Breakfast

Vegan Chocolate Waffles

Vegan Chocolate Waffles made with oat flour, coconut milk, and raw cacao powder. Perfect to make for a nutritious breakfast!

Hi, hello, what’s new?

This week was crunch time at F&V as we prepare for a camping trip next week AND Flora’s spaying surgery.

I can feel the momentum of spring into summer, all culminating into the celebration of Memorial Day this weekend.

We’ve also had a *lot* of rain, making work and life a little more challenging in navigating shoots in natural daylight and muddy walks with the pup.

I read a quote recently when preparing for teaching yoga this weekend that spoke about finding the calm amidst the storm.

And by focusing on a single raindrops hitting the ground we can find a bit of calm in the chaos.

Life has felt a bit like one big storm lately, to me.

I find myself procrastinating tasks and challenges for when “life is easier”.

It dawned on me that I need to find a slice of tranquility while life’s marathon races around me.

Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that life won’t stop life-ing, so maybe I can challenge it with reframing what calm looks like.

Amidst the stressors, I still *love* me a warm sweet breakfast.

These Vegan Chocolate Waffles are made with oat flour, coconut milk, and raw cacao powder.

They’re perfect to make for a nutritious breakfast, no matter what season of life you’re in!

Trust me, the ingredient list is shorter than your “To Do”, list, friends!

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins

By Flora & Vino 7 Comments

Vegan Blueberry Muffins made with almond flour, oat flour, and frozen blueberries. Perfect for a nutritious breakfast or snack.

I have a working oven; I repeat, I have a working oven!!!

It’s been *over* two weeks since the oven lit up light a firecracker and died while I was baking a sheet pan meal at 450 degrees.

Since then, we’ve been waiting patiently for a new oven part to arrive and be installed.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on portable induction cooktop.

This is actually my first experience with induction cooking, friends.

While I loved how quickly the pans heated up for a stir-fry, I found it to be lacking when you need to boil a *lot* of water, like pasta.

We survived mostly on oatmeal, homemade fried rice, and air-fried sweet potatoes for the past few weeks.

Which isn’t the worst menu to live on, right?

That being said, I’m super grateful and excited to have a functioning oven again.

Sure, ovens are great for cooking and I rely on it frequently to roast veggies and chickpeas.

However, the one thing I couldn’t stop craving while we were oven-less was baking MUFFINS.

Homemade muffins warm from the oven, bursting with blueberries.

Naturally, today’s recipe is a celebration of that craving.

Friends, I give you, Vegan Blueberry Muffins.

These Vegan Blueberry Muffins are made with almond flour, oat flour, and frozen blueberries.

They’re perfect for a nutritious breakfast or snack!

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Vegan Applesauce Waffles

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Vegan Applesauce Waffles made with oat flour, coconut milk, and unsweetened apple sauce. Perfect to make for a nutritious breakfast!

In our house, I like every item to have a space, a home, a location where we can always find it.

M can attest to the fact that I’m always tidying, organizing, and putting things away.

Which is why whenever he looks for his empty coffee mug to refill it, it’s already in the dishwasher.

Sorry, M!

Anyway, this is especially important for me in the kitchen during busy photoshoot and recipe testing days.

However, being a food blogger, I tend to amass a certain amount of kitchen gadgets that…have no home.

And living in a condo, let’s be honest, I don’t have the biggest kitchen.

So, these kitchen gadgets usually end up in our storage closet or the attic waiting for me to miss them and eventually unearth them 6 months later.

That is, they don’t get to take up *precious* kitchen real estate.

Yes, I’m sorry to admit that the ice cream maker, the air fryer, and the crock pot all live in varying degrees of dust and rumble when not making recipes.

However!

The waffle maker that I told you guys about recently might be the exception to the rule.

Because I just don’t have it in my heart to put away, so it might just have to live on the kitchen counter forever.

I don’t know how M will feel about it blocking the coffee grinder, but we can find out after I share this new recipe with you.

These Vegan Applesauce Waffles are made with oat flour and coconut milk for a nutritious breakfast.

Unsweetened apple sauce is the secret ingredient to making them brown and crispy!

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Tofu “Egg” Cups

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Savory Tofu “Egg” Cups made with firm tofu and sautéed garden vegetables baked in a muffin tin. Perfect for a meal prep breakfast!

As I write this blog post, Flora is asleep in her favorite spot on the linoleum floor of the kitchen.

Every time she lies down to nap on her own (without being crated), I do a little (silent) happy dance.

Yes friends, I consider it a major win that my 9 month Australian Shepherd puppy is starting to rest on her own!

Of all the dogs I’ve bene lucky to have in my life thus far, Flora is by far the craziest, most energetic, and most challenging.

Lately, with spring right around the corner, she’d taken to chasing robins as they hop and skip across the lawn.

She also *loves* eating the dirt of my indoor house plants, so I’m wondering how the future seedlings I plan to sow outside will ever make it.

