Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10

So, I turned 28 last week. What? It’s believable! Ok Ok Ok, I’m in my 40s. My birthday week blew me away with the realization of the quality of my friends and family. I was given TWO surprise parties and my husband whisked me away like a princess in a castle, to the Broadmoor Hotel, with a giant, glorious moat between me and my kids, otherwise known as Interstate 25. Is it bad that I waved goodbye and never looked back? No early wakeup squeals, no meals to cook, no late night dance party rocking my floor from below, no laundry, enough for a small nation, and no school driving in which I burn a deep groove into the Powers Corridor. Of course, I LOVE being a mom but this was a much needed break.

I was completely pampered this year and it made me think….I’ve never had so many people in my life who meaningfully care about me. One major factor is that I made it a goal this year to invest in and pursue people who I see having a very specific quality, a quality that is “can you hear the angels harmonize” holy, philosophically rich and highfalutin. Drum roll please. That quality is… I enjoy them.

You know when you talk with a person and it’s just sweet and magnetic, like a bee in a jam trap? I’ve made it a priority to go after those mutual and interesting people. I don’t overload on these friends but pour into a few that really matter. Our lives should definitely also include reaching out to difficult people who need some help in their life journey and we should regularly invest in close friends. If all of life is duty and we lose the element of relational fun, we aren’t as productive and our lives aren’t as contagious. If we are burnt out on our lives, why would anybody else find us great to be around? My husband, Daniel, said this at a conference recently, “Having a healthy soul is the best gift we can give this year.” I feel spoiled this birthday, not just by the gifts, parties and fun but also with one of the things that contributes greatly to my heart health- true friends.

One of my dear friends made me homemade chocolate cupcakes. Good, melt in your mouth English chocolate or a fudgy, deep chocolate cake… Oh, my my my, goodbye Vibrant Life Diet; it was nice knowing you! It’s bad. I had to practice saying no to chocolate, no joke! I read that the more you say no, the better you get at it. And, that was true for me. But, since it’s my birthday and time to celebrate, I am giving you a recipe that is both reasonably healthy and decadent to use for a special day. I changed my friend’s recipe to make it lower glycemic and added coffee to bring out the chocolate’s depth. These chocolate cupcakes are gluten free and very low on sugar but delicious. They are for your once a week treat for sure but a MUCH better option.

This recipe is delicious and fairly low on sugar “as is” but for an even healthier, lower sugar cupcake, follow these instructions.