge of expired foods as a New Year’s gift. But I also didn’t quite have the energy to make anything extravagant or too time-consuming given the looming last-minute shopping (I will never learn). So, with a loaf of bread, some eggs, non-dairy milk and canned pumpkin, I whipped up this Paleo French Bread Bake with fingers crossed it would be a masterpiece with zero effort – cha-ching! I’ll be saving most of this in the freezer so that when we get back, we’ll have the most decadent breakfast waiting for us!

What are some of your favorite easy, crowd-pleasing dishes? Drop some knowledge because we could all use as much help as possible this time of year!

Paleo Pumpkin French Toast Bake
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
French Toast Bake
– 1 loaf of day-old bread (I used Mikey’s Paleo Bread)
– 5 pasture-raised eggs like those from Vital Farms
– 1 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (option to sub milk)
– 1/2 C coconut creamer like Milkadamia (option to sub half&half)
– 2 T vanilla extract
– 1 T pumpkin pie spice
– 1 C pumpkin puree
-1 C coconut sugar (option to sub granulated sugar)

Streusel Topping
– 3/4 C almond flour (option to sub another flour)
– 1/3 C coconut sugar (option to sub granulated sugar)
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 1/3 tsp sea salt
– 1/4 C grass-fed butter, solid and chilled like that from Vital Farms
– 1/3 C chopped pecans

Directions:
Step 1: Roughly dice the bread* and place in a greased 9×13 pan. In a medium bowl, mix the remaining French Toast Bake ingredients together to create a custard. Pour the custard evening over the bread. Cover and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Step 2: Make the streusel topping by placing all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Using your fingers, mix together, breaking down the butter until you form a crumbly topping. Set aside until ready to bake the French toast.
Step 3: When ready to bake the French toast, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the French toast and custard mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until its no longer jiggly. If the top starts to brown too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Remove from the oven once set and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with your favorite syrup.

Happy Holidays and enjoy the time with family!

The post Paleo Pumpkin French Toast Bake appeared first on The Shooks Life.