But when she looks up at you with those piercing blue eyes, it makes all the craziness worth it.

March has felt a bit chaotic with bipolar weather, the time change, and lots of personal and professional commitments.

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the theory that tasks will expand to the time that you allot to them.

With a puppy around the house, naturally, I don’t have all day to get the *perfect* shot anymore.

So I’m learning to be productive and prompt and the anti-perfectionist in my approach to recipe shoots.

9 times out of 10, I am able to finish a recipe shoot in a truncated time-block instead of allowing it to expand into…the whole day.

Not that I don’t want to look at these Tofu “Egg” Cups all day, but we need time to eat them too, right?

These Savory Tofu “Egg” Cups are made with firm tofu and sautéed garden vegetables baked in a muffin tin.

They’re absolutely perfect for a meal prep breakfast to have on hand for the week ahead.

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Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chips Muffins

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins made with oats, almond flour, and lots of vegan chocolate chips. Perfect for meal prep!

Last week we spent almost a whole day without running water at F&V HQ.

It was basically camping without the appeal like the nature, campfire, and s’mores.

Apparently a *very* large water pipe burst in our area, leaving us and many neighbors without running water during it’s longer than normal repair.

I definitely panic-purchased water from the store by the gallon, unsure of how long we’d need to get by with empty pipes.

If you’ve never been without running water, it might not seem like that big of a deal.

You might be thinking, “Just go buy some bottled water and you’re good, sis!”

I wish it were that simple.

Sure, with bottled water you can get by with minimal hand washing and hydration, but not much more.

But toilets require a lot of water to flush (1.6 gallons to be exact, I Googled it!), and if you’re without water for many many hours…well, you get the idea.

So the simple act of human-ing felt like a chore on Wednesday of last week, to the point that I almost went to my local gym just to take a shower.

I cancelled my shoot and any recipe creation or food prep for the day, because without running water none of that is possible either.

Gloriously, the water came on around 8 PM and I took the longest hottest shower I could stand and emerged a new woman.

Seriously, though, the whole ordeal was a reminder how precious a resource water is, and the immense privilege in having constant access to it.

So, the recipe I’m sharing with you today does not require any water, haha!

But it is one that I feel grateful to have in my life and made as soon as we had running water again.

These Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins are made with oats, almond flour, and lots of vegan chocolate chips.

They’re perfect for a meal prep snack for the week ahead!

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Red Velvet Baked Oatmeal

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Red Velvet Baked Oatmeal made with beets, cacao powder, and chocolate chips. Bake it in under an hour for a delicious colorful breakfast!

Timing in life is such a delicate and tenuous balance of push and pull, isn’t it?

When embarking on new adventures, projects, and plans, I often ask myself, is this the *right* time for this venture?

Sometimes there is this knowing that, yes, my energy is aligned and my calendar is open and I want this now.

However, more often than not, the path is not so obviously yellow brick road.

It’s hard for me to accept that, for many things, there is no *right* time, there is only the time you make.

Some things, like moving, having kids, and organizing the attic (yikes), feel too daunting to tackle in the present.

And yet other things I pursue relentlessly, like adding a new puppy to our home, running my small business, and teaching yoga.

We have the autonomy to create these chapters in our lives, and not the other way around.

So, I’m excited to share that I registered for my YTT 300 hr teacher training this April!

Five years after completing my 200 hour training, I’m hungry for more yoga knowledge and excited to apply it to my class.

I’m also hungry for Red Velvet Baked Oats for breakfast.

Valentine’s Day might be over, but I’m still committed to making food pink and red, at least for the rest of February.

Ever since being sick a few weeks back, oats have made a huge comeback for breakfast as a cozy source of nourishment.

These Red Velvet Baked Oatmeal are made with beets, cacao powder, and chocolate chips.

Bake them in under an hour for a delicious colorful breakfast!

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Sweet Potato Waffles

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Sweet Potato Waffles made with oats and Organic SunButter. Serve with berries for a sweet elevated breakfast!

One of my favorite juice shops in Virginia has a small menu of food items, too.

Sometimes you want a little something to nibble on while you’re sipping on your green juice, you know?

This is particularly helpful during the times I stop for juice after a run or hot yoga class and need something a little more substantial.

My *favorite* menu item is a sweet potato waffle that is both vegan and gluten-free.

The presentation on this waffle is a work of art in itself.

It’s plated as one giant circular waffle, topped with a sweet lemon-y glaze, fresh berries, matcha powder, and, if memory serves, edible flowers.

(Side note: I never ate the flowers because I was too scared, but they’re so very pretty!)

Every time I order one, I think to myself, “Lauren, you need to learn how to make this at home and share with everyone (AKA you!).

So, friends, I bring you, Sweet Potato Waffles.

Now, my version is a little more humble; an every day version, if you will.

But that’s how I usually like my eats; easy, nourishing, and delicious.

