With an upcoming birthday in the near future, today we took some time to do just what my littlest man loves the very most: take a trip to the beach.  Oh that boy has been soothed by the strong, salty, ocean breeze since he was just a mere month old.  I swear even in the midst a colicky start to life, for a boy whom seemingly never slept, he has found solace in at the seashore.  So, it seemed very appropriate to start the next year of life of in the same manner.

In lieu of a traditional cake, I was planning on making an apricot bread that would not be over the top for a babies sensitive taste buds and belly.  The batter was so incredibly thin I thought perhaps it would bake up all right in muffin tins.  Not only was I right, but now I have an interesting bread to report on.

Apricot bread

adapted from How it all Vegan!

1 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger ground

1 cup of dried apricots (if you have a working food proccessor use this… if not chop finely)

1 egg

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 tbs oil

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp vinager

1 tsp vanilla

Sift all the dry ingredients together.  Whip up the wet ingredients in a seperate bowl.  Mix them together and carefully fold in the apricots.  Pour into greased muffin tins (or a bread pan of course, just up the baking time to an hour or so) and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a orangey golden color.  Pop a candle in the top and sing your heart out.

I have to say the day couldn’t have been more relaxing.  Lee and I managed to sit and drink a beer together while simply watching our two sweet little boys scramble around in the surf in their own little sandy worlds.  My Miles showed no fear in the eye of danger.  Conquering his fears of the great ocean waves once again, he ended up having a splendid time despite a rocky start.  It is possible that I thoroughly confused him though with his incessant questions of the tide and the connection with the moon and the waves and pretty much anything you can think of that sadly I could not get a clear enough answer for.  Looks like I need a marine refresher…

We were so incredibly happy to spend the day with a family whom is as sweet as they are cute.  Oh, I love a day at the beach.

 If this is not a picture of pure joy….