It doesn’t have a fancy presentation or fancy ingredients but it’s now my favorite waffle recipe I’ve ever made.

These Sweet Potato Waffles are made with an oat base with Organic SunButter.

Serve them with berries and maple syrup for a sweet elevated breakfast to share!

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Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

By Flora & Vino 2 Comments

Cookie Dough Overnight Oats made creamy with cashew butter, vegan yogurt, and chocolate chips. Perfect for meal prep breakfast!

Hello 2025!

It’s been a second since I sat down and wrote a blog post, so let’s see if I remember how to do this.

Forgive me if I ramble and grumble a little but I promise we will get to a recipe at the end of all of this, ok?

POV: January is a strange month.

I personally feel a lot of contradictory feelings and energy; anyone else?

On the one hand, there’s this dizzying forward momentum.

The increase of newcomers at the climbing gym, the annual goal setting we’re witness to via social media, the marketing campaigns promising, “New year, new you.”

On the other hand, there’s an unsettling quietness after a hustling holiday season.

And maybe instead of goal setting, go getting, and planning all out 2025 vacations, maybe we just want to take a nap.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m still very much into the intention setting world.

I indulged in a cozy journaling session to think back on 2024, the good, the bad, and everything in between.

And then followed that session with another to look forward into 2025; to dream, manifest, and cultivate.

Every year I choose a word of the year; something that sums up the goals I’m trying my hardest to make a reality.

Usually it’s also a word that I choose a little based on feeling, because if it’s the “right” word, I feel a tugging in my gut when I read it out loud.

This year’s word that gave me butterflies, is SPACE.

The word might have an entirely different connotation to you than it does for me, and that’s OK!

For me, it encompasses a feeling of mental expansion, a physical move (that we anticipate making later this year), and a allowance of physical presence.

I’m working on creating this idea and mantra of space slowly but surely.

Kind of like easing back into recipe creation when it felt right.

(I did promise you that this prologue would lead to something yummy, didn’t I?!)

I want to kick off our 2025 recipe calendar with something easy, accessible, and delicious.

These Cookie Dough Overnight Oats have been fueling my busy mornings and I’m excited to share them with you.

They’re made super creamy and cookie-licious with cashew butter, vegan yogurt, and dark chocolate chips.

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Sweet Potato Pie Baked Oatmeal

By Flora & Vino 1 Comment

Sweet Potato Pie Baked Oatmeal made with sweet potato, pumpkin pie spice, and candied pecans. Perfect for a fall meal prep breakfast!

Last week I signed up for a 10K run on Thanksgiving Day!

If you’ve been around here a while, you know that I’ve been a runner for over a decade now.

I come and go with the sport, inspired by the seasons and the weather and what races I have on the calendar.

My longest run was a full marathon I did back in 2022, but these days I’m more of a short distance girlie.

When I lace up my runners and hit the pavement now, 3 miles feels tough; forget about 26.2!

But if you know me you know I’m a goal oriented person, and I love having something to work towards and train towards.

I’m in a season of life where dog training is keeping me busy, but making time for personal goals hits differently.

So I hit the “purchase” button when I was all fired up about running and excited to enjoy the fall weather.

Now, I’m feeling slightly sick knowing that this run (and Thanksgiving!) is a short few weeks away.

If there’s one thing I am good at, though, it’s sticking to a training schedule.

Well, and making new variations of baked oats to enjoy.

I’m counting on these Sweet Potato Pie Baked Oatmeal to keep me fueled this fall as I get back on track with running again!

This dish is made with mashed sweet potato, pumpkin pie spice, and candied pecans.

It’s the perfect energizing fall meal prep breakfast to support your lifestyle with complex carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

And, it would be a fabulous Thanksgiving breakfast for the whole family!

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Apple Pie Crumble Bars

By Flora & Vino Leave a Comment

Apple Pie Crumble Bars with an almond oat crust and crumble topping with a stovetop apple pie filling. The best fall breakfast or snack!

I *love* apples, mostly because I can let them sit on the counter for a while and ponder delicious ways to use them.

They’re not fickle like summer berries, where you need to use them THE DAY you purchase them.

Or like Flora’s leash training, which some days feels easy and other days (read: most of the time) I think she’s the one walking me.

But, I digress.

We were talking apples, not Aussies!

One of M’s favorite recipes that I make this time of year is a vegan apple crumble.

It’s also one of my favorite ways to use up a bunch of apples that I got at the grocery store, farmers market, or apple orchard. This year, I decided to get a bit creative and turn his favorite apple recipe into…bars!

These Apple Pie Crumble Bars are made with an almond oat crust and crumble topping with a stovetop apple pie filling.

It’s still easy to make with simple ingredients, but crumble turned bars means they’re portable, concise, and convenient.

Slice them into squares and enjoy them for the *best* fall breakfast, snack, or dessert.

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Breakfast

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